Is Big Really Better?

[PlayableBox]

I work with a Samsung MEGA, it is almost like a 7" tablet and very powerful, but I think Note 2 or 3 have the right size for reading and typing...

 

[RumoredNow]

It wasn't long ago at all... 14 months or so... That I was using a 2.6" screen and that having stepped down from 3.1" (Palm Pre 2 down in size to HP Veer). Why did I go smaller? Upgrade in hardware. And at the time I adamantly said, "Screen size does not matter and bigger does not equal better."

Then I got a Galaxy Nexus (4.65") and quickly after a Nexus 4 (4.7"). Big increase in screen size. Why? Hardware and OS. I wanted to try some OS ports like OpenwebOS and Ubuntu Touch. The Veer fell to the wayside just to save from juggling too many phones.

Next was a Lumia 521. Got it on a deal as I was Windows Phone curious. I liked it. Had a 4.0" screen. Now when I stepped down in screen size I noticed it. Loosing 0.7" on a daily driver meant a perceptible difference. Going 3.1 to 2.7 wasn't as bad and it was the same amount of 0.7". There seems to be a threshold of... expectation that, once crossed, becomes a baseline. It is most likely a combination of size and pixel density. It is also something that very likely differs from individual to individual... Exactly where that line is. That point of no return where now, suddenly, anything smaller seems weaker and less satisfactory to your needs. I rapidly stepped up from the Lumia 521 (4" screen remember?) to a Lumia 925 with a 4.5" screen and sighed in relief. Part of that was going from a budget phone to one worthy of daily use at a higher level, but part of it was that extra screen real estate.

Now I'm driving a Lumia 1520.3 every day. 16:9 ration, 1080p @ 1080 x 1920 oixels, 367ppi, IPS LCD on a 6.0" diagonal. She's beautiful. A huge bump up in screen size of 1.5" gained. Could I go smaller now? Maybe... But not very. I've crossed another threshold; found a new standard of what is acceptable for my daily use. Did a 6" screen drive my choice. No. I actually thought of it as a hindrance. Hardware drove my choice. Double the RAM, big step up in CPU/GPU to the Snapdragon 800, 20MP camera, microSD slot, huge 3400 mAH battery w/ long run times, built in Qi charging. But I also love the screen and find the size not as unwieldy as I first thought it would be...

Do some people buy large screen phones just because of screen size? Undoubtedly.

But it probably is not as many as those who DON'T buy a phone due to screen size.

For myself, and I highly suspect a majority of iPhone 6 Plus buyers, it's just a quest for the best Hardware/Software bang for the buck and UX they can get; screen size being just one consideration among many and not necessarily near the top of the priority list.

 

[rblakeney]

I still have a Veer sitting in a drawer. Can you imagine an Android phone this size with Wear and the Moto 360? I'd rarely have to pull the thing out of my pocket if I used a bluetooth earbud.

 

[someguy01234]

I wish they still make something like this: Sony Ericsson Xperia mini pro pictures, official photos

 

[mohit9206]

For me even 4.3 inch display feels little too big whereas i was comfortable with 4 inches because easy single hand use is most important to me .Cant believe there are some people who actually prefer a 6 inch display phone like Nexus 6,Note 3/4etc.

 

[znd_zer0th]

I've got a Note3 and this is the best phone I've ever had... it's a little bit too much sometimes (in size) but most of the time it's outstanding... while watching videos, while surfing the web, while taking notes, while GAMING! superb screen, didn't expect such a GREAT phone (or phablet), it really surprised me

just my 2 cents

 

[MDTech]

I don't have a big pocket but I have a bag.

 

[Geodude074]

Just my personal opinion, but 4.7 inches is the perfect size. I've held a Moto X in my hand before, and it felt perfect. It's a one-handed phone, I could easily reach all corners of the screen with my thumb while holding it.

I have a Nexus 5, and even though it's only 0.3 inches larger, it's just a tad too big. I need to use two hands for some tasks like holding and tapping the far edges of the screen. And it's too difficult to text one-handed, darn it! I can't drive and text at the same time with it lol.

A 6 inch phone would be too unwieldy for one hand, no sir I don't like it.

 

[radicchio]

Finally, a question I can answer definitively: Yes, for some people, the bigger phones are better; for others, no, they are not. I'm in teh first category, but I don't expect everyone else to agree with me. Isn't choice one of the main reasons we like Android?

 

[nessinhaw]

i think the problem in question is while the bigger screens trend continues, the smaller sizes are bound to disappear...maybe in 1-2 years we won't seen anything smaller than 5" already and that might be a problem!

there will always be market for smaller phones but this users are being left behind and are not so happy when looking to the future

also, what is the limit? we are at 6" now for phablets, already on the edge with tablets...will the future behold only huge phones?

if this trend continues, i'd say yes...and when they realize there are still a lot of ppl who buys 4-5" phones, they will be back again and we'll see the trend for smaller phones back

UNLESS borderless phones and voice assistant have a big leap where for most common tasks, you won't need to remove your phone from your bag and say make a call without picking up your phone, thru a wireless headset for example...we will be walking down the street and will merely say "call x contact" and boom done!

it can already be done ofc but not from your phone being inside your bag in the mid of a noisy street lol and touchless voice control is just starting to spread...but i believe it will be just as i said, in this case, having a big phone wouldn't matter since you won't need to pull it out for basic tasks!

will be fun and interesting seeing what the future will bring us!

 

[UncleMike]

Finally, a question I can answer definitively: Yes, for some people, the bigger phones are better; for others, no, they are not. I'm in teh first category, but I don't expect everyone else to agree with me. Isn't choice one of the main reasons we like Android?

Choice is definitely good, but the apparent popularity of larger phones has me concerned that the entire range of choices is shifting, and that phones the size of the Moto X (2013) will one day be a thing of the past.

One-handed usability of important to me, and so is portability. I don't carry a bag or briefcase, and don't want something the size of a small clipboard on my hip; I'd feel like Jake in Avatar when he's learning move around without hitting everything with his tail. If a phone is too cumbersome to carry with me all the time, then it's virtually useless.

 

[NikasN94G]

Personally I really don't care about the size of the phone. I don't even care if my phone is not super-ultra-new.
Ring to someone, send some sms and winamp for music - all I need in phone. Oh, and lastfm scrobbler because I'm musicoholic.

 

[whicky]

for me big and powerful is much better

 

[BlueLions81]

Don't have big pockets for big phones >_>

The Moto X was good because it had a curve to it and it didn't feel like a brick. I have no clue what I am going to do about a phone after the Moto X. Phones are super big now and the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus confirm it.

I definitely don't have big pockets. They make them ridiculously small on woman's pants. The pockets on the jeans I'm wearing right now wouldn't even hold a flip phone. This is why I get a case with a holster. I do carry a purse, but there's times when I just want to take my phone and don't have a pocket that it will fit in.

I have the Droid Maxx and that seems to be the right size for me. I'm considering upgrading to the Turbo, but it seems to have some defects that have me concerned.

 

[pinnowgm]

This is not true. For me, the maximum screen size i can accept is below 5.5 inch