I don't like the iphone 6 line. They are too big. I bike and run with my phone all the time and don't like having a clunker strapped to my arm. I got rid of the 6 and got a 5c and I like it way more. Just as fast as an iphone6 and 1/3 the price. By just as fast, I mean for normal use - not playing games and using crazy apps (which I don't do)
I recently downgraded from a 6 to a 5S almost entirely over size issues. If my thumb cannot reach the url bar of the browser and all of the keyboard without repositioning my hand, the phone is too big.
I know on the 6 you can double tap the home key to bring the screen down, but that is a bandaid. I also found the double tap unresponsive sometimes, often having to try two or three times, in which time I could have just repositioned my hand.
Completely agreed. Literally felt strain in my hand and fingers from holding the beast all day. Shifting the phone around made me almost drop it a bunch of times too. It finally did hit the fritz when it slid out of my pocket(because it is very slippery) and got crushed in my car door when I sat in my car.
I, too, am hanging out for the 7 series to see if they refresh the 4" display. I completely agree with you that I prefer to use my phone one-handed and the shift-the-screen-down hack that the larger idevices use is really a bad solution to the problem.
I actually went so far as to buy a new 5S a couple of weeks ago after I got drunk and threw my old one at the ground one too many times and smashed it to pieces. It was due for replacement anyway because the battery was hosed and losing charge way too fast. I could've paid a bit more for the 6 or 6s and I love the shape and construction of the phone, but the size is simply a dealbreaker for me.
> If my thumb cannot reach the url bar of the browser and all of the keyboard without repositioning my hand, the phone is too big.
I know this isn't the question you asked and you've already moved on, but for others, there is a way around this problem on the iPhone. If you 'soft tap' the home button twice, the entire display shifts down about 3 inches.
> I know on the 6 you can double tap the home key to bring the screen down, but that is a bandaid. I also found the double tap unresponsive sometimes, often having to try two or three times, in which time I could have just repositioned my hand.
I think he already know that, and I kind of agree.
I'm a fairly short guy with short-guy hands. I like the larger screen. I don't try to use my phone one-handed. I stop whatever it is I'm doing with the other hand and use both of them.
Sure, some people can multi-task. I might even be one of them. But I prefer not to.
> To me, the 5 is near the optimal smartphone size.
This would appear to be reasonably dependent on the size of the person. The idea that a smaller person and an NBA player would like the same size is a bit silly, no?
Hopefully there will be a future update at the smaller size.
I feel the same way, and at this point I'm just holding out for some kind of iPhone Nano product line next year.
What puzzles me is that I don't know anybody else who feels like this. Most people are surprised at me, or don't seem to notice that they suddenly need two hands to operate their smartphone.
I have the 6s+, and yeah I can't use it with one hand, but I'm okay with that because I love having the bigger screen so much more. I can see a lot more while typing, watching videos is a better experience, and I've noticed myself using the bigger phone (I used to have a 5s) in new ways a lot more.
Before, I would avoid doing some tasks on my phone like taking more than a few lines of notes. The bigger screen feels less cramped and I don't feel annoyed while using it. In fact I wrote this comment out on my phone. I've never done that with any of the smaller phones I've had.
I think it probably has to do with the kind of lifestyle you have. For me, I have to commute by bus, and most of the time it's packed so I have to stand. While on the bus I'd like to use my phone to avoid boredom, which means using it with one hand because I need the other to hold onto something.
I can totally see how having a bigger screen and bigger battery are great. But unfortunately for some of us, we have times where we need to be able to use the phone with one hand.
You're right - there's no one size fits all solution. I'm glad that phones have gotten bigger because they fit my use cases, and based on their popularity I'm definitely not alone. I am surprised that 4" phones have been lost - especially by Apple. Despite the low sales of the 5c, I figured we'd still see a 6c to satisfy those not wanting a bigger phone. It seems like a decent number of people are refusing to upgrade to a newer iPhone, and I'm not aware of any good, modern Android phones at 4" for these people to switch to.
The closest you get to a good, small Android is Sony's Xperia Z(1,3,5) Compact series. They're about 1 cm shorter than an iPhone 6/6S mainly because they don't have the home button, but that's still about 0.5 cm taller and 1 cm wider than a 4" iPhone.
My use of the ipad has definitely descreased since I have gotten the 6+. That extra effort of getting up, locating where the iPad is usually isn't worth it for me since the phone is within reach already.
Totally agree, sticking with the 5s due to size in jeans and one-handed use despite the desire and budget to upgrade. Have been considering upgrading to an old 64gb one since they no longer offer that
I would have to disagree. I love the large form factor of the 6 Plus. Now that I have been using it for a year, I have learned to hardly notice the big footprint that it has. I am probably on the extreme side as to how often I use the device, so for me I can't immagine going back to a teeny screen.
I am also a tall guy with long fingers so usually I do not have to re-position the phone to reach everything. When I do, I can do it with one hand pretty smoothly now with a year of daily practice.
I do have to say, that any bigger and it would be too big. I can also see that someone who is less willing to compromise on drawbacks of a large screen would not like it.
You're also a self-admitted tall user with long fingers, and the device is pretty much at the size limit of what you would find usable. That means that for the average person, it's definitely too big, and surpassed the size of what they find usable. Also, being able to reposition the phone to do day-to-day activities being easy for you after a year isn't an upside to me, that's a downside. That's you saying, "After a year of use, I've found a usability flow that addresses the problems I initially had with the phone". You shouldn't have had to spend the year getting to a point where you can do it "pretty smoothly now with a year of daily practice". Not saying there aren't people out there who would prefer it, but the fact that it's across-the-board required to learn this (and the fact that Apple recognized it, and added the double-tap to "lower" the screen as a bandaid) make me think the darn thing is just too big.
If apple can get a gps chip into the Apple Watch and someone releases a good Bluetooth headphone I'd be perfectly fine with the 6 plus since I wouldn't have to take it with me.
The iPhone 6S and 6S+ are the same size as the preceding 6 and 6+, why would they dwell on something that was covered in depth last time, and hasn't changed?
I think all phones are too big - I have stuck with my iPhone 4s purely because it is so easy to carry around and does everything I want. Please Apple release an iPhone nano.
I currently own a 5C and I think I'll eventually replace it with a 5S. The iPhone 6/6S can fit my hand also, but it's not really as comfortable as the 5S and below were.
Respectfully, as a person who once agreed with you, I would say that you can't possibly really know this until you actually USE a 6/6S for a couple weeks, all the time. You might be shocked at how quickly your hand adapts and finds the new size to be just as natural as the old 5S size. I was shocked.
This is a very good point, but I have a counterpoint: I suffered through a year with the 6 before downgrading to the 5S last month. My only regret? Waiting so long to ditch the 6.
