I wonder if the distribution of phablet android users being so disproportionate to devices available is because most of the flagship products are phablet sized (Samsung Galaxy S, Google Nexus, etc.)
I agree. It seems possible that the larger screen size was driven by companies looking for numbers they could make bigger than their competition.
Its also conceivable that whatever Apple had come up with would be bought not because the consumers wanted it (i.e. big screens) but simply because they wanted to have the latest Apple "thing."
In other words, bigger screens are simply trendy, and are therefore not here to stay.
I have very large hands and I stopped using iPhones after I first used the original Galaxy Note. I simply couldn't go back to the tiny screen even though i did prefer iOS. I went through a couple of large phones after this and never had a complaint. I bought an iPhone 6+ day one simply because it's the phone i had been waiting for.
Phablets may not be for everyone, but neither are the small phones that are rapidly becoming an endangered species.
Thing is, the definition of "small" is changing. My 4.6" Sony Z3 Compact is considered "small"!
Do the majority of smartphone users have large hands? I have fairly average-sized hands, and my Z3C is nearing the limit of what I can comfortably use one-handed.
I expect that's true. After I found the Nexus 4 too big, and really didn't want to go for the 5 or 6, it took me quite a long time to find a high-end smaller phone (ended up with the Sony Z3 Compact... where "compact" these days apparently means 4.6"). Most manufacturers on the Android side seem to equate top-of-the-line with having a large screen.
For me, I think the ideal screen size is around 4.3". But good luck finding a high-end phone with that screen size.
I actually wish I could purchase an iPhone 6 in an iPhone 4s form factor.
I like being able to hold the phone with one hand and do everything I need with my thumb. This seems like one of those trends thats driven by the manufacturers need to position themselves rather than customer demand.
On the contrary i really like the iphone 6 plus. I was concerned with the size and at first it looked ridiculously large but it's funny how fast you get used to that. A few weeks later i look at my old 5" android phone (which i initially found to be too huge as well) and it seems tiny. Sure, the size is not the most convenient in some situations, but it's so much better in many others that i use my Laptop a lot less for casual web use. For the first time i also enjoy typing on a mobile device because of the larger keyboard and the battery will last a day no matter what i throw at it. I was very skeptical at first but would not go back now.
From my own experience and from talking to my friends, people with a 6+ seem to be happy with it, and people with the 6/5/5s keep trying to convince me that it is too big and that they couldn't get used to it. It's a bit of an odd phenomenon overall, but I'm pretty interested in how cell-phone sizing plays out over the next couple years.
Oddly, you didn't gain any space by going from 5" to 5.5" since the iPhone 6 Plus only has a 1080p screen. (Statistically, that's what you likely had on the Android phone since most 5" Android phones have 1080p displays). I'd be curious if you find a 5.5" 1080p screen more productive than a 5" 1080p screen. I'm using a 5" 1080p screen now and upgrading to a 2,560 x 1,440 6" display (Nexus 6) primarily for better web browsing on the go.
I don't find that surprising. The resolution of the phone may be the same, but the physical dimensions of the keys on the keyboard (for example) are larger.
True. But, I had the same issue with the original Note. It was only 720p. Yeah, it had a big screen, but it had no more pixels. And a 5" screen seems plenty for using a touch keyboard with its terrible auto-correct (talking about both Android and iOS here). Granted, I'm one of those that would still really like a physical keyboard to text and email faster, they just don't make them anymore.
I actually find it a lot more productive, at least for web browsing where resolution does not really matter because you use different UI scaling by zooming anyway. Where things on the android device were hard to read because they were too small, they are fine now, so overall less zooming and moving content around. On other Apps the difference is neglible but the apps that do support the Plus, it seems to be optimized better than most android apps that have to scale from whatever over 1080p up to 1440p.
>You won't catch me dead wearing something like a pair of cargo shorts....
>People don't know what they want until Steve Jobs tells them what they want.
