Galaxy SIII or Note II?

[Zink]

Like I said. The big screen aficionados don't get it. Some of us just don't like giant screens, and never will. No level of insults on a forum will change that.

That is simply mind boggling.

 

[SandEagle]

i used to think 4.3 was too big until i got my hands on an htc one s. that phone is perfect in design. too bad it didn't have a microsd or i would have kept it for years.

 

[Chiropteran]

Where did I say or insinuate that I needed two hands to hold it up to my ear? Now you are just putting words in my mouth, which is quite disingenuous.

Nope, not at all. Here is a refresher:

I guess it didn't occur to you that I may want to hold and use my phone with one hand, and that that influences my purchasing decisions?

Where you directly imply that you can't use the Note 2 with one hand. To me, using a phone is largely defined by talking on it, as that is the whole purpose of the device.

I can see where this is going, you are going to say "using the phone" actually means typing an email, not talking on it. I was thrown off by this post earlier-

Really? That's mind boggling? One is a phone, one is a tablet. They are different devices with different purposes. As you said yourself, you use a tablet differently than you do a phone, just like you use a computer monitor differently. I don't type a lot of text messages or emails on my 7" tablet because it would be miserable, and I most certainly don't do anything one handed. With the exception of basic browsing/consumption there is nothing that I do on both my phone and my tablet, so it wouldn't make sense for me to try to combine them into one device that isn't as good at either purpose.

You seem to admit that a tablet is better for browsing, but you somehow think typing an email or text on a tablet would be a miserable experience. I don't really understand that. From my point of view, the part of a tablet that makes it better for browsing- bigger screen- also makes it vastly superior for typing anything, whether it's an email, a text, or anything else. Do you really find it easier to type on a smaller screen? I just don't get that, unless your muscle memory is so set on having a keyboard a specific tiny size. I'd guess your situation is fairly unique, most everyone I know thinks it's easier to type on a tablet than a phone.

edit: come to think of it, this isn't even an inherent drawback of a larger screen. You just need to convince a developer that there is a market for tiny keyboards and get them to write a custom keyboard that only uses 3/4 of the screen on larger devices, or similar. Solution found!

IMO, typing on a large keyboard is measurably easier and faster than typing on a smaller keyboard. The default on Note 2 even has numbers shown along with the basic letters, so you don't need to hit an extra key to type a number.

I guess just comes down to your preference to type one handed, which I have trouble picturing. I can't think of any situation where trying to type on a phone one-handed would be anything but miserable compared to the ease of typing with a full hand while holding the phone with another. do you text while driving a lot or something? I just can't picture a situation where having your other hand free is so important that you would sacrifice typing speed to do it. Are you walking around opening doors and moving things around while you type? You must have amazing coordination at least.

 

[Jocelyn84]

I said it when the 4.3" phones came out, and I still stand by that. I still think 4.3" phones are a bit too big. And I owned the first one - I had the HD2, I've owned the Lumia 900, and I now own the Lumia 920 (which I'm strongly considering exchanging for the HTC 8x, solely due to the smaller screen size)

The thing is - I DO still prefer the smaller devices. I still think the 4" 1.67 aspect ratio device like the original Galaxy S is the sweet spot. If the 4" HTC 8s or Galaxy S3 Mini had the same high end specs as their big brothers, I would buy it, no questions asked. You act like those people are changing their minds...many of them aren't, they just aren't given the option.

edit: in fact, I would go even smaller, if it had a hardware keyboard. In my opinion, these are the two greatest form factors a smartphone has ever had

I didn't mean everyone and sure, I'll agree there's a niche group of people out there that want smaller phones. I was referring to my relatives, co-workers, friends, and acquaintances who thought the Evo 4G was ridiculous in size two years ago. Roughly 90% of those same people own a 4.7"-.4.8" device, while the other 10% have an iphone 5.

My original point was that there is a big pool of people and a lot of them laugh or mock the new thing only to later move on to something very similar. Was I generalizing? Sure. Does that encompass everyone out there? Of course not, but that is clearly who I was targeting with my statement.


Lastly, you mentioned a 4" or 3.7" with keyboard. I could be wrong, but if we were having this conversation 2+ years ago, I think that you'd be completely against a 4" sized iphone despite probably being okay with that size now.

