iPhone X: More pocketable but easier to use one-handed?

[The.Glorious.Son]

I have enormous mitts and loved one-handed use on my 4.7" 7. Ultimately screen size won out, and I sacrificed reaching the upper left corner with my thumb using the one-handed pinky cradle approach.

Fast forward to the X. While it is barely larger than the 4.7" models, it is nearly all screen. Meaning, if you pinky cradle it, your reach will be near what it is on your plus (except the X will be a bit less wide). That upper bezel that you didn't 'need' to reach before on the 4.7" will now be screen. In other words it'll line up with the height of the Plus screen.

I'll be curious what this means for one handed use and trying to reach above the upper left app to pull down the Notification Center. Particularly with the removal of reachability.

 

[jetjaguar]

not gonna be good for one handed use

 

[Starfyre]

It has much smaller bezels, you'll have better reachability than the plus. It's going to be great for one handed use. Even if it could be argued a small phone would be even more usable, it is better than the plus model.

 

[ascender]

not gonna be good for one handed use

The increased screen size plus the new way of invoking control centre is going to be a real pain when using it one handed on the move.

 

[Starfyre]

The increased screen size plus the new way of invoking control centre is going to be a real pain when using it one handed on the move.

You forget the bezels have shrunk. The screen of the phone is shifting down starting below where the home button area was, so it'll be easier with one hand standing still or on the move.

 

[jetjaguar]

according to mkbhd he says this phone will not be good for one handed use

 

[ascender]

You forget the bezels have shrunk. The screen of the phone is shifting down starting below where the home button area was, so it'll be easier with one hand standing still or on the move.

Nope, haven’t forgotten that, but with the new swipe up gesture for getting to the home screen, control centre is now a swipe down from the top right.

 

[The.Glorious.Son]

It has much smaller bezels, you'll have better reachability than the plus. It's going to be great for one handed use. Even if it could be argued a small phone would be even more usable, it is better than the plus model.

I guess I'm struggling to see how the reduction of bezel will help in one handed use on the X vs the Plus. If you look at the side-by-side pics above, you are reducing top bezel that is not used today on either phone. The X, with the same level starting point at the bottom, has a much taller screen than the 4.7" and the same screen height as the 5.5" plus. If you hold all three phones the same, your reach to the upper left corner of the screen is quite similar to that of the plus despite the reduction in bezel.

 

[Starfyre]

Nope, haven’t forgotten that, but with the new swipe up gesture for getting to the home screen, control centre is now a swipe down from the top right.

I honestly think it will not be as bad as you think. I'm sure your qualms will "melt away" as soon as you try it with yourself with one hand. Depending on how you grip the phone the 7+ is usable with one hand too, but harder. With the X maintaining relatively the same width as the 8, it really shouldn't be an issue.
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I guess I'm struggling to see how the reduction of bezel will help in one handed use on the X vs the Plus. If you look at the side-by-side pics above, you are reducing top bezel that is not used today on either phone. The X, with the same level starting point at the bottom, has a much taller screen than the 4.7" and the same screen height as the 5.5" plus. If you hold all three phones the same, your reach to the upper left corner of the screen is quite similar to that of the plus despite the reduction in bezel.

The side bezels are reduced too. The Plus model is wider edge to edge..

 

[ascender]

I honestly think it will not be as bad as you think. I'm sure your qualms will "melt away" as soon as you try it with yourself with one hand. Depending on how you grip the phone the 7+ is usable with one hand too, but harder. With the X maintaining relatively the same width as the 8, it really shouldn't be an issue.

I don’t doubt all the phones are useable to a degree with one hand, but I have no idea how you’re expected to invoke control centre on the X one handed without holding the phone in some really weird mangled claw like grip?

 

[Starfyre]

I don’t doubt all the phones are useable to a degree with one hand, but I have no idea how you’re expected to invoke control centre on the X one handed without holding the phone in some really weird mangled claw like grip?

Like I said, it's going to be easier than the Plus due to slimmer bezels not just top and bottom, but sides too. This makes holding the phone with one hand easier. The Plus is manageable if you really try with one hand (at least for me). The X is not going to be an issue, though depends on your hand size I guess.

At least for me, and others like me... one handed use is not going to be a problem. This is actually the reason why I want the X, because I don't want to try with the Plus. I am looking forward to using the X with one hand.

 

[ascender]

Nope, I’m out, ive genuinely no idea how thinner bezels are going to make this work!

 

[Starfyre]

Nope, I’m out, ive genuinely no idea how thinner bezels are going to make this work!

Well your just going to have to try for yourself. Don't go crazy asking the same question and being stubborn about something you can't try.

You'll have an idea in a little over a month.

