[eastmen]

I wouldn't mind a 4.6 inch screen like the galaxy nexus . However they need to shrink the bezels even more.

[Arwin]

Originally Posted by 3dcgi

I agree. Any bigger than the Captivate/Fascinate and I can't reach all corners with one hand. Hopefully not every phone becomes super sized.

Yep everyone is different. I'm 6'4" / 1.92m and can easily go from the bottom of my iPhone to the top, which is a similar distance as the length of the 5" Vita screen.

[JohnH]

When I went from a Galaxy S1 to an iPhone4S I noticed two things that seem relevent to this (somewhat daft) discussion,

1) Web browsing experience was impacted slightly by the 4s's smaller screen
2) The 4s tends to fall out of my pocket less often.

The first of these is a smaller influence on my future buying dicisions than the second, although development of/investment in phone retaining pockets may be a better investment...

[fehu]

I put my phone in the front pocket, keeping there a SGS2 is simply not comfortable for me

[Helmore]

Originally Posted by JohnH

When I went from a Galaxy S1 to an iPhone4S I noticed two things that seem relevent to this (somewhat daft) discussion,

1) Web browsing experience was impacted slightly by the 4s's smaller screen
2) The 4s tends to fall out of my pocket less often.

The first of these is a smaller influence on my future buying dicisions than the second, although development of/investment in phone retaining pockets may be a better investment...

Isn't point 2 more a result of the different shape of the iPhone and not so much the difference in size?

As for my opinion on the subject, I personally think that anything larger than 4.5" is just too large for me. I wouldn't have any trouble operating a phone with a 5" screen or something, but I don't think it'll comfortably fit in all my pants. I currently have a Samsung Omnia 7 though and I'm pretty satisfied with it at the moment.

[JohnH]

Originally Posted by Helmore

Isn't point 2 more a result of the different shape of the iPhone and not so much the difference in size?

Yeah, the less slippery shape probably helps, but some would say I just need to adjust my pocket size

[Mariner]

Slippery phones are a problem. I'm not a fan of protective phone cases at all but have needed to buy one for my Atrix because the gripless back panel makes it very difficult to hold the phone. Without the case, I dropped it way too often.

Hopefully, all the manufacturers have now realised that slippery cases are a bad idea and will make sure that the backs of new phones have some sort of texture to them...

[3dcgi]

Originally Posted by Arwin

Yep everyone is different. I'm 6'4" / 1.92m and can easily go from the bottom of my iPhone to the top, which is a similar distance as the length of the 5" Vita screen.

Just for the record, I'm 6'3" tall so it's not like I have small hands.

[Arwin]

Originally Posted by Helmore

Isn't point 2 more a result of the different shape of the iPhone and not so much the difference in size?

As for my opinion on the subject, I personally think that anything larger than 4.5" is just too large for me. I wouldn't have any trouble operating a phone with a 5" screen or something, but I don't think it'll comfortably fit in all my pants. I currently have a Samsung Omnia 7 though and I'm pretty satisfied with it at the moment.

The phone could be iPhone size and still just under 5", just as long as it is all screen. I think Samsung recently announced just such a phone, though a really expensive one, but is shows it can be done.

[Rys]

It seems to me the discussion isn't really about screen size, but about phone size.

[ToTTenTranz]

Originally Posted by Rys

It seems to me the discussion isn't really about screen size, but about phone size.

Some people actually think that screen size shouldn't increase above a certain size because it would hinder the GUI's ergonomics - even if the handheld's size is kept intact.

Either that's an actually well-thought personal preference or some very strong bias towards a certain brand/model that eventually strips people from having opinions other than whatever the brand dictates, is a whole other story.

[Xmas]

Originally Posted by ToTTenTranz

Some people actually think that screen size shouldn't increase above a certain size because it would hinder the GUI's ergonomics - even if the handheld's size is kept intact.

I'd say there's some truth to that, but not because of the screen size itself – obviously a phone with a 5" edge-to-edge screen could just emulate smaller screen sizes using black borders. The issue is what developers do with it.

