Two of the longer-running rumours about Apple’s iPhone plans – the launch of a larger screen version, and availability of a version for China Mobile – reared their heads again.

According to BGR, finance firm Jefferies & Co issued a research note to investors, stating that the company is set to launch a device with 4.8-inch screen. The availability of a larger device will “catalyse a large upgrade cycle”, he wrote.

And analyst firm Display Search suggested that Apple is looking at both 4.7-inch and 5.7-inch screens for a future iPhone, indicating that the vendor could look to offer a “phablet” version of the device.

Apple has not been the first to embrace larger screens, with the 4-inch display of the current iPhone 5 coming in well-below the size of the products used in rival flagship products.

But Display Search noted that “changing to a bigger display or a higher resolution is not as simple as changing the screen” – it also requires upgrades to graphics hardware and software.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg said that Apple is looking to hire a manager with “knowledge of the third- and fourth-generation networks used by China Mobile”, who will “support and drive the carrier approval of mobile phones”.

It has long been anticipated that Apple will offer an iPhone with support for the 3G and 4G mobile networks of China Mobile, which use different technology to those offered by current iPhones.

While Apple has not offered operator-specific devices before, China Mobile is the world’s largest operator by customer base, which may make such an effort viable.