With new technology becoming faster and sleeker by the day, one of the main improvements is that newer models of existing technology get smaller and better. Yet in the case of smartphones, it looks like the opposite is true, at least in terms of screen size anyway.
A new study from Strategy Analytics found that smartphone owners in both the U.S. and UK would prefer devices which have a 4 to 4.5-inch display, provided the device is also thin, BGR.com report. the study found that almost 90 per cent of existing smartphone owners would choose a prototype smartphone device with a display larger than their current device.
To put that into context, the screen size for an iPhone is 3.5 inches while a Samsung Galaxy Nexus has a 4.65 inch display. The study also found that the size preference depends on the demographic, with females more likely to consider slightly smaller devices than males.
Also, existing Android owners are more likely to seek larger devices than existing Apple iPhone owners. The Director of Strategy Analtics User Experience Practice Paul Brown commented that the trend was “driven by increased mobile web browsing capability, as well as engaging video and gaming experiences.”
The important point to take from this is that it’s what users want in comparison to the current feature or smartphone they own, it would be interesting to see whether consumers would feel the same the moment they own one with such a display.
Also as a rule, the larger the screen is, the more power it will require to run, so when you consider this factor and the idea that a thinner phone means less space to fit in a battery, the lifespan of a regular charge could be much shorter than expected.
Potential Nokia Tablet?
And speaking of moving towards bigger screens, mobile manufacturer Nokia has an eye on entering the tablet market with its own creation. The company’s design chief Marko Ahtisaari told Finnish magazine Kauppalehti Optio that he was spending one third of his time creating a tablet that would stand out among hundreds of iPad challengers.
Reuters report that Nokia’s Chief Executive Stephen Elop said that the sector is interesting for the company, but stressed the need for a different approach to numerous rivals who are trying to battle against the dominance of Apple’s iPad.
While there has been no official announcements made yet, Nokia are expected to launch said tablet using Microsoft’s Windows 8 software later this year.
