The upcoming iPhone 6 is rumored to come in two sizes: a 4.7-inch display and a 5.5-inch display, with the latter expected to launch at a slightly later schedule. It does seem like an odd move by Apple, although since the Cupertino company has yet to officially announce anything, it should be taken with a grain of salt.
That being said, a recent report by Canalys has revealed some interesting data which might explain why Apple could be planning phones with larger displays. As you can see in the pie chart above, it has been revealed that according to Canalys’ study, about a third of all smartphones shipped around the world in Q1 2014 had displays larger than 5-inches.
Sure, this might seem less than the other 66% comprising of phones with displays smaller than 5-inches, but according to Canalys, the growth rate for that market segment seems to be growing fast. “Smart phones with 5″ and larger screens grew 369% – a substantially greater rate of growth than the overall market. Worldwide, they represented just over a third of shipments (34%), and in Greater China the figure hit 39%, and 43% in Asia Pacific.”
The report goes on to state that customers are now expecting high-end smartphones to come with large displays, and that despite the iPhone’s popularity, Apple’s absence in the market will not last long. Could Apple be finally addressing some of the needs of its customers? We guess we’ll just have to wait and find out, but if the rumors of an August launch are to be believed, it looks like our wait might not be as long as we thought.
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