Coffee Talk #393: Are Phones Getting Too Big?

At IFA 2011, several mobile phone manufacturers showed off super-sized models. I’m talking about electronics that some feel are too big to be considered a phone, but are too small to be considered a tablet. Two examples are…

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At IFA 2011, several mobile phone manufacturers showed off super-sized models. I’m talking about electronics that some feel are too big to be considered a phone, are but too small to be considered a tablet. Two examples are the Samsung Galaxy Note (5.3-inch screen at 1280 x 800) and the HTC Titan (4.7-inch screen at 800 x 480). Considering that some people feel that phones like the HTC Thunderbolt (4.3-inch screen) are too big, I’m curious to see how consumers will react to these larger phones.

As for me, I’m all for phones like the Galaxy Note. I love that it packs a large screen and a high resolution. Right now I’m alternating between the Thunderbolt and the T-Mobile G2x by LG. While the four-inch screen on the G2x is certainly large, lately I’ve found that I prefer the larger screen on the Thunderbolt. More than anything else, I use my phone for reading. Whether it’s web sites or emails, a larger screen and a higher resolution would make things easier and more enjoyable for me.

How about you? What do you think of phones featuring screens that are larger than 4.7 inches? Are they too big? Or could you see yourself rocking one?

Author: RPadTV

https://rpad.tv

27 thoughts on “Coffee Talk #393: Are Phones Getting Too Big?”

  1. No No No, they are just right for me. I love these big ass phone (not the $$$) my hands don't get all sweaty and don't cramp up. I'm glad the trend is getting bigger because small phones suck!

  2. I love the 4.5" screen on my Infuse. 4.7 would be nice. I liked my Dell Streak 5 also though. My 4" Captivate just seems too small now. Also long As the screen is big and the phone is thin and light I'm okay. When they are big and bulky I am out

    1. A large smart phone without the phone part that you can keep at work? It sounds like you are describing an iPad or a laptop.

      -M

      1. Haha it does sound like that.

        No I have to keep my iPhone on the charge due to it constantly searching for 3G and killing my battery.

  3. I'm pretty amped for the Galaxy Note. Two of my friends that actually used it told me that it wasn't as responsive as the Galaxy S II, despite having a better processor. Pushing those extra pixels adds strain, but they both said it's worth it because the screen is glorious. 1280 x 800 sounds incredible. I want to see it!!!

      1. Sadly, it looks like the Galaxy Note will not be hitting American carriers, though that's subject to change. Samsung says that it has no plans to bring the Note or the Tab 7.7 to America.

  4. It's interesting to me that phones got so small and are now reversing the trend and going large.

    I've actually been hearing complaints for a long time now about how big phones are getting. For as much as we talk about new functions or features on mobile phones on here, I feel like we sometimes forget that the majority of users don't actually use any of the things we talk about. Most people I know don't use a phone or tablet for reading websites, email, VoIP, or new ways of txting, etc. Maybe in several years more people will have a purpose for a bigger phone capable of more functions, but right now I think it is overkill and mostly useless for a lot of users.

    1. What's "a lot of users"? Samsung has sold millions of Galaxy S II phones with 4.3-inch screens and it hasn't even touched the American market with that line. Obviously Apple has sold tens of millions of iPads.

      1. The millions of people in places that are not big cities (LA, NY, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, etc.). Ex) You could sell millions of copies of something, but if the sales only occurred in big cities than it really isn't a national success, just successful in high density population areas.

        Apple has sold lots of iPhones all over the nation, yes. I know tons of people who have iPhones. We all do. There are still tons of people in America who don't really don't do any of the activities I mentioned above on their iPhones. Hell I know people who are still using iOS2.

        Edit: Just because something sells doesn't mean people like what they bought—they can feel like they don't have any other option. Each of my family and friends who have upgraded phones recently or are about to upgrade phones have done so grudgingly, or bought a "large" phone grudgingly because they felt like they don't have any other options.

      2. Your definition of national success is suspect. I'm sure electronics companies don't care where they sell millions of devices. The point is that they do. Furthermore, the two examples I mentioned are global successes. You think Apple or Samsung cares about killing it in West Virginia?

      3. You know, I always have this argument with fanboys about why hardware sales aren't really dependable in terms of popularity. I have a grand total of 4 people in my house who play games. Know how many times we've gotten the original DS system? 8. Two for my brother, three for me, one for my sister and two for my youngest brother. Darn screens. Even then, we still bought around 4-5 DS Lights, simply because they break down over time.

        Knowing this, it's a bit hard to try and measure a company's "success" by the number of systems put out. Especially when, in some cases, merely sitting on your precious iPhone can break it. How many people do you think do this? Because I know about 20.

  5. One of my friend picked the infuse and i was loving the screen. It made me think about jumping ship on my iphone when that note or Titan came out. But i'm going to wait to see what the new iphone version it keeps going from a bigger screen 5 to just a few tenths of an inch at 3.7. As i get older i need a bigger screen to read websites and text better on my phone and as Slicky said as long they make the screen bigger and keep it thin, i'll be in too.

    1. Love love love the screen on my Infuse…….except in the middle of the night even with the brightness at its lowest it is still blinding. But I can see it at noon on a clear day outside just fine.

    2. I'd wait a month. The next iPhone screen should be killer. Samsung's Super AMOLED HD screens should be crazy good. Remember, it's not just size. Resolution and tech matter too. Super AMOLED HD should offer all three.

  6. So I don't know if anyone saw my post the other day, but my original 360 RRoD'd on me (actually my dad since I gave it to him).

    Yesterday my NEW 360S messed up. It just keeps coming on. It WILL NOT power off. I finally had to just unplug it from the wall.

    1. How did it keep coming on?

      If the light was blinking green and nothing was on the screen, it was finishing a background download before it powered off (a somewhat new feature). If it just wouldn't turn off, then it's possessed by Zul.

      The next time your video game console asks you if your a god… you say YES!

      1. I haven't turned it on in a few weeks. I was listening to some DubStep music while trudging through BodyCount and it came on. I thought maybe it was the excessive bass. But even after I stopped it would come back on. I press power and it powered down and immediately fire back up. Didn't realize it at one point and found it on still the next day. Tried again and finally unplugged it. If it comes back on NOW….it is Zul.

    2. Shut off the wifi in the house. If it still keeps doing it, it's haunted. Now honestly…that would be the most badass console system ever if your model was haunted. I'd fully expect you to preach the awesomeness of it until the machine killed you.

      1. I killed both my routers and tried it without an internet connection at all. Still powers up. I think it just wants to be played with. lol

  7. You know, I've had this confusion for a while. Back when I was a kid, making game systems smaller with a better screen was the thing to do. The Game Boy turned into the Advance, which became the SP, which (for a short time before it flopped) became the Micro. Then the DS comes around, and that's followed by the DS Light. Then, the DSi comes out, and it's a good size. But then, straight out of left-field – DSi XL. My brother and I had a laugh over this; after generations of trying to make game systems smaller, this happens? Unheard of.

    So, naturally, finding out that phones are getting bigger is also sort of funny. These things used to be big, and I mean BIG, like briefcase-size. It wasn't long before phones got slimmer. And slimmer. And slimmer. Suddenly, you can fit around 5 or 6 phones in your pockets and still have room for spare change (okay, so I just have roomy pants). I get raising the size for touchscreen and graphics uses, but… why? Isn't it meant to be easy to carry around? How does making it bigger help with that?

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