And if it's thinner, it could also be larger.
The Wall Street Journal has added to the iPhone 5 rumour mill by reporting that Apple is expected to use in-cell touch display technology for the new device.
Using in-cell will reduce the thickness of the device while ensuring it remains lightweight - perhaps paving the way for an increased screen size.
The technology integrates touch sensors into the LCD, making it unnecessary to have a separate touch-screen layer. The absence of the layer, usually about half a millimetre thick, not only makes the whole screen thinner, but the quality of displayed images would improve.
For Apple, the new technology would also simplify the supply chain and help cut costs as it would no longer have to buy touch panels and LCD panels from separate suppliers.