Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Thoughts of the possibilty of the iPhone's screen being longer but not wider?

  • Hey, as long as the screen is diagonally larger, the lack of extra width doesn't bother me.

    Votes: 75 20.2%
  • I agree, the screen should be BOTH wider and longer than the current iPhone 4S screen!

    Votes: 259 69.8%
  • I just want the screen to stay at 3.5 inches. Anything bigger than that is something I won't use!

    Votes: 37 10.0%

  • Total voters
    371
Honestly, I'm tired of you people who think the iPhone should remain the same size. Are you guys the size of Peter Dinklage from Game of Thrones? Are you a bunch of men who wear skinny jeans that need the room? Are your hands really that much smaller than a South Korean's hand? They're debuting a 4.8 inch phone and people are going to buy it like crazy and you're really worried about extra size?

Come on, guys, are we little women with dainty hands? What's up with this? We're not saying it should be a Samsung Note or even the new Galaxy S3, we're just saying that it needs to be bigger and it will still fit in every hand and pocket the current one is in, unless you have a pocket that is the exact size of the iPhone 4S.....:rolleyes:

Fully Agree. I didn't buy 4 and 4s because I disliked design and squared shape but also because screen was still same tiny display I had and still have with 3GS!
I hope we will have a 4.3 inch iphone soon, if not I might consider Samsung note

----------

Totally asinine statement.

Donka, it seems you don't get major shift in usage handsets designers have to take into account...
Phones are now called smartphones and there might be a reason for that, you can run many more things on them on top of basic simple calls.

I personally almost never use my iphone for calling any more...
Browsing, playing, watching videos require a much larger screen than a stupid 3.5 inch... even Twitter usage is a pain on such small real estate!
 
I seriously imagine really effeminate men who have trouble sitting down because of their skinny jeans typing away angrily, acting as if a slightly bigger phone will mean they will have to buy a new designer eco-friendly bag from some obscure San Francisco couture shop just to hold their phone in, because otherwise they'd have to buy 20 new pairs of jeans to slip their phone into.

The argument is so ridiculous that it can only be justified if the above were actually what people would go through if the phone got bigger.
I have a snug pair of Levis and I seriously notice my block shaped iPhone with a bumper case that makes it even more block shaped. Now, if it were a proper tapered design and didn't need a case (oh, I don't know, maybe because it was a glass sandwich), I'd hardly notice it at all and certainly not if it were 3/16" wider to accommodate a larger screen.
 
I'll be surprised and disappointed if the screen is not only taller, but wider also. If its not, it will have to be packing some major upgrades for me to shell out the bucks to upgrade from my 4S.
 
I've been jealous of other phones with larger displays for a long time. After several years with the iPhone, I recently picked up THE BIGGEST PHONE OF ALL, Samsung Galaxy Note. It kind of makes me sad, because I was hoping Apple would catch up in terms of slimmer and more modern designs last year when the 4S came out. I did upgrade to that one. I don't know -- the overall experience, the hardware, even the OS seems dated to me now. It reminds me of my last year with my Motorola Razr, before I switched to the iPhone 3G. :(
 
Totally asinine statement.

Care to explain why? Mobile phones used to be huge and as technology allowed, they started to shrink to pocketable sizes.
Now the trend is for larger phones even though the iPhone with it's 3.5" screen has sold in tens of millions. If these phones with 4.8" screens didn't exist, do you think Apple would make their phone larger?

----------

Thank goodness you aren't in charge of innovation in the mobile world...if so, we'd all still be using flip phones. The iPhone screen, at 3.5", is too small, period. That's why Apple is going to make the screen larger.

You know, in 2003, I loved the Motorola RAZR flip phone...times change, roll with it.

And if I was Steve Jobs then it would be absolutely fine methinks. The 3.5" screen on the iPhone is not too small for me, period! If it was, I would have changed it a long time ago. Why did Apple start with a 3.5" screen in the first place if it is too small? If Apple makes the screen larger, it is to kill the competitive edge of other phones that have a larger screen. They have sold bucket loads of iPhones with the 3.5" screen, if it wasn't for the competition then Apple would stick with what works...
 
