Sunday debate: Are phones getting too big?

30 September 2018
With each release, smartphones are getting bigger and bigger by the year. Is that good or bad?

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  • L
  • Lao Mayer
  • mAS
  • 02 Oct 2018

I too believe the phones are getting too big. One example is the non-existent differences between a Note and the homonym S Plus series. There should be only one phablet that people can choose. Like Apple is doing right now with the XS Max. You want bigger phone? We have it for you, that's it!
Ro, S9 bezel-rich phone?! Are you even serious? If this is a bezel-rich phone, what about the
Iphones 6, 7 and 8? Or any Sony phone out there?

Who wouldn't like an Iphone SE (2) with a bezel-less display, like the X? Come on. I've been mostly a Samsung user, but recently I told my wife I'd switch to iPhone for the first time if they would come with an SE 2 with bezel-less display and a camera that would be at least as the Galaxy S9's camera.
But of course they won't. Like you said, they don't listen to the market. Not until their' sales come down.

Whoever the manufacturer would be, Samsung, Sony, Apple, Huawei etc., if one of them would come with a powerful SE 2 like phone, or Samsung Alpha size with bezel-less display and so on, they would win a hole bunch of customers.

    Kek Tech, 02 Oct 2018Bro BRING ON THE SIZE! I won't rest until there's a GOOD ph... moreThere's a Honor Note 9. It's nearly 7 inches AND it's flagship grade. ;P

      Bro BRING ON THE SIZE! I won't rest until there's a GOOD phone with the latest chipset that I can purchase in the US that is at the 7" mark, anything over that is too big but this is what I need, nay, what I CRAVE.

        Anonymous, 01 Oct 2018Then people would end up complaining that theirs just to ma... moreHaving more choice is what allows us as consumers pick products that serve our needs the best. And while the majority of people will still go for those hot mainstream flagships, there will be no shortage of those willing to take the alternative route either.

          • O
          • Oxy
          • PxV
          • 02 Oct 2018

          I will really love a phone with a 5,2 inch with bezelless design.

            The Galaxy S9 is a nice phone to use but i wouldn't mind if it was slightly smaller, say 5.5 or 5.6 inches.

              It depends. Screen to body ratio can go this far and eventually the bezels will srink to non existent.
              An the same time though I see an increase in phone length lately. Take sony for example. Z5 is 146mm, Xz1 148mm, xz2 153mm, xz3 158mm.
              So yeah obviously phones are getting bigger my dude. But as i said, screen to body ratio can only go that far. Companies will soon won't be able to go bigger.

              As of today trends eat the entire mobile industry, and that's a bad thing. If you want to stay in game yeah, check different ideas but never remove features.
              I still rock my z5, and while xz3 is tempting, it's lack of 3,5 jack, fm radio, lanyard port and small apps makes me say no.

              If you companies want to evolve, do so! But taking features away is the exact opposite of evolution kiddos. You are playing badly and during your turn you say "i play feature removal"
              Yeah.. Good move..

                EskeRahn, 01 Oct 2018Diversity is a great thing... Different people, differen... moreWell said (typed). Precisely what i was thinking.

                  EskeRahn, 02 Oct 2018I have bought some spares, and also have the disassembled o... moreJust investigated a bit further. And believe it or not
                  a) you can drill a small hole through
                  b) the covered part are kept WHITE when a keyboard normally would display, so the software apartment expected the hardware department to make the keyboard transparent !!!

                    You actually need big screen today. Sizes have grown because UI was evolving and new features couldn't bee added without bigger screens. But that doesn't mean that compact phones (4.5") are useless today.
                    Advantage of bigger screens is increased resolution. Imagine a 3" screen smartphone today with iOS12 or Android 9. Also, try using Facebook or Instagram on these. Even if it is 1080p, you will need to hold phone pretty close to see the details.

                    I remember my first keyboard phone with 1.8" screen. I was young and I had small hands. I remember time, when 3" touchscreen fell the most comfortable to use.
                    These are screen sizes of phones, that I had :
                    - 1.8"
                    - 1.9"
                    - 3.0"
                    - 3.6"
                    - 4.5"
                    - 5.0"
                    - 5.5"
                    I miss the compact phones too, but today 5.5" doesn't seem too big. If someone introduced 5.5" phone 10+ years ago, everyone would say ''It is a tablet''.

