What we want or need when it comes to devices in our lives is a constantly changing scenario. At least, it has the potential to be. What we want one week, or what we think we may need one month, may change at any moment. It could change because a new product, with something else that we didn't even realize we wanted or needed hits the market, or it could be that we finally use something that we thought we wanted, and it turns out we don't after all.
When the Big Display train was making its way through every station in America, and sweeping everyone off their feet, I just refused to jump on board. While I was still using a device with a 3.5-inch screen, and I could admit that it was too small, I refused to think that a phone with a screen close to five inches, or even bigger, was worth my time. "That's just too big," I'd say -- and I know that I wasn't alone in this.
But then I finally got my hands on the Galaxy Note II from Samsung, and I realized that maybe a big display isn't such a bad deal after all. But, while I was finally prepared to admit that (and I think the 4.7-inch screen size is almost perfect), I was also adamant that the only reason I liked the Galaxy Note II's screen size was the inclusion of the S Pen. That stylus made the Galaxy Note II make sense. It makes the Galaxy Note 3 make sense, too. Otherwise, like so many other devices these days, it's just another big display that's ultimately too big.
When we're looking at screen sizes, the difference between a 4.7-inch display and a 5-inch one doesn't seem all that big. And, admittedly, it's really not. However, get each size in-hand and you can probably tell the difference immediately, especially depending on the design of the handset. I think a 4.7-inch iPhone could be pretty great, and ever since we've started getting the feeling that 2014 could be the year that Apple finally makes a "big" iPhone, I've been getting myself ready for the possibility.
And now, here I am thinking that maybe I don't want a bigger iPhone after all.
I've been using HTC's One M8 for a few days now, with its 5-inch display, and I think it's starting to wear me down in the opposite direction these days. The One M8 feels great in the hand thanks to the new physical design, but the design and choice of a 5-inch display means I have to move my hand around the device a lot just to use it with one hand.It's possible, yes, but it means I have to slide it around a lot, just to make sure that I can get to whichever corner the user interface wants me to select to do something. (Seriously, why does this stuff have to be in the corners? It's time to figure out something new.)
The more I'm using the One M8, the more I'm realizing that maybe I don't want an iPhone with a bigger display after all. And this is a strange position for me, because I've been pretty straightforward in my desire for a bigger iPhone. Before the release of iOS 7, I told Apple that I'd be okay with a bigger iPhone if they weaned to keep iOS the same. And then, near the end of 2013, with rumors of a huge iPad coming down the pipe, I informed the Cupertino-based company that I want a bigger iPhone, not a bigger iPad.
More recently, my fellow Editor Anna questioned whether or not a bigger iPhone would raise interest in Apple's smartphone. I'm pretty sure that's a big, "Yes!" because I hear people constantly tell me that they want an iPhone with a bigger display. More to the point, they tell me that the iPhone right now has a screen that's too small. A lot of people have been clamoring for a bigger iPhone over the years, especially with the Android Army increasing screen size whenever they can.
I get that people want bigger screens, and I honestly do believe that this is the year that Apple could indeed change things up yet again (for themselves). Nothing's guaranteed, though. And, if they do manage to get a bigger iPhone out there, I'm starting to hope that they also include an iPhone with a smaller screen, too. Maybe keep the four-inch model.
As I said above, these things change, and they have a way of changing quite a bit over the weeks and months between product launches. Last year I wanted a bigger iPhone, right now I'm not sure that I do, and later this year if Apple does release an iPhone with a bigger screen and I get my hands on it, it could win me over.
How do you feel about an iPhone with a bigger display? Does it matter to you? If Apple does release an iPhone with a bigger display, what size do you think it should be? Have you skipped over Apple's smartphone because of the small screen size, and are you prepared to switch to the iOS platform if they make a phone with a bigger display? Let me know!
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