Are regular smartphones on the cusp of getting too big?

Wrong. Some people are content with a low end iPhone built for obsolescence but for informed consumers specs do make a difference since they push their phone to do things such as Chrome Remote Desktop at full 1920x1080 streaming a YouTube video with virtually no delay

Here's how the conversation between two 1920x1080 users goes:

"Dude, look I can now stream Youtube at Full HD without delay!"
"Omg, awesomesauce!"
"Yeah, totally Dude!"
"Except ...."
"What?!"
"Well, one that 10 minute Youtube video at Full HD just sucked up 1/10 of your dataplan."
"Doh."
"Bummer Dude ..."

Please don't reply that you are on WiFi when you are watching Full HD Youtubes. If you are on WiFi then you will often to very often have access to devices which are significantly better suited for viewing Youtubes than your tiny phone screen.
 
There are a ton of places you would be with wifi and only a phone. Remember that people who buy nicer larger devices often find laptops and tablets to be redundant. No point in having them. His point stands any image or video is going to be much easier to see with more detail on a larger screen. That's why people buy big TVs.
 
not to mention why does one need 1080p on a 5" screen? 480p will have even fine detail on such a size.
 
Doesn't make sense to you since you're used to a dumb iPhone.

Use Chrome Remote Desktop on your phone to control your PC at 1080p over WIFI playing a 1080p YouTube video. Note 3 handles it fine with minimal latency while maintaining maximum detail.

I remote desktop to my PC from my iPad Air at 2048x1536 and it can play 1080p perfectly fine. And the iPad Air has the same CPU as the iPhone 5s...
 
iPad Air is a gimmicky memory starved toy. And, without mouse support it makes for an overpriced but poor thin client which is what I was leading to.

Chrome Remote Desktop mirroring performance is a teaser to Google's DaaS push for the enterprise and it works without the hassle of VPN. Companies will no longer have to issue a phone, laptop and/or PC to new hire when they can just issue a Note 3 with Smart Dock and, optionally, a low cost Chromebook 2 as thin clients which are quicker and easier to deploy and have the benefit of DLP.
 
Let's get this back on track, shall we?

For now, I think phones significantly over 5 inches are generally too big for mainstream users, at least in regions like North America. They're not unbearable, but you do notice the differences in pocketability and quick-draw convenience (i.e. you have to free up both hands to get something done). That could change if companies manage to really shrink the overall footprint, but I think we're at or near a point where companies will have to shift their attention to what's in the phone, not simply bragging about screen sizes in some kind of Freudian contest.
 
I never claimed the iPad Air is good for enterprises...

But it's excellent for a consumer. Best tablet I've used to date. I mean I have one, it's my 4th tablet, can I speak to my own experiences? As for not having mouse support. I would never be interested in plugging a mouse into my tablet, that's why I got a tablet, to use it with a tough interface.
 
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Let's get this back on track, shall we?

For now, I think phones significantly over 5 inches are generally too big for mainstream users, at least in regions like North America. They're not unbearable, but you do notice the differences in pocketability and quick-draw convenience (i.e. you have to free up both hands to get something done). That could change if companies manage to really shrink the overall footprint, but I think we're at or near a point where companies will have to shift their attention to what's in the phone, not simply bragging about screen sizes in some kind of Freudian contest.

Yeah a lot of people don't seem to get how others use their phones.

I want to be able to whip out my phone in an instant, deal with whatever notification came, or do some task that I want to accomplish with the 1 hand that I used to take it out of the pocket so that it can go back into the pocket as quickly as possible.

And then I'd like it to be as small and light as possible so it's less obtrusive in my pocket as it can be. I want the smallest device possible that is large enough to get the job done without significantly compromising computing performance due to size.

In my experience using a variety of sizes I have indeed found 4" is about as small as you can go and still get the job done wonderfully. the tradeoff of the 4" over the 3.5" iPhones I believe outweighed the downside of a larger device. 3.5" was too small to be as efficient. But I don't think that keeps carrying on with 4.5"+ screens personally.
 
Here's how the conversation between two 1920x1080 users goes:

"Dude, look I can now stream Youtube at Full HD without delay!"
"Omg, awesomesauce!"
"Yeah, totally Dude!"
"Except ...."
"What?!"
"Well, one that 10 minute Youtube video at Full HD just sucked up 1/10 of your dataplan."
"Doh."
"Bummer Dude ..."

Please don't reply that you are on WiFi when you are watching Full HD Youtubes. If you are on WiFi then you will often to very often have access to devices which are significantly better suited for viewing Youtubes than your tiny phone screen.

Oh come on, if you don't have an unlimited data plan, you aren't trying [h]ard enough
 
People still touch their phone to get basic things done? Moto X says hi and 4" is the netbook of phones. 2010 was when I last used 4".
 
