Bit that reviewers often miss when discussing "optimal" screen size of a smartphone

[Yuriman]

I find my Galaxy S2 to be about the largest device I can comfortably reach across. If I were to get a phone with a bigger screen, it would need to have a narrower bezel to maintain ergonomics for me. Reallistically, I think I could probably use up to 4.5" without needing to go 2-handed.

One thing I like about the S2 is that it has been dropped numerous times without a case from heights ranging from 1 to 3 feet, onto concrete or other hard surfaces, and only has some scuffs and scratches in the plastic on the sides.

 

[Red Storm]

I think the whole "one handed ergonomics!" thing is a bit overblown to be honest. One handed operation is necessary for calling, text/email and general typing. What else? Web browsing is actually easier to do one handed on Android thanks to stuff like quick controls in the default browser. In addition to useful things like swipe style typing (fast one hand operation), Samsung offered options that let you for instance have the keyboard or dialer shrunk and shifted to the right or left so one handed typing was the same as a smaller phone. So you get the same one handed ease of use, but then you also get the bigger screen for web browsing, videos and photos, reading, games, etc.

So instead of saying people are buying bigger phones because they don't mind the "ergonomic issue", I think it's more accurate to say more and more people are buying bigger phones because they want bigger phones.

I think what it boils down to is that those who want/like smaller devices think of them as phones first, whereas those who want bigger devices think of them as phones last. Obviously there are exceptions to every rule, but I feel this is the case for the majority of people.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

I also think one handed ergonomics is stupid. The only time I use my phone one handed is when I'm driving and shouldn't be using it anyways.

I have a 4.3" phone right now and I still never use it one handed. Larger screen for easier web browsing is infinitely more important to me than one handed use.

 

[Eug]

I think the whole "one handed ergonomics!" thing is a bit overblown to be honest. One handed operation is necessary for calling, text/email and general typing. What else?

? The primary functions of my phone are calling, text, email, and web browsing.

And don't you guys ever carry anything in your other hand? I sometimes carry a briefcase, and these days, my left arm is often holding a baby.

 

[Red Storm]

? The primary functions of my phone are calling, text, email, and web browsing.

Exactly, you match what I said at the bottom of my post. For me, my phone is more web browser, media player, book/news reader. I also call/email/text, but I have never had any issues doing any of those things one handed on any phone, from the original Droid to the Note 2.

 

[Eug]

For video playback, I have a Nexus 7. However, I only take that with me occasionally. I have no use for video playback when I'm driving to work, or at work.

 

[openwheel]

? The primary functions of my phone are calling, text, email, and web browsing.

And don't you guys ever carry anything in your other hand? I sometimes carry a briefcase, and these days, my left arm is often holding a baby.

How often are your fingers actually inside the handles of your briefcase per day? 5 minutes? 15 minutes? 30 minutes? Do you truly have to text or surf the web one handed during those 30 minutes?

BTW I thought people under 65 have stopped carrying briefcases since 1998.

I sure hope your phone does not get more attention than your baby.

 

[Red Storm]

For video playback, I have a Nexus 7. However, I only take that with me occasionally. I have no use for video playback when I'm driving to work, or at work.

Two separate devices is a MUCH bigger ergonomic issue than a slightly larger phone.

 

[Eug]

How often are your fingers actually inside the handles of your briefcase per day? 5 minutes? 15 minutes? 30 minutes? Do you truly have to text or surf the web one handed during those 30 minutes?

Uh, yes?

BTW I thought people under 65 have stopped carrying briefcases since 1998.

You thought wrong.

I sure hope your phone does not get more attention than your baby.

If your wife calls, you answer the phone, even if you're holding a baby.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Exactly, you match what I said at the bottom of my post. For me, my phone is more web browser, media player, book/news reader. I also call/email/text, but I have never had any issues doing any of those things one handed on any phone, from the original Droid to the Note 2.

That's fine. The phone for is a mini computer first then a phone, but there's nothing about being a phone first or mini computer first that requires it to be a certain size.

