5 ms·

> I don't get it! My hands are probably bigger than 95% of all humans This seems to be a recurring pattern, big-handed people as the last holdouts of the non-g

by usrusr 7y ago

> I don't get it! My hands are probably bigger than 95% of all humans This seems to be a recurring pattern, big-handed people as the last holdouts of the non-gigantic phone screen. Apparently the smaller-handed have given up on single-handed use several phone generations ago, so they have nothing to lose from even bigger phones. (Written with one hand on a way too big XZ2 Compact)

eqvinox 7y ago
I'm still on a Z3 compact (4.6" screen, 5" total height) which I use single-handed quite a bit. Decided I would never buy a phone above 5" size, with 4.6~4.7" being my ideal preference. My hands are (to my knowledge) average size, maybe a slight bit on the small side. Really wish more vendors made high-end smartphones below 5"... (I previously used a Z1 compact, and before that a Nexus 4 - loved both.)
- kevin_thibedeau 7y ago
  FWIW 5" bezel-less screens can fit into the same space as a traditional 4.7" phone. Just nobody is willing to make a phone that small any more. You really need to shop by outer dimensions rather than the actual screen size now.
  - pmontra 7y ago
    I do look at outer dimensions and at weight. I try to stay under 130 mm and around 130 g. Very few decent phones are there. The SE for iOS and basically only the Sony Compact line for Android. But the latest model weighs more than 160 g and I can't understand what those extra 30 g are for.
  - donretag 7y ago
    The problem is you cannot even find 5" bezel-less screen phones nowadays. Seems like 5.5" is the minimum.
  - jorvi 7y ago
    But outer dimensions mean zilch for reachability. The dream phone is an iPhone SE with the body shrunk down to a iPhone X style frame.
- dangus 7y ago
  First, have you ever tried a Popsocket? I highly recommend it. Give it at least a week's chance. Next, the screen to body ratio has changed screen sizing specs a lot. Phones are very much still sold in the iPhone 8 and Xperia Z3 Compact size.
  - usrusr 7y ago
    I think that you have the numbers mixed up, every source I have checked (including the Sony website and an actual device in my hands) had the XZ2 Compact at 135 mm in the longest dimension. The tall, narrow XZ2c is about as wide as older Xperia Compacts, but noticeably taller. PS: additionally, I'm actually not all that happy with "better" screen to body ratios, coming to the XZ2c from the original Z1c. Accidental touch events from the holding palm at the screen edges are a daily nuisance for me.
    - dangus 7y ago
      Yes, actually, Google did fail me. The dimensions are not right. You seriously do sound like the kind of person who needs to try a Popsocket. Screen palm edge issues begone!
      - wlesieutre 7y ago
        How's wireless charging work with one of those?
        roland35 7y ago
        Seems like... not at all. My phone doesn't charge if it is a few mm off of the pad
        OMGTehAwsome 7y ago
        Not great. The new models (PopGrips) advertise themselves as supporting it, because they're easy to remove with a twist (which defeats the convenience of wireless charging.) I still use it but 1) my popsocket is mounted flush with the bottom of my case, 2) it only works conveniently on a vertical charger[1], as they're narrower than flat pads[2] and 3) the phone has to lie horizontal so the PopSocket hangs off the back. I did just test it vertically and it seemed to work if the PopSocket itself hung onto the lip of the charger. I think this might affect the charge rate, though, due to the distance from the coils. [1] https://www.anker.com/products/variant/qicertified-powerport-wireless-5-stand/A2523012 https://www.anker.com/products/variant/qicertified-powerport... [2] https://www.anker.com/products/variant/wireless-charger/A2518012 https://www.anker.com/products/variant/wireless-charger/A251...
- bscphil 7y ago
  I encourage you to stick to your guns on this. I used to have a Nexus 5X (which was a hair too big), and moved to a Moto x4. The x4 is basically the exact same size as the 5X, but they went with a "fancy" design for it with metal construction and a glass back. It's much heavier than my previous phone and it's slippery because of the glass construction. It's borderline impossible to use with one hand, and hard to avoid dropping occasionally because it's so much heavier and harder to grasp. It's so slick that it regularly slides off of almost flat surfaces. My next phone will be 5" or less. I have the same size preferences as you, and also owned a Nexus 4. I still think it was the pinnacle of the cell phone form factor.
tazjin 7y ago
> Apparently the smaller-handed have given up on single-handed use several phone generations ago, so they have nothing to lose from even bigger phones. Yes, we do - RSI issues on the medical front and at some point you also simply exceed pocket size. For some of my jeans, a current generation Google Pixel barely fits into the pockets without sticking out at the top. For me the ideal phone would be an iPhone SE running Android. There must be a market for this sort of thing and it doesn't make any sense to me that no company is even trying to play in it.
- Kluny 7y ago
  Women have been putting them in purses instead of pants pockets for a long time. Pockets usually aren't even an option for womens' clothing.
  - duderific 7y ago
    Huh? I constantly see iPhones sticking out of womens' back pockets.
    - Raphmedia 7y ago
      Because it's the only pocket available on most of our pants. The front pockets are sewn shut or cut in half to maintain a feminine silhouette in jeans. They often remove the zipper for the same reason. Even this back pocket is small and a bad way to carry a phone, as evidenced by the fact that you can see it sticking out. You can't sit and you can't run without the fear of dropping it.
  - tracyshaun 7y ago
    That's a silly statement. Nearly every woman I know carries it in the back pocket of her jeans/pants. Some will also carry it in their purse when her clothes don't have usable pockets.
    - CapricornNoble 7y ago
      This is entirely dependent on where you live, and where iPhone sales are concentrated. Look at the charts in [1] below. iPhone sales in China + Japan + the world > US + Europe. Women in Asia more frequently wear skirts to work, and tend to carry purses/shoulderbags more than, say, a casually-dressed American woman might. So it's not silly for >50% of iPhone sales (and also >50% of our species, see [2] below) to be heavily impacted by the market in countries where women "dressing down" is less tolerated or prevalent. Note: I'm a dude who also prefers smaller phones. I have a used iPhone 5S but my primary phones are a slightly larger Android phone and a very large rugged Chinese phone (giant battery, dual SIM, good RAM, this is my travel phone). [1]https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-sales-region-china-chart-2017-3 https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-sales-region-ch... [2]https://brilliantmaps.com/population-circle/ https://brilliantmaps.com/population-circle/
maxxxxx 7y ago
I have very small hands and love my SE :-). For me it's not about one handed use but being able to put it into a pocket.
jdblair 7y ago
This explains a lot. I can just barely use the regular Pixel 3 in one hand, and I never want a phone that is any bigger. If my thumb were a little bit smaller then I couldn't use the Pixel 3 one-handed and I might as well have a bigger phone. I put a data-only SIM into my old Nexus 5 to use for tethering and as a secondary device. Right away I noticed just how amazingly small and thin it is!
beatgammit 7y ago
I tried out a 6" screen for my last phone, and when it broke, I got a Moto x4 precisely because it wasn't huge (it's still a little larger than I prefer). I have pretty big hands, but the 6" screen was never comfortable and it didn't fit nicely in my (also rather large) pockets, so the smaller phone was a better fit for me. My main annoyance is that I'm essentially stuck with "budget" phones since all of the top of the line phones have a larger form factor. I think 5" is ideal, but it's hard to find anything under 5.5" these days, much less something with decent specs.

