Big phones have become the go-to these days. The standard option. One could even argue that our small phones, the ones with 4.7-inch displays, are pretty big. But with handsets with 6.7-inch screens out there in the wild, it’s hard to argue that the market hasn’t made it perfectly clear that people want phones with big displays.

Which makes sense. Phones have also become the primary means for some people to access the internet. Whether that’s just browsing the web, or watching videos, or playing games, or whatever else it might be, having a phone with a big screen can make it a lot easier to do all of that.

And more enjoyable, too.

The design can also make a worthwhile tool even more powerful. I can still remember a time when there was a huge difference between a phone that could basically send a text message and a phone that could let you reply to an email in actual worthwhile way. In the latter case that typically meant a smartphone, or a mobile computer if you will, that featured some kind of physical keyboard. The other phones, the devices that were still trying to show off crazy designs like Sony Ericsson phones spinning around to reveal the number pad, weren’t designed to answer emails. And that was okay!

But that’s certainly not the case these days. And a friend of mine got me thinking about how important the screen size of your phone is mainly as a tool, rather than a means to absorb content. In his case, he went with the iPhone 11 Pro Max because he uses his phone as a primary means of communication with emails. He doesn’t want to pull out an iPad or his laptop to respond to emails, so going with the biggest smartphone —and therefore the most accessible software keyboard— just makes sense for him.

I definitely understand that line of thinking, because I’m in a similar boat. I don’t use email as often as he does, but I do use messaging services like Slack for my primary work communication and so having a great keyboard to handle that is important. I think the only difference for me is that I’m accustomed to switching phones all the time, ranging in screen sizes, so I haven’t really thought about it beyond that.

Plus, I always have my iPad with me, and I’m perfectly okay pulling that out of my bag if whatever I’m doing requires a bigger, physical keyboard.

So, I’m curious. When you’re picking out your next daily driver, how important is the screen size as it relates directly to your smartphone being a tool, rather than just an entertainment machine? Do you go with bigger phones to help you with this? Let me know!