Too big for your pocket?

Hey!

Today I wanted to talk about something I’m really passionate about – and that’s technology. 

Technology on its own is too broad, so I’m just going to talk about a small part of it and thats mobile phones. More specifically, are they getting too big? 

I’m talking about this because today, Samsung introduced the “Samsung Galaxy Mega” which comes in two screen sizes: 5.8″ inches and 6.3 inches (diagonally). Thats ridiculously large – for me.

On first glance, it looks just like the Samsung Galaxy S4 which was unveiled in March. The design is really nice and keeps in line with Samsung current design language. By in large, Samsung likes to keep its design scheme the same throughout the year, and it works great for them; as it does for Apple.

But if you think about it, 4 inches used to be pretty big. Now its the average size for a smart phone.

When you get to a 5 inch phone, the colloquial term for it is “phablet”. Thats when a device is large enough to be considered a tablet, but small enough to be a phone. Of course, they are not officially advertised as “phablets”! 

Lets go back to 2007, where it all started. The Apple iPhone was the first phone to feature a “large” display. It set the standard for how a smart phone should look. 3.5 inches was a huge size and many considered it too big for a phone. It was like the 4 inches of today. When Steve Jobs announced it he said “..get rid of all these buttons and have a giant screen…a giant screen!”. He famously called that 3.5 inch display “giant”. Wowz.

5 years later, we have the iPhone 5 with its amazing 4 inch Retina display. Many people have disliked this new screen size because its simply taller and not wider. Apple argues this by saying “typing on the keyboard, for instance — you can still do with one hand”. 

But how big is too big?

My first phone had a 2 inch display and I thought it was big! I remember watching movies on this “large” screen! It was a slider phone too, which made it so compact. Few years later, I got a Samsung phone which had a 3 inch screen (I think). This made my previous phone look so small and made my wonder how I used it! Some more years later, and I used the iPhone 4S with it’s 3.5 inch Retina display – it beats my previous phones in all directions.

Samsung is taking the biggest risks right now by releasing devices with all screen sizes. With Samsung, you will surely find a screen size for you. As you get to 8 inches, only tablets are offered to you.

The funny thing is that the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, with its 5.5 inch display, is one of the top selling phones for Samsung right now. More consumers are choosing Samsung over Apple or BlackBerry for the screen size and customisation options in the OS.

I have been honoured to try out the Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and the iPhone 5. I’m going to sound like an Apple fan boy for saying this – but the iPhone 5 felt the best. Transitioning from an iPhone 4S to an iPhone 5 feels good. I have average sized hands and could reach the top of the screen with a bit of shuffling. The width of the phone is the same, so there is nothing more to get used to. On the other hand, the Samsung devices that I tried, required me to use both of my hands.

Different phones will appeal to different people. Thats why it’s best to just use what you love and love what you use.

– Mr F