iPhone X: New Apple handset will be huge, leak suggests

[Wilhelm]

Apple's next iPhone could be absolutely huge, according to leaks.

The new phone – due to be announced in September – could have a screen that is the same size as the iPhone 8 Plus. But it will go all the way up to the edges of the phone, meaning that it will be not that much larger than the current iPhone 8.

Apple has gradually been increasing the size of its iPhones. Those on sale now are far bigger than the original model, and the most dramatic increase came with the release of the Plus sized phones alongside the iPhone 6.

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But the new, even bigger iPhone X will be the biggest phone that Apple has ever made. It will feature its biggest screen and pack it into its biggest body.

It will have a 6.5-inch display – far bigger than Apple's biggest phone yet, the Plus models, which have a 5.5-inch display. But because of the design, it will only be marginally bigger than the existing Plus phones.

The bigger iPhone X will also be slightly thicker than the Plus phones – by about 0.22mm – so that it can fit the better camera components, according to the same report.

It will be able to shave off much of the extra bulk that would normally be added with such a large screen by allowing the display to go all the way up to the edges, however. Apple first used that design in the current iPhone X, but it is expected to roll out to other Apple products soon.

The larger phone will also require software updates, expected to be released with iOS 12. That will bring with it improvements to the Face ID system that allows people to unlock their phones with their face – and should allow them to do so while the phone is in portrait mode, which will be required for the bigger models and when the feature arrives on iPad.

iOS 12 will almost certainly be revealed at Apple's major developer event next month, ahead of release later in the year. The new phone will probably be launched and released in September.

The new report cites only a "reliable supplier information source" and so could be false or mistaken. But it chimes with previous rumours about the upcoming iPhones, with rumours reliably pointing to three new phones, one of which will be very large.

Those rumours suggest that Apple will release something like an updated version of the iPhone X, as well as the much larger, Plus-sized phone. Alongside those will come a cheaper version, sitting between the two sizes and not including some of the top features of the more premium models.