It is all about perception.
The increase in size from 4.7" to 5.5" crosses the perceptual barrier from "phone" to "tablet" for many people. Nothing wrong with that, or with anyone who wants a larger phone.
And you might refrain from statements such as "can't be considered." Yes, it can be.
You may want to refrain from snipping partial statements from someone's quote and taking that information completely out of the context in which it was presented. Hopefully, you understood exactly what I meant by not really near. 5.5" may cross a perceptual barrier for you, but I would think visually, the usage of near would lose it's effectiveness when you see the items compared. That's just me. We're different. That's totally okay.