 

[The.Glorious.Son]

Knowing the 8 plus is only 0.28" wider than the X, or to put that in perspective the thickness of the Plus is only 0.30", I am not sure that will help the case for one handed use when the height of the screen is the same as where it lands on the overall placement of the Plus. Time will tell obviously but I don't think it will be remotely the one-handed device many think.

 

[puma1552]

The X is most definitely a 2 handed phone.

Somewhere on the first few pages of this forum is an actual size printout. I printed it and glued it to a dual layer of cardboard and it is definitely not even close to being a one handed phone for my average hands. Especially needing to swipe up from the middle of the very bottom and down from the top corners.

 

[s2mike]

I was really excited for the X, but as soon as I saw the dimensions I knew it wasn’t the phone for me.

I’ve had the iPhone 6, 6S, and 7. When I got the 7, I swore I’d never get another iPhone that was any larger, thicker, or heavier than the iPhone 7.

The X will be larger, thicker, and heavier. And with the reduced bezels and longer display, it’s going to be really difficult for me to use one-handed. I can manage with the 7, but it’s still annoying at times.

So, sadly, I went from being excited about the X to deciding to switch to the iPhone SE. Form factor and reachability have become too important to me. I want a small, light, comfortable phone from here out.

 

[eatrains]

The X will be no better than the Plus for one-handed use. And it's much worse than the 4.7, which is already too big to comfortably use with one hand. Sticking with my 5S for now...

 

[Technarchy]

Just depends on your hand and the way it interfaces with the new gestures and dimensions.

Overall it will be less one handed friendly than 4.7” models but aspects of it will be easier one handed than 5.5” iPhones.

 

[psymac]

It’s as narrow as a 7 so I think for me it’s easier than the 7 plus, which I returned after a week. The form factor was so large that I ended up leaving it at my desk or in my car, and not pocketing it.

 

[joeblow7777]

It has much smaller bezels, you'll have better reachability than the plus. It's going to be great for one handed use. Even if it could be argued a small phone would be even more usable, it is better than the plus model.

Is "better than a plus model" a high bar for one-handed usability? It's also going to be worse than a non-plus model.

 

[tkermit]

The X will be no better than the Plus for one-handed use. And it's much worse than the 4.7, which is already too big to comfortably use with one hand. Sticking with my 5S for now...

I'm really hoping for a great update to the SE next year. Hopefully even a (mostly) bezel-less display. I hadn't fully realized that the X would be almost as bad as the Plus for one handed use despite the minimized bezels.

 

[mwhals]

My S7 Edge is useable to me one handed and it has the same size screen as a iPhone 8 Plus. The iPhone X is smaller in total size than my Samsung, so it should work one handed. On Android, one swipe down from the top brings down control center and notifications below it. The X will be easy to adjust to if I change my mind and get it.

 

[Wise87]

Print you out a template and than than cut it out on cardboard and see for yourself. If you search the web I’m sure you can find a better template than this.

https://cdn.dribbble.com/users/12721/screenshots/3807611/attachments/859825/iphone-x-templates.pdf

 

[swarlos]

I have enormous mitts and loved one-handed use on my 4.7" 7. Ultimately screen size won out, and I sacrificed reaching the upper left corner with my thumb using the one-handed pinky cradle approach.

Fast forward to the X. While it is barely larger than the 4.7" models, it is nearly all screen. Meaning, if you pinky cradle it, your reach will be near what it is on your plus (except the X will be a bit less wide). That upper bezel that you didn't 'need' to reach before on the 4.7" will now be screen. In other words it'll line up with the height of the Plus screen.

I'll be curious what this means for one handed use and trying to reach above the upper left app to pull down the Notification Center. Particularly with the removal of reachability.

View attachment 719067View attachment 719068

Oh, so are we getting the X?!

 

[Ralfi]

I have enormous mitts and loved one-handed use on my 4.7" 7. Ultimately screen size won out, and I sacrificed reaching the upper left corner with my thumb using the one-handed pinky cradle approach.

Fast forward to the X. While it is barely larger than the 4.7" models, it is nearly all screen. Meaning, if you pinky cradle it, your reach will be near what it is on your plus (except the X will be a bit less wide). That upper bezel that you didn't 'need' to reach before on the 4.7" will now be screen. In other words it'll line up with the height of the Plus screen.

I'll be curious what this means for one handed use and trying to reach above the upper left app to pull down the Notification Center. Particularly with the removal of reachability.

View attachment 719067View attachment 719068

From another thread....using an actual sized cutout of the X...

I wouldn't want to go any bigger as it then becomes impractical for my day to day duties.

Grabbing it, it seems like a perfect happy medium for my hands, despite me needing to shuffle my hand up a little to reach the top right corner (Control Centre)...

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