Bigger isn’t better, smartphone makers are learning at a Berlin trade show of new devices going up against Apple’s iPhone. After striking out with pricing and features, competitors are now turning to larger screens as a way to set themselves apart. One minor problem: consumers hate them.
Apple may be watching the reaction to the larger screens as well, given reports the upcoming iPhone 5 will sport a 4-inch screen, slightly larger than the current iPhone’s 3.5-inch display. But Samsung and others are overcompensating, pushing to jumbo-size smartphone screens up to 5.5-inches.
Samsung hopes to create a new category of smartphones somewhere between a handset and a tablet. Samsung’s Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note, as well as HTC’s Titan have phones with screens between 4.5 inches and 5.5 inches. Sony’s Tablet P even has two 5-inch screens.
“Today’s smartphones are pretty difficult to distinguish when it comes to the customer actually looking at them in stores,” Geoff Blaber, analyst with CCS Insight. However, people are happy with phones with screens between 3.5 or 4 inches, like the iPhone, said IDC’s Bob O’Donnell.
Instead, smartphone manufacturers should focus on battery lifespan, the cost of adding larger screens and their penchant for breaking. The larger phones will turn off consumers unable to drop the handset in a pocket and may put off some buyers, concerned about the stares as they talk into a tablet-sized phone, Fjord designer Daniel Freemen tells Macworld.
Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.
53 responses to “It’s Not The Size That Counts: Overcompensating Smartphone Rivals Push Bigger Screens To Woo iPhone Customers”
I think the iPhone could do well with a slightly larger screen (no larger than 4 inches). I’m still trying to figure out who Dell and Samsung are going after with their 5-inch phones though.
Are you kidding? I’m aching for a bigger screen.Â
i’m pro 4inch-screen iphone, but don’t make it any bigger. I have an iPad already, i don’t need another, only slightly smaller one! 5″? what for? u kidding me?
Well, if Apple stays with a 3.5″ screen, I will not be staying with them.
I would really like an iphone with a larger screen too. The finger gestures on the current phone are tough to use on the 3.5″ screen.
Im only buying iphone 5 if its got a bigger screen. but not 4.3Â
It is amazing how Apple can come along and show the world just how terrible the decision makers are at competing companies. Â All these companies have to do is learn that you don’t need to make 1000 different devices, as long as you make one device well. Â That is it. Â That is Apples secret to success.
4.5 inch screen or no iphone
I don’t get what you mean. Â The gestures on the iPhone are basically just single finger swipes and a two finger pinch. Â
It’s not like the iPad or the desktop where you use complicated gestures.Â
People have been saying for a while now that the only market for big screen phones is in the USA and this might prove it. Â
The Berlin trade show could be more representative of the real world market as opposed to the US focussed reports we see in the tech press. Â Â
Is there really any solid evidence that the majority of consumers out there are asking for larger and larger smartphone displays? It’s nice that consumers have a choice of screen size, but unless there is some poll that includes every consumer out there, there’s little proof that most consumers want huge displays. Not everyone in the world has poor eyesight or giant pockets. Readers listening to these knucklehead tech-head bloggers and pundits would think that consumers are crying for over-sized displays because a few tech-heads think it’s so cool to put a small tablet to their ear. Show me the proof, otherwise Apple’s iPhone size will be considered the consumer standard since Apple sells more of the iPhone model than any other smartphone maker sells one specific model.
really awesome I just got a $829.99 iPad2 for only $103.37 and my mom got a $1499.99 HDTV for only $251.92, they are both coming with USPS tomorrow. I would be an idiot to ever pay full retail prices at places like Walmart or Bestbuy. I sold a 37″ HDTV to my boss for $600 that I only paid $78.24 for. I use BidsNéw.com
http://www.engadget.com/2011/0…
People have diverse thoughts about all sorts of things. People have different preferences about clothing, what sports they like, the types of food they eat and where they go on holiday. The smartphone market is still a new industry and it’s not surprising that companies are still feeling around, trying to see what bites and what doesn’t. And as the smartphone market gets bigger and bigger, there will be more room for even niche markets.
As for the comment on battery life, it may be interesting to point out that some of the new ultra-books are feeling the pressure to “do an Apple” and take away the option of a removable battery. This seems to allow for more room which means a bigger battery and better bettery life. Things might go the same way in mobile. Oh, and it’s not just about battery life, it’s also about overheating. Packing so many components into such a small space has disadvantages, and there needs to be more work done on cooling for these devices.
I like czech magazine http://applemagazin.cz
The ideal (perfect) screen size for an smartphone would be:
4H x 3W x 5D inches.
Nice screen + still manageable in most hands.
 WE DONT CARE !!!
Bored with this bigger is better crap.Whats gonna happen if we go this way back to the future retro style giant smartphones like from the early 90s.This shouldnt happen all over again. Nano tech with simple light flexible display should be the future when you can fold your cell or even mini projector style a la MIT pleases check here http://www.wired.com/epicenter…
thats the near future like in 5 yrs time max not huge cellphones again
It’s odd that phones are getting bigger and tablets are getting smaller. Yet another line is to be blurred in an already over-saturated market.Â
I bought the iphone 4 because I heard the iphone 5 would have a larger screen.
my ideal iPhone 5 would be:
thinner
bigger
without a home button
I want a phone that allows me to do most basic functions one-handed if necessary. I have average-size hands and can manage most things on my iPhone by grasping the phone in one hand and tapping the screen with my thumb. Now and then I’ll take a call on a coworker’s HTC and the thing is just too wide – I can’t even answer the phone one-handed. A bigger screen is great for web browsing and watching Watchmen, but I also use my smartphone as a phone, and I want to be able to do things like answering calls or checking email one-handed so I can use my other hand to do things like, say, hold my briefcase or an umbrella.
Stop trying to fool us with your talk of “diversity.” We all know there is only one perfect size for everything.
We don’t care either.
It depend! bigger screen doesn’t mean all good to everyone. BUT to me I need a bigger screen for better to see: gps, movies, photos, text, web, I do not do any games on my iPhone 4 and I use not so many apps because mobile formatted web browsers are getting better or as good of some apps. Samsung galaxy note 5.3inches will be my next smart phone with new oprating system. I’ve been using same icons and osx for my iPhone past 3years, it’s time to move on. I only want one item to carry or hold most time, no tab no laptop but a desktop for my main work.
Up to 4.3in is still tolerable.
I kind of thought people here were design savvy, since this is a Mac forum, but a lot of posters (including the article writer) here seems to believe that there is one, single sweet spot that will be best for everyone. “However, people are happy with phones with screens between 3.5 or 4 inches, like the iPhone, said IDC’s Bob O’Donnell.”
There may be screen sizes that the majority of the market likes, yes, and having just one phone size may be a viable alternative for Apple if that majority is big enough. This does not mean you can wave a big flag and shout “and everyone else is WRONG!”Â
I’d also really like the facts behind the flat statement “Consumers hate them”. I meet a lot people who think 3.5 is too small, and also people who think it’s way too big (they usually go for the Xperia Mini). How did Android get the market share it has if they’re doing this completely wrong…?
I currently have a Droid X due to Verizon not even offering the iPhone 4 when I chose my phone and to be completely honest, I love my screen size. It’s bulky, yes, but after playing around with a friends iPhone, I envy that resolution, but the screen size is something I don’t particularly care for.
I will be buying the iPhone 5, and I like the rumor of a 4 inch screen on it. It’s a nice compromise to 3.5 and my current 4.3
hoping for a bigger screen with a better resolution….. Period!