When do you think the industry obsession with ever-larger phones will cool down?

[Commodus]

It's already cooling down! The human hand has its limits, even for people who like big phones. The Nexus 6 may be very efficient with its 5.9-inch screen, but it's still gigantic (it makes an iPhone 6 Plus look slightly compact).

You can practically hear Samsung's designers freaking out... how do they compete now that they can't simply jack up the screen size? They may have to focus on such radical things as "quality software" and "good cameras."

 

[zerocool84]

It's already cooling down! The human hand has its limits, even for people who like big phones. The Nexus 6 may be very efficient with its 5.9-inch screen, but it's still gigantic (it makes an iPhone 6 Plus look slightly compact).

You can practically hear Samsung's designers freaking out... how do they compete now that they can't simply jack up the screen size? They may have to focus on such radical things as "quality software" and "good cameras."

The iPhone 6 Plus is almost the the same size as the Nexus 6 but with a much smaller screen and the Note 4 already has a great camera.

 

[Zaap]

The Nexus 6 may be very efficient with its 5.9-inch screen, but it's still gigantic (it makes an iPhone 6 Plus look slightly compact).

HAHA! No it doesn't.

You can practically hear Samsung's designers freaking out... how do they compete now that they can't simply jack up the screen size? They may have to focus on such radical things as "quality software" and "good cameras."

Name me one company with *more* innovative and varied smartphone designs as Samsung. Just one.

 

[Tech_Greek]

Personally, I have Rheumatoid Arthritis so this bigger phone every generation hurts my hands...literally.

This is how I feel about people with iPhone 6+ and Android Whatever the Model of the week is:

 

[Zaap]

Personally, I have Rheumatoid Arthritis so this bigger phone every generation hurts my hands...literally.

How?

 

[Tech_Greek]

Rheumatoid Arthritis is where your body basically attacks your every joint as if it were hostile. This causes major inflamed joints when over utilized to put it in laymen's terms. Every time I've had to move up to a bigger phone it causes me to physically utilize my hands more and more (as things get higher up, keyboards get wider, etc.). This is why I'll be skipping anything significantly bigger.

It's really hard to explain without having it hmmm... imagine if someone were to take a dull pocket knife and tap it into your every joint underneath the cartilage so that every time you moved that joint it felt like it was cutting your joints even further. Sounds painful right? Being on my phone turns my hand joints red. I didn't have that issue with the older (smaller) iPhones or anything with a physical keyboard.

 

[Revolution 11]

What size (and weight) of phone do you find hurts the least? I am asking because my grandma has regular arthritis.

 

[ControlD]

The Nexus 6 may be very efficient with its 5.9-inch screen, but it's still gigantic (it makes an iPhone 6 Plus look slightly compact).

Nexus 6 : 159x83x10 (mm)
iPhone 6+ : 158x78x6 (mm)

I would say they are pretty darned close to the same size.

 

[Red Storm]

Nexus 6 : 159x83x10 (mm)
iPhone 6+ : 158x78x6 (mm)

I would say they are pretty darned close to the same size.

Yep they are, except the Nexus 6 has a noticeably larger display thanks to much slimmer bezels.

 

[crashtech]

Thought I would chime in to represent the middle-aged crowd. I went from a flip staight to a phablet (LG G3) because my experience with smaller smartphones has been overwhelmingly negative. Once a smaller phone is far away enough for farsighted eyes to focus upon, much of the detail becomes too small to make out. Hence, the need for a large enough screen to keep text and image details discernable at greater viewing distances.

 

[sweenish]

Nexus 6 : 159x83x10 (mm)
iPhone 6+ : 158x78x6 (mm)

I would say they are pretty darned close to the same size.

But, won't someone think of the hyperbole!?

I'm glad you posted that. Too many people getting all caught up in a device they likely haven't even seen in person yet.

Having a preference is one thing, but man, can internet people whine. Babies with keyboards.

I'm for big phones. The stuff I like to do with my smartphone is better, and I don't foresee pocketability being an issue. I don't wear baggy pants, and my Nexus 5 is only difficult to pull out of my pocket when I'm sitting. I hate the "skinny jeans" argument, it's fallacious on so many levels.

What you don't see me doing is telling people who genuinely (read: have tried enough phones to actually know what they want instead of parroting) prefer smaller phones to shut up, or why their own opinion is wrong. I may go after faulty logic, but that's different.

