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A 4-inch version of the iPhone 6 is in development to replace the iPhone 5c as a lower cost and 'female friendly' deisgn, it has been claimed. 

The handset will be launched during 2015, according to Chinese rumour site Feng.com.

It follows a move towards larger screen sizes, with the most recent models boasting 4.7 and 5.5inch screens.

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A Chinese rumour site claims a smaller iPhone is in the works - with a 4 inch screen designed to be used with one hand. The site claims it could replace the current iPhone 5c

The Feng.com report claims the new design will be 'female friendly' and be designed to be easily operated with one had.

The larger iPhone initially came under fire for its size.

However, the larger handsets were extremely well received, swiftly becoming Apple's fastest-selling product to date, selling more than 10 million units within three days. 

Many doubted how successful a large screen iPhone would be, claiming it was simply too big.

However, if the latest sales survey is to be believed, Apple's iPhone 6 plus has already been a monster hit in the US- and is outselling every other 'phablet' by a huge amount.

It has also sparked a huge rise in the sales of the large screen handsets with a display 5.5inches or larger.

Phablet sales represented 10% of overall smartphone sales, up from 2% for the same period in 2013.

Despite being on the market for just over a month of the three months ending with October 2014, the iPhone 6 Plus captured 41% of 'phablet' sales—sales of smartphones with a screen size of 5.5 inches and larger. 

Phablet sales represented 10% of overall smartphone sales, up from 2% for the same period in 2013.

At the point of sale, when asked what drove their choice of smartphones, the study by Kantar Worldpanel found 58% of those surveyed who bought an iPhone 6 Plus said screen size was the primary reason for choosing their device.

The ability to connect to a 4G/LTE network was the second most important reason cited by both buyer groups.

Although selling for just over a month, the iPhone 6, with 33% market share, became the best-selling model among iOS devices for the three months ending in October 2014. 

The study by Kantar Worldpanel found 58% of those surveyed who bought an iPhone 6 Plus said screen size was the primary reason for choosing their device.

The iPhone 5s was the second best-selling iPhone model with 26%, and the iPhone 5c was third with 18%. 

The iPhone 6 Plus captured 10% of iOS sales.

In the Android camp, the Galaxy S5 remained the best-selling model with 22% of sales while the Galaxy S4 continued to show its longevity, maintaining second place with a share of 12%.

Of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus buyers, 85% were repeat iOS buyers and 9% churned from Android.

Also in the three months ending in October, smartphones sales reached 81% of overall phone sales and 59% of all phones in use in the US.