Will Apple Launch 4 iPhone Sizes In 2017?

Are you one of the few who thinks that the iPhone 6S Plus is too small for your probably huge hands? Well, we've got good news for you. According to several reports, Apple may add a 5.8-inch iPhone to its lineup in 2017.

For years, Apple avoided increasing its iPhone screen size beyond the traditional 3.5 inches. Now, the company is comfortable with its 4.7- and 5.5-inch iPhones and rumor has it, Apple wants to go even bigger in 2017 with a 5.8-inch iPhone.

The first report came from the Motley Fool, which picked up on a note obtained from DigiTimes. The so-called iPhone 7S Pro would complement the already quite large, 5.5-inch iPhone 6S Plus. According to the rumor, the 2017 iPhone lineup may include the standard iPhone 7S, with a 4.7-inch display; the iPhone 7S Plus, with a 5.5-inch display; and an iPhone 7S Pro, with the rumored 5.8-inch display. The Motley Fool also notes that the new device may come a year later, in 2018, when the iPhone 8 will be announced.

Noted KGI Securities Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has seconded the rumor, reports 9to5Mac. Kuo writes that Apple's full 2017 iPhone lineup will include the following iPhone screen sizes: 4 inches, 4.7 inches, 5.5 inches, and 5.8 inches. He also suggests that Apple may experiment with either glass, ceramic, or plastic backs on the 2017 iPhones. The company may be considering a shift in materials to make support for wireless charging easier. Metal, of course, interferes with wireless charging.

In his latest report, Kuo suggested that the 4.7-inch 2017 model, the so-called 7S, will serve as a midrange or perhaps even low-end iPhone. While the fancier iPhone 8, which is currently rumored to boast an OLED screen, a bezel-less design, and wireless charging, will comprise around 50 to 55 percent of new shipments next year, Kuo said that the "iPhone 7S" could account for between 30 and 35 percent of new iPhone shipments in 2017.

Now that the 4-inch iPhone SE is official, it stands to reason that Apple will continue to produce it, but the 5.8-inch iPhone would be new territory for Apple, as would launching four iPhones in one year. It's unknown whether these rumors will come true, or if Apple is merely experimenting with the idea of a jumbo iPhone.

Regardless of whether or not there is indeed a 5.8-inch version, the latest report from Japan suggests that the iPhone 8 will feature glass backs on all sizes, which reinforces previous claims about the upcoming devices. Supposedly, the two sheets of glass will sandwich a familiar metal frame.