The topic of a large versus a small display size is very subjective and there seems to be three main lines of thought on the subject – you either love them, hate them, or like them, but feel they are just too physically large for your hand to comfortably use on a daily basis. Personally, I fit into the first category…I LOVE my Samsung Galaxy Note 3, and could never see me going back to a smaller device. I was always a two-hander even with a smaller phone, so having to use both hands on a larger device does not bother me, so this article is perfect for me to shout-out my perceived advantages of owning a larger device. Some will agree with me and others will flame me, but that is why we have the discussions on Google+, to give everybody a chance to throw out their opinion. I am going to list some items, in no particular order, on what I think the merits are of carrying a BIG phone.
Screen Real Estate
The fact that there is a larger display means that you can see more on the screen and you do not feel like you are trying to view an acre on a garden plot. The newest devices have Full HD Displays of 1920 x 1080 so the screen is brilliant and sharp when reading the smallest print. Most screens today are bright enough that viewing outdoors is getting to be less of a problem. Having this larger display gives us a bevy of improvements for multitasking in two windows at the same time, and if you use a Stylus or S-Pen on your device, the sub-windows (pen windows) are large enough to be of use. The entire User Interface (UI) on apps can be designed to operate smoother and with more logic behind them – they simply look better.
Reading
I am not talking about only the reading of books or magazines, but reading anything is easier on my old eyes – when I bump up my font size to large, it doesn’t look ridiculous on my screen, but in proportion to my screen. We carry our smartphones with us just about anywhere and because of that I also carry many books with me as well, so if I get stuck at a doctor’s office or waiting in the car while the wife is shopping, I pull out a “book” to read. With the larger display I can comfortably read and flip the pages – like a mini-tablet.
Emails, Texting, and Typing
Again, easier to read and easier to type responses, especially if you have big fingers. It is more enjoyable to read those pesky emails or text messages on the larger screen. When I had a smaller 4.3-inch screen (Droid Bionic), I would sometimes just get the “gist” of an email, but wait until I was on my laptop to actually read it. Now, with my 5.7-inch screen, I will now read the entire email, and even answer them because typing is so much easier. True, you cannot type one-handed, but holding the device with both hands seems so natural, it just does not bother me.
Gallery, Viewing Photos, or Photoshopping
Pulling up pictures from your Gallery, showing them to other people, or manipulating a photo in one of the many apps we have at our disposal is so much easier and more enjoyable on a BIG screen. Call over the Grandparents and pull up photos to share with them and watch their eyes light up with a BIG screen. You can actually enjoy the details in the photo and zooming in is a real treat. With the proper software you can write directly on the photo, or “doctor up” the photo in another program before you share it on the internet – and throughout the entire process you can actually see what you are doing.
Movies or Videos
When you download and watch a movie on a BIG screen, it is so much more enjoyable – and what about those YouTube videos you want to share with your friends. With the BIG screen they can really enjoy watching the content, not straining like they would on a small screen. This can come in handy in your work environment as well when you must share a must-see video with your boss.
Drawing or Painting
Who ever thought a couple years ago that there would be drawing and painting apps for your smartphone – but why not – most larger devices have the ability to use a stylus or S-Pen and produce some beautiful results…you would never be able to do this on a smaller screen.
Battery Life
This may seem like a contradiction, however, the physical size of the device, as well as improvements in the batteries themselves, have allowed the manufacturers to use a larger battery and that larger battery generally means pretty good battery life. Especially when you take into account that processors, displays, and even Android 4.4 KitKat, are all becoming less of a drain on your battery than they once were.
Better Workarounds for BIG Screens
The manufacturers are busy designing “workarounds” for large screens to make it easier to manipulate with only one hand – the current Galaxy Note 3 has options to shift the keyboards to either the right or left side of the display making it easier to handle. Samsung has also patented some designs that takes this “comfort zone” into account where it will actually curve or stack the menus, keyboards, etc., to one side of the device.
Let us know in the comments or on our Google+ page how you feel about large screen or phablet size smartphones versus the smaller, 4.7-inch displays, or do you prefer a mini sized device around the 4.3-inch size. What are your personal pros and cons in regards to your favorite smartphone size – too large for your hands, pocket, or making a phone call.