Sunday debate: Are phones getting too big?
- O
- Old Guy
- k3K
- 21 Dec 2018
Chip seems to think that "Half a decade ago" is ancient history. Well it's not. My Droid Mini was released in 2013 with a body size of 4.78 x 2.41 x 0.35 in. It fits in my hand, my pocket and on the dash. Has a touch screen and does everything my wife's giant new phone does.
Yes I would like to buy a new cell phone. But I don't own any cloths that has a pocket big enough for the new phones to fit in.
- r
- rlk
- QZQ
- 18 Dec 2018
I have the opposite issue -- I want a bigger phone -- but a lot of the problem is due to the same issue: the increasing aspect ratio of phones.
The result is that the diagonal length may be large, but the surface area isn't, and the very narrow screen makes it very hard to type into. I wouldn't mind a 6.6" screen, which doesn't sound all that much bigger than what's currently there, but I'd prefer it to be 3.5*5.6 aspect ratio, which would be a 16:10 ratio, or perhaps 3.75*5.625, which would be 3:2. I don't carry it in my pocket; I use a belt holster for it, so that size (even with a large, OtterBox Defender type case) would not be prohibitive. My hands are easily large enough for that to be comfortable.
- F
- FeelsBadMan
- BHb
- 08 Dec 2018
I dont like how BIG the phones are getting now. Its a big problem for someone with small hands(Like me), make it so hard to find a right phone and i wont use a backpack,purse or anything like that just because my phone can fix in my pocket.
Most of the phones nowaydays are 6 and above. My hand cant deal with that size.
- U
- User X
- 3qV
- 02 Dec 2018
Yes, they are getting ridiculously big and impractical due to their huge physical dimensions.
Anything longer than 140 mm and wider than 70 mm is very uncomfortable to handle. Phone designers should know that. Phone thickness is irrelevant (as long as it's under 10 mm thick) and is only a marketing trick.
Yet, manufacturers like Huawei, Oppo and many others released phablets 170+ mm in length and 75+ mm in width, which are not just looking ridiculous but also can't be operated comfortably. In this case single-handed operation is impossible. They also don't fit in the pockets, so you have to carry a backpack or a purse for them.
The problem is that those very few manufacturers who make reasonably-sized smartphones install very weak hardware in them.
In the future, unfortunately, there will be even bigger phones, possibly the size of an 13.3" laptop. But don't worry, they'll be just 4 mm thick so they'll be super-duper portable. NOT!
And one more thing - smartphone or phablet is not a replacement for laptop or PC, both of which are much faster, have much bigger screens and are much more comfortable to work with. :)
- P
- Pk
- kgI
- 02 Dec 2018
Women carry a purse, for the most part, I refuse to wear anything like that, so I wear a case on my hip for my phone.
It could be mistaken for a holster, but since I do carry a concealed weapon, I feel like an Android with all of this stuff!!!
- ?
- Anonymous
- 4sp
- 10 Nov 2018
Flagship phone is getting too big (too long to be exact) to carry it in a pocket. Android phones like Pixel 3, Samsung S9+, etc are specially bad in this aspect. I am a long time Android phone fan, pondering to switch.
- ?
- Anonymous
- Jb{
- 08 Nov 2018
I'm a shorter woman, but rather average. There are many like me. It is important to me to be able to use my phone effectively with one hand and to be able to carry it comfortably and safe in my pocket. I don't believe people forgot how simple, important and convenient these aspects are... I am simply NOT willing to buy any phone which is bigger than 140×70mm. No way. That's already bigger, than comfortable.
- C
- CIBERNETICO
- Lu%
- 08 Oct 2018
the phone most beatiful i see xperia x8 blackberry pearl bb curve the most speed for write and the bb storm the rest is copy the htc and iphone the most beatiful is 4s i say
- EskeRahn
- s0J
- 08 Oct 2018
Jon.SWE, 03 Oct 2018S6 is older than note 5 though. It was the year after that ... moreYes it could have been great. Basically a good and cheap to produce compromise.
But it seems like they are going in the opposite direction.
It is not easy to find them for the Note8 any more. And the WW edition of the S8 is not that easy to find either at a good price. (the German QWERTZ version is easy to find though)
The main issue is definitely that they have not found a way to let light get through.
And it is bad for the learning curve that the alternative characters are NOT at the same letters on their virtual and physical keyboard....
It would have been clever if they offered a virtual layout matching the physical. That would have helped learning the positions quicker....
- EskeRahn
- s0J
- 07 Oct 2018
cog, 06 Oct 2018It seems The 66% have girlish hands or they're tiny that's ... moreRemember that many with normal hands will happily use a phablet with two hands to get a large display.
So sounds plausible that only a part of the remaining third got oversized hands.
- M
- Mr Magic
- HBn
- 06 Oct 2018
cog, 06 Oct 2018It seems The 66% have girlish hands or they're tiny that's ... moreWell said dude
- c
- cog
- MRI
- 06 Oct 2018
It seems The 66% have girlish hands or they're tiny that's why they voted for smaller screens
- S
- S6 User
- nw}
- 05 Oct 2018
EskeRahn, 02 Oct 2018I'm certainly with you here! Let's get devices designed for... moreYes the user's needs & common sense will prevail one day soon :)
- T
- Tom Wood
- RNQ
- 04 Oct 2018
If 65% of GSM Arena readers are voting that phones are getting too big, they've probably getting too big! From 77 with a screen width of 68mm or less and size of 4.6" or more in 2014, there's been only 3 this year...
- ?
- Anonymous
- X%9
- 04 Oct 2018
A decent high performance phone that is shorter than 145mm has become virtually nonexistent by now.
- J
- Jon.SWE
- mhB
- 03 Oct 2018
EskeRahn, 02 Oct 2018...Actually it existed in (at the least )THREE colours for ... moreS6 is older than note 5 though. It was the year after that they skipped a number for the note series to get on par with the S-series, and released the ill fated Note7.
But like I said, I think that if they had perfected the concept, it could have been pretty good.
Much cheaper to make Keyboard covers in that way, than active keyboard, and certainly cheaper then building them in to a separate series of phones.
It would never has been as good as the best active keyboards, but it could have been a cool compromise.
And it being cheaper, would have made it easier to make local version. They could have even gone as far as opening up for custom key design, for companies pushing larger orders, for use as terminals in certain lines of work.
- G
- Good luck
- red
- 03 Oct 2018
Please do not get me wrong, I prefer smaller phones and are frustrated by the massive screen trend, but I am just a realist.
Want it or not, the manufacturers are not interested in reducing the screen size on their phones. With more devices to compete in the mobile arena (with similar specs within their respective ranges), the manufacturer's revenue by pure hardware keep decreasing. After all, corporations cannot be too efficient (it goes against the open market logic). Of course they can continue increasing the price of the phones (and people will let them get away with that), but a very important aspect they found is that larger screen correlate with more revenues from services (video and audio services mainly). It can be that people feel more comfortable watching videos on a larger screen or that the larger phone in their pockets keep reminding them of having a source of instant gratification. Whatever it is larger screens are here to stay and continue increasing in size.
Manufacturers learn, a long time ago, that they do not have to do what the market wants. They get away with forcing and shaping the market into what they want.
- r
- randomguy
- PMT
- 03 Oct 2018
Kiyasuriin, 02 Oct 2018I am actually Israelite. heh~ ohhh I see! my bad hahaha most younger generation Filipinas are really like you. sooooooo xD
- ?
- Anonymous
- 2Au
- 03 Oct 2018
parkarrohan, 02 Oct 2018damn phone companies dont care about short people with tiny handson 2030 you will be confused it it's smart tv or a phone haha