Hello forum,
Over the years, it seems that phones started off big, really big, then reduced considerably in size. Smartphones, on the other hand, are getting bigger. Of course, people want to do more than just send SMSs, so the screen size is important to those who may need to use their devices more as computers than phones. But what about the overall size of the device? Do people want hardware features to be retained or have a degree of personal choice taken from them for the sake of design?
Wants and needs
The S6 is nice and thin, but with caveats, which have been mentioned to death.
In some respects, phone size does matter, in that some people want memory expansion, removable/longer-life batteries, USB3 not old rope USB 2, and environmental protection, all of which would make the phone slightly thicker. But, if people were happy with what they had with the S5 despite the materials used for the case, did Samsung go against their own market in going the same way as Apple with non-removable (by users) parts? That answer is a personal one and will differ from user to user.
Upgrades or downgrades?
Again, people will argue both ways as to whether removing key hardware features found on the S5 creates the 'ultimate upgrade' (quote from Samsung.com), or a downgrade (USB3 to USB2 seems like a downgrade to me). That mentioned, improvements in internal circuity, display and performance are without doubt upgrades. Not being able to expand memory with whatever brand and class of memory card, might ensure that good data transfer rates are maintained. Besides, with the array of cloud services, are SD cards necessary? Maybe, if you don't want to use up data syncing files or don't trust cloud services.
Batteries
If a device is to be thinner, it will need a thinner battery, which may result in less battery life, and the need to carry around a portable power source and cable or a charging unit, both of which are going to be bigger than an extra millimeter or so of phone thickness to accommodate a more powerful battery, and could be mislaid. Of course, this area affects all phone manufacturers, not only Samsung.
So, we have a thinner phone, but may need to carry extra stuff around to use it often, which in some ways negates the benefit of a thinner phone: fewer pockets.
So, how much does phone size matter?
Over the years, it seems that phones started off big, really big, then reduced considerably in size. Smartphones, on the other hand, are getting bigger. Of course, people want to do more than just send SMSs, so the screen size is important to those who may need to use their devices more as computers than phones. But what about the overall size of the device? Do people want hardware features to be retained or have a degree of personal choice taken from them for the sake of design?
Wants and needs
The S6 is nice and thin, but with caveats, which have been mentioned to death.
In some respects, phone size does matter, in that some people want memory expansion, removable/longer-life batteries, USB3 not old rope USB 2, and environmental protection, all of which would make the phone slightly thicker. But, if people were happy with what they had with the S5 despite the materials used for the case, did Samsung go against their own market in going the same way as Apple with non-removable (by users) parts? That answer is a personal one and will differ from user to user.
Upgrades or downgrades?
Again, people will argue both ways as to whether removing key hardware features found on the S5 creates the 'ultimate upgrade' (quote from Samsung.com), or a downgrade (USB3 to USB2 seems like a downgrade to me). That mentioned, improvements in internal circuity, display and performance are without doubt upgrades. Not being able to expand memory with whatever brand and class of memory card, might ensure that good data transfer rates are maintained. Besides, with the array of cloud services, are SD cards necessary? Maybe, if you don't want to use up data syncing files or don't trust cloud services.
Batteries
If a device is to be thinner, it will need a thinner battery, which may result in less battery life, and the need to carry around a portable power source and cable or a charging unit, both of which are going to be bigger than an extra millimeter or so of phone thickness to accommodate a more powerful battery, and could be mislaid. Of course, this area affects all phone manufacturers, not only Samsung.
So, we have a thinner phone, but may need to carry extra stuff around to use it often, which in some ways negates the benefit of a thinner phone: fewer pockets.
So, how much does phone size matter?