Apple is reportedly planning to debut two larger iPhones later this year, following the poplar "phablet" trend.

According to The Wall Street Journal's sources, Apple will release an iPhone with a 4.5-inch screen or larger and another version with a display larger than 5 inches.

Both phones will likely have metal casings like those on iPhone 5S devices; the company plans to discontinue the plastic casing used on the iPhone 5C. The 4-inch display on the iPhone 5 is the largest iPhone screen so far.

While plans aren't set in stone, the new phones will probably be released in the second half of the year, WSJ said.

The larger of the two devices is still in early development stages, but the one with the screen around 4.5 inches is reportedly being prepared for mass production.

Apple declined to comment to WSJ.

The report comes after hype around the phablet trend as more device-makers roll out phones with larger screens.

A phablet is a hybrid between a phone and a tablet. Apple, which started the tablet market with the release of the iPad, has been "woefully slow" in jumping on this tech trend, according to a Forbes report.

If Apple doesn't release a phablet-style device soon, Windows could have the advantage since Nokia and Samsung are in the lead in the burgeoning market.

A new report from British analyst firm Juniper Research forecasts that the phablet market will grow from 20 million in sales last year to 120 million device sales annually by 2018.

HP has announced 6- and 7-inch devices that are slated to launch exclusively in India next month, The Washington Post reported.

Devices with bigger screens have been popular in Asia and Europe due to the long hours people who live there commonly spend on trains. Phablets appeal to buyers who want a tablet device but don't want to haul both a phone and tablet on long train commutes, the Post said.

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