Ideally you'd test the interface for every form factor and do adjustments where required, but given the variety of smartphones that just isn't possible. 5" is sufficiently larger than e.g. 3.7" that many apps should have their UI modified in one way or another, but that often doesn't happen. It might not always be the best idea to place buttons in screen corners, for example. Even devices with the same screen size may be held differently depending on weight distribution, texture, or position of buttons. As larger phones become more popular there will be a shift in the screen size(s) developers optimise for, but it will take time.

[silent_guy]

Originally Posted by ToTTenTranz

Some people actually think that screen size shouldn't increase above a certain size because it would hinder the GUI's ergonomics - even if the handheld's size is kept intact.

How do you increase the screen size significantly for most current smartphones? There isn't much bezel to speak of, is there?

[Arwin]

Originally Posted by Rys

It seems to me the discussion isn't really about screen size, but about phone size.

Almost 90% of existing smartphone owners chose a prototype smartphone with a display larger than their current device as their most preferred size

So for my part I've always taken this discussion to be about screen size only and I think this goes for most participants ... .

Anyway, a Retina display doesn't have to change resolution, then scaling that to say, a 5.2" phone with a 4.8" size display similar to that Galaxy would be perfect to me as a phone (and everyone in this room here is taller than me, lots of really tall guys here ). I've also said for more than a year now that I'd prefer my next phone to have a bigger display, and that currently if I had a say in it (currently I don't as my company buys only iPhones), I'd prefer an Android ... That said, if I didn't have to pay, I'd prefer an iPhone with a bigger size screen. After all my wife has one too and we've got plenty of apps purchased.

But if I were to have to buy a phone myself today, I'd probably get a big screened Android.

[hoho]

edge-to-edge screen will not work all that well when hold in hand and you touch the edge with your palm while trying to reach the other end of the screen with your thumb. Bezel is needed no matter how big the phone is, unless you drop the screen lower inside the edges kind of like a picture frame. In that case the bezel could be really thin indeed.

[Arwin]

Originally Posted by hoho

edge-to-edge screen will not work all that well when hold in hand and you touch the edge with your palm while trying to reach the other end of the screen with your thumb. Bezel is needed no matter how big the phone is, unless you drop the screen lower inside the edges kind of like a picture frame. In that case the bezel could be really thin indeed.

Do you know the 3GS?



I never touch more than the rear or the silver edge.

[Mariner]

I can't remember where I read it, but I'm pretty sure that I saw some kind of mention about intelligent programming could help to deal with accidental touches to the edges of bezel-less phones?

Sounds a bit tricky to me. For general usage, I don't suppose it could be a problem but games and other apps have all sorts of screen controls these days and I can't really see how the control software could decide what is a valid touch and what isn't.

As an example of this, Motorola phones have 'smart' software which attempts to deal with the problem that drops of water on a capacitive screen can cause. Unfortunately, this makes some games where you need to hold down a virtual button unplayable (though there is a now a hack available which can disable the 'smartness').

[Xmas]

Originally Posted by Mariner

Sounds a bit tricky to me. For general usage, I don't suppose it could be a problem but games and other apps have all sorts of screen controls these days and I can't really see how the control software could decide what is a valid touch and what isn't.

You could put touch sensors around the edges to determine where the user is holding the phone. Or you could make the screen bigger than the touch area so you don't register touches right at the edges at all.

[hoho]

Originally Posted by Xmas

Or you could make the screen bigger than the touch area so you don't register touches right at the edges at all.

Don't other OS'es use Meego-like swipes for navigation? That kind of restrictions would screw things up pretty badly, especially considering that many apps have buttons in the screen corners.

[Xmas]

Originally Posted by hoho

Don't other OS'es use Meego-like swipes for navigation? That kind of restrictions would screw things up pretty badly, especially considering that many apps have buttons in the screen corners.

Well, if you don't have a bezel you can't really "swipe from the edge" anyway.

What I mean is a "dead area" that's 1-2mm wide, just like a bezel would be. Both buttons and your fingertips are significantly larger than that, so intentional taps should be picked up fine.

[hoho]

My n950 has around 4-5mm bezel and I've had a few cases where holding it in hand I've had the palm activate touch sensitivity. Though I'm not sure if the touch area is bigger than screen itself or not. If the entire front glass is sensitive then the bezel is around 1.5-2mm at best.