What should the screen size be of the next iPhone?

Matt Hickman

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I personally am unhappy with the current screen size. I would like to see Apple go larger but not too large. My preferred screen size of the next iphone would be between 4.3 and 4.5 inches. Here is how they can do it without rocking the boat for all the developers out there that have already created a resolution size of 1136 and 640.

Option 1: create the screen 1/8 inch wider and .22 inches taller. This would be a .125 increase in width and .22 increase in height. (to keep a 16:9 ratio) They can still keep the pixel resolution the same at 1136 x 640 but just barely make the screen larger. This would make the screen dimensions 2.125 x 3.722. This would create a screen size of 4.28 (almost 4.3) and a PPI of 305. Yes, they would decrease the PPI this way, but technically a larger screen would allow viewing from further away and they could still call it a Retina Display. (Or just drop the name, who cares?) A 305 PPI is still respectable and is exactly what the Samsung GS3 currently has. (and you dont hear anyone complaining) The pixels would be a bit larger and perhaps the screens would be less expensive to make. Going this route would make everything on the screen 12% larger. They keyboard, the app icons, text on a website, games, buttons, everything would be 12% larger. I dont think this is a bad idea at all. And they can please most smartphone buyers that want something a little extra. They would still sell a ton of them if they could just get over the PPI reduction and no developer would have to do a single thing. If only the screen got larger and everything about the phone stayed the same, the total exterior dimensions of the phone would be 2.435 w by 5.09 h.

Option 2: create a screen that is 1/4 inch wider. This would make an increase of .25 inches to the width and .44 inches to the height. (to keep a 16:9 ratio) The screen dimensions would then become 2.25 wide by 3.94 tall. Screen size measured diagonally would be 4.5 inches. (which is a beautiful size by the way without getting unwieldy) They can keep the amount of pixels the same at 1136 x 640 but make the pixels larger. The PPI would now be 288ish. (still not bad, but below the desirable 300 mark, yet keep in mind that the iPad 3 has a PPI of about 250 and it looks great) Going this route would make everything on the screen 25% larger. Buttons, apps, games, text everything would be 25% larger. (that could either look great or cartoony, without having a prototype, i couldnt tell ya) A 4.5 inch screen could compete with many 4.7 and 5inch Android phones of the day. (not that Apple has to compete, but i think that many of their customers would want a larger screen and this is the easiest way to deliver) This would result in the overall exterior dimensions of the phone being 2.56 w by 5.31 h. And Apple could work with the bezel of the phone to even reduce that size, especially at the top and bottom. The iPhone 5 did reduce the top and bottom bezel by 1/8 of an inch over the 4S.

So there you go, thats my two cents. Honestly, i would be happy with the first scenario with the iPhone 5s and perhaps the 2nd scenario with the iPhone 6. Of course, they could just add more pixels horizontally and vertically but this would cause for a lot of undesirable black bars at the top and bottom of the new phone until developers made the adjustment. (is it the end of the world, no, but they didnt radically change the screen resolution on the iPhone 5 for a reason, and my argument is just furthering that logic)

Whatever happens, i would like to see a 4.3 or 4.5 inch screen on the phone. I dont care about 4.7 or 5 inch screen sizes, but to me having the keyboard a little large and with a little extra room would be great, watching larger movies is also welcome as well as games. And lastly, larger text on a website is much much welcome.

Please tell me what you think!
 

Richard Nieves

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My girlfriend has the razr m. It has a 4.3 inch screen. It's actually perfect. I had a 4.5 inch screen on my last phone but a 4.3 is a perfect medium. The m is actually almost the exact same size as the iPhone 5 so increasing size shouldn't be an issue, just shrink bezels. As far as resolution goes , I say apple just raises the resolution to 720p which would probably put it at around 4.3 inches and would keep the poi. Even with my bad eyesite, my old 4.5 inch phone at a 800 by 480 resolution looked way too cartoony.. It is also a standard resolution.
 
Apr 4, 2013
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The Z10 has great proportions. I think BlackBerry really nailed it there. The Playbook, while as a device was a huge miss and embarrassment, was ahead of the curve with screen size as proven by the immense popularity of the IPAD mini, a superior device that just flat out performs. But clearly BlackBerry had the size right on back in April 2011.
 

jclisenby

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4 inches. Any bigger and you lose a lot of usability. Apple may go to a 4.2" in 2014, but I believe they will stay at 4, at least for another cycle. As Tim Cook has said, the 4" screen is the perfect size when considering all trade offs. I know that the majority will agree with this size, hence why it's selling in the numbers that it is.


Tappin and Talkin from my iPhone 5
 

anon(279851)

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The next screen size definitely should be 4.7". The one-handed operation reasoning is getting so tired and dated. Time to step up to the here and now.
 

anon(4698833)

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The next screen size definitely should be 4.7". The one-handed operation reasoning is getting so tired and dated. Time to step up to the here and now.

So to be modern, a phone must have a large screen?

hahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahaahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahaahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahaahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahaahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahaahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

...phew! Sorry for the outburst of laughter, that just sounds hilariously absurd to me. Carry on!
 

wolfedude88

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4 inches. Any bigger and you lose a lot of usability. Apple may go to a 4.2" in 2014, but I believe they will stay at 4, at least for another cycle. As Tim Cook has said, the 4" screen is the perfect size when considering all trade offs. I know that the majority will agree with this size, hence why it's selling in the numbers that it is.