 

[Zaap]

The thing about big screen devices is that they're only big for that first day or two. After that, they're normal sized and everything else on the market is too small.

So true.

I remember when I first got my Droid X years ago, it seemed GINORMOUS. After a day or two it was just "normal" size. Seeing someone's piddly 3.5" screen was laughable by comparison. Now, the DX screen seems tiny to me. My SGS3's 4.8" screen seemed enormous to me for a few days- now it's become the new 'normal' with everything else seeming piddly.

So too, I know when I get a Note 2 it'll seem giant for a few days, then become normal with me being unable to tolerate anything smaller. I'm pretty sure 5.5" is pretty much the outer-limit of that cycle though.

I don't get what all the fuss in this thread is about. Why are some trying so hard to convince everyone else they're satisfied with a smaller screen? That should take about a sentence to state, then move on. We get it, you don't want a Note 2 and are happier with a smaller screen. Great! What's the big argument then? Others of us like the Note 2 and don't give a flying rat's ass that someone else prefers something smaller. So get something smaller and be happy with it.

 

[tuan209]

Of those two, hands down the Note II.

I love bigger phones myself and I do think 5.5 is probably the limit of these super sized phones.

To me, I think the 5 inch HTC DNA hits the sweet spot. I am hoping Tmobile picks some variation of it running stock instead of Sense.

 

[Chiropteran]

I love bigger phones myself and I do think 5.5 is probably the limit of these super sized phones.

Probably, maybe a tiny bit larger but I think a sort of "hard limit" on size is the point where you can't easily fit the phone into a regular pants pocket.

 

[Deeko]

I don't get what all the fuss in this thread is about. Why are some trying so hard to convince everyone else they're satisfied with a smaller screen? That should take about a sentence to state, then move on. We get it, you don't want a Note 2 and are happier with a smaller screen. Great! What's the big argument then? Others of us like the Note 2 and don't give a flying rat's ass that someone else prefers something smaller. So get something smaller and be happy with it.

That's the thing - I said exactly what you did, with reversed stances. It's the strange people that can't accept my opinion is different than theirs that are turning this into a "fuss".

I didn't mean everyone and sure, I'll agree there's a niche group of people out there that want smaller phones. I was referring to my relatives, co-workers, friends, and acquaintances who thought the Evo 4G was ridiculous in size two years ago. Roughly 90% of those same people own a 4.7"-.4.8" device, while the other 10% have an iphone 5.

My original point was that there is a big pool of people and a lot of them laugh or mock the new thing only to later move on to something very similar. Was I generalizing? Sure. Does that encompass everyone out there? Of course not, but that is clearly who I was targeting with my statement.


Lastly, you mentioned a 4" or 3.7" with keyboard. I could be wrong, but if we were having this conversation 2+ years ago, I think that you'd be completely against a 4" sized iphone despite probably being okay with that size now.

Nah. Three years ago I had the Droid and was happy with the size (3.7" + keyboard). I upgraded to the HD2 2.5 years ago, was intrigued by the screen, but found it unwieldy and switched to a combo of the Galaxy S (4") and Venue Pro (4.1") and was happy with that size. After that I switched to the Lumia 800 (3.7") and Bold 9700 (2.5") so I've been pretty consistent on that.

Nope, not at all. Here is a refresher:

Where you directly imply that you can't use the Note 2 with one hand. To me, using a phone is largely defined by talking on it, as that is the whole purpose of the device.

Stop. Just stop. Now not only are you putting words in my mouth, you're lying about it. You consider the primary purpose of a smartphone to be talking on it? Please. That's absurd. Not only that, I did not mentioned talking on the phone until this post, in response to you. I explicitly said typing, over and over, and even posted a picture demonstrating that. Don't even bother with that nonsense.

I can see where this is going, you are going to say "using the phone" actually means typing an email, not talking on it.

Well Nostradamus, that's really impressive. You can tell where this is going, because that's exactly what I've said I do with my phone, about a dozen times in this thread. Nice sleuthing.

I guess just comes down to your preference to type one handed, which I have trouble picturing. I can't think of any situation where trying to type on a phone one-handed would be anything but miserable compared to the ease of typing with a full hand while holding the phone with another. do you text while driving a lot or something? I just can't picture a situation where having your other hand free is so important that you would sacrifice typing speed to do it. Are you walking around opening doors and moving things around while you type? You must have amazing coordination at least.

