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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For me, 6.5 inches is the limit and 5 inches is the smallest for a phone to be the ideal size. That may be too big for someone especially for ladies.

    • D
    • AnonD-731363
    • SH3
    • 01 Oct 2018

    EskeRahn, 01 Oct 2018Well the Iphone SE was an example of the tendency of making... moreWell maybe but Se was a flagship phone with Flagship specs.
    Also it was released in March of 2016 and Sony XZ2 compact is like to say new device.
    We cant compare that.
    But if we can imagine Apple SE2 with a stats and specs of Apple XS Max it should be a tidal wawe in a pacific.

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      • The Wacho
      • L59
      • 01 Oct 2018

      You're both right in some ways, while screens have been growing at the expense of bezels, not size, manufacturers have been using that as an excuse to bump the minum screen size available, imagine a near bezeless phone like the S9 but with a 5.3" instead of a near 6"screen, and nevermind the sheer size, the WEIGHT is an issue, how come the Xiaomi A2 Lite so much smaller than the Note 4 and yet it weights 13g MORE? In my opinion with a near bezeless phone you can have a perfectly confortable phone at 5.3 or even 5.5", as long as it doesnt weight more than 150 or 160g.

        Dip89, 01 Oct 2018Meaning of mobile: able to move or be moved freely or easily.And that term is very individual, I find both my Note 9, and my LG cookie plus mobiles (yes. I have THAT old phone too ^^;)
        As for ME it's easy to move and comfortable to use.
        So please understand why I said "I guess that's what making people unique". People have different likes and dislikes and what may seem to ONE person as HUGE and unusable, can be considered to another as too small.
        HOWEVER on one thing I do agree, companies SHOULD add compact phones with good specs back to track. And I mean 4.7inchers and below.
        Sure, to big-screen-loves it'll be TOO SMALL. But the compact lovers would say "Thank you"

          Note 9 I am using- Do not like its size, it's uncomfortable to hold. But then I had to buy it solely for its big battery as the batterylife on the S9+ I was using was bad and I had to sell it off.

            • j
            • jigish mehta
            • tE}
            • 01 Oct 2018

            i absolutely agree on this and matter of fact i sometimes feels by compulsion we are left with no option but to buy big phones i mean i am using apple iphone x and samsung S8 both and i feel that 4.7 and max 5.2 is the best size for a phone and it 200% serves all your purpose and i still feel if apple comes with iphone se2 with same dimension of first SE with dual sim slot they will have outright market capture coz i have seen people still demanding in stores for that phone size on any OS platform

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • rK9
              • 01 Oct 2018

              Steve Jobs : 3.5" is the perfect size for smartphone display.

              2018 : Good old jolly Tim. I am turning in my grave every second day now.

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                • AnonD-673279
                • phV
                • 01 Oct 2018

                I recently upgraded from my Sony Xperia ZL which i kept for almost 5 years because there were no compact phones that could match it's screen to body ratio. I looked for a phone with a ~5.5" screen and length in the low 140s since that's the absolute limit of what i consider pocketable. There are 3 options: Meizu 15, Nokia 8 Sirocco and the Essential phone which i bought on prime day. That's it, 3 phones each with major downsides like old android, no headphone jack, curved screen, etc...

                The way the industry has been going my next upgrade will probably have to be a gen 1-2 fold-able phone before they make those the size of laptops

                  PapaRafe, 01 Oct 2018This is 150th comment in this thread, very attracting to ge... moreI personally find the WIDTH more of an issue than the LENGTH, as you can shift the device up and down if needed. I'm currently on the (a bit too huge) Samsung S8, to get a physical keyboard. https://eskerahn.dk/wordpress/?p=2395

                  Of course it can also be TOO long... But the very elongated device is a plus with a snap off/on keyboard (18½:9 respectively 13:9)

                  Optimally I will say that a device should not go beyond 65mm in width to be fully operable with one hand while keeping a secure grip, for a wide majority of people. Of course there are those that have huge hands, or those that want to use both hands, so please let us have both phones and phablets.

