[Poll] Are bigger smartphones and phablets appealing to you?

[Ttaskmaster]

Never been able to one-hand my phone anyway, so it's not much of a concern for me. I don't know how Aiden Pearce manages it!!

[Saracen]

....

As to larger devices, I find 7" perfect for a small tablet (my playbook is a lovely size to carry around), and probably 12" plus for something larger - I had a 10" tablet once, but it really felt like a curious in-between size: it wasn't that portable/handleable, but it also wasn't big enough to feel like a usefully productive device - it felt like it should have been a good size, but ultimately it was always a let-down one way or the other.

I'm the exact opposite. 7" is too big to be an 'always with" device, like a phone. But if I've got to have one, 10" is perfect, and less fiddly. 12" is too big for comfort, offering little over 10", but uncomfortable if not propped up on a stand/table.

And that, I presume, is why they offer different options - me and thee differ in our needs/preferences.

As for the trend, semo, towards phablets, that may indeed be what happens, but for me, they're too much of a compromise - too small to be ideal for what I want from a tablet, and too big from what I want from a phone. Again, hence different options, sizes, features, prices, etc, for different types of consumer criteria.

The simple answer, semo, to whether bigger phones and/or phablets appeal to me is .... no.

[scaryjim]

... that, I presume, is why they offer different options - me and thee differ in our needs/preferences. ....

Absolutely; although I don't regard a tablet as an always-with device (that's what my phone's for!). For me the tablet's for carrying lots of reference materials around: it's small enough to stick in whatever bag I'm carrying (and I'm nearly always carrying a bag of some kind!), but big enough to be comfortable reading on - unlike my phone, which is for keeping in touch with people (by phone, text, email and social media) and listening to music (because why would I carry a separate device for that ). For me the 10" didn't offer anything over the 7" but was harder to carry around. I would expect a 12"+ device to offer the opportunity to use a full keyboard & mouse when necessary and act as a genuine productivity device - essentially laptop replacement (or ideally a convertible laptop). 3 devices, 3 use cases, for me, and the only one I'd genuinely miss is the phone.

[Funkstar]

Going strictly with the poll options, I can't vote as I want a Note 4 with a 5.7" display, which falls outside your 5.5" maximum

The 5.2" of the Sony Z2/Z3 is also an option though, depends what kind of deal I can get from EE for the Z3 or Note 4 this time next month.

[Saracen]

Absolutely; although I don't regard a tablet as an always-with device (that's what my phone's for!). For me the tablet's for carrying lots of reference materials around: it's small enough to stick in whatever bag I'm carrying (and I'm nearly always carrying a bag of some kind!), but big enough to be comfortable reading on - unlike my phone, which is for keeping in touch with people (by phone, text, email and social media) and listening to music (because why would I carry a separate device for that ). For me the 10" didn't offer anything over the 7" but was harder to carry around. I would expect a 12"+ device to offer the opportunity to use a full keyboard & mouse when necessary and act as a genuine productivity device - essentially laptop replacement (or ideally a convertible laptop). 3 devices, 3 use cases, for me, and the only one I'd genuinely miss is the phone.

Ah, see for me currently the 'genuine productivity device' is actually a laptop. I didn't say it last post, but the range (if I had a smartphone at all) would be phone of about 4.5", then 10" tablet, then proper laptop.

However, I grant you, larger tablets (especially 'convertible' ones, like Transformer series) are close to be a suitable replacement for a laptop for me. I haven't looked for a year or so, and when I did, they weren't quite up to it. Maybe the new ones are, or if not, will be soon.

THEN, my size choices might change. But, I suspect, to phone, 12"-ish tablet. I've tried various 7" devices, like Nexus, HUDL, etc, and they just feel too small, fiddly, awkward, for me.

Oh, and I also went 10" (well, 10.1", but who's counting) because an especially good John Lewis local price match, and Samsung cashback, meant this one cost me about £110. So did my brother, and a friend. But it was a short-term thing and a one-off chance, I suspect.