How old are you and how long have you been using cell phones? My first cell phones were the Nokia 5180, 3390, and 8290 - phones that used T9, a decidedly one-handed technology. I've also used quite a few Swype phones in recent years, also a one handed technology. I've been typing on phones one handed out of both convenience and necessity for over a decade. I can be doing something with one hand (say, eating, holding a remote, walking the dog) and using my phone in the other. I use my phone on the go, hence, one handed convenience is important.

Meanwhile, if I'm sitting and doing nothing, sure, I can use both hands, and in such cases a bigger screen is better - but in a situation like that, a 7-10" tablet or a laptop is just as convenient as a 5.5" phone, and far superior at the task, so why would I want to limit myself in those situations?

Again....this is simple, please just accept it and move on with your existence. I like smaller phones. I like using my phone one handed. You don't. That's fine. Move on.

 

[Chiropteran]

Stop. Just stop. Now not only are you putting words in my mouth, you're lying about it.
...
I explicitly said typing, over and over, and even posted a picture demonstrating that. Don't even bother with that nonsense.

Revisionist historian much? You posted that pic and explanation AFTER the post in question where I asked you why you needed 2 hands to use your phone.

I did not mentioned talking on the phone until this post, in response to you

Yeah alright, I guess it was absurd to think that maybe using a phone tended to involve talking on it. Since you can better handle email and such with a PDA or tablet if you don't actually ever talk on the phone, it makes perfect sense to buy a phone and never talk on it.

You consider the primary purpose of a smartphone to be talking on it? Please. That's absurd.

You were the one talking about how a phone has advantages in some purposes and a tablet in others and you didn't feel the need to mix the two. Is it not the advantage of a phone that you can actually talk on it and make calls? You even now admit that typing on a larger screen with two hands is easier, so I am really at a loss as to what the phone's advantages are if you don't even use it to talk on.


This is what I get from your argument:

Browsing- larger is better (note 2 wins)
Typing two handed- larger is better (note 2 wins)
Phonecalls- (who cares, I don't use a phone for making phonecalls)
Txting while eating, walking the dog, holding a remote- smaller is better, note 2 loses

Is that it? Your primary use of a smartphone is to entertain yourself while eating, watching TV, or walking your dog? You could have just said this in the first place, but it still sounds like a silly and constructed argument. I use my note 2 just fine while watching TV. I tend to use 2 hands to eat, because I like to cut my food, and I try to keep my eye on my dog while I walk him because I don't want him bothering joggers or other dogs when they walk past us.

Though, I play with my note 2 while eating all the time, and I will pull it out and use it if I have a strong need while walking the dog, and if I wanted to watch TV and use my phone simultaneously it's really not hard to set the remote down. Are you really unable to stop flipping through channels while you simultaneously write a txt or email on your phone? I just have a tough time picturing it, and how you could possibly focus on both activities at the same time.

 

[Deeko]

Revisionist historian much? You posted that pic and explanation AFTER the post in question where I asked you why you needed 2 hands to use your phone.

I said I used my phone one handed in my first response to you, and I gave you a picture demonstrating why I don't like big screens when you requested one, even if you were being facetious.

Yeah alright, I guess it was absurd to think that maybe using a phone tended to involve talking on it. Since you can better handle email and such with a PDA or tablet if you don't actually ever talk on the phone, it makes perfect sense to buy a phone and never talk on it.

Actually yea, that is an absurd notion. I'm not saying people don't talk on smartphones. They do. But read a review of a modern smartphone - how much of it is dedicated to talking on the phone? People are talking less and less and using their phones for other things more and more, and especially considering we're on a tech forum, it's quite natural to assume that when discussing the merits of a smartphone, talking is not the 1st thought someone has. If your primary concern is talking, you should probably have a basic flip phone that will give you a week of battery life, and have a 7" tablet for browsing.

Then again, I'm dealing with the guy who first asked me if I've ever used a desktop monitor when I said I don't like big smartphones, which was a beyond absurd response....

You were the one talking about how a phone has advantages in some purposes and a tablet in others and you didn't feel the need to mix the two. Is it not the advantage of a phone that you can actually talk on it and make calls? You even now admit that typing on a larger screen with two hands is easier, so I am really at a loss as to what the phone's advantages are if you don't even use it to talk on.

