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PollyK

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 18, 2013
197
0
I have to give Samsung credit for creating a whole new category of phone, the phablet. Of course the word phablet was created from the industry bloggers. But nonetheless, Sammy brought out the behemoth screen, and made it work. And pretty much everyone mocked the screen size. Bringing out the Note line, gave them more room for screen size on their Galaxy S line. Going back to the GS1 4 inches was big. Then came 4.3 inch S2, 4.8 inch S3, and now the 5 inch S4. I believe we wouldn't be looking at a 4 inch iPhone at the moment without Sammy pushing the outer limits of screen sizes. What other OEM is trying to see what the CUSTOMER wants in screen size? Every other OEM seems too busy telling the customer what they think the perfect screen size is.
 

Nermal

Moderator
Staff member
Dec 7, 2002
21,020
4,599
New Zealand
It's not just Samsung; the HTC Evo was 4.3 and it was released a year before the GS2.
 
Last edited:

Savor

Suspended
Jun 18, 2010
3,742
918
It's not just Samsung; the HTC Evo was 4.3 and it was released a year before the GS2.
And the HTC HD2 released in late-2009.

I remember when HD2 and Evo were considered too big for people. Nowadays 4.3 inches is considered compact.

Wait when the actual tablets start to have a call feature. Asus Fonepad already has 7-inches. I see that is where tablets are going next. More convergence. The Note II will start looking like a tablet phone mini in 2-3 years.
 

Fernandez21

macrumors 601
Jun 16, 2010
4,840
3,183
The only thing I give Samsung credit is the Note series and innovations put forth there.

For regular phones, HTC has always been the one at the forefront for screen sizes, while Samsung followed suite. HTC was the first with a 4.3" phone, then 4.5", and later 4.7". It wasn't until the S3 (which was announced after the One X) that Samsung surpassed HTC with screen size (4.7" to 4.8"). And of course this year at 5" to 4.7"

If not for Samsung though, the phablet market would be maybe 2 years behind where it is now, with company's just now starting to tread into the 5"+ range. Though more would probably have wacom stylisis, I havent seen any OEM include one since Samsung bought them.
 

F123D

macrumors 68040
Sep 16, 2008
3,776
16
Del Mar, CA
I'd give credit to HTC for the Evo and Titan.

That Evo was really tempting at the time. Then apple released the iPhone 4 and killed all thoughts about switching.

Two years later, they released the iPhone 5 and that sealed the deal for me leaving. lol
 

Technarchy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2012
6,753
4,927
Too bad both devices ended up being POS. :D

The Evo 4G is basically responsible for Sprint's network crumbling a few years ago.

More likely Sprint hasn't done any real network upgrades in nearly a decade because they've been broke.

Don't know about the Titan, but the Evo was far from a POS. It was the single best selling model of android phone in the USA for nearly two years, and should be credited with being the most significant android phone prior to the ascension of Samsung with the GS2.
 

Vetvito

macrumors 6502a
Sep 30, 2012
532
13
*Cough cough iPhone cough*

I'm just saying, every smart phone screen was 2" and 2.5" before the iPhone came with the 3.5".

Also a phablet is more than just a huge screen. It has tablet add-ons.
 

The-Real-Deal82

macrumors P6
Jan 17, 2013
17,317
25,469
Wales, United Kingdom
Where would screen sizes be?

Probably around 4 to 5 inches maximum, and a lot more sensible IMHO. I feel we'll see them returning to a more standard range over the next couple of years. The phablets we see now are pretty niche and don't sell as well as the S4's, HTC Ones, iPhone 5's etc and for the simple reason, they are too big for most people. Unless you have deep suit pockets, carry a handbag, or don't mind walking around with what looks like a telephone book in your pocket, they don't generally appeal.
 

appleisking

macrumors 6502a
May 24, 2013
658
3,022
Meh I understand the whole give manufacturer's credit but for me I can't understand the appeal of the Note series. How do you make a call on it seriously. I personally can't imagine picking it up and making a call on it. I guess I just don't believe in the tablet-phone category but there are a large number of people who disagree so more power to them ya know? For me, I think Nexus 4 4.7 inch is the sweet spot.
 