                      Jon.SWE, 01 Oct 2018I would think that the top part of the key could be made in... moreI have bought some spares, and also have the disassembled one for the S6 Edge - so will try a few experiments...

                        • S
                        • S6 User
                        • mqx
                        • 02 Oct 2018

                        Also anyone who isn't bothered about the latest specs, I saw the budget J line mentioned alot, but the A line is the Midrange.
                        The 5.2" Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) (brand new) is selling for €/£180:
                        https://m.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a5_(2017)-8494.php

                          • S
                          • S6 User
                          • mqx
                          • 01 Oct 2018

                          Anonymous, 01 Oct 2018It's interesting that the poll results with alot of respond... moreThe manufacturers are getting it right with selling 6" phones, but they're getting it wrong by neglecting the 5" phone market, when they're clearly is a demand.

                          Personally I'm not looking for a 5" phone but for those of you who have scoured the Phone Finder with no joy, there are quite a few releases in October.

                          In the rumours section there are a couple like the 5.4" Google Pixel 3 or the 5.5" Nokia 9:
                          https://m.gsmarena.com/rumored.php3
                          Hope you find what you're looking for soon :)

                            • S
                            • S6 User
                            • mqx
                            • 01 Oct 2018

                            Anonymous, 01 Oct 2018I'd say that 140x67x15 (with curved back of course) is the ... moreYes, I would be happy with 1cm depth on any size phone, especially if it helps facilitate better everything.

                            Yes this could be a slightly curved back mirroring the space between our hand & handset.

                            Having a deeper back would make it easier for OEMs to incorporate flagship features into a smaller phone.
                            But some people may scream No, lol.

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • m5k
                              • 01 Oct 2018

                              It's interesting that the poll results with alot of respondents say that phones are too big. Are manufacturers getting it wrong? For me the iphones and samsungs were so popular due to their size....men and woman could use one handed with ease. Apple have tried to keep it it but now they are getting too big.

                                • S
                                • S6 User
                                • nFX
                                • 01 Oct 2018

                                Marco M, 01 Oct 2018Dear gsmarena. When will you, and others, start subtrac... moreYou can see details of this when comparing the spec's.
                                Under "Display: Size", you'll see the screen area taking the Notch into account, for example:

                                Samsung Galaxy Note 9:
                                6.4 inches, 103.2 cm2 (~83.4% screen-to-body ratio)

                                iPhone XS Max:
                                6.5 inches, 102.9 cm2 (~84.4% screen-to-body ratio):

                                https://m.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=9163&idPhone2=9319

                                  Kiyasuriin, 01 Oct 2018My sight is perfect. I love it a bit to the bigger sized be... moreYes! I use them too to watch anime and read manga, also Korean series :p

                                  My friend has a Note 8 and the screen is indeed quite tall, whish Note series wherent as tall, is a little bit hard to handle a phone like that.

                                  /*Sisfist* - as some people here say xD

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • T73
                                    • 01 Oct 2018

                                    shortkey, 01 Oct 2018That's not true. Smartphones did grow a lot in the past few... moreAmen. Unfortunately, common sense doesn't exist anymore.

                                      • D
                                      • AnonD-632062
                                      • J7S
                                      • 01 Oct 2018

                                      S9 is bezel-rich according to the first author? Yup, he lost all his credibility.

                                      Chip is right!

                                        • s
                                        • shortkey
                                        • psc
                                        • 01 Oct 2018

                                        Vegetaholic, 01 Oct 2018I agree with chip. How many phones I had In last 5 year's t... moreThat's not true. Smartphones did grow a lot in the past few years. And the display size is a part of the issue.

                                        The fact is, there's no smartphone on the market that would match the body of iPhone SE, or even came close to it. Everything is now 67 mm wide or wider, and that's the problem. The width is very important to a comfortable one-handed usability. I mean, I can use most smartphones with one hand, as I have no small hands, but do I feel comfortable during it? Absolutely not. The overall size also makes me uneasy because I have no sure grip on the device.

                                        As has been pointed out numerous times before: there's NO reason NOT to make small smartphones. People who'd buy them are out there.

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