I prefer the screen size the way it is. It fits in the pocket well and is still large enough to be seen easily. I have played with the larger phones at best buy and at the AT&T store, like the Galaxy and the Titan. It feels like I'm holding a dinner plate up to me face when making a phone call. And will there be problems if the screen size changes with all the 3rd party apps that exist on the app store? Will they render correctly? Will they be all stretched or squished? I think it will cause major problems if the aspect ratio changes.
 
Care to explain why? Mobile phones used to be huge and as technology allowed, they started to shrink to pocketable sizes.
Now the trend is for larger phones even though the iPhone with it's 3.5" screen has sold in tens of millions. If these phones with 4.8" screens didn't exist, do you think Apple would make their phone larger?

----------



And if I was Steve Jobs then it would be absolutely fine methinks. The 3.5" screen on the iPhone is not too small for me, period! If it was, I would have changed it a long time ago. Why did Apple start with a 3.5" screen in the first place if it is too small? If Apple makes the screen larger, it is to kill the competitive edge of other phones that have a larger screen. They have sold bucket loads of iPhones with the 3.5" screen, if it wasn't for the competition then Apple would stick with what works...

You make it seem like the iPhone sold millions because it had a 3.5" screen. Regardless of the screen size, it still would have sold millions...and that will still hold true no matter what size iPhone that comes out this year.

Its time to move on from a 3.5" screen. It is not 2007 anymore. With all the media consumption that we do with our devices, 3.5" isn't cutting it anymore. IMO, 4.3" is a sweet spot, but 4" is better than 3.5", thats for sure.

But, its not my decision, I'm getting the new iPhone regardless of the screen size.
 
Last edited:
Btw any of you guys think theres a chance for a bump in storage ? Or 64gb will remain ?
 
You make it seem like the iPhone sold millions because it had a 3.5" screen. Regardless of the screen size, it still would have sold millions...and that will still hold true no matter what size iPhone that comes out this year.

Its time to move on from a 3.5" screen. It is not 2007 anymore. With all the media consumption that we do with our devices, 3.5" isn't cutting it anymore. IMO, 4.3" is a sweet spot, but 4" is better than 3.5", thats for sure.

But, its not my decision, I'm getting the new iPhone regardless of the screen size.

I completely agree about the sales etc. and truth be told, I'm not against a larger screen, I just prefer a smaller, lighter phone. If it was my sole device then I may think differently but when I usually have access to my Macbook Pro, works laptop or iPad, I rarely use my iPhone apart from texts or phone calls and I am more than happy to have this as small and light as possible within reason.
 
I completely agree about the sales etc. and truth be told, I'm not against a larger screen, I just prefer a smaller, lighter phone. If it was my sole device then I may think differently but when I usually have access to my Macbook Pro, works laptop or iPad, I rarely use my iPhone apart from texts or phone calls and I am more than happy to have this as small and light as possible within reason.

I agree as well. Before the iPhone my favorite phone was the RAZR because of how unobtrusive it was. I understand the arguments of others wanting a wider phone, but for me, smaller, sleek, thin, but still with a 4 inch screen seems like a winner.

----------

I prefer the screen size the way it is. It fits in the pocket well and is still large enough to be seen easily. I have played with the larger phones at best buy and at the AT&T store, like the Galaxy and the Titan. It feels like I'm holding a dinner plate up to me face when making a phone call. And will there be problems if the screen size changes with all the 3rd party apps that exist on the app store? Will they render correctly? Will they be all stretched or squished? I think it will cause major problems if the aspect ratio changes.

I feel the same. I can palm a basketball, so my hands are certainly not small, but some of those Android phones feel so unnatural. As for the aspect ratio, I wouldn't worry, instead be excited. You know the developers will not only want to update their apps to the new format, but they will also want to take advantage of the increased size. Will it take some time, probably, but in the end we're going to be better for it.
 
They've had blunders before. The Newton comes to mind. I am sure there were others, though I can;t think of any. Nothing too recently.