by usrusr 7y ago

eqvinox 7y ago

I'm still on a Z3 compact (4.6" screen, 5" total height) which I use single-handed quite a bit. Decided I would never buy a phone above 5" size, with 4.6~4.7" being my ideal preference. My hands are (to my knowledge) average size, maybe a slight bit on the small side. Really wish more vendors made high-end smartphones below 5"... (I previously used a Z1 compact, and before that a Nexus 4 - loved both.)

kevin_thibedeau 7y ago
FWIW 5" bezel-less screens can fit into the same space as a traditional 4.7" phone. Just nobody is willing to make a phone that small any more. You really need to shop by outer dimensions rather than the actual screen size now.
- pmontra 7y ago
  I do look at outer dimensions and at weight. I try to stay under 130 mm and around 130 g. Very few decent phones are there. The SE for iOS and basically only the Sony Compact line for Android. But the latest model weighs more than 160 g and I can't understand what those extra 30 g are for.
- donretag 7y ago
  The problem is you cannot even find 5" bezel-less screen phones nowadays. Seems like 5.5" is the minimum.
- jorvi 7y ago
  But outer dimensions mean zilch for reachability. The dream phone is an iPhone SE with the body shrunk down to a iPhone X style frame.
dangus 7y ago
First, have you ever tried a Popsocket? I highly recommend it. Give it at least a week's chance. Next, the screen to body ratio has changed screen sizing specs a lot. Phones are very much still sold in the iPhone 8 and Xperia Z3 Compact size.
- usrusr 7y ago
  I think that you have the numbers mixed up, every source I have checked (including the Sony website and an actual device in my hands) had the XZ2 Compact at 135 mm in the longest dimension. The tall, narrow XZ2c is about as wide as older Xperia Compacts, but noticeably taller. PS: additionally, I'm actually not all that happy with "better" screen to body ratios, coming to the XZ2c from the original Z1c. Accidental touch events from the holding palm at the screen edges are a daily nuisance for me.
  - dangus 7y ago
    Yes, actually, Google did fail me. The dimensions are not right. You seriously do sound like the kind of person who needs to try a Popsocket. Screen palm edge issues begone!
    - wlesieutre 7y ago
      How's wireless charging work with one of those?
      - roland35 7y ago
        Seems like... not at all. My phone doesn't charge if it is a few mm off of the pad
      - OMGTehAwsome 7y ago
        Not great. The new models (PopGrips) advertise themselves as supporting it, because they're easy to remove with a twist (which defeats the convenience of wireless charging.) I still use it but 1) my popsocket is mounted flush with the bottom of my case, 2) it only works conveniently on a vertical charger[1], as they're narrower than flat pads[2] and 3) the phone has to lie horizontal so the PopSocket hangs off the back. I did just test it vertically and it seemed to work if the PopSocket itself hung onto the lip of the charger. I think this might affect the charge rate, though, due to the distance from the coils. [1] https://www.anker.com/products/variant/qicertified-powerport-wireless-5-stand/A2523012 https://www.anker.com/products/variant/qicertified-powerport... [2] https://www.anker.com/products/variant/wireless-charger/A2518012 https://www.anker.com/products/variant/wireless-charger/A251...
bscphil 7y ago
I encourage you to stick to your guns on this. I used to have a Nexus 5X (which was a hair too big), and moved to a Moto x4. The x4 is basically the exact same size as the 5X, but they went with a "fancy" design for it with metal construction and a glass back. It's much heavier than my previous phone and it's slippery because of the glass construction. It's borderline impossible to use with one hand, and hard to avoid dropping occasionally because it's so much heavier and harder to grasp. It's so slick that it regularly slides off of almost flat surfaces. My next phone will be 5" or less. I have the same size preferences as you, and also owned a Nexus 4. I still think it was the pinnacle of the cell phone form factor.