It seems like you're saying people who want a smaller screen use it as a phone first, but people who want larger screens use it as a computer. I beg to differ here. If your smartphone usage is all in media consumption such as video watching, picture viewing, then perhaps it makes sense for a large screen. However if you're using it for other smartphone features like social media, reading email, internet on the go, etc, there isn't an inherent need for a large screen. Would a large screen be nice to consume it all? Perhaps, but it's not the same as sitting back to relax and watching a video.

= I feel it's more how you use your phone physically. You might like to use two hands, but I like to use one. Maybe this is where our usage differs. I tend to use my phone to check my email, read Reddit, read AT forums, text a few buddies, read my daily news, etc. To me, there's a lot of reading and scrolling with occasional typing. When I type I use two hands. Otherwise I use 1 hand. When I need to do some serious quick operations like copy files to my etc/init.d folder and change permissions and test that script out, blah blah blah yes I'll be using two hands. It depends what I'm doing. But more often than not you can see on the subway that there's plenty of people going about their daily routine with a phone in one hand while they read.

 

[Eug]

Two separate devices is a MUCH bigger ergonomic issue than a slightly larger phone.

Everyone has his or her own preferences, but I arguably get the best of both worlds, rather than a compromise in-between device. I don't like watching video on a 4.7" screen, and a 5" screen isn't going to help much. Jump up to a 7" screen and it's much nicer. A 10" screen looks nice, but gets heavy on the couch for more than half an hour.

However, since I don't do that at work on driving to work obviously, there's no point in carrying around the Nexus 7 to work, or even a phablet to work for that matter.

For the same reason I have a 13" laptop, and a desktop with large screen. A 15" laptop is heavy and awkward for use on the plane, but doesn't provide enough space for great productivity when at home. Some people use an external monitor, but I prefer just to have an iMac sitting at home.

 

[Red Storm]

= I feel it's more how you use your phone physically. You might like to use two hands, but I like to use one. Maybe this is where our usage differs. I tend to use my phone to check my email, read Reddit, read AT forums, text a few buddies, read my daily news, etc. To me, there's a lot of reading and scrolling with occasional typing. When I type I use two hands. Otherwise I use 1 hand. When I need to do some serious quick operations like copy files to my etc/init.d folder and change permissions and test that script out, blah blah blah yes I'll be using two hands. It depends what I'm doing. But more often than not you can see on the subway that there's plenty of people going about their daily routine with a phone in one hand while they read.

That's the thing, I can and do use my phone one handed all the time, even when I had the Note 2. I type one handed too thanks to gesture typing. Quick controls in the browser also enables easy one handed use. I never actually said anything about using two hands.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

That's the thing, I can and do use my phone one handed all the time, even when I had the Note 2. I type one handed too thanks to gesture typing. Quick controls in the browser also enables easy one handed use. I never actually said anything about using two hands.

Okay, well that brings us back to the OP's point. That you might be able to, but not everyone else can because hand sizes differ across the board.

My own two cents would be that I can also handle my Nexus 4 one handed, but I handle my GS2 better one handed. I probably can handle a Note 2 also one handed. Screen viewing aside, if you just imagine the cell phone to be plastic (or metal) block to hold, I'm willing to bet that from a hand ergonomic standpoint, the ideal size isn't 6" but something more in the 4-5" range for most people.

 

[thedosbox]

I think the whole "one handed ergonomics!" thing is a bit overblown to be honest.

I also think one handed ergonomics is stupid. The only time I use my phone one handed is when I'm driving and shouldn't be using it anyways.

How often are your fingers actually inside the handles of your briefcase per day? 5 minutes? 15 minutes? 30 minutes? Do you truly have to text or surf the web one handed during those 30 minutes?

BTW I thought people under 65 have stopped carrying briefcases since 1998.

I sure hope your phone does not get more attention than your baby.

Try using a phone on public transit while using one hand to secure yourself. Or while standing in line with your laptop or grocery bag.

 

[Red Storm]

Try using a phone on public transit while using one hand to secure yourself. Or while standing in line with your laptop or grocery bag.

One handed is one handed. What does it matter what the other hand is doing?

