Smartphone Screen Size: Users Want 4-to-4.5-Inch Phones, Survey Says

The trees in Michigan may be just the right height, but is the most popular phone in America too dang small?

That is the implication of a new study by Strategy Analytics, which found that 90 percent of American and British smartphone owners want a screen size larger than the one on the smartphone they currently own, with 4-to-4.5-inch smartphones being the most popular ideal size. Survey takers were offered prototype smartphones of varying display size and thickness and asked to choose which they preferred: Thin devices with displays between 4-inches and 4.5-inches came out on top in the survey.

The iPhone 4S -- the latest iteration of Apple's iPhone, the most popular line of smartphones in America -- has a 3.5-inch display. Despite rumors that Apple would upgrade to a 4-inch display in the lead-up to its unveiling, Apple stuck with the 3.5-inch display -- a fact mocked by Samsung in a television advertisement for its Galaxy S II (which has a 4.2-inch display). Several phones running Android and the less popular Windows Phone mobile OS are in that 4-through-4.5-inch display sweet spot, though none of them enjoy the iPhone's singular popularity with consumers.

Recently, there have also been a series of high-profile smartphones that burst that 4.5-inch screen-size boundary. Samsung's half-phone, half-tablet Samsung Galaxy Note, with a 5.3-inch screen, is probably the most notable (pardon the pun) example, though other companies are betting big on big displays as well. Google's flagship Android phone, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, has a 4.65-inch display, for example; in the coming months, HTC will release its own redesigned flagship phone, the HTC One X, which packs a 4.7-inch display.

Nokia, meanwhile, which was once the most popular handset maker in the U.S., is trying to regain its footing in America with a phone that seems to hit this survey's specifications square: Its Lumia 900, which will be released in the coming months on AT&T, has a 4.3-inch display.

Despite being a half-inch on the wrong side of this survey, meanwhile, Apple's iPhone maintains its broad consumer appeal in the U.S., and to a lesser extent, in the U.K. What remains clear is that user preference comes down to more than just display size and device thickness: There are also a variety of other factories, including but not limited to operating system, app availability, speed, price, commitment and -- yes, all of you cynics out there -- slick marketing.

Will Apple join the 4-inch club with their next iPhone? The rumors, as it did last year, point to yes. That would make a lot of Americans and Brits quite happy, if the Strategy Analytics survey is correct. You can head to the SA website to read the full study (but only if you've got $2000 burning a hole in your pocket).

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Comments

[Janet Bratter]

11:42 AM on 01/12/2013

What I like most about my iPod touch is not just that I can use it as a phone with my wifi hot-spot but that I can hold it with one hand and scroll with my thumb. Any larger and it becomes a two handed device. I use my MacBook for serious reading and writing because I don't like touch screen typing. I am considering getting the blue-tooth keyboard for my touch (and any other pad devices I might eventually get from the "apple tree".

[arpingajjar123]

08:10 AM on 05/01/2012

That is the implication of a new study by Strategy Analytics, which found that 90 percent of American and British smartphone owners want a screen size larger than the one on the smartphone they currently own,

[Targetdog]

02:14 PM on 04/13/2012

I like my iPhone just fine the way it is. For any serious reading I use my iPad. For serious computing I use my Mac Desktop. For unconditional love, I turn to my Min Pin, and no, there is no app for that.

[Complex757]

08:21 AM on 03/18/2012

Normally you don't miss what you've never had. A lot of iPhone owners don't realize how much better a bigger phone is for typing and could be for games, apps and video.

Apple's probably reluctant, because of all the apps designed for the millions of 3.5 sized screens

[IndyGuy]

07:22 PM on 03/18/2012

yep, I let my wife have the iPhone while I took the duel-core HTC. I did a comparison on the size of both phones and reading the HTC's screen was much better, i.e. web browsing and gaming. I sure hope the trend is not to small screens in the future. I've been using a monitor since 1979 and now wear glasses. Small screens just don't do it for me.

[Rick Wathen]

07:40 AM on 03/18/2012

Up until last year I was apposed to a larger screened iPhone but I have changed my feeling on that subject. I don't want a 5.7" like the note but I would be happy with a 4" or slightly larger screen on iPhone 5. I believe apple will deliver a larger screen or there will be a lot of cry babies with tears in their eyes.

[nightfly4257]

12:48 PM on 03/17/2012

I am waiting for the 12 inch iPhone than I can impress the women.

[LeadTheWay]

01:23 PM on 03/18/2012

IPhone, Then**

[Happy Kine]

04:23 PM on 03/19/2012

there is an iphone 12 inch pianist app, i beleive

[beerbagger]

01:56 AM on 03/17/2012

With Siri Apple can now make a smaller Nano phone and even smaller Shuffle phone.

[jaredbrain]

04:31 PM on 03/18/2012

Siri is going to need to work a lot better before she can handle the grunt work.