Typing on a larger screen with two hands gets easier to a limit. I can type easier on my smartphone than I can on my Kindle Fire, but I can type easier on a 4.3" smartphone than a 3.2" smartphone. There are no hard rules here, no matter how you want to play it. And besides, I already said that it's a moot point, because I want to have the option to do both - if a Note 2 cannot be typed on with one hand, I don't want it, even if it is better for two handed typing. Why is this such a difficult concept to grasp?

Is that it? Your primary use of a smartphone is to entertain yourself while eating, watching TV, or walking your dog? You could have just said this in the first place, but it still sounds like a silly and constructed argument. I use my note 2 just fine while watching TV. I tend to use 2 hands to eat, because I like to cut my food, and I try to keep my eye on my dog while I walk him because I don't want him bothering joggers or other dogs when they walk past us.

Though, I play with my note 2 while eating all the time, and I will pull it out and use it if I have a strong need while walking the dog, and if I wanted to watch TV and use my phone simultaneously it's really not hard to set the remote down. Are you really unable to stop flipping through channels while you simultaneously write a txt or email on your phone? I just have a tough time picturing it, and how you could possibly focus on both activities at the same time.

Look kid, this isn't nearly as complicated as you're making it seem. I gave a few examples of one handed usage. There are certainly others. What it comes down to is I use my smartphone on the go - and often, on the go, it's more convenient to use one hand. Is the Note 2 better for the two handed situations? Yea, maybe, for some of them - but at the cost of completely eliminating one handed usage. One handed usage is not my entire use case, but it IS a use case that I do every single day, and the Note 2 is completely unusable for me in that regard. Therefore, I would not get a Note 2.

Seriously. This isn't hard. I have a different opinion from you. Move on with your life. Remember when I said in my first post that some troll was going to try to convince me that my opinion on this purely subjective issue was wrong? Why do you insist on putting yourself in that category? The OP asked for our opinion, and I gave mine. You cannot change it, no matter how many lies and insults you spit from behind your keyboard.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

Seriously? This is your retort? I keep telling myself I'm going to stop replying to your inane nonsense, but it's just so ridiculous I can't help myself. Yes, I use a phone like that, just like I use a desktop monitor. I use them stationary. On my desktop. I don't put them in my pocket. I don't hold them in one hand. I don't type emails on them.



And those larger, wired handsets weren't portable devices that went in your pocket. You seem to forget that over the course of those hundred years, until about 2005, phones kept getting smaller and smaller - and that was considered a good thing.

Again, you are not really reading what I'm saying. Of course I can type two handed on a screen the size of the note. However, more often than not, I'm operating my phone with one hand. And no - I cannot do that on a Note/2. You can say "well it's a different device, use it with two hands!" I don't want to. This is why I said, many posts ago, that this is a subjective issue - I prefer to use my phone one way, and I am perfectly entitled to that opinion. No amount of inane nonsense on a forum is going to change that, and as such, my preference is for a smaller device. Where did I say or insinuate that I needed two hands to hold it up to my ear? Now you are just putting words in my mouth, which is quite disingenuous.

Look - here is a picture of my Lumia 920. Note that the 920 has a 4.5" screen, not a 5.5" screen. Also note that my thumb barely reaches the Q - and this is not a comfortable position, the phone is shifted in my hand to reach. From this position I wouldn't be able to reach back to the other corner (the enter key / period) without shifting again. And I certainly could not reach the top of the screen from this grip - which is necessary on an Android phone to get to the notification bar. And, remember, this is on a smaller device than the Note. If I consider this phone to be on the verge of being too large and uncomfortable to use, why do you think I'd be ok with one that's even bigger?

Seriously - if this continues to boggle your mind, I don't know what to tell you. This is a very, very simple concept. Some people prefer smaller devices. Some people prefer to use their phone with one hand. Some people don't think bigger is better. Others disagree - and that's great. They can get and enjoy something like the Note. Why can't you just accept that I have different preferences from you and move on with your life?

If you don't like large phones why did you get the Lumia 920? For a 4.5" phone it is extremely large, the Note 2 may be big at least it is mainly screen instead of tons of pointless bezel.

The 4.5" Lumia 920 is almost the exact same size as the 4.8" Galaxy S3 although the S3 is much thinner.

