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

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

I think it's probably because we're all used to holding properly huge phones.

 

[Maknora]

I think it's the most comfortable phone to hold. this guy kind of shows how it feels https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjFsladlIPo&feature=youtu.be

 

[Large Hadron]

It's incredible that a 5.8 inch phone is considered too "small" these days...up until a few months ago, people using their tablets for taking pictures were mocked at. In a few months, that may become the norm.. And yeah I do know that without the bezels, this phone is much smaller than the screen size suggests, but still..this is a big phone..

It's 5.8" diagonal, but because of the aspect ratio it's the same width as a 5.25" 16:9 screen. Then they fold the edges of the display down, which makes the device narrower still, but the aspect ratio is the bigger effect.

The bottom line is that when comparing the sizes of displays with different aspect ratios the diagonal isn't enough.

 

[Large Hadron]

After holding both, the S8 is just too small to hold. It feels like hold the Galaxy S7 although I know its bigger. Maybe because I'm used to bigger phones, the S8+ feels more perfect

Anyone else feel this way?

Nope, exact opposite. In fact the width of the phone is the main reason I'm considering buying one: all of these > 5" 16:9 phones are too wide for my comfort.

In fact the S8 is the same width as my current phone, which still makes it slightly wider than I'd prefer but liveable with.

 

[amyf27]

It's funny how large of phones we get used to. I remember when I never wanted anything larger than my Blackberry Pearl. Lol.

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I had an LG Optimus L9 when it was new and thought that 4.7" screen was huge lol.

 

[jma78b]

The s8 is perfect size for me. The S7 is actually a bit too wide so can't wait for this new phone.

 

[kramer5150]

Not at all. Phablets have gotten so huge lately. IMHO its refreshing to see Samsung (and LG with the G6) size them down a bit while still keeping maximum screen size.

The problem for me when I handled the S8 and 8+ demo units the other day is the edge screen and button placement. So even though the device is small enough to get a firm grasp around, I can't without activating something inadvertently.

The "Bixby button" was really a problem. Far too easy to press accidentally. They should have relocated it or at least made it much more firm to click. It should also be user programmable... theres no reason for it not to be.

 

[flyingkytez]

I'm still stuck between an S8+ and S8. I kinda like the compact size, but a 3000mAh might be too small for me. I'll have to see it in person.

Seems like the sizes go in this order (smallest to largest):
S7
S8
S7 Edge
S8+

 

[Bikesh159]

I find it ok since I have been using smartphones of the similar sizes. Still the size of the smartphones keep increasing which gets used to in time.

 

[Premium1]

I went and held one today and thought it felt great in hand. Love the very subtle curves for the screen and how they fit a 5.8" screen into a size body nearly same size as the s7. With that being said the fingerprint scanner will take some time getting used to.

 

[tcdude]

It's 5.8" diagonal, but because of the aspect ratio it's the same width as a 5.25" 16:9 screen. Then they fold the edges of the display down, which makes the device narrower still, but the aspect ratio is the bigger effect.

The bottom line is that when comparing the sizes of displays with different aspect ratios the diagonal isn't enough.

Once again I'll mention I started a thread for this exact reason, going ahead what is the best way to compare display size with different aspect ratios?

 

[Adranalyne]

I came away impressed with my 2 hours playing with it. I was a fan of the Note 7 design and this just takes it to the next level. I'm glad they decided to keep a smaller form factor as I'm really used to the regular Pixel and this won't be a huge departure.

In fact, I came away a lot more impressed with the overall device than I expected to be. The software is a lot cleaner. Performance was excellent. I've got high hopes for this phone.

 

[aokusman]

I went and held one today and thought it felt great in hand. Love the very subtle curves for the screen and how they fit a 5.8" screen into a size body nearly same size as the s7. With that being said the fingerprint scanner will take some time getting used to.

After playing with it I came to the conclusion that I will have to turn the device over to use the fps.

 

[Premium1]

After playing with it I came to the conclusion that I will have to turn the device over to use the fps.

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.

 

[jb4kats]

I have a question, does anyone know what the comparison between the S8+ and the Note 8 will be? I am having 2nd thoughts. I have had every Note that has been out and I was really upset when the Note 7 went belly up. I would like a wider phone and if the Note 8 won't be any wider I don't see why I should torture myself and wait for it. I need to make a decision pretty darn quick so I can cancel this order before it's too late.

 

[anon(782252)]

I have a question, does anyone know what the comparison between the S8+ and the Note 8 will be? I am having 2nd thoughts. I have had every Note that has been out and I was really upset when the Note 7 went belly up. I would like a wider phone and if the Note 8 won't be any wider I don't see why I should torture myself and wait for it. I need to make a decision pretty darn quick so I can cancel this order before it's too late.

Just a lot of rumor and speculation at this point about the Note 8. Still 5+ months away.

 

[RicKaysen]

I was glad I had the chance to pick both up and compare. I know some people want smaller phones and that's fine. Even though I think grown men look silly poking at a tiny iPhone, whatever works for you. I have a problem with the S8 because of the narrowness. I use my phone to read a lot of web content and it looks like I'd either have to reduce the size of the web page to the point where the font is unreadable or I would need to be constantly scrolling sideways to finish a sentence (no, I don't want to hold it in portrait mode). The S8 Plus is only a tiny bit taller than my S7 Edge and that's the model I pre-ordered.

 

[aokusman]

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.

You are correct, eventually muscle memory will make it a breeze.

 

[Mike Dee]

It's funny how large of phones we get used to. I remember when I never wanted anything larger than my Blackberry Pearl. Lol.

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My Droid X was massive compared to most other phones at the time and now it would be normal to small.

 

[Large Hadron]

Once again I'll mention I started a thread for this exact reason, going ahead what is the best way to compare display size with different aspect ratios?

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.