Apple unveils iPhone 5 with 4in screen and LTE support

Apple has officially introduced its iPhone 5 handset, confirming a number of earlier rumours on the device's specifications and features.

Speaking at a special event in San Francisco, Apple worldwide vice president of world marketing Philip Schiller said that the device would introduce a larger 4in screen size and LTE wireless broadband connectivity.

Other features on the handset include a thinner and lighter design which would shrink the handset's thickness to 7.6mm and total weight of 112 grams.

Additionally, the company has integrated a Retina display to the handset and opted for a glass and aluminium body construction with a new A6 CPU which will double CPU and graphics performance over the iPhone 4S.

"The iPhone 5 is the most beautiful consumer device that we’ve ever created," boasted Schiller.

"We’ve packed an amazing amount of innovation and advanced technology into a thin and light, jewel-like device with a stunning 4in Retina display, blazing fast A6 chip, ultrafast wireless, even longer battery life; and we think customers are going to love it."

Apple said that the handset will offer an eight hour battery life for both 3G and LTE browsing as well as a 10 hour video battery life.

The handset will charge via a new 8-pin cable dock known as Lightning, which the company says will be smaller and more durable than the 20-pin concector Apple has used in previous iPhone models.

The company said that the new model will retain the pricing structure of previous iPhone lines. The 64GB model will cost (with contract) $399, while the 32GB iPhone will be priced at $299 and the 16GB $199.

In the UK, an unlocked iPhone 5 will set buyers back a minimum of £529; contract pricing has yet to be confirmed.

While Tuesday's release generated no shortage of buzz for Apple, many of the features of the device had previously been leaked to the press.

Hardware specs, including the smaller plug, larger screen and and metallic backplate had been previously released by the company's manufacturing partners.