Samsung Ups Ante In Smartphone Size Wars: 6.3 Inches 221
New submitter jarold writes to note that Samsung has launched two extra-large cellphones: a 6.3 inch LTE ready version, and a 5.8 inch version. "Branded as Galaxy Mega, one would struggle to fit [either in a] pocket or use it with just one hand. The good thing, it is only 8mm thin and weighs under 200 grams. More portable than a tablet, it comes with a durable polycarbonate body. Unlike most of Samsung's latest smartphones, it does not have a super AMOLED panel. Instead, it has an HD super clear LCD display, which is bright enough to please most users. It features split screen and multitasking between video and other apps."
For a phone that big, users might need to brush up on their side-talking skills.
Dead Zone? (Score:5, Insightful)
I know that for a while people thought 4" screens were overkill, too big for people's hands, etc. I'm using a 5" Galaxy now and, while it took some getting used to, it's manageable with one hand (and I don't have large hands).
However, 6.3" just seems like a deadzone. Too big to hold in a hand and use effectively, unless you're Shaq, but smaller than a 7 or 8" tablet like the Nexus 7 or iPad mini, which perform tablet duties pretty well.
Conventional wisdom on device size has been proved wrong time and again over the last few years, so who knows? Maybe what we're seeing is devices for every size. With rumored smart watches on the way, we may have 1-2" smart watches, followed up with 3.5-6" phones, and 7-11" tablets, after which the ultrabook/laptop market takes over. Maybe every device will excel at somethings while providing enough functionality for other basics (email, media) to keep people happy.
Interesting times.
Before we give our judgement... (Score:4, Insightful)
I have a Samsung Galaxy Note (Score:5, Insightful)
...and I have no problem using it as a phone. I tend to use my little finger to support it underneath when talking on it, but apart from that don't really notice any difference.
I'm still not sure why people want their phones paper thin.
Personally I'd be happy with something twice as thick as a Note if it trebled the battery life, and possibly improved wireless/GPS reception.
Galaxy needs a redesign (Score:3, Insightful)
Button placement is just bad: the power button is opposite the volume rocker, so when you (awkwardly) shut it off w/the side button, the tendency is to cancel out the button press by hitting the volume rocker. Dumb. The 4 words I utter most often when using my S3: "F&^%ing P.O.S."
Too thin. Way too thin. Very awkward to hold when talking on it. Double the thickness and use it for a better battery and use some better materials (aluminum).
Cheap, plastic-y look and feel. This is again, really bad. Just looks and feels cheap, especially compared to the newer iPhones and HTC One. You're charging us a small fortune for these things; how about spending more than 2 cents on the case?
Come on Samsung, this isn't rocket science...
Re:Ridiculous (Score:5, Insightful)
I wouldn't go that far. It's more like the difference between a 24" and a 21" monitor. Both are still "big" compared to what the majority of people use (Which is probably about 19" these days, perhaps 17") but there's a shift towards them. Your point is still valid, however, once you go bigger it's hard to go back.
That being said, you don't cart that 23" screen around with you. I have a 24" monitor on my desktop, but I still go back to a 15" laptop because 17" is too big to carry around.
Re:Bad analogies (Score:5, Insightful)
wha? His analogy was exactly correct, even the ratios are almost exact. 15/23 vs 4/6.3. By math alone, he basically made your analogy comment incorrect.
I'm not suggesting a 6.1" screen - I think it's too big to hold, but I will say that the 4.7" HTC one (larger than my previous HTC rezound/SGS/droid/razr) is visually a lot better than the 4" and smaller preceding phones, as referenced. However, even 4.7 is hard enough to use with one hand, which is a staple of most mobile devices - 6.1" would make that a guarantee in that it would be impossible to do so.
Once you have a larger size phone, it's really, really hard to go back. The difference in UI real estate and functionality is substantial.
Your nonsequitur, however, is not accurate. Nobody is implying you're putting a 23" monitor in your pocket, dumbass.
not just width that matters (Score:5, Insightful)
Personally, I think that if you can touch the entire surface of the screen with your thumb while holding the device in one hand then it's still useful as a phone. If not, then it's essentially a tablet.