If I was buying now, I'd have a long, hard look at current options, 'cos it's a fast-moving field, and who knows, maybe a 7" would work. But .... do I need a 7" and a 12" laptop replacement? Doubtful, IMO.

[Zhaoman]

Going strictly with the poll options, I can't vote as I want a Note 4 with a 5.7" display, which falls outside your 5.5" maximum

The 5.2" of the Sony Z2/Z3 is also an option though, depends what kind of deal I can get from EE for the Z3 or Note 4 this time next month.

I think the 4th option is the one for you!

[mikeo01]

I find it quite funny seeing people with 5"+ phones walking around on the phone.

I have both a 3.5" smartphone and a 4.5" smartphone. The 3.5" size feels tiny now, but even then my 4.5" is "big enough". Any bigger and I'll end up dropping it.

I don't particularly want to put a book to my ear when taking a call


That said any bigger and I am thinking tablet area. My tablet is 7" and that is fine. Any bigger and well it is laptop time? How big can you go before you end up with a monitor on your head.

I mean this is taking the mick a bit:



That is only 7"?

[Tallflip]

Under 5" for a phone, 8" tablet for a consumption device, and prefer laptop to be at least 13". Agree that 10" devices feels a bit in-between.

[MrComputerSaint]

I think anything above 5" is to big.
However my friend at work has a Tab3 from Samsung and it's huge. But it suits some people. It also depends on the applications of course running. I think if I flew lots of places or sat on a train and I liked to watch movies then the bigger screen would be beneficial.

[semo]

of course, one issue with this poll is that it assumes you want a phone that's all touch screen My last touch phone was 4.0", my current one is 3.2" plus physical qwerty keyboard.

But based on the fact that you're asking about screen-only smartphones, I've yet to see any point to anything bigger than a 4" phone. I've got pretty large hands and ergonomically anything much bigger than that is getting beyond one-hand-holdable. But tbh I think the bigger ergonomic issue is how thin phones are getting now. Because they're all so skinny it can be quite hard to find a position where you can hold them securely without your fingers getting in the way of the screen.

As to larger devices, I find 7" perfect for a small tablet (my playbook is a lovely size to carry around), and probably 12" plus for something larger - I had a 10" tablet once, but it really felt like a curious in-between size: it wasn't that portable/handleable, but it also wasn't big enough to feel like a usefully productive device - it felt like it should have been a good size, but ultimately it was always a let-down one way or the other.

I don't think keyboard phones are coming back unfortunately because of that all important z dimension. What do people want to do with their phones, peel apples? Yes, the bulkier the better for me and a slide out keyboard or a big removable battery will do just the trick. Maybe not as thick and ugly as the CAT S50 but I wouldn't mind it if it had a Snapdragon 410 SoC.

...
As for the trend, semo, towards phablets, that may indeed be what happens, but for me, they're too much of a compromise - too small to be ideal for what I want from a tablet, and too big from what I want from a phone. Again, hence different options, sizes, features, prices, etc, for different types of consumer criteria.

The simple answer, semo, to whether bigger phones and/or phablets appeal to me is .... no.

Fair enough. We all have our preferences but it seems like the phone makers don't see it that way and seem to think everyone wants a big phone.

I think the 4th option is the one for you!

Ha! yep, that's what I was thinking.

I find it quite funny seeing people with 5"+ phones walking around on the phone.

I have both a 3.5" smartphone and a 4.5" smartphone. The 3.5" size feels tiny now, but even then my 4.5" is "big enough". Any bigger and I'll end up dropping it.

I don't particularly want to put a book to my ear when taking a call


That said any bigger and I am thinking tablet area. My tablet is 7" and that is fine. Any bigger and well it is laptop time? How big can you go before you end up with a monitor on your head.

I mean this is taking the mick a bit:



That is only 7"?

