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Is it just me or are screen sizes getting silly?

W

Wrathwitch

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 4, 2009
1,303
55
Seriously...


I have an S3. Amazing phone. Sweet spot for me would have been 4.5 -4.6". Now it seems that almost any company that makes a high end Android phone is going with the obscene 5.0" screen|!!

If Apple had offered even a 4.3" proportional screen I would never have switched. Now that i have, i can't imagine dealing with the Apple restrictions and lack of customization! notification light, pull down notifications with ease of access to most used phone features. The ability to say ANSWER or DECLINE and have your phone pick up for you and put itself on speaker phone.

4.8 is just too large. yes i love the larger screen, but i must say i would have been happier with an identical spec phone with 4.6...
 
3bs

3bs

macrumors 603
May 20, 2011
5,434
24
Dublin, Ireland
Totally agree about the size. I'm not against bigger screen sizes for the people that want them but phone manufacturers are trying to make them the norm and their flagships are getting bigger and bigger. If they were offering 2 versions of their flagship with one between 4.5-4.8" and one 5"+ then I'd be fine with that.

I'm worried the S4 might be too big for me but I guess I'll have to wait and see.
 
AQUADock

AQUADock

macrumors 65816
Mar 20, 2011
1,049
37
3bs said:
I'm worried the S4 might be too big for me but I guess I'll have to wait and see.
Click to expand...

Me too im waiting to see what the S4 is like before a i get a new phone, if its larger than ill probably get a Nexus 4.
 
TheHateMachine

TheHateMachine

macrumors 6502a
Sep 18, 2012
846
1,354
3bs said:
Totally agree about the size. I'm not against bigger screen sizes for the people that want them but phone manufacturers are trying to make them the norm and their flagships are getting bigger and bigger. If they were offering 2 versions of their flagship with one between 4.5-4.8" and one 5"+ then I'd be fine with that.

I'm worried the S4 might be too big for me but I guess I'll have to wait and see.
Click to expand...

What they will do with the S4 is reduce the bezel and increase the screen size.

The Note 2 is almost identical to the Note 1 in terms of dimensions yet the screen was increased by .25 inches.
 
3bs

3bs

macrumors 603
May 20, 2011
5,434
24
Dublin, Ireland
AQUADock said:
Me too im waiting to see what the S4 is like before a i get a new phone, if its larger than ill probably get a Nexus 4.
Click to expand...

I have the Nexus 4 and it's a great device but I miss my S3. It felt way more comfortable to hold IMO.

TheHateMachine said:
What they will do with the S4 is reduce the bezel and increase the screen size.

The Note 2 is almost identical to the Note 1 in terms of dimensions yet the screen was increased by .25 inches.
Click to expand...

It's taller though and that does make a difference for one-handed use, yes I still want to be able to use it one-handed :p
 
3bs

3bs

macrumors 603
May 20, 2011
5,434
24
Dublin, Ireland
Sounds Good said:
Could you expand on this a bit? I'm curious.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Well the S3 is thinner and it's edges are more curved. If you can, go to a store and hold both of them and see for yourself. I'm sure there are people who prefer the way the Nexus 4 feels in the hands but not me. It's not that the Nexus 4 is uncomfortable to hold, the S3 was just more comfortable.
 
robanga

robanga

macrumors 68000
Aug 25, 2007
1,657
1
Oregon
2013 will be another year of the Phablet. Zte is doing one at 5.7". That is getting close to iPad mini size.
 
E

Ericcc

macrumors member
Nov 2, 2012
74
0
Montreal
Even if manufacturers minimize the bezel, you're going to have issues reaching the corners of the screen with ever-increasing screen sizes. Also, using the separate back/home buttons could be much more of a pain as well.

A lot of users dislike on-screen buttons, but I dislike separate buttons below the screen even more (such as on the S3). You already have a huge screen + bezel distance to wrap your hand around, and then you're supposed to bend/stretch your thumb to the bottom corners? Uncomfortable to say the least. I much prefer the N4's buttons, which I can use without re-adjusting grip.

I really hope manufacturers keep on releasing top-spec'd options around the 4.5" screen range.
 
Wide opeN

Wide opeN

macrumors 68000
Aug 27, 2010
1,763
1,035
Georgia
I think that the S3 is the perfect size.

It's funny because when I first saw images of the SG3 I thought it was ugly.

However, after having it two seperate times (once in July, and now more recently) I absolutely feel like it's close to being the perfect device.

The glass on this phone is the most comfortable I've ever experienced in a phone, period.

The screen size is delicious, anything bigger probably would be too much.

The SG3 is the best phone to date and made me for the first time not even make the iPhone a consideration.