 

[vi edit]

After owning a 4.5" screen for a week coming from a 3.5" iPhone screen I've come to a bit of a realization. 3.5" is perfect for using almost any function of the device one handed. Browsing, texting, just general use. The format makes more sense than I gave it credit for. I'm guessing the 4.3" of the Razr M is about the most ideal compromise of space and function in a current gen device.

The 4.5" & 4.8" devices are just striking me as awkward now. Too big for most people to do most functions one handed. I can't "thumb text" very well with my 4.5" Lumia 920. I've got decent size hands and can palm a basketball but stretching the to far top left corner of the screen just isn't happening without really sacraficing my grip on the device.

Which brings me to the realization...At this point since I'm already struggling to use it one handed, if I'm committing to a two handed experience, why not go all in and just move up to the Note? For me I do very little standard voice calling directly from the device so I don't care about putting it to the side of my head. And aside from trying to pocket it in trendy hipster jeans it's not compromising anything. You get great battery life, a full keyboard function with a row of numbers above the letters, a much better browser, gaming, and video experience.

I'm kinda seeing the 4.5"-4.8" screens as a confused product. Too big to really use well one handed, but not big enough to really be as useful as devices that fully commit to their size.

 

[Deeko]

If you don't like large phones why did you get the Lumia 920? For a 4.5" phone it is extremely large, the Note 2 may be big at least it is mainly screen instead of tons of pointless bezel.

The 4.5" Lumia 920 is almost the exact same size as the 4.8" Galaxy S3 although the S3 is much thinner.

Because I do try to be open minded. While I am adamant that smartphones are getting too large, I've been equally adamant that their cameras suck and are in dire need of improvement. The Lumia is certainly too big, but the camera is awesome. So I figured I'd try it. However, I bought it as an experiment to see if the size is worth the camera, and if I determine that it isn't, I will be swapping it out for the HTC 8x, which is considerably smaller. I've only had the phone for about 40 hours so I can't say I've made a decision yet, but I definitely do not like the size.

Like I said in one of my earlier posts, they're making it harder and harder to get a small phone if you want high end, which is a fact I find unfortunate.

 

[AustinInDallas]

since you are in contract, why not do nexus?

 

[Chiropteran]

You cannot change it, no matter how many lies and insults you spit from behind your keyboard.

I have said no lies. I'm sorry I misinterpreted your post. You clearly said you can't use the note 2 with one hand, and I assumed you meant "use" in the general sense. I now realize that your definition of using a phone means exclusively typing emails with one hand, and if a phone can't do this one task it is completely useless for you. I apologize for the confusion, but I am frankly disgusted with your choice to accuse me of lying and insulting you.

 

[snikt]

For those concerned about the size of the virtual keyboard on the Note 2 when texting, using the dial pad, etc., there are options. There is an option to enable "one-handed operation," which allows the keyboard to be reduced in size and moved from left to right or vice-versa. Now I don't know if this is native to TouchWiz or JB 4.1.1. Also, if you use a third-party keyboard, like SlideiT, you can resize the keyboard as you see fit, both in Portrait or Landscape.

 

[SandEagle]

For those concerned about the size of the virtual keyboard on the Note 2 when texting, using the dial pad, etc., there are options. There is an option to enable "one-handed operation," which allows the keyboard to be reduced in size and moved from left to right or vice-versa. Now I don't know if this is native to TouchWiz or JB 4.1.1. Also, if you use a third-party keyboard, like SlideiT, you can resize the keyboard as you see fit, both in Portrait or Landscape.

yep, the one handed operation is a cool feature. scroll further in video to see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ToPf7tYUv8

the nexus 4 was a no go due to lack of microSD. not making that mistake again.

 

[zCypher]

I've found that across the various phones I've used, each one needed to be held a bit differently for optimum comfort. You obviously cannot hold 4"+ devices the same way that you'd hold a smaller phone. In the pic shown by previous poster, it's clear that holding it that way will make it uncomfortable to "thumb text" and the constant shifting could cause the user to drop the phone or what not.

I don't have any trouble using my Note with one hand, but I can understand why someone might feel awkward with it. You can't grip the phone all the way around to the other side with your fingers, and still use the thumb exclusively to reach the whole screen, not unless you have huuuuuge hands. So you adjust the positioning of your hand to accommodate for that. This does present the issue of a less secure grip on the phone, a perfectly valid argument if you prefer the smaller devices.

