Anyone else feel the Galaxy S8 is too small to hold?

[CKwik240]

The S8 is the same width as the S7. Feels a bit smaller in hand, perhaps due to the curved screen. I actually prefer it.

 

[ClintRo]

I am sure over time it will become more natural, just feel placing it in the middle of the back would have been much easier to reach and get used to.

This is exactly what I think will happen, would have been an easier transition to middle back, but muscle memory will kick in an for most it wont matter.

 

[ClintRo]

And the answer is that there won't be a single figure that you can use for comparison. It will depend on whether you care more about the width or the area of the display - for the same diagonal both depend on the aspect ratio, but the width changes a bit faster.

A little bit of trigonometry says that if we define the aspect ratio as R:1 (length:width), then

width = diagonal/sqrt(1+R^2)
area = diagonal^2*R/(1+R^2)

Values of R would be:

16:9 = 1.778
2:1 = 2 (obviously)
18.5:9 = 2.056

So if we unroll the curved edges the S8's 18.5:9 screen has 89% of the width of a 16:9 of the same diagonal dimension, and 92% of the area. Because the width depends linearly on the diagonal and the area quadratically this means it has the area of a 5.6" 16:9 screen and the width of a 5.2" one (rounding both to 0.1"). However, the curved edges make comparing the widths this way impossible, since how much they change the width by will depend on the shape of the curve, which varies between models.

This made my head hurt... thanks!!

 

[Chemy JMHT]

I can feel it useful, I am able to watch subtitled movies in a 5" screen with no issues, so the S8 for me is alright.

 

[worldspy99]

The feel in hand of the S8 is just superb. And I have a S7 edge that I am beginning to like more and more each day. Although the narrow screen does feel like I am being cheated a bit when watching videos. The S8+ was not available to preview because the security holder had issues and was being fixed. I will try to go and check the S8+ out today.

 

[tcdude]

The feel in hand of the S8 is just superb. And I have a S7 edge that I am beginning to like more and more each day. Although the narrow screen does feel like I am being cheated a bit when watching videos. The S8+ was not available to preview because the security holder had issues and was being fixed. I will try to go and check the S8+ out today.

What did you mean that you felt you were being cheated with videos is it because of the black bars at the end or is the screen too narrow?

 

[worldspy99]

What did you mean that you felt you were being cheated with videos is it because of the black bars at the end or is the screen too narrow?

Screen feels narrow.

 

[amyf27]

Screen feels narrow.

The S8 does seem too narrow for me too. Definitely depends on your preferences. It may be perfect for some people

 

[worldspy99]

The S8 does seem too narrow for me too. Definitely depends on your preferences. It may be perfect for some people

Don't get me wrong, I really like it and am probably going to get one.

 

[anon(9780053)]

THE s7edge smaller by a long shot. i own one, and specs on note 7 are relative to s8plus.

 

[jhonnieblue]

if its anything slightly bigger than an iphone7 that would be perfect for me. i tend to be more active and carrying around a bit phone in pocket would just be a hinder. Besides the extra screen real estate makes it perfect

 

[daddyd302]

I may like the bigger screen on the S8+ but I'm glad I didn't want to put down the $130 down payment for it. I have forgotten that my pant pockets do not like anything that's bigger than my current LG G6.

I do not like carrying my phone in my back pocket as at time I forget that I have it and I always sit on it. I am currently wearing a size 34", I used to be 36" and I want to be back at 32" again. Big phones for me is yes yes yes for my eyes, but no no no for my pants. I wear regular pants, not baggy pants.

On a side note, I will check out the Note 8 when it comes out and I might have to compromise on it.

 

[amyf27]

THE s7edge smaller by a long shot. i own one, and specs on note 7 are relative to s8plus.

Yes I agree. S8 Plus is rather close to the Note 7. The S8 is similar to the 7Edge. Its just too skinny for me so Ive got the Plus on order

 

[edubb256]

The screen of the S8 is slightly narrower than the screen of the S7 Edge. The S8+ screen is slightly wider than the S7 Edge screen. I'm talking about screen width, not overall device width.

 

[icwhatudidthere]

What if you're playing a game or something and hit the spot on the screen where the home button is and you leave the app on accident?

I don't think that should be an issue. If the nav buttons disappear, you need to either swipe (like you currently do with other phones that have on screen buttons). Or you need to Force Touch the area which is more than just a tap.

 

[Large Hadron]

If someone tries to take diagonal length and assumes display area should go up by the same percentage amount, that person will draw the wrong conclusion. It is not because the advertising is misleading, it is because that person doesn't understand the difference between diagonal length and display area.

Up to a point. The advertising is factually correct, but as many people won't appreciate the difference that the aspect ratio makes then just quoting it without any explanation or qualification creates an impression that's a little different from reality.

Of course the numbers don't matter: anyone looking at the device can see the size of the screen and that's what is actually important. But marketing likes numbers.

Actually we've done this before, though less dramatically, since early smartphone displays were mostly 15:9 (800x480). And at the other extreme, does anyone remember the LG Optimus Vu 4:3 phone? The first sentence of that review is worth reading just to see a first, fumbling attempt to invent a word for a large-screened phone, a sort of missing link in the evolution of the word "phablet"

 

[edubb256]

Up to a point. The advertising is factually correct, but as many people won't appreciate the difference that the aspect ratio makes then just quoting it without any explanation or qualification creates an impression that's a little different from reality.

Of course the numbers don't matter: anyone looking at the device can see the size of the screen and that's what is actually important. But marketing likes numbers.

I agree. At first I was considering getting a S8, until I realized the S8 had a narrower screen than the S7Edge. (That was important to me, so I ordered the S8+). I could see someone not realizing that, getting a S8 on the assumption it would be wider than the S7Edge and then being disappointed when they realized that.

But, at the end of day, marketing's job is simply to sell products. If they were try to educate customers with explanations and qualifications, I think they would lose more customers. Way back when TVs used to be square, when they converted to wide screen, customers lost screen area. I doubt the TV manufacturers tried to educate customers about how much screen area they were losing. Instead they probably touted the benefits of widescreen for watching movies and let customers look at the TVs and choose for themselves. In this case, Samsung touts the benefits of a slim profile and lets customers look at the device and choose for themselves. I don't think it is misleading advertising in either case, but it does require customers to think a bit about their purchase ... or they could just buy an iphone.

 

[anon(9780053)]

will you peeps look at dimensions before opinions.

 

[anon(9780053)]

goto gsm areana and compare sizes s7edge vs s8plus. s8 plus is larger period

 

[starset]

Now, I want the S8+ for the size too.