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

Does a Taller iPhone fulfill your need for a "Bigger" iPhone?

  • Yes. Taller is exactly what I wanted

    Votes: 59 21.2%
  • No. I still want a bigger iPhone

    Votes: 150 54.0%
  • No. The old iPhone size was perfect and should never be touched

    Votes: 25 9.0%
  • Not Sure

    Votes: 44 15.8%

  • Total voters
    278
Taller is not what I wanted, but the macrumors video showing how it could look made me see how great it may be! So much more room when writing texts!
 
Not sure yet, with all the mockups etc it's still a little tricky to imagine what it will be like in my pocket.

I am relatively happy with the current 4s screen, although that could be because anything more demanding I pick my ipad up.
 
Sold my 4s months ago to move to a Galaxy Nexus then a Note.

While I'd prefer iOS the 3.5" and now slightly longer screen is just too small.

Its not a "phone" anymore its a mobile device for email, internet, etc.
Not only do the Nexus and Note have larger screens, they have far better text resizing options that allow portrait use almost all the time.
 
I like the larger screen size, but the iPhone5 overall is shaping up to be a very dull, iterative increase over the iPhone 4S. iOS6 is the biggest let down of the package -- it is showing its age, and I find myself enjoying using the UI less and less.

Earlier this year, I was prepared to buy into the Mac eco-system of software and devices, but now I'm not so sure. After buying my Mini and a New iPad, I find the experience to be... merely sufficient. The only aspect I've found "magical" so far is the effortless iCloud synching of contacts, notes, calendar, etc., provided you use iCloud for these services. I'm not sure that is enough to switch from Android to an iPhone5.
 
Im not trying to argue, but why do you say "most people agree" regarding Apple's choice to not give bigger screens? Based on this informal poll (more than half want a bigger iPhone still) then Ive always felt we are just accepting what Apple offers simply because we prefer the OS and are willing to compromise screen size in order to use it.

Image (photo from TheVerge forums)

I feel the 3.7" screen was adequate for 2007 but the mobile world has changed a lot since then and that is why hardware got bigger as it adapted to user needs. I dont want a gigantic waffle sized iPhone but I do feel that if iPhone die-hards gave it a chance then they'd recognize the benefits of a slightly bigger iPhone and would be surprised that all the excuses (one-handed operation, pocket/purseability) wouldn't be as big an issue as they make it to be.

But you see, this site represents a VERY small part of Apple's customers. And most of us are techies/nerds/and such, so we keep up with the market and what other companies are doing. Apple's strategy is less focus on hardware specifications, and more on user experience. If the user experience is the best, most customers won't care about screen size, RAM, processor speed etc.
Maybe the next iPhone will be wider, but I think for now they've hit a sweet spot with the current width and sales have been consistently going up over the iPhone's life span.

----------

Taller is not what I wanted, but the macrumors video showing how it could look made me see how great it may be! So much more room when writing texts!

Yup. And more rows of information in Facebook and Twitter and in the iPod.app.
 
Wait... Are you telling me that some of you actually thought to yourselves "gee, this phone would be great if it was only a little taller"?

Sorry, I'm not buying it.
Yeah. It does seem like one of those scenarios where some people claim to want something AFTER Apple tells what they should want because I dont think I've ever seen a "I hope the next iPhone is a taller device but not wider" until the new design started looking like the real deal.

I'm not saying "Tall" is a bad decision for everyone, but I'm still trying to make a list of legitimate "Tall but not Wide/Wide but not Tall" usage scenarios and legitimate benefits over simply a larger screen.

- Movies (4" is still a bit cramped for a full length 2hr 16:9 movie)
- Typing (You get more screen space but the keyboard is still cramped)
- GPS (You get a wider view but direction fonts are still too small due to height)
- Websites (More height but problem remains using full sites w/o side scrolling/zoom)
- Books (More words per page but not words per line)
- Photography (Likely not 16:9 photos so lots of wasted space when shooting/viewing)
- Pocketability (4.3" phones may be big but Ive yet to see a 4" phone that isn't pocketable)
- One Handed (Sorry but smartphones were NEVER one-handed products)

Im not trying to be negative because there are some uses where taller is nice like endless-scroll apps (twitter/fb), full screen video shooting or Angry Birds. But what other real world usage scenarios am I missing where "tall screen" is more of a benefit than "bigger screen"?
 
Don't mind the 16x9, but wish they could have widened it just a smidge - maybe drop that 326dpi to 300dpi and give us a little bit of an easier time reading things by adding a few mm to the width.

Wider would have uset the 16:9 Ratio.
 
I don't think taller iPhone would improve my experience in anyway. It's the width that matters actually.
I use my iPhone vertically most of the time because that way I can text and operates my phone with one thumb and I feel cramped sometimes with the narrow screen estate. Especially when typing.