Tappin and Talkin from my iPhone 5

Really? Do you honestly believe what Tim cook said? They said for the longest time 3.5 was the perfect size, they will always say that when they change it.

They sell that much and will continue to do so because it is apple and it is an iPhone.

I think the size is nice but not wide enough. I would love 4.3-4.5 but not matter what size the screen size is people will continue to buy it.
 

jclisenby

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Really? Do you honestly believe what Tim cook said? They said for the longest time 3.5 was the perfect size, they will always say that when they change it.

They sell that much and will continue to do so because it is apple and it is an iPhone.

I think the size is nice but not wide enough. I would love 4.3-4.5 but not matter what size the screen size is people will continue to buy it.

Yes, I do believe that the 4" is a near-perfect size. Tim Cook and Apple have a huge team of human factors engineers working on issues like screen size, and they have determined this to be a perfect size. I myself am an engineer that has a focus on human factors. I know both from my personal experiences and my knowledge of the human body, that the 4" screen size is the "sweet spot."

When considering what is the "perfect" screen size, you can't look at one person's hands. You have to make a device that is "perfect" for the widest variety. Sure, there will be people with really small or really big hands that would like a smaller or larger iPhone, but the 4" size maximizes the percentage of the population that will have the greatest ease-of-use.

So, yes, I do believe what Tim Cook says. Not because he says it, but because its backed up by research and proven by millions of satisfied users.


Tappin and Talkin from my iPhone 5
 

wolfedude88

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Yes, I do believe that the 4" is a near-perfect size. Tim Cook and Apple have a huge team of human factors engineers working on issues like screen size, and they have determined this to be a perfect size. I myself am an engineer that has a focus on human factors. I know both from my personal experiences and my knowledge of the human body, that the 4" screen size is the "sweet spot."

When considering what is the "perfect" screen size, you can't look at one person's hands. You have to make a device that is "perfect" for the widest variety. Sure, there will be people with really small or really big hands that would like a smaller or larger iPhone, but the 4" size maximizes the percentage of the population that will have the greatest ease-of-use.

So, yes, I do believe what Tim Cook says. Not because he says it, but because its backed up by research and proven by millions of satisfied users.


Tappin and Talkin from my iPhone 5

Then we're they incorrect when they said the 3.5 in screen was perfect?

I understand you liking the size, but your post just came off as you believing everything they say to be true, sorry if that wasn't the case.

I'm sure they have done research but of course they are going to say it is the perfect size just as they did before hand.

They swore by the 3.5 inch screen for years, it was perfect until they released the five. Heck some still prefer it.

If they release a bigger iPhone at some point I'm sure they will say it is the perfect size as well.

Will that be perfect for you then too?
Serious question.
 

jclisenby

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Then we're they incorrect when they said the 3.5 in screen was perfect?

I understand you liking the size but re post just came off as you believing exactly what they say.

I'm sure they have done research but of course they are going to say it is the perfect size just as they did before hand.

If they release a bigger iPhone at some point I'm sure they will say it is the perfect size as well.

Will that be perfect for you then too?
Serious question.

I don't find any perfect honestly, some are closer than others but it is mighty though for it to be perfect when everyone has different needs.

I think somewhere between 3.5 and 4 is perfect. When you get up to 4.2" and above, you begin to leave out a larger segment of the population that has smaller hands. The goal is to design so that about 90% of the population will be comfortable using the smartphone with one hand. Any bigger than 4" and you take a large chunk of people out that can't reach the top left corner of the screen.

If they make a 4.2" or larger phone, I fully expect to hear it explained why they took that approach and the trade offs that were taken in usability for the extra screen real estate. Another way they could go about it is to have 2 models, a distinct possibility. This allows them to reach a segment of 99% of the population, something that will never be possible with a single model.


Tappin and Talkin from my iPhone 5
 

Richard Nieves

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Jan 22, 2013
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The other problem is with Bezel sizes. A razr m is almost exactly the same size vertically and horizontally as the iPhone 5, however the screen is 4.3. I have no problem touching anywhere on her phone but my friends Motorola photon is harder to touch some spots. With a thinner bezel, the hand can have a tighter grip using less of the hand and allowing more thumb movement for easily reaching places that might be harder on a wider phone.
 

finn5975

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Granted the 4" screen seems immensely popular given the millions who have purchased the 5 including myself...but it's tough to make the argument that it's the perfect size and that those wanting a larger size are a vast minority. Look at the millions upon millions of S3, S4, RAZR, Note 2, One, etc phones are selling. I realize that the Android OS preference is the driving force, but to ignore the desire by many for the larger screen is silly.
 

Jrome.brooks

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I think apple was right the first time with 3.5in you use one hand and one thumb to do everything also you can cover your phone when your texting or watch something private with one hand when your on the bus and train but people want bigger screens u gotta do what the people want


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Jul 20, 2012
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Make the phone screen size the size of the htc thunderbolt and no bigger. Ppl jst want bigger screens cuz they blind and can't see lol

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