CNET

Apple is reportedly testing iPhones with larger screens than previous models, according to a new report.

The Wall Street Journal says Apple is going as large as 6 inches, which would be 2 inches bigger than its current models.

Devices of that size, which are 4.8 inches to 6 inches, are not anticipated alongside the ones in this latest crop of models, the Journal says, citing sources.

Apple stuck with the same 3.5-inch display on the first five generations of the iPhone, making the jump to a 4-inch display with the iPhone 5. Along the way, the resolution changed three times, forcing developers to update old software and design for multiple screen types. A move to a larger display with a similar pixel density would likely bring another such change.

This is just the latest in a series of reports to suggest that Apple is tinkering with larger displays on its devices. A report from the Journal this past July suggested the tech giant has been testing a 13-inch model of the iPad, as well as iPhone screens ranging up to 5.7 inches. That followed a similar report from Reuters in June that claimed the company was working on both a 4.7-inch and 5.7-inch screen.

Nearly 80 percent of CNET readers who responded toa poll last month said they wanted a larger screen than what's found on the iPhone 5. Those results come as many of today's top-end Android devices ship with screens that are larger than 5 inches, and going into the 6-inch territory. A report from IDC earlier this month noted that models between 5 inches and 7 inches actually overtook shipments of portable PCs and tablets in the Asia-Pacific region during the second quarter of 2013, suggesting people are buying them in place of traditional computing devices.

The Journal's report comes just days before Apple is expected to unveil two new models of the iPhone -- the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5S. The latter will be a lower-cost model that makes use of plastic and comes in several bright colors, if multiple leaks and reports are correct. Apple's event takes place next Tuesday, September 10, at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.