And I am sorry fanboys/girls, but I'm not impressed with the new iPhone leaks so far. Speaker/mic grills are terrible and looks cheap if that pans out.
Oh, and the two tone backs? Yuck .. So much for calling it a "unibody" phone.

I am strongly considering Lumia 920 for my next phone. That is one damn beautiful phone that is not Designed by Apple in Cupertino. And that does not look like iPhone either. And the UI is just as beautiful.

Few things that holds me back is apps and ecosystem, like it or not iOS and AppStore is Windows in the mobile world and I have a few hundred bucks of iOS apps.
 
I wanted 4 inches in the current 4S size. I do not like that the phone had to get taller.
 
I wanted 4 inches in the current 4S size. I do not like that the phone had to get taller.

I believe you meant current ratio? Yeah I'd like that too. Wider and taller, that's what I call bigger.
 
But you see, this site represents a VERY small part of Apple's customers. And most of us are techies/nerds/and such, so we keep up with the market and what other companies are doing. Apple's strategy is less focus on hardware specifications, and more on user experience. If the user experience is the best, most customers won't care about screen size, RAM, processor speed etc.
Im not sure I agree. Should Screen Size really be bundled in with "under-the-hood" specs that customers dont care about? No offense to Android fans, but I feel that if Apple offered the same size choices then Android's marketshare be much smaller because iOS is the more desirable OS but most of the Android users I know said that screen size was the major deciding factor for them.

Maybe the next iPhone will be wider, but I think for now they've hit a sweet spot with the current width and sales have been consistently going up over the iPhone's life span.
Its tough to associate growing sales with a consumers love of 3.5" screens. Just like how many people make their purchase decisions based purely on screen size with no regard to OS, many people also choose OS and simply accept whatever screen size is available. As much praise thats given to the durability of the iPhone, I never use a phone for more than 18mo anyway so I'd gladly take a plasticky 4.3" competing phones if it ran iOS.

IMO, I feel that if given more size options then even within Apple's userbase then the 3.5" model would be the least popular model because the world has evolved beyond what Apple felt was the ideal size of 2007.
 
Unfortunately, i'll still be buying the new iPhone. I need a new one after having the 4 for two years so this will have to suffice.


No, no, no, how will they ever get the message this isn't good enough if people go out and buy one anyway.

If the new one will only "suffice", then go out and find yourself a phone with all the features you want, there are plenty out there I bet. All you'll lose is your investment in apps, but if you take that view you're locked in for life and you'll have to like it or lump it forever.

I'm not having a go at the new iPhone 4SL by the way, if that phone suits your needs then go ahead and buy it. If it doesn't suit your needs though, please don't just buy it anyway because it's the latest Apple phone, see if there really is something better out there. This kind of 'I'll buy it whatever' attitude isn't going to lead to better products in the long run.
 
Last edited:
I'm very pleased the new iphone will not be wider, and hope they keep the same width for a long time. Professional/solid looking apple product, and the iOS is easy to use. Thank you Apple. Don't change a bit ;) :D For the wider folks out there, no one is stopping you in staying with the Android crowed or leaving apple for the other phones.
 
The same 2" wide screen stretched to 16:9 is not a selling factor for me. With what smart phones are capable these days, 4.3" is about the bare minimum to really enjoy using it and not end up hunched over and crossed eyed at the end of the day.
 
I don't think taller iPhone would improve my experience in anyway. It's the width that matters actually.
I use my iPhone vertically most of the time because that way I can text and operates my phone with one thumb and I feel cramped sometimes with the narrow screen estate. Especially when typing...

I agree; although I'm not a big fan of this leaked design, the most frustrating part, if rumors are in fact true, is that this taller phone will not have proportionally larger keys on the virtual keyboard, when the phone is held in portrait orientation. Other users with smaller hands may not have this problem, but typing on that keyboard (even with just one thumb) is a real chore for me. Lots of errors from hitting the wrong key...
 
I'll be the one that says the old size should never be touched. People want a bigger screen, but since when do people have a damn clue of what they want? Steve Jobs made a good point at this by never giving people what they wanted; otherwise, the iPhone would be a whole different device (like the several failed Android handsets out there right now). This is where the iPhone is heading. Bigger screen is the beginning of the end of the iPhone...
 
Don't really care. I'm more for a thinner phone than anything else. A longer screen is a bonus. Better than the current screen size.
 
I was always very happy with the size of the original Galaxy S, which is almost exactly what the new iPhone is "rumored" to be. I do think the the iPhone screen is looking a little small, and 4 Inches sure would help a lot. Despite it just being a little taller, side by side comparisons make it look significantly bigger. I was recently at AT&T and handled a Galaxy S 3, which is a bit too big in my opinion. I think 4-4.3 is the sweet spot. But at the end of the day I will get the iPhone, I just am too used to and tied to the iOS ecosystem.
 
Since I watch a lot of widescreen videos on my phone, this is actually useful.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.