tazjin 7y ago

> Apparently the smaller-handed have given up on single-handed use several phone generations ago, so they have nothing to lose from even bigger phones. Yes, we do - RSI issues on the medical front and at some point you also simply exceed pocket size. For some of my jeans, a current generation Google Pixel barely fits into the pockets without sticking out at the top. For me the ideal phone would be an iPhone SE running Android. There must be a market for this sort of thing and it doesn't make any sense to me that no company is even trying to play in it.

Kluny 7y ago
Women have been putting them in purses instead of pants pockets for a long time. Pockets usually aren't even an option for womens' clothing.
- duderific 7y ago
  Huh? I constantly see iPhones sticking out of womens' back pockets.
  - Raphmedia 7y ago
    Because it's the only pocket available on most of our pants. The front pockets are sewn shut or cut in half to maintain a feminine silhouette in jeans. They often remove the zipper for the same reason. Even this back pocket is small and a bad way to carry a phone, as evidenced by the fact that you can see it sticking out. You can't sit and you can't run without the fear of dropping it.
- tracyshaun 7y ago
  That's a silly statement. Nearly every woman I know carries it in the back pocket of her jeans/pants. Some will also carry it in their purse when her clothes don't have usable pockets.
  - CapricornNoble 7y ago
    This is entirely dependent on where you live, and where iPhone sales are concentrated. Look at the charts in [1] below. iPhone sales in China + Japan + the world > US + Europe. Women in Asia more frequently wear skirts to work, and tend to carry purses/shoulderbags more than, say, a casually-dressed American woman might. So it's not silly for >50% of iPhone sales (and also >50% of our species, see [2] below) to be heavily impacted by the market in countries where women "dressing down" is less tolerated or prevalent. Note: I'm a dude who also prefers smaller phones. I have a used iPhone 5S but my primary phones are a slightly larger Android phone and a very large rugged Chinese phone (giant battery, dual SIM, good RAM, this is my travel phone). [1]https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-sales-region-china-chart-2017-3 https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-sales-region-ch... [2]https://brilliantmaps.com/population-circle/ https://brilliantmaps.com/population-circle/

maxxxxx 7y ago

I have very small hands and love my SE :-). For me it's not about one handed use but being able to put it into a pocket.

jdblair 7y ago

This explains a lot. I can just barely use the regular Pixel 3 in one hand, and I never want a phone that is any bigger. If my thumb were a little bit smaller then I couldn't use the Pixel 3 one-handed and I might as well have a bigger phone. I put a data-only SIM into my old Nexus 5 to use for tethering and as a secondary device. Right away I noticed just how amazingly small and thin it is!

beatgammit 7y ago

I tried out a 6" screen for my last phone, and when it broke, I got a Moto x4 precisely because it wasn't huge (it's still a little larger than I prefer). I have pretty big hands, but the 6" screen was never comfortable and it didn't fit nicely in my (also rather large) pockets, so the smaller phone was a better fit for me. My main annoyance is that I'm essentially stuck with "budget" phones since all of the top of the line phones have a larger form factor. I think 5" is ideal, but it's hard to find anything under 5.5" these days, much less something with decent specs.