Simon Hill

The average size of smartphones has been steadily rising for more than a decade. Meanwhile, the average size of hands has not changed at all. Surely some mistake?

It’s not just that phones are growing larger on average, manufacturers have also stopped making smaller phones. If you want an Android phone that’s easy to manage one-handed and fits into a skinny jeans pocket comfortably, then you don’t have a lot of choices.

As the current poster boy for overkill in smartphone design, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra truly is comically big. It is 6.57 inches tall and it has a 6.9-inch screen. Shave the enormous bezels off an old Nexus 7 tablet and that’s the kind of size we’re talking about.

Put this monster in your pajama pocket and it’s heavy enough to pull them down.

Not only is it too big to comfortably manage with one hand, the S20 Ultra is also heavy. At 222 grams naked, this thing is weighty. You’re more likely to fumble this phone because of the size and weight. Since a shattered screen is going to cost you somewhere around $400, a case is essential, but that makes it even heavier. We now have a device that fails the pajama pants test. Put this monster in your pajama pocket and it’s heavy enough to pull them down.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra in Case Weight

It’s not fair to single out the Ultra, this is becoming a widespread issue. I developed this strange pain in my finger a while back. I could not figure out what was causing it. Could it be arthritis? Some sort of tendon condition? Maybe a weird infection? I eventually figured out it was the gaming phone I was reviewing at the time. When I held it in landscape to play, I was resting the weight on this one finger — it was the Red Magic 3 if you’re curious.


The thing is, we’ve grown used to this. Smartphones have grown slowly, almost imperceptibly bigger over years. If someone pulls a huge phone out of their pocket and holds it to their head, we no longer react. Just five years ago, we would have noticed and maybe laughed. When the first Note was released, Samsung was ridiculed for making a phone so big.

It had a 5.3-inch screen.

Even with enormous bezels it was only 5.78 inches tall. The Pixel 4 is taller than that.

galaxy s series dimensions chart
Galaxy S devices have got bigger and much heavier over the years

We’re like the lobster in the pot that doesn’t realize it is being cooked because the water gets warmer very slowly. We’ve been conditioned to think huge phones are the norm.

There is no middle ground between phones and tablets, phones have eaten that middle ground and grown bigger in the process.


The word phablet has been quietly retired, sadly not because people have finally realized portmanteaus are awful, but rather because it doesn’t have a distinct meaning anymore. There is no middle ground between phones and tablets, phones have eaten that middle ground and grown bigger in the process.

Why have they gotten so big? I can’t deny there are some good reasons. Bigger screens are better for watching video or playing games. There’s more room for extra features like multiple camera lenses and support for 5G. You can pack larger batteries in there and efficient cooling systems. Though some of that is a bit chicken and egg: larger screens require larger batteries, and round and round we go.

There also comes a point where you have to say, that’s far enough. If a phone needs a special one-handed mode in the software, aren’t we acknowledging that it’s not really usable with one hand?

galaxy s series comparison 2
The Galaxy S series over the years. Made with PhoneSized.com

I’m being slightly disingenuous here. While phones have grown taller, they have also reduced in width. You won’t find many phones today that are more than 3 inches wide. That’s why iPhones sometimes look squat. Most manufacturers are making their phones taller, but not wider. The S20 Ultra is 2.99 inches across, whereas the original Note was 3.27 inches across.


I don’t want to ban big phones either. Some people love them, and that’s fine by me. I appreciate a big screen when I’m gaming. I probably only watch movies on phones when I’m testing them, because I have a TV. But some people like to watch a lot of video on their phone and a big screen makes sense for them. I get it. Truly I do.

EDITOR'S PICK
108MP camera shootout: Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra vs Xiaomi Mi Note 10
But, if we’re going to have comically big phones, why don’t Android manufacturers make small phones anymore? Scour comment sections and forums across the land, and you’ll frequently find laments about the scarcity of small Android phones.

Apple fans have the iPhone 8, which is still a surprisingly big seller. By units sold worldwide, it was the biggest selling phone of 2018, and it still managed to come in seventh place in 2019, according to IHS Markit.

The Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact.

There’s no Android phone available today from a major manufacturer that’s as small as that. The Pixel 4 is considered a small phone now. Sony was the last holdout with the Compact line, but it has been retired. Ostensibly, because not enough people were buying them. Is that because people don’t really want small phones, or is it because most people don’t buy Sony phones anymore?

Presumably, if manufacturers thought small phones would sell well, they’d make more of them. The Galaxy S10e was the last smallish phone from Samsung and it’s yet to get a successor. Do we just like the idea of smaller phones, but size simply isn’t enough of a reason to drive our final choice? Would Samsung clean up with a smaller phone that wasn’t dramatically scaled back on the spec sheet? Would you buy one?

