With an expected late Q2 2012/early Q3 2012 launch, the iPhone 5 is a device the world is waiting for. Its features are unknown, but sources speaking to The Wall Street Journal claim that the device will implement a bigger screen combining LCD and touch displays into one component.

Called "in-cell technology," according to the aforementioned sources, the display will use two-for-one technology by integrating the touch panels and LCD. The lack of two layers decreases the thickness of the phone. The Wall Street Journal claims that it measures around half a millimeter - and improves the picture quality. Apple uses its Retina 960x640 display across a 3.5-inch screen; a bigger screen will reduce the visual quality, so the new technology could reduce the gap.

The move means that Apple will be cutting down on manufacturing costs as separate panels will be unnecessary.

The WSJ also noted that the Samsung's 4.8-inch display is thinner than the iPhone 4S'. The Galaxy S3 uses thinner OLED, not LCD, display technology. The device has been seen by some as an iPhone "killer," combining the latest software and hardware into a single device along with new features such as S Voice.

A 4-inch screen on the next iPhone is perhaps because of pressure from Android and Windows Phone devices, even if former Apple CEO Steve Jobs was firmly against the form factor and saw the 3.5-inch displays as the ideal screen size. Since the iPhone debuted in 2007, 3.5 inches has remained the display size.

Leaked photos recently suggested that the device would retain the general form factor of the iPhone 4 and 4S, elongating the phone rather than widening. WSJ's sources seem to corroborate the rumors. Mock-ups earlier in 2012 from technology website The Verge, based on information from sources, presented a device with a wider screen along with other features such as a gesture-based home button.

Hardware alone may not build excitement for the iPhone 5 even though the iOS UI has remained fundamentally identical to what was introduced in 2007. Some owners are still hoping that Apple reinvents the look of iOS with no such revamp seen at WWDC during June 2012.