Phones keep getting bigger and bigger. Will the phablet craze ever end?

[Kgor93]

It's been going on for a few years now. The current phones coming out are close in size to the original Galaxy Notes, which is ridiculous. I don't want a freakin 6 inch phone. But the phones keep getting bigger and bigger. Is anyone else getting tired of this? I can't be the only one who wants high-end hardware in a 4.7"-5" device. Anything bigger is too annoying to carry around. For example, the Galaxy S4 was a great size, but the Galaxy S5 is pretty big and I can imagine the Galaxy S6 being even bigger.

If manufacturers can keep increasing screen size without increasing device size, then I'm all for it. But if the phones start getting super huge, then that isn't good.

 

[Rxpert83]

Were starting to see manufacturers be able to increase screen size while keeping the device the same dimensions (by eliminating bezel space)

I would expect that trend to continue.

 

[Kgor93]

Were starting to see manufacturers be able to increase screen size while keeping the device the same dimensions (by eliminating bezel space)

I would expect that trend to continue.

I hope so. The G3 is a good example of this. Because the devices are reaching the maximum to be able to comfortably carry around.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

The Phablet craze will end when manufacturers start putting 6" screens on there flagship phones as a matter of course. Once they go past 6 inches they'll have Tablets that make phone calls not Phablets.

 

[Hadron]

I hope so. The G3 is a good example of this. Because the devices are reaching the maximum to be able to comfortably carry around.

Depends on the individual. For me many of them (in fact most of this year's) have exceeded that size already.

There's also a limit to how small you can make the bezel. A 5.5" screen by itself is already at the maximum width I'd want an entire phone to be (and wider than my thumb will comfortably reach), so I don't want one of those no matter what size the bezel (if I can't use it one-handed I'm not interested).

 

[breadnatty08]

Hopefully Moto stays close to where its size is for it's X/G because they're super comfy in the hand. My G2 is a lot larger but still pretty manageable. Agree with nothing any bigger (and the G3 looks just a tad larger) cause some of my pockets can barely hold my G2.

 

[DragonSlayer95]

Hopefully Moto stays close to where its size is for it's X/G because they're super comfy in the hand. My G2 is a lot larger but still pretty manageable. Agree with nothing any bigger (and the G3 looks just a tad larger) cause some of my pockets can barely hold my G2.

I could stand for the g/x to be a tad bit larger, but maybe that's because I'm so use to the size of my g2 though.

 

[chanchan05]

I personally don't notice it. I've taken my brother's S3 for repairs the other day, and there's virtually no change in footprint between it and the S4 and S5 the shop had on display. Handling is near identical for me.

 

[breadnatty08]

But those bezels on the S5 are huge! The thing is noticeably larger than an S4 without much more screen real estate. It's one thing LG has mastered over Samsung or HTC (though Moto is pretty close as well).

 

[chanchan05]

I dunno. I don't find any difference in difficulty, or maybe it's just because I've gotten used to a bigger device than any of the three (Note 2).

 

[kate]

I don't think large phones will become less popular anytime soon, but they've probably gotten about as big as they can realistically get since you have be able to hold it with one hand and fit it in your pocket.

 

[Shocky]

I don't like the direction sizes are going but it's what the majority of users seem to want.

I think it is possible to create similar sized devices to the Galaxy S4 with smaller bezels but not currently with waterproofing. One could argue that we have managed for years without waterproof phones and we don't need them now, I think offering a rugged version of phones is a better option than providing features many of us might not ever need.

 

[chanchan05]

I don't like the direction sizes are going but it's what the majority of users seem to want.

I think it is possible to create similar sized devices to the Galaxy S4 with smaller bezels but not currently with waterproofing. One could argue that we have managed for years without waterproof phones and we don't need them now, I think offering a rugged version of phones is a better option than providing features many of us might not ever need.

You mean like what Samsung did with having an S4 and an S4 Active? Yeah, they seemed to just go 'how about for the S5,let's just combine them together!' Lol.

 

[Shocky]

You mean like what Samsung did with having an S4 and an S4 Active? Yeah, they seemed to just go 'how about for the S5,let's just combine them together!' Lol.

Exactly, good idea on paper but the result is a larger device with wider bezels which isn't very desirable.

But I think the main reason was Sony waterproofing their flagship devices.