Apple looking at 5.7-inch iPhone, claims report

A rumored 5.7-inch Apple device would take on the 5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy Note.

(Credit: CNET)

Apple is exploring iPhones as large as 5.7 inches, as it feels the heat from large-screen rivals, according to Reuters.

The company is considering the introduction of "at least two bigger iPhones next year," the report said.

One could sport a 4.7-inch screen and the other a 5.7-incher, Reuters said, citing sources in the Asia supply chain.

"Suppliers have been approached with plans for the larger screens," the report claimed, adding that the move is "still under discussion."

The motive appears to be a growing need to respond to large-screen smartphones from rival Samsung -- its Galaxy S4 sports a 5-inch screen -- as well as phone-tablet hybrids, aka phablets, which boast even larger screens.

Indeed, if Apple offered a 5.7-inch device that would fall into phablet territory. Samsung's Galaxy Note II, for example, has a 5.5-inch screen.

There have also been rumors about multi-colored iPhones coming down the pike. In an investors note last week, analyst Brian White cited research suggesting that the low-cost iPhone, aka "iPhone Mini," would come in five different colors.

Reuters says Apple is mulling a $99 iPhone, which the company needs for growth in markets like China and India.