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Are We Stuck With a 4"?

LouieSamman

LouieSamman

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 23, 2008
909
9
Orlando, Florida
Is this the last time we will see the iPhone get a increase in size of the screen?

Samsung and various other companies continue to increase their screen size of their phones and they reached the limit to what fits in a palm.

Will Apple always keep this 4" screen or is there a possibility they will once again increase it since they still have room to?

Anything over 4.7" is too big to be comfortable in the hands of the general user which Apple won't do.

4.5" is the ideal size but will we see this from Apple?
 
LouieSamman said:
Is this the last time we will see the iPhone get a increase in size of the screen?

Samsung and various other companies continue to increase their screen size of their phones and they reached the limit to what fits in a palm.

Will Apple always keep this 4" screen or is there a possibility they will once again increase it since they still have room to?

Anything over 4.7" is too big to be comfortable in the hands of the general user which Apple won't do.

4.5" is the ideal size but will we see this from Apple?
Click to expand...

They went 5 years before they finally increased the size. My guess is 4" is here for at least that amount of time. Look at all the Ads Apple has put out showing how 4" is the perfect size.... I don't expect them to change it anytime soon. If you want 4.5" go Android.
 
After using the iPhone 5 for a week I have to say that Im glad its 4" and no bigger. Even now my thumb struggles to reach the top corner. The screen size feels 'right'. I could manage to maybe go to 4.3" at a push.

Im sure I heard rumours that the SGS4 is going to be 5" lol. When you run out of gimmicks, just keep making the screen bigger! :D
 
Well to be fair, 4.5" is your ideal size. Not everyone's.

My neighbor drives an SUV so big I could live in it. I don't want one. I think Apple's made peace with the idea that bigger isn't always better. I don't want to hold a dinner plate next to my head when making a phone call either.

Could they go bigger? Yeah, maybe. 1280x720 with the same 326ppi would accomplish that, but app makers would need to work with percentages instead of pixels and iOS would need to scale down icons accordingly too. This is assuming that the purpose of "bigger" next time around is to actually make things on the screen a little larger, and not just fit more same-size stuff on it.
 
Sir Ruben said:
After using the iPhone 5 for a week I have to say that Im glad its 4" and no bigger. Even now my thumb struggles to reach the top corner. The screen size feels 'right'. I could manage to maybe go to 4.3" at a push.

Im sure I heard rumours that the SGS4 is going to be 5" lol. When you run out of gimmicks, just keep making the screen bigger! :D
Click to expand...

Soon Samsung will have to give out free oversized foam hands so you can hold their devices.
 
If the market continues to demand larger phones, I see Apple offering 2 versions. Many prefer a 4.8 to 5"+ iPhone and are looking elsewhere now.

They should have moved to 720p like the rest, to allow for larger devices and keeping the PPI competitive.
 
I think they are just easing the masses into a larger screen. They will give a couple years for everyone to get used to the 4" and then in maybe 3yrs increase the width only making it a 4.3" screen.
 
it will stay 4" for a while then they will widen it and it will sell a truck load again. It will be like the GS3 but slightly smaller cos its Apple it will be accepted and sell like hot cakes.

The general opinion will say samsung done it a while ago and it was deemed ugly now Apple does it its fine.

My iPhone 5 is beautiful, fast etc. but that was the last time i get hyped over a product. The hype is way over exaggerated in my opinion.
 
In my opinion, 4" is the perfect size for a phone. I had a Galaxy nexus for a while. That phone had a 4.65" screen. While the screen was amazing it just got awkward to use as a phone day to day. Accessing the entire screen one handed was nearly impossible. If I feel like I need something bigger, I'll just grab my iPad or maybe pick up the rumored iPad mini.
 
Why do you want anything larger? I don't understand these 5-6 inch screens on phones. I think 4" is perfect.

LouieSamman said:
Is this the last time we will see the iPhone get a increase in size of the screen?

Samsung and various other companies continue to increase their screen size of their phones and they reached the limit to what fits in a palm.

Will Apple always keep this 4" screen or is there a possibility they will once again increase it since they still have room to?

Anything over 4.7" is too big to be comfortable in the hands of the general user which Apple won't do.

4.5" is the ideal size but will we see this from Apple?
Click to expand...
 
It seems like Apple doesn't plan to make the iPhone any wider, so the only option is taller. :/

4.3" in 2017, while everyone is at 6". Lol.
 
The demand for the 5 was so great, it really didn't matter what they did.
It would be a mistake to think just because the 5 is selling in record numbers it's exactly what buyers wanted.

Leaving the screen the same width physically and just 640 pixels across was a unusual decision at best.
 
UFBoy2323 said:
It better not go over 4". It's a freakin phone, if you want a tablet - go get one!
Click to expand...

So, you are saying my 4.65" Nexus is a tablet? It isn't THAT big. Even the 4.8" S3 looks WAY smaller in person than most think.
 
LouieSamman said:
Is this the last time we will see the iPhone get a increase in size of the screen?
Click to expand...
LouieSamman said:
Will Apple always keep this 4" screen or is there a possibility they will once again increase it since they still have room to?
Click to expand...

As others have said, no way to know, but I get that your question was probing and quasirhetorical. I just don't think so though. I think we'll see, down the line maybe 2 years or so, a slightly wider version of this. I don't see them going beyond the 4" though. More on this below.

LouieSamman said:
Samsung and various other companies continue to increase their screen size of their phones and they reached the limit to what fits in a palm.
Click to expand...

I think this is the crux of the issue for Apple and most of us with average hands. These other companies are getting the limit of what fits in a palm, whereas Apple has determined what fits nicely in most palms, without being too big. You yourself hit the nail on the head here:

Anything over 4.7" is too big to be comfortable in the hands of the general user which Apple won't do.
Click to expand...

But...

LouieSamman said:
4.5" is the ideal size but will we see this from Apple?
Click to expand...

This is a greater issue. While 4.5" may be idea for you, it may not be for a large percentage of others. This is what Apple must balance, and I think they've done this height-wise. Width may need work. Time will tell.
 
Last edited:
I read the title and first thing that came to my mind was 'sounds like a personal problem' lol

But kidding aside, I think the 4 inch screen is perfect size
 
I find it odd that manufacturers (except for Apple, that is) automatically think that for smartphone screens, larger = better. But perhaps now, we've reached a point where screen size is more of a consumer preference, rather than a better or worse scenario. If you look at mobile products, like tablets or laptops, the screen size doesn't really go past 9~10" for tablets and 15~17" for laptops. Hopefully the Android manufacturers will realize this and produce premium phones that aren't 4.5+" in screen size. After all, people really like 7" tablets and 13" MBA/MBP/laptops in general, right?

Personally, the 4" screen in my iPhone 5 is great. I like to use my phone and still have one hand free. For this reason alone, I wouldn't switch to Android, as all of the flagships are huge (putting aside the fact that I prefer iOS as well..).
 
For me making the phone just longer was nothing compared to if they would have increase both height and width. It was near useless except to have another row of ICONS on the home screen
 
HowardSmith said:
For me making the phone just longer was nothing compared to if they would have increase both height and width. It was near useless except to have another row of ICONS on the home screen
Click to expand...

Exactly, and I'm hearing this all over the place. But, as is the case with Apple sometimes, "Evolution, not revolution."
 
Bigger screens are better...you just need to know how to use it. Kind of like woman and a penis. They all seem to say its fine if its small and a man knows how to use it. Well what if its huge and he knows how to use it also ;)
 
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