G4 Cube?

prod_cube.jpg


Best Use:

404832763_7e24a43d68.jpg
 
I completely agree about the sales etc. and truth be told, I'm not against a larger screen, I just prefer a smaller, lighter phone. If it was my sole device then I may think differently but when I usually have access to my Macbook Pro, works laptop or iPad, I rarely use my iPhone apart from texts or phone calls and I am more than happy to have this as small and light as possible within reason.
I respect that this is the way you use your iPhone, but I would suggest that the vast majority of iPhone owners use it as their "go to" device, so an increase in screen size would be welcome.
 
As for the aspect ratio, I wouldn't worry, instead be excited. You know the developers will not only want to update their apps to the new format, but they will also want to take advantage of the increased size. Will it take some time, probably, but in the end we're going to be better for it.
16:9 is a horrible form factor for a smart phone. It just feels unnatural. I'd have been happy with a 4" screen myself if Apple had kept the 3:2 aspect ratio. But having just 640 pixels horizontally makes webpages look squished and the text look small. Not having text reflow in Safari only makes the problem much worse.

Also I'd rather the developers do what is needed to make their apps work on multiple screen sizes and resolutions than iPhone users be forced to put up with small screen sizes. I wish Apple chose customer experience over making developers lives easier. After all that is just the developers' job.
 
Come on, guys, are we little women with dainty hands? What's up with this?

Actually, yes. Some of us are women. This may come as a shock to you, but women do in fact purchase consumer electronics such as smartphones.

In fact, I specifically chose the iPhone 4S because it is more ergonomic for my "dainty little hands." I feel alienated as a customer when I come across this "bigger is better" mentality. Is it any wonder that most of the iPhone users I see out-and-about are women?

Now, I have used my husband's Razr Maxx on occasion; although it isn't so large that it is unusable, I find it physically uncomfortable to do things like one-handed thumb typing. If Apple decides to increase the size of the next iPhone, I likely will not bother upgrading until my 4S either stops working, breaks, or is no longer supported.
 
Last edited:
Actually, yes. Some of us are women. This may come as a shock to you, but women do in fact purchase consumer electronics such as smartphones.

In fact, I specifically chose the iPhone 4S because it is more ergonomic for my "dainty little hands." I feel alienated as a costumer when I come across this "bigger is better" mentality. Is it any wonder that most of the iPhone users I see out-and-about are women?

Now, I have used my husband's Razr Maxx on occasion; although it isn't so large that it is unusable, I find it physically uncomfortable to do things like one-handed thumb typing. If Apple decides to increase the size of the next iPhone, I likely will not bother upgrading until my 4S either stops working, breaks, or is no longer supported.
I actually agree with a lot of this. I think the iPhone has very much become a "women's" phone. I'm not sure that this is what apple intended, but it's somewhat of a status symbol for females as well.
 
Are you disappointed that the next iPhone may not be WIDER?

No, of course not. I hope it won't get taller either. As far as I'm concerned, the phone's dimensions need to stay the same, and the screen needs to become as large as possible, with the same ppi.
 
16:9 is a horrible form factor for a smart phone. It just feels unnatural. I'd have been happy with a 4" screen myself if Apple had kept the 3:2 aspect ratio. But having just 640 pixels horizontally makes webpages look squished and the text look small. Not having text reflow in Safari only makes the problem much worse.

Also I'd rather the developers do what is needed to make their apps work on multiple screen sizes and resolutions than iPhone users be forced to put up with small screen sizes. I wish Apple chose customer experience over making developers lives easier. After all that is just the developers' job.

It's a 4:3 ratio, not 3:2. In portrait view, I think a display with increased height is great. For landscape view, I can definitely see your points, but hopefully Apple will implement some type of reformatting which would make web pages look fine.

In the end, it seems extremely unlikely for Apple to develop a wider phone. All the women in my immediate family have iPhones (5 out of 5). A few of them have seen the leaked photos and were glad that the phone was not getting wider. I asked them if the new display would affect their use in landscape mode. I wasn't too shocked when they told me that they do not use landscape mode that much unless they were watching a video.

As for guys... probably a whole different story.
 
I have a snug pair of Levis and I seriously notice my block shaped iPhone with a bumper case that makes it even more block shaped. Now, if it were a proper tapered design and didn't need a case (oh, I don't know, maybe because it was a glass sandwich), I'd hardly notice it at all and certainly not if it were 3/16" wider to accommodate a larger screen.