I know tons of smart people have already thought about this, but I still wonder if it would make more sense to collect almost all of the buttons at the bottom of a phone's interface.
I got my first iPhone a while ago (a non-plus iPhone 6) and I've found the top widgets very inconvenient to access. Especially the top-left corner which is awkward even when using the phone with both hands. I've found myself arranging the home screen icons so that the most often used apps are on the bottom row (other than the four in the dock.)
Android designers have explained that they moved away from tabs at the bottom of the screen in 4.0 because with both the navigation bar & another set of controls one of top of the other, users were just making way too many input errors.
(I don't have the source handy, sorry)
Sorry, I've got to disagree. The 4S packed so much stuff it was very heavy. The iPhone5 was much better, but even the iPhone6 is lighter (4S/5/6:140g/112g/129g). Given the size of the 6, the weight difference is marginal.
Can't see how you go back to smaller without a very dense product - given battery.
Me too, I want the phone to be as compact as possible in order to fit any of my pockets. 5S already makes the holes in my pockets in some extreme situations.
In my city I see the phablets as something really preferred by women: they don't carry their belongings in the pockets anyway, and the bigger screen means "better" Facebook.
My wife says that you can do everything with your thumb on an iPhone 6. You double tap the home button and that brings the screen down so you can reach everything. Will that work for you?
But I've been thinking of ditching Apple anyhow. So I'll be looking into decent Android phones. Or dig the old Nokia brick out of storage and go caveman.
They consider 5" screens as a phablet, which seems pretty weird: when I think of a phablet, it's something over 6", like the note series or the larger lumias, or the iPhone 6+... By their definition, pretty much all android flagships the last few years (including the galaxy s series) and the iPhone 6 are phablets, which is meaningless.
As a single data point, I recently dropped and shattered my trusty Nexus 4 and was in a market for a new phone. I was extremely hesitant about getting a Nexus 6, exactly because I thought it was way too big. I finally bit the bullet, and I instantly loved it.
Yes, you need two hands to do most things. My thumb can't reach Android's "back" button on the 6. But what I realized was that with the Nexus 4, I also couldn't reach everything with just my thumb. "Back" was within reach, but the upper right and left weren't fully. So while yes, the 6 isn't strictly as comfortable as the 4 was, the bigger screen is a minor tradeoff I'm ultimately very happy with.
It also barely fits in my pocket, so the jury's still out as to whether that makes it more prone to slipping out while seated. I'm not sure I want jeans with deeper pockets just to accommodate my phone. But it hasn't been an issue yet.
(Now if manufacturers would just improve the process they use to make these hi-DPI screens so that the color temperature isn't splotchy. My Nexus 6 suffers from a pinkish bottom half, and apparently it's not an uncommon issue for hi-DPI smartphones and non-Retina-brand hi-DPI laptops.)
It's skewed because they consider everything above a 5" screen a phablet. That basically includes every android flagship as a phablet, but not the iphone 6 which is 4.7"
I have one of the original Nexus 7's that was given out at Google I/O a few years ago. After I got it I used it all the time around the house, and sometimes on the road (using the mobile hotspot on my Droid Charge) when I didn't mind carrying around an extra device.
Then I got a Galaxy Note 2. The day I got it was literally the last time I used the Nexus 7. It did everything the Nexus 7 could do and it was always with me. It had almost the same display resolution in a much smaller overall package thanks to the slimmer bezel.
It was bigger than the Droid Charge, but it actually fit better in my pants pocket. My carrying system for years has been to put the phone (with no case) in my left front pants pocket with the screen facing in to protect it. Keys and change go in the right front pocket so they never scratch the phone. Don't need cargo pants for this, just regular slacks or shorts.
This worked OK for the Droid Charge, but the phone always ended up sideways in my pocket. When I sat down, the Droid would stick out because it was crosswise with the long end against the curve of my leg. The Note 2 was big enough that it wouldn't tip on its side in the pocket like that; it stayed upright with the long end parallel to my leg and the short end going across. So despite being a bigger phone, it ended up being less in the way.
