iPhone 5 rumours have sprung back to life this week, following a fairly quiet period since the launch of the iPhone 4S in mid-October. The latest snippet of information pertains to the new screen for Apple’s new smartphone, which is believed to be a 4 inch LCD panel.

The new information stems from Japanese blog, Macotakara who states that Hitachi Displays and Sony Mobile Display Corporation, who are also working together to produce screens for the iPad 3, have begun to ship the displays for a “new iOS device.” If these screens are for the iPhone 5, which seems very likely, it means they’ll be 0.5 inches bigger than iPhone 4S models and more in line with the Samsung Galaxy II’s massive 4.21 inch panel and Morotola Razr’s 4.3 inch qHD screen.

Longer and bigger than its predecessor?

iLounge, who is well known for tapping into sources very close to Apple, also believes the new phone won’t adopt the tear-drop shape that was shown in an early prototype, but instead will look just like the iPhone 4S, only 8mm longer and with an aluminium metal case.

References to the Apple’s new smartphone have also been discovered in the latest iOS beta software, which at least confirms that the device is definitely on its way, and is very likely to be called iPhone 5. The software also confirms the existence of the iPad 3, which is rumoured to have a March 2012 launch date.

The iPad 3 is rumoured to be 0.7mm thicker than its predecessor so it can incorporate the new 2,048 x 1,536 screen, which is twice as potent as the iPad 2. Both the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 are likely to make an early appearance at the Mobile World Congress in February, where a host of other tablet makers, including HTC’s quad-core Android device, will be hoping to impress.