The number of use cases of our beloved pocket computers is immeasurable for all intensive purposes. The myriad of interactions gives way to the need for many permutations of phone. There are 2 approaches to solving this, shocking I know (<-- sarcasm font).
- Pick an "average" acceptable size, aim at the center of the distribution curve, and stick to it. I can think of a fruit company who did alright with this approach ;).
- Make a wide selection of screen sizes and let the consumer choose. An approach that works for some (Samsung) and not for others (the rest of the market struggling to make any money).
I've enjoyed the 3.5" screen for several years now. Sometimes I wish I had more, like when I see a coworker composing an email and he can see more than the last 1.5 sentences he types. The flip side of this is that the phones I've chosen just so happen to be artistically beautiful, so without a case I love being able to easily and safely cradle my phone while I'm out and about. Never mind the merits of being able to rather easily reach every corner with 1 thumb while safely cradling said device.
I don't have huge hands, and I'm stubborn about cases, meaning 1 drop ends it all. That's my excuse anyway. I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish I could see more than 2 lines of text in landscape mode though. The Samsung Galaxy SIII has been calling to me. If I was on AT&T and had the option to swap SIMs to pick my phone-of-the-day each morning, I think I'd be in nerd heaven. Of course the down side to that is being on AT&T...
Side note, Apple has famously stated they don't use or listen to polls because often users don't know what they want until they have it. This has been true for them in many ways, no one predicted the success of the iPod, iPhone, or iPad. However, there are plenty of annoyances (or "quirks" if you prefer) that people would like to see resolved. Did Apple make the screen size choice to respond to their customers? That would be a rare move...
Anyone make the switch from a little screen to a big one? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!
When I first switched from my Motorola Droid to my Samsung Galaxy Nexus, I found myself thinking that my new phone was HUGE! I kept doing "tests" of holding the phone with one hand and touching the farthest corner of the screen.
ReplyDeleteAs I used the phone day to day without thinking about the phone's size or making comparisons, I quickly realized a few things:
1. Very rarely do you really need to reach the very corner of the screen with one hand.
2. Unless I'm checking something quick, 2 hands are almost always used for typing of any sort.
3. As long as the phone fits in your pocket (I am NOT a phone clip guy), the larger screen is AMAZING!
I don't think screen size is as much of an issue as the phone size. Make the screen as big as possible given the size of the phone. I don't think phones should be any larger than my Samsung Galaxy Nexus. I would prefer a phone slightly narrower, shorter, and thinner with a 4.5+ inch screen.
Agreed, the "reach the far corner" of the screen test is rarely applicable. Worth mentioning, but also well worth the caveat.
ReplyDeleteYou make an excellent point differentiating screen size and phone size. I think the smaller you can get the phone, without shrinking the screen, the better experience the user is going to end up with. It seems most screen-based technologies are at least in some way headed this direction. Bezel-less TVs, phones, soon tablets...