The Big Phone Trend – What do you think?
This post is a kind of reverse “Ask the Droid Women” article – this time, we have some questions for you to answer!
I originally thought my friend was a bit crazy for getting the Droid X – with no hardware keyboard and a huge screen, it didn’t fit my requirements for great phone… until I used it.
Once you view content on that big screen, all other phone screens just seem too small for watching videos, playing games, or anything else that benefits from the larger interface. I initially thought it looked silly to hold a phone that large up to my ear, but I thought about it and realized you see people looking at their Android phone’s screen a lot more often than you see them talking on it. Phones have become so much more than phones in the last couple years, and therefore, bigger just may be better for Android devices.
So, even though I didn’t think it was likely that I would ever get a phone that large, I accepted the Droid X as another great Android phone and could see why people liked it and other big phones like the Evo. I also realized I could never go to a smaller screen like the one on the Droid Pro.
What I didn’t expect was that large-screened phones would become the next big thing. Have you seen the news coming out at CES? Almost all of the major hardware announcements have either been tablets or big-screened phones. Check these out:
HTC Thunderbolt [Droid-Life] |
Droid Bionic [Wired Gadget Lab] |
LG Revolution [Android Central] |
HTC Evo Shift [Wired Gadget Lab] |
Of course, these larger screens will also be better for video content, which is more important now that it’s been announced that Hulu Plus [Androinica] and Netflix [Android Central], as well as TV content via some satellite and cable providers will soon be available on Android phones. (Not to mention video calling.)
So here are my questions for you:
Since females generally have smaller hands than males, do you think most women will readily accept and use larger phones, or are they mainly targeted at men?
Would you get both a big-screened phone and a tablet, or go for a smaller-screened phone and use the tablet device for web browsing, multimedia, and games?
If you have a big phone, do you hold it up to your ear to talk, or use a hands-free device?
I’m really curious what other people, especially women, think of this large-screen trend. Tell us in the comments!
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My wife thinks her Droid Incredible is big and I know she thinks the Evo and DX are (too) huge. Me personally I like the trend and prefer the bigger phones.
Throughout the years I have owned big phones & small phones & will never own a small phone again” large screens are crucial when owning a android.
Male here. I love my Droid X. I know ladies that love there Droid X. I also have a couple of female friends that are going to get a Droid X.
I have a Captivate and LOVE it. One of the main reasons I chose it was for the big screen. What good is accessing pics/web/video, if you have to view it on a teeny, tiny screen.
I have used “an earpiece” for years. I continue to do so, as I need to be able to do things without holding a phone.
I would still like to have a tablet or ipad, but it would not replace my Droid Captivate. 🙂
My boyfriend has the Droid X and I have the Droid 2 Global now, we both looked at both and played with them a lot before choosing. In the end, I found the X a bit too big and I rarely watch video, anyway, so it just wasn’t worth giving up the physical keyboard and faster processor on the 2. I think there’s a place for both, for anyone who watches a lot of video the bigger screen makes sense but otherwise it just makes it harder to fit in a pocket. I wouldn’t want to go smaller than my current phone but I wouldn’t want anything bigger, either, it fits perfectly in all my bags and pockets, which matters to me.
Personally, I don’t understand the popularity of tablets and don’t expect to buy one until they are fully-fledged computers that can run real software, not just apps, and/or they become quite a bit cheaper than a smartphone since they have less capabilities.
In the end, the more options, the better for everyone. I’d like to continue seeing Android phones of all shapes and sizes.
Coming from a blackberry Storm, I knew I wanted an android phone with a screen at least as large as the Storm’s but with a slimmer and lighter feel. That is the reason that I chose the Fascinate over the Droid X. Plus I didn’t like that odd bump on the back. That said, the newer phones that are featured in this blog all look slim and still have a nice sized screen which I like. And I have pretty small hands! Also I usually don’t use a headset, BTW.
Thanks for weighing in, everyone! I can imagine myself having a phone with a larger screen, but I think I’d start using a headset so I wouldn’t have to hold it up to my ear when talking.
Also, I see the pros of tablets, but what I always say I really want is a touch-enabled tablet-sized external monitor for my Droid! Then I don’t have to worry about 2 devices, but I can have a big screen when I want one. Oh yeah, and it would be much cheaper than a fully-functioning tablet. I’ll keep dreaming about it 🙂
I also agree with CraftLass that variety is key, which is why I was a bit concerned to see such a focus on BIG phones at CES. I think those are just the ‘showiest’, though, and manufacturers will continue to produce the smaller ones as well.
Woman here… I have a Droid X and have no problem manipulating this baby with my girl hands.
Got myself a HTC HD2, despite the fact that I can barely hold it with one hand. Now running Froyo on it, and loving it! Also, I’m so used to swype now, I can’t use a normal QWERTY keypad on a phone.
I just got a droid X and I’m loving it, compare to my old BB storm. I don’t think I would want to downgrade to a smaller screen ever.
I have my Droid and the Droid X. I am in love with my DX. I got it back in July and havent looked back. I now just use the Droid as my backup and storage phone. I have been watching the Droid Bionic and really want to check that out.