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • aXW
                    • 01 Oct 2018

                    The original Nokia 7 had the perfect size for me but it never left China to go global. A 5-5.2 inch 18:9 works for me.

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • aXW
                      • 01 Oct 2018

                      jco83, 01 Oct 2018Just realised I was forgetting about aspect ratio. A 5 inch... moreTotally agree with you.

                        This is 150th comment in this thread, very attracting to geeks.

                        For me 153mm lenght is the limit, that usually translate to 6.2" phones.

                        I love big screen, but....
                        Stretching to 6.3 or 6.4" is overkill. Literally!

                          • R
                          • Ryan
                          • wiS
                          • 01 Oct 2018

                          5.5 Inch with bezel less display, making it 145mm or less and 67mm wide max, will be perfect for everyone.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • nE$
                            • 01 Oct 2018

                            I have nothing against large phones, but the lack of choice in the market is what is troubling, and that applies to many other factors as well.

                            When using the GSMarena phone finder, it is remarkable how quickly one can end up with a choice of zero phones just by selecting three or four options for size or features that were recently mainstream.

                            Many of these trends are of doubtful benefit to the consumer, but are foisted upon us by a herd mentality among manufacturers/designers.

                            Examples:
                            Removable battery
                            Height < 150mm (hate the paucity of new 16:9 options)
                            Snapdragon processor (for better ROM support)
                            4G bands for one's region
                            Headphone jack
                            No notch
                            Card slot
                            NFC
                            AMOLED screen

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • TSQ
                              • 01 Oct 2018

                              The very reason why I'd stay notchless. The sheer idiocy of apps scaling out of a notch's margin compounds the increasing screen size. I still maintain that Vivo's approach with Nex are the best available solution for all of you bezelphobics, even if I won't ever buy a Vivo they're doing that right.

                              I draw the line at 5.5 - 6" range tops.

                                Dip89, 01 Oct 2018Meaning of mobile: able to move or be moved freely or easily.It should not be EITHER one size OR the other.

                                I want BOTH available, so each can choose what fits him/her. (physiognomy , usage pattern, ...)

                                  AlexHimself, 01 Oct 2018YES! PHONES ARE MUCH TOO BIG! The issue is not having HUGE ... moreAbsolutely with you, except the last.
                                  The question should not be
                                  "...Why do they produce those useless..."
                                  but
                                  "...Why do they ONLY produce those..."

                                    • D
                                    • Dip89
                                    • 2W5
                                    • 01 Oct 2018

                                    Kiyasuriin, 01 Oct 2018To some. I think 5.7 is ideal. ^^ Oh well, that's what mak... moreMeaning of mobile: able to move or be moved freely or easily.

                                      Kiyasuriin, 01 Oct 2018Voted, i've been looking for a galaxy note like phone thay ... moreActually a pen like on the Note? makes even more sense on a compact device than one the monstrous ones. :)

                                      ...especially if there is no slider keyboard, and those are even more rare than compact devices...

                                        AnonD-731363, 01 Oct 2018Well it had Iphone SE. But because now its cancelled it h... moreWell the Iphone SE was an example of the tendency of making lesser devices with poorer specs rather than just scaling.

                                        https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=7969&idPhone2=7243

                                        The display resolution is not even HD!! (let alone FHD) The number of pixels is 35%!!
                                        On the other hand the rest of the specs (less the 3D touch, the OIS and Narcies camera) are about the same, so could have been (even) worse.

                                        And that aPple cancelled the SE without a successor was the reason a friend of mine (that have had Iphones since the beginning) just went over to the Android world...

                                        (A FHD on the SE would have required a DPI, less than what was used by LG, Oppo and Samsung two years earlier - so it would not even have been revolutionary, so plain HD should have been the absolutely least...)

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