Smartphones: Is bigger better?

Gone is the era when mini spelt 'coveted' in the mobile handsets market. Remember that perky ad about a woman talking into a tiny phone and misleading a man into believing she was giving him the come-hither signal? Today's phone world is all about big, bigger, biggest. And yet, this beggars a question: Is bigger better?

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It all started when Apple first introduced the 3.5-inch screen and took the market by storm. All phonemakers followed the trend. Today, we have phones which have much larger displays than the Apple iPhone-the Samsung Galaxy S2 and HTC Sensation have 4.3-inch displays, the Acer S300 has an 4.8-inch one, while the Galaxy Note will boast a 5.3-inch screen. This has led to the availability of a large range in display sizes, from 2.8 inches to 5.3 inches and everything in between. All along Apple has kept to a 3.5-inch screen. Does the company feel that increasing the display size involves diminishing satisfaction for the user? Let's check.

USER INTERFACE
Remember when a 2.8-inch display in a Windows Mobile phone used to look huge? That was the time when we were ecstatic about resistive touch technology (which accepted touch input using a pointed tip, be it stylus, pen nib or a finger nail). Perhaps display size wasn't such a factor then. Today, capacitive touch technology in most touch phones has allowed the human finger to replace the stylus. It has also meant that the majority of touch phones come without a physical keypad. In such a scenario, the touch display needs to be big enough for human fingers to move around, type, navigate and even pinch to zoom. Although, the finger experience isn't horrifying on a 2.8-inch or 3-inch display, it is not the smoothest either.

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A user might feel comfortable browsing the menu but typing on the cramped onscreen QWERTY keypad isn't too pleasant. One might consider phones with a 3.5-inch display more comfortable to operate on, but those with even bigger displays are the ones that tax your patience the least. But also consider the flipside to this. It is not a comforting thought to be saddled with a big phone that doesn't fit into pockets and is fairly difficult to hold up to the ears for conversations. Tip: We have checked the phones sporting 4.3-inch display and these are easy to get used to. The 4.8 and 5.3 inchers are yet to come to the Indian market. The Dell Streak with its 5-inch screen was an awkward device for practical use. It was neither phone-sized nor had the tablet's easier, bigger screen.

MULTIMEDIA
It's a no-brainer that the bigger the display, the better the multimedia experience on it. So whether it is about watching a video or a picture, a bigger display is better for the eyes, just as it is for reading an ebook or browsing the web. The font size looks bigger and there is no need to zoom in.

APPLICATIONS
There is a belief that if you go for a bigger display size or an odd-sized display, you might not be able to download and use applications that are readily available for more regular displays. The truth is that it is the resolution that makes a difference, if at all. If the phone has a bigger display with a regular resolution, most of the applications will work well, irrespective of size. For instance, the original Samsung Galaxy S had a 4-inch display with a 480 x 800 resolution. In the Samsung Galaxy SII, the display size was increased to 4.3 inches, while the resolution remained the same.

That is why almost all apps perform as well on the new Galaxy S. Explains Rohith Bhat, managing director and CEO, Robosoft Technologies: "While designing an application, we can't just design for one display norm. We have, for instance, three different resolutions for which we design Android applications: 320 x 240, 320 x 480 and 800 x 480 pixels." He adds, "Whenever an application is installed on an irregular resolution, it automatically optimises the application for that particular resolution." The upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note has a 5.3-inch display with a 800 x 1280 resolution. Here the applications will upscale to fit in the screen. The interface and clarity will depend on the resource used by the application developer but in most of the cases it should work fine.

BATTERY
Many of us fail to understand the inverse relation between the display and the battery of a smartphone. The bigger and brighter the display, the quicker it drains the battery. A simple example, phones with small screen last close to two days on a single recharge. Today's big touch displays hardly run through a day.

VERDICT
While a bigger display will affect the battery and be a bother at times because of the size, it will also enhance user experience. Most apps can be easily downloaded and used without trouble. Besides, your eyes will be thankful for the stressless viewing.

Courtesy: Gadgets and Gizmos