Apple are rumoured to be creating an iPhone 6 option with a 5.5-inch display.
Regardless of whether that's true, it seems odd to me that such large devices (I won't use the word ph****t) are proving so popular. I've recently been using an LG / Google Nexus 5 intermittently in place of my iPhone 5. While I like many (but certainly not all) things about it, its size is not one of them.
Its 5" display makes it:
- Uncomfortable to hold in one hand while operating the keyboard with your thumb
- Slightly too big for a trouser pocket (OK, it goes in but can be uncomfortable when sitting down)
- Make you look a bit Dom Joly when talking on the phone.
And I think one of the popular Samsung devices is even bigger!
What reasons are there for wanting such a large display on a mobile? Presumably it's reading and watching video. Is that right? I do very little of either on my phone which might explain my failure to understand this trend.
For me the iPhone 5 is the perfect form-factor for a mobile phone. A tablet has a different set of functions. Trying to merge the two feels like folly, akin to Microsoft's attempt to design an OS interface that works on both tablets and desktops.