Smaller phones are still out there. The Sony Xperia Z3c is a no-compromise flagship in a smaller form factor. People should just stop whining like children and put their money where their mouth is.

 

[ControlD]

Thought I would chime in to represent the middle-aged crowd. I went from a flip staight to a phablet (LG G3) because my experience with smaller smartphones has been overwhelmingly negative. Once a smaller phone is far away enough for farsighted eyes to focus upon, much of the detail becomes too small to make out. Hence, the need for a large enough screen to keep text and image details discernable at greater viewing distances.

I like the big phones as well, and I'm also in that middle-aged bracket, but I like to use mine a little differently. I have a Note 2 and I run at system wide 245 DPI which puts a lot more on the screen at one time. I am so used to running this way I can't imagine moving to a newer phone like a Note 4 and having to look at those gigantic icons and text size.

 

[crashtech]

^ Congratulations on retaining excellent eyesight.

I just wanted to share at least one decent reason big phones are useful, a reason that people <40 might not even think of.

Edit:

To be honest, if a phablet was not available, I would probably have stuck to my flip phone, they are really very refined as a single-purpose device, and have battery life measured in days, not hours. I got along fine for years with ubiquitous wifi and laptop + flip phone life.

 

[ControlD]

^ Congratulations on retaining excellent eyesight.

I just wanted to share at least one decent reason big phones are useful, a reason that people <40 might not even think of.

I'm with you. I can understand the draw of having a larger, easier to read phone for sure. My point is that large phones are fairly versatile. They can provide a comfortable viewing size or they can be used to display a lot of information at once if access to the system DPI is available. The larger screen is generally better all around IMO. I just wish out of the box we had access to change the screen DPI (unless that has been added recently).

 

[Zaap]

Rheumatoid Arthritis is where your body basically attacks your every joint as if it were hostile. This causes major inflamed joints when over utilized to put it in laymen's terms. Every time I've had to move up to a bigger phone it causes me to physically utilize my hands more and more (as things get higher up, keyboards get wider, etc.). This is why I'll be skipping anything significantly bigger.

It's really hard to explain without having it hmmm... imagine if someone were to take a dull pocket knife and tap it into your every joint underneath the cartilage so that every time you moved that joint it felt like it was cutting your joints even further. Sounds painful right? Being on my phone turns my hand joints red. I didn't have that issue with the older (smaller) iPhones or anything with a physical keyboard.

Sorry you have to suffer with that. Is even the iPhone 6 too large?

 

[Commodus]

But, won't someone think of the hyperbole!?

I'm glad you posted that. Too many people getting all caught up in a device they likely haven't even seen in person yet.

Having a preference is one thing, but man, can internet people whine. Babies with keyboards.

I'm for big phones. The stuff I like to do with my smartphone is better, and I don't foresee pocketability being an issue. I don't wear baggy pants, and my Nexus 5 is only difficult to pull out of my pocket when I'm sitting. I hate the "skinny jeans" argument, it's fallacious on so many levels.

What you don't see me doing is telling people who genuinely (read: have tried enough phones to actually know what they want instead of parroting) prefer smaller phones to shut up, or why their own opinion is wrong. I may go after faulty logic, but that's different.

Smaller phones are still out there. The Sony Xperia Z3c is a no-compromise flagship in a smaller form factor. People should just stop whining like children and put their money where their mouth is.

Let's just say that some of us have seen it in person. Next to an iPhone 6 Plus. You can rightly dock Apple for less-than-efficient use of hardware real estate, but the 6 Plus is still noticeably narrower and thinner. Don't get me wrong, I like the Nexus 6 in many ways -- it's just a beast.

 

[Tech_Greek]

Sorry you have to suffer with that. Is even the iPhone 6 too large?

I haven't had the chance to get my hands on one to test yet to be honest, I've only seen people walking around with the 6+ which I know is too large for my issue.

Revolution 11, I loved the iPhone 4s size personally and had the least amount of issues in my hands with it's size but I can understand the need for more real estate.

I don't expect companies to cater to my condition nor would I ever ask that. If I didn't have RA I would still not care to carry around that size phone.

The less stuff I have to deal with during the day to day operations of my business the better and having a huge phablet in my pocket seems like a huge inconvenience, if it even fits.