These always make me chuckle. First it was huge sunglasses, then huge hand bags and now this. I feel like the fashion industry needs to spend a bit more on marketing and they can start selling clown shoes on the high street (red nose day can also be extended to become a season like xmas).

I've heard someone coin the term "ironing your face". I still remember people lambasting the first guy I saw with a Galaxy S3 or "the world's smallest tablet". And now that size is considered tiny.

I think phone makers are listening and catering mainly to the emerging markets as no one wants to miss a trick and be left behind. Unfortunately, they are leaving behind the market that made them in the first place.

[DanceswithUnix]

So now the Moto-G is going 5". Shame, if anything happened to my phone one of those would have been my fallback.

Seems they have gone for the HTC style front speakers, so that makes the phone extra tall as well

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8494/m...the-new-moto-g

Edit: OFC for merely the cost of a Moto-E you can buy a little mini handset so that you don't have to haul your massive phablet out of your pocket/handbag just to answer a call

http://www.amazon.co.uk/HTC-R120-Blu.../dp/B00ELZJLNC

[semo]

So now the Moto-G is going 5". Shame, if anything happened to my phone one of those would have been my fallback.

Seems they have gone for the HTC style front speakers, so that makes the phone extra tall as well

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8494/m...the-new-moto-g

Edit: OFC for merely the cost of a Moto-E you can buy a little mini handset so that you don't have to haul your massive phablet out of your pocket/handbag just to answer a call

http://www.amazon.co.uk/HTC-R120-Blu.../dp/B00ELZJLNC

Yes, the moto G going full fat is one reason that prompted me to start this post. At the very least they could have included a user replaceable battery for all the real estate they gained with this move.

The small dummy phone to complement your too-big-to-use phone is just priceless. All those jokes about phones that can't be used to make phone calls are coming true.

[Zhaoman]

Having said no to the question, I must also say that with the releases of Smartwatches and slim tablet-PCs lately I can imagine myself possibly wanting a large-ish phone in the future. Smartwatch (or something similarly small) to keep track of messages, a large phone for emails and web browsing, a tablet-PC for productivity. I find myself not using my phone for actual voice calls very often now so I can see this happening for me personally.

I am really drawn towards portability now which is why I really like the look of the new tablet PCs. My dream device would be something that can do everything I need, but I'm able to carry in my pocket and take it with me everywhere. Whether that's an ingenius folding device, or a bendable screen or glasses with a HUD or fairy dust or magnets I don't know but that's what I'd like to have!

[philipmathews]

I agree that tablets should be bigger than 9" have to admit I do enjoy using a 12" as far a phones go 5" - 6" seems to be the optimum, manufactures seems to constantly trying to find the sweet spot

[semo]

I agree that tablets should be bigger than 9" have to admit I do enjoy using a 12" as far a phones go 5" - 6" seems to be the optimum, manufactures seems to constantly trying to find the sweet spot

I don't think that there is a sweet spot just like in the PC, car, train, plane, construction and so many other industries. There's demand for quite a few different features but phone makers are all concentrating on big screens, thin bodies, sealed battery, no memory expansion and generally lots of regression. Regression sells in the 21st century. Why include features when marketing can meet the shortfall and give you the impression that the feature is there. If you get it wrong, just put the feature back in and claim that it is the newest and most innovative feature ever seen!

[DanceswithUnix]

I don't think that there is a sweet spot just like in the PC, car, train, plane, construction and so many other industries. There's demand for quite a few different features but phone makers are all concentrating on big screens, thin bodies, sealed battery, no memory expansion and generally lots of regression. Regression sells in the 21st century. Why include features when marketing can meet the shortfall and give you the impression that the feature is there. If you get it wrong, just put the feature back in and claim that it is the newest and most innovative feature ever seen!

I think the problem is that they see the big screen as a feature.

Products are tiered, entry level has small screen and low features, top and has massive screen and best features. I want best features on something that I can actually carry in my pocket.