That's simply not true. Here in the U.S., all the flagship phones besides the iPhone are 4.3" at the minimum. And I'm quite sure they're selling. The S3 outsold the 4S before the 5 came out.
Those figures are misleading to say the least, or (more likely) outright false. If you can't see the obvious trend toward larger and larger screens, you simply have your head stuck in the sand.
All of the most popular 2012 android sets are WELL over 4 inches and most are closing in on 5 inches.
Actually that's not true. Samsung counts those that they ship out as sold, where Apple only counts phones that are actually sold. Big, big difference. Samsung ships out millions, half could be on the shelves, in the warehouse, etc and they count those as sold.
Those were stats from carriers. Samsung just announced at the CES conference 30 million S3's SOLD, not shipped. That's impressive. I don't really how you can deny the trend toward bigger displays.
Update: Samsung has confirmed the 30 million figure refers to channel sales aka shipments not to direct sales to customers.
No, those are stats from Samsung. Whenever they say "sold" they add "to carriers" or "to our distribution channels" or something at the end. I've even seen it at the bottom as an asterisk. Since this seems to be their company-wide policy, places like TheVerge.com usually add "We could not confirm if this was told to their channels, or sold to end-users" whenever Samsung announces a new number and doesn't mention who the sales were to.
The 30 million number has recently been touted by Samsung, and they confirmed it was "channel sales". Here is a source where Samsung initially said "sold", then when pressed for clarification admitted it was "channel sales":
http://techcrunch.com/2012/11/05/sa...-five-months-3x-faster-sales-rate-than-sgsii/
Quote from the article:
Do you have a source showing they are referring to end user sales, and not channel sales? If so, it would be the first time Samsung has ever released this sensitive information.
I don't see why you're fighting this so much, lol. They are selling very well, and phones will get bigger screens.
Could they do that without causing app compatibility issues? In 2013, a 3.5" screen on a smart phone is comical. Even 4" is pushing the limits. Mark my words, in 5 years the standard screen size for smart phone will be over 5 inches.
You are simply living in a fantasy world if you believe screens on smart phones are not getting bigger. Let's see how many major smart phones are built under 4 inches in 2013.
I don't see why you're fighting this so much, lol. They are selling very well, and phones will get bigger screens.
What source do you have to show the most popular phones in 2012 were all over 4 inches?
You are basically sticking your fingers in your ears and singing "la la la la la la" to yourself. You look absolutely ridiculous and nobody in this thread is taking you seriously.
2012 releases speak for themselves. The glaringly obvious TREND is towards bigger and bigger screens. And 2013 releases are projected to have even bigger screens. Enjoy the fantasy world you have created for yourself though.
So you have no source to backup your claim?
Show me the source proving that cell phone companies are not releasing displays larger than 4 inches. Go ahead. I'll wait.
You've posted absolutely nothing of any relevance so far.
Shall I take this response to mean you have conceded your points?
Your original post, and my reply, is not related to what companies are releasing.
When you consider that the iPhone 5 is the best selling smartphone in the world, if you look at it in terms of raw sales numbers, it is likely that 99% of all smartphones sold in 2012 were either 4" or less.
No. You have a cynical notion that whenever Samsung distinctly says they've "SOLD" 30 million devices, that still doesn't mean they've actually sold 30 million devices. Regardless, it's impossible to argue that it's an incredibly well-selling phone, and that phones are getting larger. Not sure why you're being so contentious over an abundantly clear observation.
On the contrary, the statistics show that an overwhelming majority of smartphones (between 93.9% and 99%) in the market today are either 4" or less.
No. You have a cynical notion that whenever Samsung distinctly says they've "SOLD" 30 million devices, that still doesn't mean they've actually sold 30 million devices. Regardless, it's impossible to argue that it's an incredibly well-selling phone, and that phones are getting larger. Not sure why you're being so contentious over an abundantly clear observation.
You most certainly do. So let's see the links. Still waiting.
Where is the link to that outrageous claim?
It has already been shown that the vast majority of major releases in 2012 (including the iphone) had 4 inch+ screens. 2013 will be no exception. Screens are getting bigger and bigger and bigger. Not opinion. Fact.
I'll be sure to revisit this thread for every major release of 2013, just to rub some salt in your wounds.
Your own charts say nothing of the sort. Nice try.
In his fantasy world, the Galaxy S3 was a failure and smart phone screens are getting smaller.
To "attack a straw man" is to create the illusion of having refuted a proposition by replacing it with a superficially similar yet unequivalent proposition (the "straw man"), and to refute it, without ever having actually refuted the original position.
Back in the day, phones kept on getting smaller and smaller. To the point where enough was enough and they became bigger again. In the end, a phone you can hold and operate with one hand without having it feel too big or too small seem to be what people want (outside of the fads).
If you believe so, then you simply do not understand your argument
Correct, it is impossible to argue that it's an incredibly well-selling phone, as that as an opinion. It could sell 500,000 and someone could still consider that "incredibly well-selling". I don't think anyone is arguing your use of terminology there.
It is, however, possible to argue that phones are getting larger, because that's not subjective. No one here has presented anything showing that phones are in fact getting larger. On the contrary, the statistics show that an overwhelming majority of smartphones (between 93.9% and 99%) in the market today are either 4" or less.
Opinion
Let me add "10 char" before an overzealous mod gives me a warning for a one word post
Still waiting for that link.
As you continue searching for it, I'll sit back and have a hearty laugh while ALL the major players, from Samsung, to HTC, to Sony, to RIM, to Motorola, continue to release phones with bigger and bigger screens in 2013. Not that there's a trend or anything...