4,500 Android Central readers have responded to the 2011 Reader's Choice Awards surveys so far. The surveyed phones come in every size and style with 2.8" up to 4.5" displays. It turns out that the Readers are thinking big. While only a third of the 40 phones in the 2011 Readers Choice Survey are the 4.3" or 4.5" formats, two thirds of readers want these larger formats.
Four of the top five phones are 4.3" displays including the Sprint HTC EVO 3D, Verizon HTC Thunderbolt, and T-Mobile HTC Sensation. The year-old Sprint HTC EVO 4G has locked up third place. The only "smaller" phone in the top five is the 4" AT&T Motorola Atrix. Just 14 months ago, 4" would have been big.
The sixth spot goes to the only 4.5 inch contender, the AT&T Samsung Infuse 4G. This begs the question, what if there were 4.5 inchers on Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile? Would they all be in the Top 10 as well? Probably.
Drilling down to the smallest sizes, 13% of the phones in this survey are 3.2" or less. But only 1% of users want these phones. The iFixIt and iSupply teardowns show that the 4.3" displays do cost about $20 more than the small displays and carriers earn a premium for these most popular phones.
How is the bigger format trend impacting carriers? Verizon and Sprint Lead in the 2011 Reader's Choice Awards because they have the most 4.3"+ phones. T-Mobile has the worst showing due to only offering one 4.3" phone out of it's 24 Androids.
How is the drive to larger formats impacting manufacturers? HTC Dominates the 2011 Readers Choice Awards with 4.3"+ phones helping HTC set new sales and earnings records month, after month, after month, after month, after month, after month.
Buying a phone in the US is more than an $100 or $200 investment. It is typically a 24-month contract that will total $2,000. The bad news is that you are going to spend a lot on your next phone and probably have it a long time. The good news is that if you are already going to spend $2,000 on your next phone, spend another $100 and get the one you want. Money may not be able to buy happiness but it can get you the phone you want.
The Reader Awards show 2011 to be the year of the 4.3" phone. CES 2012 is expected to feature a host of 4.5" "Edge-to-Edge" displays. The thin bezel around the screen allows a 4.5" display to fit into today's 4" case. And hold on...a 5" Edge-to-Edge display fits into one of todays 4.3" cases.
Here is a little history on US Android phone sizes. In 2008, The 3.2" T-Mobile G1 was the first Android phone. Into 2009, the small screen dominated with the My Touch 3G, HTC Hero, and Motorola Cliq. The Motorola Droid moved the bar to 3.7" in November 2009 followed by the 3.7" Nexus One in January 2010, then the HTC Desire and Droid Incredible.
June 2010, brought the 4" Samsung Galaxy S series and also the first 4.3" display to the US, the HTC EVO 4G. Other 4.3" phones have now included the Droid X and MyTouch 4G in 2010. So far in 2011 it has been the 4.3" Inspire 4G, Thunderbolt, Droid Charge, Sensation, Droid X2, EVO 3D, and Photon. The Samsung Infuse remains the only 4.5" phone in the US.
2011 Reader's Choice Awards Research:
? 4.3" Displays are Now the Sweet Spot
? HTC Dominates the 2011 Readers Choice Awards
? Verizon and Sprint Lead in the 2011 Reader's Choice Awards
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