Sedrick, what are your thoughts and feelings about the recently leaked photos? If that's the next iPhone, will you be happy with it?

Personally, I'm starting to get the impression that not widening the screen means the text won't be any larger (easier to read) in portrait orientation, and that's my biggest issue with my iPhone. Please don't bring up pinch to zoom because I shouldn't need to do so on sites that aren't especially text heavy.
 
Personally, I'm starting to get the impression that not widening the screen means the text won't be any larger (easier to read) in portrait orientation, and that's my biggest issue with my iPhone. Please don't bring up pinch to zoom because I shouldn't need to do so on sites that aren't especially text heavy.

Reader mode is another solution to this issue.
 
Honestly, I'm tired of you people who think the iPhone should remain the same size. Are you guys the size of Peter Dinklage from Game of Thrones? Are you a bunch of men who wear skinny jeans that need the room? Are your hands really that much smaller than a South Korean's hand? They're debuting a 4.8 inch phone and people are going to buy it like crazy and you're really worried about extra size?

Come on, guys, are we little women with dainty hands? What's up with this? We're not saying it should be a Samsung Note or even the new Galaxy S3, we're just saying that it needs to be bigger and it will still fit in every hand and pocket the current one is in, unless you have a pocket that is the exact size of the iPhone 4S.....:rolleyes:

LOL!! i AM a little woman with dainty hands! In fact, my pinkie finger size is the same as infant/very young child! However, that being said, I do have 5 fingers(well 4 fingers and one thumb) on each hand to hold the phone with! I feel like my hands are all cramped and smooshed when I try to text in portrait mode.

I recently went into a Telus store to play around with the SS Galaxy Nexus and was amazed at how much more responsive and faster I could type on it (esp in landscape mode).

I want a bigger screen! I am thinking of the SSG3 but I do indeed wonder if I can fit it in a pocket or whether I will be relegated to carrying purses around with me... I don't mean a coat pocket, but jeans. I think the SSG3 should have been a 4.5 screen.....

----------

Fully Agree. I didn't buy 4 and 4s because I disliked design and squared shape but also because screen was still same tiny display I had and still have with 3GS!
I hope we will have a 4.3 inch iphone soon, if not I might consider Samsung note

----------



Donka, it seems you don't get major shift in usage handsets designers have to take into account...
Phones are now called smartphones and there might be a reason for that, you can run many more things on them on top of basic simple calls.

I personally almost never use my iphone for calling any more...
Browsing, playing, watching videos require a much larger screen than a stupid 3.5 inch... even Twitter usage is a pain on such small real estate!

I use my phone for hours per week. It is one of the most important things that my smart phone does. That is why, although I am tempted to leap into SSG3 arms, I will wait for a full review of it when it hits North America INCLUDING the call quality.

That being said I like a well rounded device that I can watch media on AND have good quality phone conversations.
 
Reader mode is another solution to this issue.

It's a partial solution. RM is great once you've selected an article, but not for main pages where I'm looking to see what article I want to read. For example, Gawker main's page. Countless others too.
 
I've been jealous of other phones with larger displays for a long time. After several years with the iPhone, I recently picked up THE BIGGEST PHONE OF ALL, Samsung Galaxy Note. It kind of makes me sad, because I was hoping Apple would catch up in terms of slimmer and more modern designs last year when the 4S came out. I did upgrade to that one. I don't know -- the overall experience, the hardware, even the OS seems dated to me now. It reminds me of my last year with my Motorola Razr, before I switched to the iPhone 3G. :(


So....do you like the Note?
I too changed over to the note and like it allot but I am still waiting to see what Apple comes out with.
 
It's a partial solution. RM is great once you've selected an article, but not for main pages where I'm looking to see what article I want to read. For example, Gawker main's page. Countless others too.

Yep. It is a partial solution. Another part is pinch or tap to zoom. Another part is landscape mode. Another part is the the accessibility settings.

Point is that there are already multiple ways to address the problem you described without making the screen bigger. Though I don't begrudge you the desire for a larger screen! Personally, I've only had rare problems reading websites on the iPhone. Mostly due to horrible web design.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.