
Conjecture Regarding Larger iPhone Displays - rkudeshi
http://daringfireball.net/2014/08/larger_iphone_display_conjecture
======
cnbuff410
Okay, I'm not trying to be a dick here. But everytime when I see the rumor
about the screen size of iPhone 6, it always remind me how Gruber and Jim
Dalrymple, two of the biggest Apple fans on the internet, mock the screen size
of Samsung Note before.

Note became instantly popular in Asia area and I always thought there are big
market for big phones. I even argued with Jim on his G+ saying there are
someone who genuinely likes it, they could not believe.

Yes, of course, the 4 inches iPhone is perfect. THERE IS NO OTHER SIZE COULD
FIT BETTER IN HUMAN"S HAND. Right? Right?

How times change.

refs:

1 Why Apple should sidestep the ‘Phablet’:
[http://www.loopinsight.com/2013/03/12/why-apple-should-
sides...](http://www.loopinsight.com/2013/03/12/why-apple-should-sidestep-the-
phablet/) 2 Samsung Galaxy Note and a Radio Flyer wagon:
[http://www.loopinsight.com/2012/02/08/samsung-galaxy-note-
an...](http://www.loopinsight.com/2012/02/08/samsung-galaxy-note-and-a-radio-
flyer-wagon/) 3 Galaxy Note is so big it’s in a timezone of its own:
[http://www.loopinsight.com/2012/02/15/galaxy-note-is-so-
big-...](http://www.loopinsight.com/2012/02/15/galaxy-note-is-so-big-its-in-a-
timezone-of-its-own/) 4 Samsung’s Galaxy Note Is the Most Useless Phone
Jonathan Geller Has Ever Used:
[http://daringfireball.net/linked/2012/02/15/geller-galaxy-
no...](http://daringfireball.net/linked/2012/02/15/geller-galaxy-note) 5
Samsung’s Super-Sized Galaxy Note:
[http://daringfireball.net/linked/2012/02/15/techblock-
galaxy...](http://daringfireball.net/linked/2012/02/15/techblock-galaxy-note)

~~~
jgruber
Here's what I wrote two years ago, when the iPhone 5 shipped:

    
    
      > There is no argument that some people really do like these big
      > closer-to-5-than-4-inch Android and Windows phones. I was in a
      > Verizon retail store yesterday (long story; don’t ask) and
      > overheard a relatively small woman buying a Galaxy S III. A
      > companion asked if she wasn’t worried that it was too big, and she
      > said no, big was exactly what she wanted, because she doesn’t have
      > a tablet and wanted to do a lot of reading on whatever phone she
      > got. She even said she was thinking about the 5-inch Galaxy Note
      > (which Verizon doesn’t carry). It was like a conversation out of a
      > Samsung commercial. Such people surely think the iPhone 5’s
      > display remains too small. But, trust me, there are going to be
      > many long-time iPhone users complaining that it’s too big after
      > they upgrade.
      >
      > In an ideal world, perhaps Apple would offer two iPhone sizes --
      > like they do with products such as MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs, and
      > iMacs. A smaller one with the classic 3.5-inch display, and a
      > larger (say, 4.5-inch?) one for people who want that.
    

[http://daringfireball.net/2012/09/iphone_5](http://daringfireball.net/2012/09/iphone_5)

That holds up pretty well, but I undershot the two sizes by an inch apiece.

Also, I haven't said whether I think a 5.5-inch iPhone is actually any good,
because, duh, I haven't even seen one yet, let alone used one.

~~~
wlesieutre
I was just discussing the screen size rumors with an iPhone 5 user yesterday,
and you're spot on with the complaints about it being too big.

On his 3g (or maybe 3gs?) you could hold it one handed and reliably reach the
whole screen with your thumb. One the iPhone 5's larger screen that's no
longer true.

Apple's certainly aware of this problem, so even if they launch a bigger
screened version I can't imagine they'll dropping the form factor of the 5s
any time soon. But I'm curious to see how they'll market it.

Limiting iPhones to a single size has always let them control the touchscreen
experience, but they'll have a lot of people buying phones with a worse
experience because they don't think about the downsides of a larger screen.

Apple's always made it their business to make as many design decisions as
possible for their users, and it's worked out well for their OSes and devices.
I'm betting some people there aren't happy about giving this one up.

------
ggreer
I hope Apple segments their phones and makes smaller screens as well. I want
something small enough that it practically disappears in my pocket. My ideal
phone would be the size of a 4th-gen iPod Nano.[1]

Business-wise, large screens make a lot of sense. Most people want them.
They're great for people with poor eyesight, especially older people who won't
admit they need bifocals. Women usually carry purses, so comfortably fitting
in a small pocket isn't an issue. And of course, larger screens look better
side-by-side. A lot of consumers are enticed by the immediate appeal of a
larger screen. They forget they'll have to lug around a heavier phone that is
harder to hold.

I've looked around, but I haven't been able to find any smartphone that's as
small as an iPod Nano. If anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears.