People still touch their phone to get basic things done? Moto X says hi and 4" is the netbook of phones. 2010 was when I last used 4".

I think I'm done taking anything you say seriously anymore.
 
If you put the two right next to each other you'd be hard pressed to notice the slight change in size.

There are some substantial upgrades to the S5 over the S4, which has been hashed to death.

The cap of the USB port for water resistance makes using older third party cases like Otterboxes pointless. So I know it's definitely not worth the upgrade for me.
 
The cap of the USB port for water resistance makes using older third party cases like Otterboxes pointless. So I know it's definitely not worth the upgrade for me.

Well most phones aren't backwards compatible with cases made for another phone, so every release won't be worth it to you then.

I'm not really sure what you are talking about with the usb cap.
 
The cap is part of what makes the phone IP67 certified (water & dust resistant). Check out the YouTube link below:
Here
 
Please don't reply that you are on WiFi when you are watching Full HD Youtubes. If you are on WiFi then you will often to very often have access to devices which are significantly better suited for viewing Youtubes than your tiny phone screen.

It's much easier to watch the funny cat videos on a phone when I'm taking my morning deuce.
A laptop gets a little too warm on the bare legs.
 
It's part of the certification, I'm just not sure why it's an issue.

If you've used an Otterbox case for a S3, it actually fits the S4 because the design/form factor had minimal changes to it. That USB port cap on the S5 makes a Otterbox case designed for an S3/S4 useless on the S5.
 
If you've used an Otterbox case for a S3, it actually fits the S4 because the design/form factor had minimal changes to it. That USB port cap on the S5 makes a Otterbox case designed for an S3/S4 useless on the S5.

So even the size increase means it will still fit the case minus the cap?
 
I'm definitely not the normal customer as I'm 6'10, but I can't wait to get my hands on the Nokia 1520 or something similar. I had the Dell Streak 5 back when that was the "OMG BIGGEST FONE" option and absolutely loved it. After that, I "upgraded" to an HTC One X, and I've regretted it ever since. There is simply no stand-in for a big gorgeous screen and more space for your fingers for typing and navigating. Plus, my pockets have no issues with a phone that size.
 
I'm definitely not the normal customer as I'm 6'10, but I can't wait to get my hands on the Nokia 1520 or something similar. I had the Dell Streak 5 back when that was the "OMG BIGGEST FONE" option and absolutely loved it. After that, I "upgraded" to an HTC One X, and I've regretted it ever since. There is simply no stand-in for a big gorgeous screen and more space for your fingers for typing and navigating. Plus, my pockets have no issues with a phone that size.
LOL @ your username after reading this story.
 
I'm definitely not the normal customer as I'm 6'10, but I can't wait to get my hands on the Nokia 1520 or something similar. I had the Dell Streak 5 back when that was the "OMG BIGGEST FONE" option and absolutely loved it. After that, I "upgraded" to an HTC One X, and I've regretted it ever since. There is simply no stand-in for a big gorgeous screen and more space for your fingers for typing and navigating. Plus, my pockets have no issues with a phone that size.

I can definitely understand your desires... and this is also why Samsung uses pro athletes to advertise the Note 3, because it doesn't look quite that big when it's in LeBron's hands! I think those of us smaller than you (I'm 6'0") will be happy with devices that are "just" around the 5-inch mark.
 
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For me the ideal phone size would be around 12,5cm x 6,5cm x <1cm. Screen should be as large as possible that fits in those dimensions. I'm quite annoyed that Sony is the only manufacturer that has good compact phone out there.

One thing is certain: Lumia 920 is a bit too large for my taste. I have no plans to buy anything larger.
 
Moto G and Moto X proved that highest end hardware doesn't mean as much as the user experience. I doubt many people will be unsatisfied with the Moto G LTE.
 
I thought the note 3's size would get to me but I'm finding it greatly enjoyable and I'm not a big person either.
 
Its disappointing that a general question about smartphones quickly degraded into an Android vs Apple debate, but I guess that is to be expected as that is all I ever see when an internet discussion about phones.

I personally have not found a smart phone that 'fits' me. I still throw my phone into my pocket. I'd like for it to be large enough to be usable without being so large that it won't fit comfortably in my pocket. I don't mind different sizes by different manufacturers, because no one size/OS will fit the entire population. I need choices!
 
Moto X is the perfect size phone for me. But I agree phones in general are getting to big. If the moto x+1 grows in size I will be very disappointed. Stay small moto, stay small.
 
Moto X is the perfect size phone for me. But I agree phones in general are getting to big. If the moto x+1 grows in size I will be very disappointed. Stay small moto, stay small.
that's what she said...
 
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