Apple not to launch 5.5-inch iPhone this year

Apple’s 5.5-inch “phablet” iPhone won’t be debuting this fall after all, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in a note obtained by AppleInsider.

Previous reports had pegged two new phones — one 4.7-inch model and one 5.5-inch model — for launch in September, but Kuo says that Apple is having issues with the iPhone 6’s touch panel, as well as color uneveness on the metal casing.

“These problems will likely be even more complicated with a larger size,” he said.

Kuo also said that he doesn’t expect that the iPhone’s new, extra-durable sapphire glass front panel will “easily pass the drop test near term” for the 5.5-inch phone.