At their annual developers conference, Apple are expected to announce the launch of the new iPhone, but as usual, any specifics about the phone are a closely guarded secret.

However, rumours circulating in the tech space suggest that Apple plans to use a larger screen on the next-generation iPhone and has even begun to place orders for the new displays from suppliers in South Korea and Japan.

Korea's LG Display, Sharp Corp and Japan Display Inc, are all producing the screens in a Japanese government merger deal that is combining the screen production of the three companies.

The new iPhone screens will measure 4 inches from corner to corner with the new iPhone set to go into production as soon as August. The decision by Apple to have larger screens is said to be in response to Samsung who recently unveiled its Galaxy smartphone with a 4.8-inch touch screen and a faster processor earlier this month.

Samsung, which this year became the world's largest cell phone maker, sold 45 million smartphones in the first quarter and sales of the Galaxy phones outstripped the iPhone.

Photo: LiquidMetal iPhone concept by Jon Fawcett