How do you rate 4" screen web-browsing?

[Quicklite]

It's interesting how people are trying how things measure up against a 4" screen when until just about 1.5 years ago anyone who was using an iPhone was doing it on a screen that was 4" or smaller for years and years.

Times change and we change with the times it appear. To revert to 4" is something.

 

[TurboPGT!]

It's interesting how people are trying how things measure up against a 4" screen when until just about 1.5 years ago anyone who was using an iPhone was doing it on a screen that was 4" or smaller for years and years.

Its beyond ridiculous.

 

[GuitarMan0121]

Well it's a lot better than my first Apple device - the iPod Touch 2G
Before that I used a PSP for web browsing :shudders:
I guess it's all in what you get used to.

 

[Newtons Apple]

After having the 6+ and 6S+ I can not imagine doing much Internet on it. Just typing on the tiny keyboard . . . . . .

 

[metsjetsfan]

Who does web browsing anymore. Isnt it mostly social media feeds, slack, twitter, instagram and snapchat. Then for reading I would think most would use a reader like pocket or instagram that maximizes screenspace as much as possible. For this I think its ok

If you are using it for websites and requesting the desktop site version it is very painful but if you like pinching and zooming and its easier to do on the 4inch size then you r good to go.

 

[geta]

All the phones are too small for long browsing or reading. I prefer to have the smallest phone i can for daily use, that is more then efficient for quick on the go internet access\search, and keep the heavy browsing for laptop\desktop, or at least a tablet.

 

[12vElectronics]

I don't do any serious work or internet time on my phone. Having a one handed operation phone that also fits my skinny jeans is more important. I owned my 5 for 2 years and my 6+ for 1.5 years. My experience overall was better with the 5.

 

[zombiecakes]

This is not a phone for people that use their phone like a computer, big phones are popular because a lot of people use their phones for everything and spend hours using them a day, 4" phones are for people who just want a phone to be a phone and think the extra stuff like web browsing is nice to have when they need it in a pinch.

I dont use youtube or watch videos on my phone and use the web browser like once every couple of months to get some info about something or check online prices while at a store, I dont need a big screen to do that. I mainly use my phone for one handed swipe-texting, audio stuff while driving, and GPS, when I got a bigger phone this stuff became a lot harder to do with one hand so I want to go back to 4".

 

[5105973]

I don't even like web browsing on my iPhone 6S Plus. I avoid it when possible and go for my iPad mini 4. I don't like how most pages default to mobile settings which often are awkward to use.

But I was once hospitalized for a week with just my iPhone 4 to use to browse the web with and I got by just fine. I even used to read e-books on my iPhone 4's tiny screen.

 

[i486dx2-66]

All the phones are too small for long browsing or reading. I prefer to have the smallest phone i can for daily use, that is more then efficient for quick on the go internet access\search, and keep the heavy browsing for laptop\desktop, or at least a tablet.

x2, well said.

If a phone was my only device, absolutely I would want something larger. But when you have a tablet or computer easily available, with a far better internet usage experience, I also go for the smallest smartphone possible.

5/5 for the small screen- it works perfectly for how I need it.

 

[Phil A.]

This is not a phone for people that use their phone like a computer, big phones are popular because a lot of people use their phones for everything and spend hours using them a day, 4" phones are for people who just want a phone to be a phone and think the extra stuff like web browsing is nice to have when they need it in a pinch.

I dont use youtube or watch videos on my phone and use the web browser like once every couple of months to get some info about something or check online prices while at a store, I dont need a big screen to do that. I mainly use my phone for one handed swipe-texting, audio stuff while driving, and GPS, when I got a bigger phone this stuff became a lot harder to do with one hand so I want to go back to 4".

I think you make a valid point - I would never consider a 4" phone now because I spend a lot of time browsing the internet and using mail (over 50% of the usage on my phone is those two things), which is why I use a 6S Plus (or maybe my usage is like that because I've got a 6S Plus?

I think it's great that Apple are finally offering people a choice of screen size with pretty much the latest technology because people have different requirements and what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another

 

[Max(IT)]

we all used to browse the web on a 4" display for years ...
For quick use it's ok: Safari is a very fast and good browser and iPhone SE browsing performance are amazing.

If you have to do "serious" web browsing, well, a bigger iPhone could be better.

 

[AppleRobert]

I had to change the DPI of my S7 Edge. Didn't feel any need to do so with my 5s.

 

[nordique]

I find it fine, but it's definitely one of the issues I have with the smaller screen size.

There's always trade offs no matter the direction one goes

 

[tl01]

I prefer 4" web browsing as can do with one hand and quicker; its same as 6s no difference except I prefer smaller size (I would even take 3.5) but can deal with 4

Add a ring on the backside of your device and then you can do everything one handed in with the 6 or the plus. Best of both worlds!

 

[macduke]

Most websites today worth anything don't just have mobile versions but are responsive. If they're designed properly (I do this for a living) then there shouldn't be a significant difference between the experience on a 4" display vs. a 4.7" display. I don't even use separate breakpoints for them. It's not until you get up into the phablet range, mostly landscape, that you start to have layout changes and notice differences. The main difference is that some images and text might be a little smaller on 4", and you might not be able to fit as much content on the display at once. But considering most people skim and scan focusing on a small area of the page at a time and not the whole thing, I don't think it makes a big difference. I went from a 4" iPhone 5 to the 5.5" iPhone 6 Plus. It was nice to have more space for a website, but I don't think it was a better experience overall because it was difficult to reach across and tap on things around that big display. For me the 4.7" is a nice balance. Most of my web browsing is done at work on my iMac or at home on my iPad, but I use the iPhone a lot when running out and about or waiting in lines.

 

[cvam1985]

Good point - that SE is a unique device with particular usergroup who's after different things to powerusers; it's the power of the latest processor in a small body - and it lets you surf the web whilst on the move.

I use my 5s as much as any "poweruser" you know. all it really boils down to for me is the size. I cannot use anything bigger than the 5 without dropping my phone or cramping my hand.

 

[tedson]

I think the correct answer is acceptable for emergency use but very poor for daily use. When I'm out, I usually have my iPad Air 2 with me so I use that for web surfing and hotspot my phone if wifi is not available. Its rare when I need to check something on the web and don't have my iPad or computed available.

 

[joeblow7777]

I don't think that any display that's small enough to fit in your pocket (and that includes the 5.5" display of the Plus phones) is ideal for frequent web browsing. That's why I own a tablet for most of my casual browsing. I pretty much only visit websites on my phone (a 4.7" iPhone 6) if I'm out and about and just need to look up something on the spot. At home, work, or travelling I definitely reach for a tablet instead. On a phone, I either have to deal with an inferior mobile version of the site, or too much pinch & zooming and scrolling and maneuvering to view pages.