Apple 'developing a curved iPhone'

APPLE is reportedly developing a new iPhone with a curved screen and sensors that can detect different levels of pressure.

Apple is planning to release two new iPhone models later next year, Bloomberg reports, citing an unnamed source.

The curved screens will feature larger displays of 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches (11.9cm and 14 cm) and curve downward. The enhanced sensors will be able to differentiate between soft or forceful touches, the source said.

The larger screens will bring Apple closer to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, which has a 5.7 inch (14.5cm) screen. Apple would not comment on the report.

The move is a bid to compete with Samsung, which has captured more of the worldwide smartphone market than Apple. Samsung unveiled its curved screen Galaxy Round last month.

\"Screen size is one of the things where Apple has to catch up to the Android camp,\" Yuanta Financial Holding analyst Dennis Chan said. \"Innovation in components has been a key for Apple since the first iPhone came out.\"

In September, Apple unveiled two new iPhones - the iPhone 5s and the lower-priced iPhone 5c, in a bid to appeal to more users. However, production of the iPhone 5c, which was the first iPhone to be offered in a range of colours, has been scaled down, Bloomberg reports.

A model holds Samsung's curved smartphone the Galaxy Round, with a 5.7-inch screen. Picture: AFP