1\.
[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IPod_Nano_4G_black_c...](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IPod_Nano_4G_black_crop.jpg)

------
jhugg
If @3x is a thing, wouldn't 1080p be kind of an Occam's Razor resolution for a
4.7 device?

Besides the fact that 1080p is common and marketable, it would be the perfect
resolution to mirror to an AppleTV.

And having both the 4.7 & 5.5 phones be @3x would motivate developers more to
add @3x assets. If the 5.5 phone is the only @3x device in Apple's lineup for
a while, it might be tempting not to invest.

And then a 4K (3840x2160) at @3x might be perfect for a 12.x inch iPad. That
would mirror perfectly to 1080p or 4K TVs. It would be 16x9, which is hard to
imagine, but mirroring to projectors might be more important for a 12" iPad
than the smaller ones? I could really see it used in presentations and
education.

I say go with the standard resolutions when in doubt, even though there is no
real Apple precedent.

(edit to add content)

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comex
I know I'm in a small minority here (at least, judging by the years of clamor
for larger iPhones), but I almost always use my iPhone one-handed, so I'm very
skeptical about any larger display. Currently, when holding it in a relaxed
position, my thumb can reach a bit to the left of or above the current
display, but not both - there would probably be a difficult to reach zone in
the top left corner. A larger size would also make my grip less stable.

To be fair, I don't have that much actual experience with larger phones, but I
did switch to a Galaxy S4 for a few weeks last year, and while it wasn't
completely unusable one handed or anything, the unwieldiness of doing so was
one of the things that made me happy to get my iPhone back. But it looks like
I'll soon be left behind if I want to continue using iOS...

~~~
baddox
I'm with you. I would still gladly take an iPhone 5s with the 3:2 form factor
screen from the iPhone 4s.

~~~
andrewSC
Same.

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pervycreeper
A thought just occurred to me: if the subpixel geometry is based on multiple
of 2 on a "3x" pixel device (say, moving from rgb to "pentile"), that would
allow for "sharp" rendering of "2x" assets if everything was arranged
appropriately.

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eurleif
Just a random anecdote, but I was in a T-Mobile store a couple of weeks ago,
and I overheard some random woman looking at phones. When she saw the iPhone,
her immediate reaction was: "Ew, oh my god, the screen is so tiny! That's
awful!"

~~~
e28eta
I've gotten a similar reaction: I was asked why my iPhone was so small by my
gf's mom, who is (apparently) not very familiar with smartphones.

I don't think I want a larger phone, but I can understand why Apple might make
them.

------
acqq
So what is then the rationale for the "bigger" variant not being also 326 DPI?
That would give something like 1562 x 878 display for the 5.5 inch one. Less
pixels, therefore faster. The difference between 326 and 461 DPI is most
probably not discernible for most of the people.

Another advantage: not needing one more target resolution of the resources.
And another: no need for the new scale for the pixel masks by production.

~~~
LazyGhost
Gruber does mention his rationale for not using a resolution that's close to
this. Under "Other Resolutions" he says:

    
    
      1564 × 880 is feasible for a 5.5-inch phone.
      That’s what you get if you maintain the 326
      pixels-per-inch density and @2x scale. This
      would increase area — the number of points
      displayed on screen — by a whopping 89 percent.
      But it wouldn’t increase the size of what you
      see at all. I think the sweet spot for a
      5.5-inch phone requires you see to more content
      and to make what you see at least a little bit
      bigger. So that’s why I’d bet against 1564 × 880.
     (1564 × 880 would be implausible for the 4.7-inch
      phone: it would render UI elements and text 15
      percent smaller than all previous iPhones.)

~~~
acqq
Thanks. To "see more content" is actually fulfilled with 1564 × 880. To "make
what you see at least a little bit bigger" (seems he thinks that the icons and
the text should be _visually_ bigger when holding the phone in front of you at
the same distance as before? why? it's still a phone) results either in
needing the new resources or leaving the pixel perfectness (which won't happen
for Apple) -- I don't buy it. But let's see if he actually got the insider
information about something so non-obvious.

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dmishe
Wouldn't it be cool if they made 5" model just to screw with rumors and then
release something entirely different.

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themodelplumber
This article would be awesome with some mockups. Gruber's next "and another
thing" in these incredible what-ifs could be some DF artwork. (BTW does
anybody else drop their large-screen phone a lot or is it just me? I really
love the extra screen space but holding onto it is not as easy as it was with
a smaller phone)

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drcode
I think now that retina is widely adopted, Apple no longer needs to worry
about 2x, 3x, etc.

Even if the phones are 1.457x or whatever, I bet iOS8 will just do its best to
scale elements as needed- Since the resolutions are so high already, a scaling
error of a fraction of a retina pixel is totally not noticeable.

~~~
geon
> a scaling error of a fraction of a retina pixel is totally not noticeable.

Wat?

For a photo it can be acceptable. Not great, but acceptable. For UI elements,
it is horrible. Smudgy, blurry edge makes no one happy.

