Apple iPhone with 4.6-inch Retina Display

  What’s bigger, probably a touch heavier, even easier on the eyes and at this point a mostly unsubstantiated iPhone rumor? Word from a South Korean media source (via Reuters) that Apple’s next iPhone — call it the “iPhone 5,” or if Apple mimics its just-released iPad, simply “The new iPhone” — will sport a larger 4.6-inch display.

 Apple is purportedly already placing orders with suppliers for a 4.6-inch iPhone Retina Display, Reuters said today, citing a report in South Korea's Maeil Business Newspaper. The phone is due in the second quarter, according to the report.

If accurate, that would be Apple's third device with a Retina Display. The others include the just-released 9.7-inch iPad and the 3.5-inch iPhone 4S.

The 960x640-pixel Retina Display on the iPhone packs in 326 pixels per inch while the new iPad's 2,048x1,536-pixel screen squeezes in 264 pixels per inch.

A relatively massive--for a smartphone, that is--4.6-inch glass screen would be a big step for Apple from the 3.5-inch iPhone. A larger phone may also allow Apple to include updated chips such as the A5X. That chip's marquee feature is quad-core graphics.

There are currently three devices in the Apple product line with Retina Display: iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and the new iPad.