Weekly poll: what is the ideal screen size for a smartphone?

15 January 2023
And how important is the screen size when you are considering a new phone?

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Most people have gotten used to operating their smartphones with both hands, makers have noticed the trend, smaller phones are niche devices now.
"But I like mine smaller"
You're part of a niche, not the overall market.
There's been a long time now since I last saw anyone around me complaining about phone size.

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • 0BG
    • 15 Jan 2023

    The bigger, the better. Video (And yea, video is not just movies as some are implying), typing (Mine is 6.7 and keys are still too small to write without errors), browsing (Why TF would i want to scroll more in every direction?). Why would i want a small screen? Makes zero sense to me.

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • Lkg
      • 15 Jan 2023

      Anonymous, 15 Jan 2023Same. The XZ1 Compact was one of the best phones Sony made,... moreBecause not enough people buy.

      If a 6.4" device is selling 5-6x more than its 5.5" version, than OEM sees no reason to keep making the smaller.

      Iphone 12 sold 7x more than 12 mini.
      Same applies to 13 x 13 mini ...

        • R
        • Ryse
        • xjH
        • 15 Jan 2023

        As an Android gamer, 6.7 is perfect for me since anything above is hard to fit in my pocket & anything below makes viewing far enemies in games difficult especially with a wide FOV. We're I not a gamer though, any one handed phone would be enough.

          These results are really interesting to me. I assumed that most people don't prefer small phones because that's what manufacturers have made it seem like. Pretty weird to see that my opinion of prefering a smaller phone and phone size (not screen size) being very important is the majority opinion. In fact, I would say that the poll is a bit misleading because any modern phone is mostly screen on the front anyway. But the size of the screen isn't as important as the size of the phone as a whole.

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • 3SI
            • 15 Jan 2023

            Anonymous, 15 Jan 2023Do you know somewhere that's outside USA that's n... moreOf course, I‘m not American

              • N
              • Nagar
              • utF
              • 15 Jan 2023

              iPhone 13 mini with iPhone 13 pro Max's >4000 mah battery .
              I hate the battery life on mini phone rest is good.

                No i'm not watching movies on my phone
                I use it for commutation so sub 5.5" is more than enough for me
                The galaxy S4's 5" was an amazing 16:9 screen that served me well
                Today's skycrapper screens are way harder to navigate and really just impractical

                  KLNGGNV, 15 Jan 2023If I can’t use it one handed with just my thumb, I‘m not go... moreI'm guessing you're replying from a laptop or desktop then?

                    I prefer having both a "larger" and a "smaller" smartphone. - The larger for acting as a substitute for a tablet, the smaller for when I have a tablet at hand or when size is a liability. - My circumstances have changed in favor of "smaller" smartphones. - I voted "below 6"", but my next smartphone's screen may measure 6.1".

                      The size of phones these days is starting to be the same size as when they were first commercially available.
                      If you watch video and play games a lot then a big screen is probably good for you.
                      For me the perfect phone size is Samsung Galaxy A3 2017.
                      I would buy an Apple phone if they were not so expensive and the Android software is better in my opinion.
                      Very few new small phones around these days.

                        • D
                        • Daige
                        • 3$c
                        • 15 Jan 2023

                        KLNGGNV, 15 Jan 2023If I can’t use it one handed with just my thumb, I‘m not go... moreI would love to have a very compact phone, so I agree with you but I have learned to use a 5.9 screen. It's doable but not always optimal. My new sweetspot is probably 5.2-5.5, depending entirely on the outer dimensions of the phone. Sony is very tempting due to only having 65-66 mm width. But their height is...way too much. Using an S10e now, I think it's 142 mm high. Would like my phone to be something like 65*135 mm, so essentially an old Sony Compact in size.

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • mEb
                          • 15 Jan 2023

                          Me with Fold 3 and going to upgrade to rollable phones with optionally small tablet like screen :D

                            I need a 7 inch display phone.

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • MSK
                              • 15 Jan 2023

                              Aspect ratio was basically set to common 19:9 to 20:9 for a poll purpose. Votes need to be compared, not complicated.

                                • M
                                • M.Waheed
                                • tVn
                                • 15 Jan 2023

                                its stupid to engage both hands to use cell phone
                                larger than hand
                                large enough size looking awkward in pockets

                                larger phone suits on big guys so should keep launching small and bigger size both with same high end specifications.

                                it is very bad to see high end smaller size phones comes with lower RAM & Storage i.e S22 (there is no 12GB Ram option)

                                  • j
                                  • jaramat
                                  • ssu
                                  • 15 Jan 2023

                                  Screw huge phones. God damn PITA to use AND to just carry around. I love the iPhone 13 Mini's size...except that it's an Apple. Can't live with that. I still use my XZ1c which has 4.6" screen and I could go with smaller, around 4.3" would be absolutely perfect. I also like some bezels, at least 1 cm top and bottom.

                                  I'm waiting for the Xperia Ace IV to show up, which is gonna be one of, if not THE smallest mainstream phone on the market, and it's still gonna be a lot larger than I'm comfortable with. I hate current day and age. Can't buy small phone, can't buy small car...

                                    Anonymous, 15 Jan 2023I‘ve heard a lot of people complain that the XR and 11 is t... moreAnd there's a reason why the XS and 11 Pro exist. If they want the smallest and lightest iPhone (at the time), they're there for them

                                      6" is more than enough

                                        Unihertz Tank
                                        175.60 x 85.30 x 23.90 mm, 535 g

                                        Sherpa 100PD (power bank with 25,800 mAh)
                                        190.5 x 94 x 25.4 mm, 635 g

                                        Steam Deck weighs 669 g. I know what I'm getting myself into if I got that Unihertz Tank as I used that Sherpa 100PD for nearly 3 years and it was a brick to carry daily but also a necessity.

                                        Usually the phones I get are the smaller version. The one with the worse battery life but with the more comfortable dimensions....

                                        Apple iPhone 7 (2016)
                                        Google Pixel 3 (2018)

                                        If it's a slab, my max size would be iPhone X/Pixel 3 range. I used my LG V20 next to my LG G5 for nearly 2 years and I ended up keeping the G5 because it was more comfy to hold. And G5 is already reaching beyond my ideal slab size. A foldable clamshell can be much taller but it helps that I can close them to fit easily in pockets although thick.

                                        I think the battery size of the Unihertz Tank and Doogee V Max is the new way. An iPhone 13/14 Pro Max might get you 2 days of heavy usage. Why not 6 to 8 days? Heavy usage might only drain 10% from that Tank which also charges fast. And they're way more durable with no case required.

                                        For me, it's never been about screen size but dimensions. Now it's all about having the longest battery life if I'm planning get a large brick phone like the Tank. I wish GSMArena covered Unihertz phones.

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