6.3in max will do unless you got large palms but in all honesty, 6.9in devices should be in the realm of gaming phones.

MJBOLT:

people want phones with bigger display, if you think the s20 ultra is big then check out the Mi Mix Alpha

The Mi Mix alpha is a wrap around display, with the display curving all the way to the back of the phone, it's usable screen at a time is not up to 6.5 inches

khingTony:

The Mi Mix alpha is a wrap around display, with the display curving all the way to the back of the phone, it's usable screen at a time is not up to 6.5 inches

yh 6.4.


an not even comfortable holding 6inch phones

Manufacturers should just focus on innovation without enlarging the screen

If you enjoy live football on your mobile and love reading and watching videos....6 inches and above screen is really good.

I can't use any phone below 6 inches.

I miss my mi max 3 and my cracked Asus zenfone 3 ultra.... Great big screen phones

innobarca:
If you enjoy live football on your mobile and love reading and watching videos....6 inches and above screen is really good.

I can't use any phone below 6 inches.

I miss my mi max 3 and my cracked Asus zenfone 3 ultra.... Great big screen phones

still 5.5 is enough, its called hand set, they are partially chunking out mini tabs

soundlala:
still 5.5 is enough, its called hand set, they are partially chunking put mini tabs

Ok.

If one is used to big screen phones, difficult to go back to 5 inches to 5.5

Well, it's called technological advancement. Lots of apps are springing up that needs bigger screen for better user experience.

Any phone I cant operate with one hand is too big for me...

I can't use any phone with screen bigger that 6.3''

Can't use anyone bigger than 6.2 inches,my current one is 5.5

Kunja2:
Well, it's called technological advancement. Lots of apps are springing up that needs bigger screen for better user experience.

thats a lie, its just companies copying each other, like d hole in phones and yet there's still bezel

khingTony:

The Mi Mix alpha is a wrap around display, with the display curving all the way to the back of the phone, it's usable screen at a time is not up to 6.5 inches

see them quoting themselves.rubbish

Zzor:
see them quoting themselves.rubbish

meaning?

Have thought about this too... I use to tell my self I can't use a phone above 4inch but look at me today using 6.0inch but it's really stressful it can't fit in my pocket shirt I can't put it inside my pocket and work or bend down I needed to get a torch light phone

not everyone is confortable with 5.5 inch phone. some wants it big some wants it small just get d one dat fits u and move

Who knows... 10 yrs from now we might be using an adjustable phone, you can make it larger or smaller with the touch of a button.

I like phones with big screens
It is the beauty of Android

Kunja2:
Well, it's called technological advancement. Lots of apps are springing up that needs bigger screen for better user experience.

Correct

5 to 6.2 inches is just it for me
I prefer 5.5 to 5.8 inches

I remember the days when 5.5 inches were called tabs,6 inches were the bigger tab variants

I wasn't comfortable with the last device I used which was I think 6.4 inches

I just hope they start releasing smaller versions of phones because not everyone is a fan of tall displays.

edoairways:

Correct

soooo u think increasing screen size is technological advancement, clearly u can b sold anything.

I thought I was the only one who loves small curve screen

I'm so not a big fan of big screen phones, that's y I prefer Google pixel and iphone's

one of the reasons am still stuck with Nokia 6.1

haba phone go just long soon sars go they ask for receipt

Y'all seem to be forgetting a very crucial factor - screen aspect ratio, most new phones use 20:9, 19:9 or similar aspect ratio unlike the 16:9 of the older phones. This means a bigger diagonal screen will fit in a smaller frame. Though phones have indeed gotten bigger, if the length is under 158mm(6.2) then most people should be fine. Btw, 158mm usually fits a 6.4in diagonal screen.

Take the 2014 iPhone 6plus @ 5.5in screen and total length of 6.22in against the 2019 Galaxy s10plus with 6.4in screen diagonal and 6.2in total phone length. iPhone uses 16:9 while the s10 is a 18.5:9 aspect ratio. So even though the S10plus has a 6.4in screen it fits a smaller frame than the 5.5in iPhone.

I like them big..
Currently using the Mi Max 3 and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has nothing on it..
If you view a lot of video contents on your device,a large screen is a no brainer..

5.5-6.2 is just right for me

With the rate at which things are going well probably soon get a 8 inch device I mean a 6.9 inch device is just to talk
What happened to pocket friendly ideas?,at this rate people would start buying foldable phones like the galaxy z flip