[Dr Korey]

01:21 AM on 03/17/2012

I wouldn't mind a larger screen on my iPhone, but the screen on it right now isn't too small for me. On the other hand though, I don't have to read a lot on my phone. Nearly any time I would have to read an email I am close to a computer screen I can plug into, and I don't like reading books from screens (Call me old if you will, I still prefer paper books)

[Matdredalia]

01:02 AM on 03/17/2012

I'm probably the only person in the world that doesn't want a larger screen on the iPhone. I have VERY small hands (my 8 year old nephew has longer fingers than me), and with my current case, my iPhone 4S is already VERY hard to use with one hand, and it's pretty much impossible for me to get a firm grip on the phone because I can't wrap my hand very far around. Now, with a thinner case, it would be pretty much the perfect size for my tiny hands, and that's what I want. It's a phone. I don't want a lot of mass or size. As far as I'm concerned, the size of the screen hasn't hindered any of my activities (I'm a power user. I've used my phone for everything I can think up, pretty much), and right now it's size is perfect for my usage.

If I need a bigger screen, I have a laptop, and am currently saving up (slowly, but still) for a tablet. I really would rather leave my phone at a size that makes it easier for me to use.

[GaryNOVA]

10:10 PM on 03/16/2012

It's not the size of the boat, it's the motion of the ocean.

[Matdredalia]

01:03 AM on 03/17/2012

*claps enthusiastically* Amen sir, amen.

[Rick Wathen]

07:38 AM on 03/18/2012

That's what the men with small members say!

[Happy Kine]

04:25 PM on 03/19/2012

Was your research oral or written ?

[guy girl]

09:21 PM on 03/16/2012

YES!!!!!!

[kdlaiusa]

12:44 PM on 03/16/2012

Make it bigger for sure, like the size of a Kindle Fire.
Very soon, every one wears baggy jeans/pants to pocket the phones/pads.

[kpmclean]

12:27 PM on 03/16/2012

Users ... Losers ... and oh by the way woman want 6-Inches or more (this isn't a case of buyers remorse now is it?)

[Matdredalia]

01:04 AM on 03/17/2012

I actually prefer my iPhone's size where it is. I haven't, for even a second, second guessed my purchase or had buyers remorse.

[Scottl1971]

11:35 AM on 03/16/2012

What is it with "Apple Fans" or Android lovers, or Windows fans? It's a phone people- if you like what Apple produces more than what other companies produce- then buy it. If not, but another phone. I happen to enjoy Apple products, that doesn't make me a Fanboy or anything else anymore than if I choose to buy a Ford instead of a Chevy. I look for a product that fits my needs. Should those needs change, or should another product fill it better- so be it. People are weird.

[Matdredalia]

01:17 AM on 03/17/2012

I was totally with you up until the Ford/Chevy thing.

I'm a lifelong Chevy fangirl, for a laundry list of reasons, lol. (For pretty much the reason you said: Best product that fits my needs, by a mile).

Having said that, I agree with you completely. I look for the best product to get the job done, that suits my usage. My iPhone fits that bill across the board. There is one "issue" I have with my iPhone, and it's fairly minor: I like widgets like on Androids.

But almost every person in my family has an Android, so I've had the chance to compare/contrast extensively, and the iPhone suits my needs far, far better than the Android, predominantly because of the wider variety (and better quality) of medical & lifestyle helper applications.

I actually sing both OS's praises, and think both have their merits.

My point, however, is that I made an informed decision after looking into multiple OS's & phones, not based on any sort of "fangirl" tendencies, but based on an informed decision as a consumer and a techie. My family & friends mostly use Androids, because they suit their needs much better, and I respect that, completely.

And yet, even though iPhone users are supposedly elitists who taunt others, *I* tend to get made fun of by Android users on a regular basis, and told I'm a "drone". I~rony!

[DefineReality]

01:20 AM on 03/18/2012

You can always point back that they are the drones being that they hold a phone running an OS that's taking up nearly 50% of the market while you still hold the under dog #3 OS on the market :-)

[lcr999]

11:31 AM on 03/16/2012

I want an iphone, but I would love to have a bigger screen. Not everyone has 20/20 vision and little fingers. I have yet however found a big, "world" phone on Verizon so I am waiting.

[Matdredalia]

01:24 AM on 03/17/2012

I would recommend a Motorola Atrix (or Atrix II) in your case. Though the Atrix II only has 8 gigs of space, so that's a serious drawback compared to the original. However, it has a bigger screen than the 1st Atrix, and a better camera.

The reason I recommend them is that my husband has much longer & thicker fingers than I do, and while he has a bit of a hard time with my iPhone, his Atrix (The first one) suits him really, really well. It has great functionality, a solid camera, and works very well. He hasn't had any issues with any of the general-issue apps and functions most people would need. The only minor "issue" is there are a couple of little games that the iPhone App store has that don't have Android versions yet.

While the 4S does have a better processor, and is technologically "superior", I haven't seen anything major that would make it heads-and-shoulders better than the Atrix.

Just thought I'd throw that out there. :)