My .02
 
S

Sounds Good

macrumors 68000
Jul 8, 2007
1,692
57
I keep reading complaints about the Pentile (?) screen on the S3 and how bad it is compared to others. How bad is it REALLY??
 
C

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
11,959
2,154
Sounds Good said:
I keep reading complaints about the Pentile (?) screen on the S3 and how bad it is compared to others. How bad is it REALLY??
Click to expand...

Not bad. Only a screen purist/snob get all up in arms about it. Back when pentile had a low PPI it was something noticeable. That's my opinion on it anyway.
 
AQUADock

AQUADock

macrumors 65816
Mar 20, 2011
1,049
37
cynics said:
Back when pentile had a low PPI it was something noticeable. That's my opinion on it anyway.
Click to expand...

That's true but an IPS LCD screen will always be better. Samsung skimped out on the screen on the s3.
 
Wide opeN

Wide opeN

macrumors 68000
Aug 27, 2010
1,763
1,035
Georgia
I'll chime in once again.

I used to think that AMOLED was wack, what with it's less that stellar brightness in the daytime and that blueish hue.

However, I've come to enjoy its' strenghs.

Deep blacks, sharper contrast, less glare, etc...

Now when I look at LCD screens they seem almost Grey and the same for blacks when powered on.

Brightness and DPI still go to LCD however.
 
M

MuffCabbage

macrumors regular
Nov 11, 2012
197
23
I think the Galaxy Notes are just too big. Watching people use them is entertaining. Maybe people like to two hand their phones all the time, but I like my 4.3" phones and would probably be fine going GS3 size as well. 4" is a bit too small and above 5 a bit too big at this point for me.
 
TacticalDesire

TacticalDesire

macrumors 68020
Mar 19, 2012
2,286
23
Michigan
After using the droid DNA I think that's the perfect screen size for me. I wouldn't go any bigger but I wouldn't go smaller than 4.65 inches (screen size). I have relatively large hands.
 
Z

Zwhaler

macrumors 604
Jun 10, 2006
7,090
1,564
Weird argument. 4.6 is perfect, but 4.8 is too big and 5.0 is obscene? The make a variety so customers can pick up what is right for them, which for me happens to be 5.5 at the moment ... keep in mind that certain features like split window multitasking really benefits from a larger screen size and wouldn't work well on something below 5" unless it was 1080p.

----------
Sounds Good said:
I keep reading complaints about the Pentile (?) screen on the S3 and how bad it is compared to others. How bad is it REALLY??
Click to expand...

Not horrible but it is at a disadvantage, I'm glad they did away with it for the Note 2 and likely won't be using it in their top phones anymore.
 
I

Internaut

macrumors 65816
Dec 11, 2009
1,020
1,875
All over the place but mostly Somewhere in England
It's all a bit moot. The big screen phones sell. What amazes me is the UI designers haven't taken size into account and designed GUIs that can be sensibly used for important stuff with one hand (left or right). Perhaps this is why Apple hasn't ventured into the big screen phone space (i.e. it would violate some basic principles of UI design that Apple enforces rigorously).
 
ChazUK

ChazUK

macrumors 603
Feb 3, 2008
5,393
25
Essex (UK)
I just saw this on Google+...

image.jpg


:eek:
 
I

iEvolution

macrumors 65816
Jul 11, 2008
1,432
2
3.5" screen was totally overdue to go away in Apple land and in fact, the 4" screen is still pitiful compared to the competition.

For me the sweet spot is ~4.2-4.5". I've got a 5" Galaxy Player and while I like it it is just a bit too big for my liking.

Funny enough the new Galaxy Player coming out is going to sport a 5.8" screen which is just nuts unless you like watching movies on the go.

The phones/media player screen sizes are beginning to run into tablet world. Seems some companies have forgotten the idea portability.
 
bembol

bembol

macrumors 65816
Jul 29, 2006
1,058
51
2013 is all about 1080P so I can understand but I don't see myself buying a Super Phone bigger than 5.5".
 
onthecouchagain

onthecouchagain

macrumors 604
Mar 29, 2011
7,382
2
Internaut said:
It's all a bit moot. The big screen phones sell. What amazes me is the UI designers haven't taken size into account and designed GUIs that can be sensibly used for important stuff with one hand (left or right). Perhaps this is why Apple hasn't ventured into the big screen phone space (i.e. it would violate some basic principles of UI design that Apple enforces rigorously).
Click to expand...

I think this is a great point. One idea could be quick controls from former android stock browser or the current android 4.2 camera controls that can brought up anywhere on the screen. Imagine able to bring up controls like that anywhere in the os. Also imagine this is a feature you can turn on/off for those who are fine using large devices and regular buttons.

icsBrowser+sc1-168x300.jpg


android-4.2-camera.png
 
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