FORTUNE — Smartphone sales in the increasingly saturated U.S. market may have slowed, but if the results of a new survey are any indication, the larger-screen iPhone that Apple (AAPL) is supposedly set to release later this year could be a big hit — at least among the early-adopter types.
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In a March survey of 4,109 ChangeWave members, 26% of those planning to buy a smartphone in the next three months said they were “somewhat likely” and 14% “very likely” to buy what was described to them as a next-generation iPhone 6 with “a larger screen size, gesture control, a faster processor, an updated iOS operating system” and a starting price of $199 (with 2-year contract).
“This is the highest level of demand for an unannounced Apple model in a ChangeWave survey – stronger than we’ve seen in previous years for the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5 models prior to their announcements,” said Andy Golub of 451 Research. “Speculation over a larger screen iPhone is clearly striking a chord with consumers.”
If Apple does release a larger-screen iPhone, it will be playing catch-up to Samsung, whose 5.1-inch Galaxy S5 goes on sale Friday. The same ChangeWave survey found greater interest in the S5 than in any of the S-series Galaxies that preceded it. See chart below.
