Tipsers are saying that two manufacturers are developing smartphones aimed at displays 7 inches or larger.
According to the industry on the 11th, on the 7th Chinese tipster Suma Chatter posted on Weibo, "There are two companies currently evaluating new phones with 7-inch large screens." The same day, another Chinese tipster, Lina Suma, wrote on Weibo, "A 7-inch new phone. Wouldn't it be better to just buy a foldable."
Suma Chatter and Lina Suma are categorized as tipsters strong in news on Chinese components and supply chains. Chinese companies account for a relatively large share among component makers that supply to smartphone manufacturers. Because of this, component testing often happens first in the Chinese supply chain before new products come out.
When smartphones were smaller than they are now, tablets were typically around 7 inches. Today, 7-inch or larger displays are seen mostly in foldable smartphones. Among bar-type smartphones recently released by major manufacturers, there are almost no products with 7-inch or larger displays. The WP60 unveiled by Chinese smartphone maker OUKITEL in Sep. last year, and the NXTPAPER 60 Ultra unveiled by Chinese home appliance maker TCL at IFA 2025, were among the few large-screen new models. However, those products have had little presence.
But the recent popularity of foldables proves demand for large screens. In particular, Samsung's twice-folding "Galaxy Z Trifold," released late last year, sold out in Korea and then in the United States, blurring the line between smartphones and tablets. The popularity of the Z Trifold led to the assessment that users have a strong preference for large screens. The Galaxy Z Trifold offers a 10-inch large screen when unfolded.
Technologically and content-wise, it is also a time when the emergence of large-screen smartphones is feasible. Smartphone display size is an important factor that affects user satisfaction and task performance. As screens get bigger, resolution and battery capacity must be considered together, and content such as games and videos to enjoy on large screens must also be in place. In addition, as smartphone screens grow, there is room to increase battery capacity.
Changes at Samsung and Apple also draw attention.
The late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was skeptical in the past about smartphones getting larger. Up to the iPhone 4S, the last product he released during his lifetime, the iPhone was 3.5 inches and the iPad was 9.7 inches. He thought that smaller tablets were unsuitable for watching multimedia content and larger smartphones were simply inconvenient. After releasing the iPhone 4, Jobs also criticized rival products, saying, "No one will buy a big phone." But under CEO Tim Cook, this strategy changed. The smartphone grew slightly to 4 inches starting with the iPhone 5, and a Mini iPad about 2 inches smaller came out separately, breaking Jobs' rule. Apple has since gradually increased screen sizes, and Apple's latest smartphone, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, is 6.86 inches.
Samsung Electronics also released the 7-inch "Galaxy W" in 2014. At the time, the overly large size failed to win over consumers. Now, with people doing more experiences and activities on smartphones, many find large screens comfortable, but in the past, light weight, thin thickness, and high resolution were not in place. In addition, the Galaxy W's launch price then was 499,400 won, which was somewhat expensive for its basic performance. But smartphones released now are approaching 7 inches. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is 6.86 inches, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to be 6.89 inches.
Experts see a high likelihood that 7-inch smartphones will reemerge at this point. PhoneArena said, "The iPhone and Galaxy phones are already close to 7 inches, but the two companies may soon enter the territory once considered phablets (phone + tablet)."