Later upgraded to a Note 3 and Note 4, and wouldn't go back to a smaller phone at all.
I do pay attention to pocket depth when I buy pants, but most of the styles I like have reasonably deep pockets anyway.
I don't talk on the phone much, and when I do the larger size isn't a problem. I mostly use my phone as a portable always-connected tablet.
For anyone who thinks these large phones exist only to give manufacturers bigger numbers they could brag about, well, I'm your counterexample. They are ideal for me.
Do you ever run into problems dropping it? I stuck with the Nexus line from the Nexus One all the way up to the 4, but even the 4 was too big for my hand. I could barely use it one-handed, and I believe that contributed greatly to me frequently dropping the phone (went through 2 screen replacements). Never had I had this problem with a previous, smaller phone. After the N4, I downsized and I'm much happier.
(I suppose that's also a thing: I want to be able to primarily use my phone one-handed. If you're consistently a two-hand user, I guess this isn't much of a problem.)
Interesting point about the one hand vs. two hand operation.
I haven't had a problem with dropping the phone, but I do use two hands to operate it except for simple things like scrolling. That's easy with one hand - at least for normal vertically scrolling websites.
It does get annoying reading Kindle books with their ridiculous sideways page turns where you have to tap the right side of the screen or drag the page sideways. I love having all my books and magazines on my phone, but hate the Kindle UI. Why can't I just scroll my books vertically like a normal website? Being right-handed, I hold the phone in my left hand, so it's a pretty awkward reach. [1]
The few close calls I've had were when I tried to get fancy and reach across the phone with my thumb to tap some button on the screen - or flip a Kindle page. Definitely see how it would be easier to drop if you're using it one-handed.
[1] This reminds me of a question I've been curious about: I've read a few times that most people hold their phone in their dominant hand (e.g. my right hand). I never understood this, since I use it more like a small pad of paper and pencil - the pad of course would be in my left hand and the pencil in my right. Naturally when I'm using the Note's stylus I do it that way, but even without the stylus I've always thought of it like a pad and pencil with my finger being the pencil. I've always assumed that people who use their phone with two hands do it this way, but I'd be interested to know whether people who operate their phones with one hand use their dominant hand or the other hand.
I was able to operate the Nexus 5 even with one hand. (my hands aren't too big).
But I had to get a slim case, the heavy case was too big for it.
After a year I dropped the phone for the 700th hundred time and it broke, now I got the Xperia Z3 Compact.
I do agree with you, I never want a phone I can't fully operate with one hand. I often can only use one hand (the other carries a kid, or a kid bike or something kid related).
The Nexus 6 really changed my usage habits. I was an avid tablet users, carrying a Nexus 7 with me anywhere I go. Now I never use it anymore, and the Nexus 10 only gets used on the treadmill. I can't imagine going back to a small screen, and I hope the next Nexus doesn't go there as some sort of a new trend (they can make it even bigger, slightly, for all that I care).
When the Samsung Galaxy Tab originally came out in late 2010, it debuted with a mandatory data subscription (seriously bad economics for purchasers).
What's interesting is that, in Europe, I remember discussion that the mandatory subscription also included voice. So theoretically it was the proto-phablet, though I'm not sure if that plan ever reached fruition.
I kept thinking even back then, hell, I already use BT headsets all the time, why not a 7" screen?
I'm fairly certain it did include voice in the UK, as I remember going to check it out and see if it would fit in my pocket and was prepared to use a BT headset (which I've never owned) if it worked out, but it was too big due to the bezel.
Possibly still could have worked for someone who knew they'd always have a bag with them.
But since the Note 2 I've been on the phablet bandwagon. It just makes sense.
Just because people are trying it en masse doesn't mean it's here to stay.