 

[Eug]

One handed is one handed. What does it matter what the other hand is doing?

Let's not go there... D:

 

[thedosbox]

Let's not go there... D:

What he said.

More to the point, these are use cases to counter your narrow points of view.

 

[Red Storm]

More to the point, these are use cases that you three didn't think of.

Aside from the obvious one, enlighten us.

 

[openwheel]

Hopefully everyone's wife/gf/mistress/boyfriend uses two hands, otherwise....:whiste:

 

[openwheel]

I see those with small hands keep arguing for the "ergonomics" of smaller screen, and those with big hands don't mind the larger screen. This is totally YMMV.

However, everyone is forgetting the biggest benefit of a larger screen: you can read your phone from a more comfortable distance.

 

[thedosbox]

I see those with small hands keep arguing for the "ergonomics" of smaller screen, and those with big hands don't mind the larger screen. This is totally YMMV.

Nothing wrong with the above, but then:

However, everyone is forgetting the biggest benefit of a larger screen: you can read your phone from a more comfortable distance.

/facepalm

 

[Crono]

I would like to see more 4.5" phones.
Even if there are reasons to have phones smaller and larger than that, I really think 4.5" is the sweet spot, so long as the body of the phone isn't significantly larger than the display.

Plenty of people prefer using phablets or small phones (I've got by on the 2.6" display of the Kin One for a few months just fine), but I think the industry will settle on 4.3 to 4.7" for the majority (51%+) of smartphones.

My main, current phone is the HTC One. I think the display is slightly too large at 4.7". It's not uncomfortable to use, but it's less strain on the thumb to use a slightly smaller display when I'm just using one hand. Which is most of the time, since I'm usually just picking up my phone while at my desk, while walking, before setting off to/from work, etc and not using my phone like a tablet.

And I don't have dainty hands, so I would bet that 4.7" for the display alone is a little big for a lot of people, let alone 5.9" displays. The physical phone being larger isn't a problem, it's more the range of motion from end-to-end on the touchscreen that makes it a stretch (literally) to use with one-hand. So long as smartphones are still phones as well as everything else, they should be optimized for one-handed use. I don't plan on holding up the 7" or 8" tablets to my head.

I don't like the move to 6" phones personally any more than the race in the dumbphone market to tiny phones. I remember everyone use to joke about how we would end up using thimble sized phones, but the market pulled away from that before PDAs finally converged with phones.

I'll gladly take larger screens on tablets, but I just don't something in between a smartphone and tablet. If you like having phones the size of the Notes, Mega, One Max, etc, that's fine and good for you, but the phone manufacturers aren't getting any money from me for those phones.

 

[Zaap]

This argument again. The parameters always seem to shift.

"One handed operation" that I might in some way be hindered from doing on my Note 2 does not include simply answering the phone, making a call, talking on the phone, web surfing, checking emails, weather etc. simply because I may have something in the other hand. (Although if that something is a major attention distractor like my infant son, that's one of my likely drop-avoid situations, but then that has nothing to do with the size of the phone, I'd do the same with any phone.)

I don't even have a problem texting with it one-handed. Many functions are more logically gesture based, not actually requiring you to reach across the screen to touch a literal location.

Even though I personally don't need it, phones like the Note 2 usually have a one-handed mode even for typing- the keyboard dimensions 'squash' to where people with smaller hands can reach all the keys nearly the same as with a smaller device. (And no, I don't buy that just because you still have a larger device you're not reaching the entire width across automagically means you have to hold it like a moron and become butter-fingers.)

 

[zerogear]

I've always used both hands when using smartphones (even with iPhone 3GS/4). So going to a larger phone never really bothered me. I'm not one of those staunch ZOMG I CAN'T USE IT WITH ONE HAND DEALBREAKER people.

 

[Geekbabe]

I see those with small hands keep arguing for the "ergonomics" of smaller screen, and those with big hands don't mind the larger screen. This is totally YMMV.

However, everyone is forgetting the biggest benefit of a larger screen: you can read your phone from a more comfortable distance.

I have very small hands and have no difficulty handling my Note 2. The bigger screen really does make reading easier.