Back in July, Nokia followed in the steps of Android smartphone manufacturers by announcing the Lumia 625, a Windows Phone 8 smartphone with a 4.7-inch screen. Now, with Samsung marketing its 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 3 and other Android makers selling smartphones with screens over 6-inches, Nokia is rumored to be preparing its own “phablet” device.

DigiTimes today is reporting that Nokia is set to release a 6-inch Windows Phone 8 smartphone sometime next month. The report’s unnamed “industry sources” are cited as saying the new Lumia 1520 will be announced during October. The device is also rumored to the first from Nokia to come running the latest version of Windows Phone 8.

Oddly, the DigiTimes report also speculates that Nokia’s move toward larger smartphones will “accelerate” Apple’s transition to larger devices as well. Though the iPhone 5 and IPhone 5S have slightly larger screens than previous iPhone models, Apple has appeared reluctant to raise screen sizes significantly for its new iPhone models.

It was recently announced that Microsoft will acquire Nokia’s hardware division for a bit over $7 billion. The deal ensures that Nokia’s current strategy of focusing on being the top player in the Windows Phone market will not be changing. It also brings Nokia CEO Stephen Elop back to Microsoft, where he once headed-up the business division. Elop is now a top contender to take the place of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who recently announced his impending retirement.