However, I've found that I haven't dropped my Note any more often than any of my other phones (hint: I'm clumsy and I've dropped them all quite often). I just try to be careful when using only one hand, and I honestly don't mind using two hands, which I will be anyway if I'm watching movies or playing games.

If the Note II is anything like people are saying, I say definitely go for it over the S3. When I first got my SIIX, I thought it was massive, till I got used to it after a while. Then I got my Note, and it completely dwarfed the SIIX. The same thing has happened. I got used to the size and now cannot imagine going back to a smaller phone - even the SIIX looks soo small now! Madness.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Because I do try to be open minded. While I am adamant that smartphones are getting too large, I've been equally adamant that their cameras suck and are in dire need of improvement. The Lumia is certainly too big, but the camera is awesome. So I figured I'd try it. However, I bought it as an experiment to see if the size is worth the camera, and if I determine that it isn't, I will be swapping it out for the HTC 8x, which is considerably smaller. I've only had the phone for about 40 hours so I can't say I've made a decision yet, but I definitely do not like the size.

Like I said in one of my earlier posts, they're making it harder and harder to get a small phone if you want high end, which is a fact I find unfortunate.

The most resent development in high end smart phones is the move to 1920 x 1080 resolution and you can bet that this time next year almost all the high end smart phones will be there, but would that resolution be likely in a 4" or 3.5" phone -- I think not.

There are still small phones being offered and I don't foresee a time when they will disappear, but they will not be flagship phones...


Brian

 

[Zaap]

That's the thing - I said exactly what you did, with reversed stances. It's the strange people that can't accept my opinion is different than theirs that are turning this into a "fuss".

Fine... except for this is a thread asking a choice between a 4.8" screen device and 5.5" and why they should choose between either, so I'd say it's the person arguing about their own preference for other smaller devices that's more out of line here. Just sayin'.

 

[Deeko]

Fine... except for this is a thread asking a choice between a 4.8" screen device and 5.5" and why they should choose between either, so I'd say it's the person arguing about their own preference for other smaller devices that's more out of line here. Just sayin'.

That's a fair assessment, but to my credit my first recommendation was for the GS3 over the Note beacuse it was smaller, which I clarified with my preferences on smaller devices. Anyway, I'm done replying to or reading posts from whatshisname up there, so we're good to move on

 

[Pia]

The 4.5" & 4.8" devices are just striking me as awkward now.
...
Which brings me to the realization...At this point since I'm already struggling to use it one handed, if I'm committing to a two handed experience, why not go all in and just move up to the Note?

Same logic here, which is why I got the Note, but I do suspect the 4.5" class of phones might be significantly more convenient for me to carry. I haven't experienced any touchscreen sizes between 2.75" and 5.3".

To me, one-handed texting ceased to make sense with the loss of physical buttons. Back with dumbphones I could enter an entire text message without even taking the phone out of my pocket, or while riding a bike, but every touchscreen needs to be seen to be used. Might as well use two hands, and the bigger the screen the faster it is to use.

 

[vi edit]

I find myself doing a lot of quick text message replies and off the hip email checking with just one hand with my thumb doing most of the driving. It's just a lot harder to do with a 4.5" phone than my 3.5" one. I can live with it, but I guess it's to the point where I ask "why compromise?" and just go all in on the jumbo-tron.

 

[Ns1]

My only comment to this thread...

My phone probably gets 5 solid hours of use everyday (use defined as me actually interacting with the phone, not including music/videos/recordings/camera). Of that 5 hours, less than 5 minutes is spent on the phone.

 

[s44]

I'm guessing the 4.3" of the Razr M is about the most ideal compromise of space and function in a current gen device.

The 4.5" & 4.8" devices are just striking me as awkward now. Too big for most people to do most functions one handed. I can't "thumb text" very well with my 4.5" Lumia 920. I've got decent size hands and can palm a basketball but stretching the to far top left corner of the screen just isn't happening without really sacraficing my grip on the device.

Perhaps it's that the device is .12" narrower than the 920 (which is about the same as the S3), but I have no problem one-handing my GNex. Top left corner presses *are* a pain, but typing (and thumb-swyping!) is easy... and I have small hands.

It did take a few weeks to adjust to resting the phone mostly on my fingers rather than jammed up against the thumb, but it feels pretty natural now. Maybe it's the bump at the bottom?