Apple’s big-screen iPhone... coming to a store near you

Apple suppliers in China will begin mass production of its largest iPhones ever next month, according to people familiar with the plans, as the smartphone maker faces increased competition.

Apple is working on two bigger devices: one model will have a 4.7-inch display, compared to the 4-inch screen of the current iPhone 5s, that may be available to ship to retailers around September, said two of the people. A 5.5- inch version is also being prepared for manufacturing and may be available at the same time.

Apple is getting ready for its annual unveiling of new iPhones after rivals, including Samsung and HTC, released smartphones with displays that are as large as 5.7 inches. Consumers have been gravitating toward larger-screen devices — in China, 40% of mobile gadgets based on Google’s Android operating system that were sold in 2014 had display sizes of more than five inches, according to an estimate from Forrester Research.