There are three things we know from experience:
1) Tablets seemed like a lovely idea, but after a while we got tired of their limitations compared to laptops combined with their portability compared two phones. They're useful on occassion, but they didn't quite hit the sweet spot. And we still need an e-ink device for comfortable reading.
2) Smartphones are really cool, but they have limited usefulness when trying to do something a bit more complex. An improvement over dumb phones and feature phones, but not quite the sweet spot either.
3) We would really, really like to be able to stop carrying 4 devices around.
So "phablets" (I hate that name) are the next attempt to be all things (or at least more than one thing) to all people. And everyone is trying them out, just like tablets before them.
One hint that they're not here to stay is the pathetically desperate way people try to justify the clumsiness of their expensive purchase. Seriously, I constantly see people messing with these huge things going "no, it's not too big, really, I love it!" while they're desperately trying to operate it without dropping it. It's kind of tragic, and really emphasises it as a fashion driven fad.
I'm surprised the increase in phablet use hasn't been at the expense of tablet use.
My experience has been that since getting an iphone 6+ I haven't used my ipad at all
50 comments
[ 3.0 ms ] story [ 78.2 ms ] threadIts also conceivable that whatever Apple had come up with would be bought not because the consumers wanted it (i.e. big screens) but simply because they wanted to have the latest Apple "thing."
In other words, bigger screens are simply trendy, and are therefore not here to stay.
Or it's not and your 'seems','maybe','would' and conditionals are just that :).
Phablets may not be for everyone, but neither are the small phones that are rapidly becoming an endangered species.
Do the majority of smartphone users have large hands? I have fairly average-sized hands, and my Z3C is nearing the limit of what I can comfortably use one-handed.
For me, I think the ideal screen size is around 4.3". But good luck finding a high-end phone with that screen size.
I like being able to hold the phone with one hand and do everything I need with my thumb. This seems like one of those trends thats driven by the manufacturers need to position themselves rather than customer demand.
http://www.paintcodeapp.com/news/iphone-6-screens-demystifie...
> This seems like one of those trends thats driven by the manufacturers
Yep. People don't know what they want until Steve Jobs tells them what they want. Too bad he's gone.
Maybe swiping to go back makes this point moot.
What I had in mind was just relocating the toolbar to the bottom.
I really wish they'd get rid of that bottom tab bar and shove them under a hamburger button even though that's supposedly bad.
Can't see how you go back to smaller without a very dense product - given battery.
In my city I see the phablets as something really preferred by women: they don't carry their belongings in the pockets anyway, and the bigger screen means "better" Facebook.
But I've been thinking of ditching Apple anyhow. So I'll be looking into decent Android phones. Or dig the old Nokia brick out of storage and go caveman.
Yes, you need two hands to do most things. My thumb can't reach Android's "back" button on the 6. But what I realized was that with the Nexus 4, I also couldn't reach everything with just my thumb. "Back" was within reach, but the upper right and left weren't fully. So while yes, the 6 isn't strictly as comfortable as the 4 was, the bigger screen is a minor tradeoff I'm ultimately very happy with.
It also barely fits in my pocket, so the jury's still out as to whether that makes it more prone to slipping out while seated. I'm not sure I want jeans with deeper pockets just to accommodate my phone. But it hasn't been an issue yet.
(Now if manufacturers would just improve the process they use to make these hi-DPI screens so that the color temperature isn't splotchy. My Nexus 6 suffers from a pinkish bottom half, and apparently it's not an uncommon issue for hi-DPI smartphones and non-Retina-brand hi-DPI laptops.)
Then I got a Galaxy Note 2. The day I got it was literally the last time I used the Nexus 7. It did everything the Nexus 7 could do and it was always with me. It had almost the same display resolution in a much smaller overall package thanks to the slimmer bezel.
