Fans of smaller phones may find fewer choices at Apple in the future, at least if a new report outlining the company's future iPhone plans carries any weight. Over the next year, Apple's iPhone lineup could be revamped to include just one compact phone amid a slew of devices with screens larger than 6 inches.

It's not exactly a new rumor, with multiple reports suggesting that the iPhone 13 Mini will be the last of its kind when the iPhone 13 lineup debuts this fall. However, the latest report in Nikkei Asia regarding the planned end of sales of the mini should provide some fodder for rumors.

Specifically, Nikkei reports that Apple will announce only one small phone next year, a new version of the iPhone SE, which will appear in the first half of 2022. (This reinforces a report earlier this week that the iPhone SE 3 will be released in early 2022.) Nikkei's sources expect that its iPhone SE will add 5G connectivity, while retaining the 4.7-inch LCD screen on the current iPhone SE model.

In the fall of 2022, the iPhone 14 lineup will feature cheaper 6.1-inch phones along with 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro models to replace the mini in Apple's 2022 lineup, Nikkei claims that Apple will release a lower-priced 6.7-inch handset. A similar rumor calls that model the iPhone 14 Max.

It is worth noting that if Nikkei's prediction comes true, Apple will not only have one compact handset, but will exclusively offer handsets that support 5G. iPhone 14 handsets and iPhone SE 3 will support 5G, as well as any older handsets Apple will hold in 2022. Apple's 2022 handsets will support 5G, as well as any older handsets that Apple retains in 2022.

Returning to the size of future iPhones, while a 6-inch screen seems like the unofficial minimum for a phone these days, display sizes are actually growing, and customer demand is a big reason for that. People are using their phones for more and more tasks, and having more screen space to work with improves productivity. As a result, cell phones with screens larger than 6.7 inches are becoming increasingly common.

Apple was one of the few handset makers to offer multiple compact models when it introduced the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini last fall. However, that phone has reportedly not sold well, but Apple is expected to keep the mini for the iPhone 13 lineup.

After that, who knows? However, rumors surrounding Apple's future plans increasingly suggest that the iPhone is trying to keep up with other manufacturers by going larger.