PollyK

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 18, 2013
197
0
Where The phablets we see now are pretty niche and don't sell as well as the S4's, HTC Ones, iPhone 5's etc and for the simple reason, they are too big for most people.

Not to sure about that. We all know the Galaxy S line is by far the single best selling Android device by a massive margin. But I believe the Galaxy Note is the second best selling line since it's introduction. I think it out sold the HTC One. If not it would be very close. Maybe someone has the numbers.
 

The-Real-Deal82

macrumors P6
Jan 17, 2013
17,317
25,469
Wales, United Kingdom
Not to sure about that. We all know the Galaxy S line is by far the single best selling Android device by a massive margin. But I believe the Galaxy Note is the second best selling line since it's introduction. I think it out sold the HTC One. If not it would be very close. Maybe someone has the numbers.
Perhaps many of us base far too much of this on personal experience. I don't have figures nor do I care in all honesty. If big screens are the want of the moment, I guess I will have this iPhone for a very long time. Most of my family and friends are iPhone users but then again that's a small percentage of the market. Popularity runs in circles.
 

OceanView

macrumors 65816
Sep 16, 2005
1,094
39
I can guarantee a large percentage of Apple fanboys will buy a larger screen iPhone when they make one.

I do believe a 5" screen is the ideal size for most people.
 

The-Real-Deal82

macrumors P6
Jan 17, 2013
17,317
25,469
Wales, United Kingdom
I can guarantee a large percentage of Apple fanboys will buy a larger screen iPhone when they make one.

I do believe a 5" screen is the ideal size for most people.
How much of these 'Apple Fanboys' actually make up the percentage of people who buy iPhones though? I'm yet to meet anyone truly hysterical about Apple in a non cyber sense. Concerning screen size, I would buy an iPhone if the screen was 5" and it fitted inside the parameters of the existing case size. That way the device is no bigger, which is my gripe.
 

OceanView

macrumors 65816
Sep 16, 2005
1,094
39
How much of these 'Apple Fanboys' actually make up the percentage of people who buy iPhones though? I'm yet to meet anyone truly hysterical about Apple in a non cyber sense. Concerning screen size, I would buy an iPhone if the screen was 5" and it fitted inside the parameters of the existing case size. That way the device is no bigger, which is my gripe.

We'll have to wait for Apple to release a bigger iphone to get an idea. Until then everything is speculation.

As for the bigger size, yes a 5" screen phone will be bigger but if you have a chance to use one for a while, I think the size will not be as apparent as it looks.

I have noticed the benefits of a larger screen far out weight the perceived increase in size.

And the thing is, I am not stating which is better for you, only you can determine that.
All that I am saying is having choices are much better than not having any.
 

The-Real-Deal82

macrumors P6
Jan 17, 2013
17,317
25,469
Wales, United Kingdom
We'll have to wait for Apple to release a bigger iphone to get an idea. Until then everything is speculation.

As for the bigger size, yes a 5" screen phone will be bigger but if you have a chance to use one for a while, I think the size will not be as apparent as it looks.

I have noticed the benefits of a larger screen far out weight the perceived increase in size.

And the thing is, I am not stating which is better for you, only you can determine that.
All that I am saying is having choices are much better than not having any.
One of the major reasons I sold my Samsung S3 was to have a decent reliable phone with a smaller screen size. The S3 mini didn't live up to expectations so I fancied trying iOS. I made the choice then. I've lived with phones that have larger screens so can comment from my own perspective. I'm no fanboy of any particular product, but I know what I like and I can do everything comfortably on a 4" screen. I don't want the physical attributes of the iPhone to get any bigger and I hope to god Apple listen to myself and other customers who don't want massive mobile phones. What will be will be though.
 
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