Tight, hard to carry and difficult to carry: Modern smartphones are proof that they're not 'as big as possible'

Why are large phones annoying?

Big phones used to have a name: Phablet, a combination of "Phone" and "Tablet". They are called that because they are too big to fit in a pocket. The Samsung Galaxy Note was probably the first phablet in the world at the time it launched in 2011. This device has a 5.3-inch screen, much larger than the iPhone at the same time. Samsung has created a whole new class of devices that has now become very popular, used by lots of people.

However, big phones have many problems. They are hard to handle, difficult to use, and difficult to carry. You can slip them into the front pocket of most jeans (for men), but it won't be comfortable. You will feel constrained when sitting in a car or on a plane. Many girls choose to tuck their phones into their back pockets - where they're most likely to be dropped - because that's the only place that fits them.

Tight, hard to carry and difficult to carry: Modern smartphones are proof that they're not 'as big as possible' Picture 1

One thing we have to give up when switching to large phones: usability. We used to be able to use the phone easily with just one hand. The small screen means you can check your email while you're walking to the airport, dragging your luggage with one hand, holding your phone in the other with no worries. Today, we have to extend our fingers all the way to reach the top half of the screen, putting the phone in a precarious position, because you can't hold it firmly while you swipe it. To be safer, you have to use two hands - if not, checking email while pulling luggage is obviously a dangerous act!

Big phones are annoying, but we're still buying them.

Length vs. Width

The Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G has a 6.9-inch diagonal screen. The screen is mounted into a frame measuring 6.57 x 2.99 x 0.35 inches (167 x 76 x 8.8 mm). Believe it or not, it's a big improvement over many years ago, when screen technology wasn't advanced enough to shrink the edge.

Take the example of the large old-fashioned phones: HTC One Max and Nokia Lumia 1520. These monsters are 6.48 x 3.25 inches and 6.41 x 3.36 inches respectively. They are huge, bulky, and extremely difficult to use. They are still indescribably heavy. What about the screen size? One Max has a 5.9-inch screen, and Lumia 1520 has a 6.0-inch screen. Therefore we should be glad that the size of the S20 Ultra is still tidy despite having a 6.9-inch screen.

Any phone longer than 6-inches is considered tall. However, length is not as much a concern as width. The final limit is 3-inches. Anything wider than that is difficult to hold compared to the narrower breadth. That's why the One Max and Lumia 1520 look so weird. They are tall, but the 3.25-inch width makes their usability greatly affected. Seriously, the Lumia 1520 is a nightmare.

Tight, hard to carry and difficult to carry: Modern smartphones are proof that they're not 'as big as possible' Picture 2

If the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G is too big, what is not too big? The Galaxy S20 Plus is an example. The screen size is 6.7-inch, and the body size is 6.37 x 2.9 x 0.3 inches (162 x 74 x 7.8 mm). It doesn't seem much different, but it does. The S20 Plus is still a pretty big phone, but it's much easier to hold. The S20 is even easier.

Cutting things down a bit will make the experience easier to use. Although we do not want to reduce the screen area any piece, but sometimes, smaller is more superior.

Reference: AndroidAuthority