There was a long stretch of time, as smartphones started getting bigger, that I was more than okay with my phones having a 3.7-inch display. Back then I was adamant that that was the perfect screen size. Eventually I found my way to phones with 4.7-inch displays and, well, that change was worth it. It didn't make the phone unwieldy, but it's hard to argue with that extra space.
I was definitely not a fan of phones that offered screens bigger than five inches. For most of that stretch I had a tablet that I brought with me more often than not, and having a phone with a giant screen just didn't seem worth it. The first time I tried the iPhone 6 Plus, for instance, I was not a fan at all.
At some point all of that changed. Now I can't go back to a small phone.
I started using the iPhone 6s Plus, then went with the iPhone 7 Plus as my daily driver when that launched. All the while, when I've gotten my hands on an Android phone to try out, the screen size hasn't really been something I've worried about. I've just adopted big phones, and using anything smaller than that doesn't grab my interest anymore.
Of course, we're at a point now where when we hear Apple is going to launch a phone with a display that measures between 6.5 and 6.8 inches this year, and every other manufacturer isn't afraid of maximizing display sizes, it's actually okay because bezels are shrinking, too. The phone's display might be huge, but the entire device isn't uncomfortable to hold, and there's just more screen to look at.
The rumor mill has also suggested that Apple is going to launch a successor to the iPhone SE this year. Word is that it won't adopt the minimized bezel approach that it introduced with the iPhone X last year, but that it will keep that small form factor in place. The original iPhone SE has a 4-inch display, and the iPhone SE 2 will probably keep that around.
Which means Apple will have iPhones that offer a 4-, 4.7-, 5.5-, 5.8-, or 6.5-inch options. That is if Apple keeps the standard iPhone lineup around for another year. We could see those options shrink this year, too.
I can see Apple launching an iPhone SE 2 this year. The handset is due for an upgrade. And I know at least one person that will be excited about that, and will eagerly upgrade their current iPhone SE to the new model because they love small phones. And they have a ton of cases that will probably still fit (hopefully).
But, what about you? Do you, or anyone you know, still prefer a smartphone with a small display? Which device are you, or they, using that holds onto that small form factor? Why haven't you switch to a bigger phone? Let me know!