It was bigger than the Droid Charge, but it actually fit better in my pants pocket. My carrying system for years has been to put the phone (with no case) in my left front pants pocket with the screen facing in to protect it. Keys and change go in the right front pocket so they never scratch the phone. Don't need cargo pants for this, just regular slacks or shorts.
This worked OK for the Droid Charge, but the phone always ended up sideways in my pocket. When I sat down, the Droid would stick out because it was crosswise with the long end against the curve of my leg. The Note 2 was big enough that it wouldn't tip on its side in the pocket like that; it stayed upright with the long end parallel to my leg and the short end going across. So despite being a bigger phone, it ended up being less in the way.
Later upgraded to a Note 3 and Note 4, and wouldn't go back to a smaller phone at all.
I do pay attention to pocket depth when I buy pants, but most of the styles I like have reasonably deep pockets anyway.
I don't talk on the phone much, and when I do the larger size isn't a problem. I mostly use my phone as a portable always-connected tablet.
For anyone who thinks these large phones exist only to give manufacturers bigger numbers they could brag about, well, I'm your counterexample. They are ideal for me.
(I suppose that's also a thing: I want to be able to primarily use my phone one-handed. If you're consistently a two-hand user, I guess this isn't much of a problem.)
I haven't had a problem with dropping the phone, but I do use two hands to operate it except for simple things like scrolling. That's easy with one hand - at least for normal vertically scrolling websites.
It does get annoying reading Kindle books with their ridiculous sideways page turns where you have to tap the right side of the screen or drag the page sideways. I love having all my books and magazines on my phone, but hate the Kindle UI. Why can't I just scroll my books vertically like a normal website? Being right-handed, I hold the phone in my left hand, so it's a pretty awkward reach. [1]
The few close calls I've had were when I tried to get fancy and reach across the phone with my thumb to tap some button on the screen - or flip a Kindle page. Definitely see how it would be easier to drop if you're using it one-handed.
[1] This reminds me of a question I've been curious about: I've read a few times that most people hold their phone in their dominant hand (e.g. my right hand). I never understood this, since I use it more like a small pad of paper and pencil - the pad of course would be in my left hand and the pencil in my right. Naturally when I'm using the Note's stylus I do it that way, but even without the stylus I've always thought of it like a pad and pencil with my finger being the pencil. I've always assumed that people who use their phone with two hands do it this way, but I'd be interested to know whether people who operate their phones with one hand use their dominant hand or the other hand.
After a year I dropped the phone for the 700th hundred time and it broke, now I got the Xperia Z3 Compact.
I do agree with you, I never want a phone I can't fully operate with one hand. I often can only use one hand (the other carries a kid, or a kid bike or something kid related).
What's interesting is that, in Europe, I remember discussion that the mandatory subscription also included voice. So theoretically it was the proto-phablet, though I'm not sure if that plan ever reached fruition.
I kept thinking even back then, hell, I already use BT headsets all the time, why not a 7" screen?
Possibly still could have worked for someone who knew they'd always have a bag with them.
But since the Note 2 I've been on the phablet bandwagon. It just makes sense.
There are three things we know from experience:
1) Tablets seemed like a lovely idea, but after a while we got tired of their limitations compared to laptops combined with their portability compared two phones. They're useful on occassion, but they didn't quite hit the sweet spot. And we still need an e-ink device for comfortable reading.
2) Smartphones are really cool, but they have limited usefulness when trying to do something a bit more complex. An improvement over dumb phones and feature phones, but not quite the sweet spot either.
3) We would really, really like to be able to stop carrying 4 devices around.
So "phablets" (I hate that name) are the next attempt to be all things (or at least more than one thing) to all people. And everyone is trying them out, just like tablets before them.
One hint that they're not here to stay is the pathetically desperate way people try to justify the clumsiness of their expensive purchase. Seriously, I constantly see people messing with these huge things going "no, it's not too big, really, I love it!" while they're desperately trying to operate it without dropping it. It's kind of tragic, and really emphasises it as a fashion driven fad.