We've sat by, watched and even participated in this "bigger is better" mentality - which has extended equally to the numbers clocked on a processor and its cores. We've not been the only ones who have observed this however, and Motorola and Google have set out to make us reconsider whether we really should be caught up in the spec race.
Motorola believes their Moto X presents itself as a viable alternative in a world of smartphone sameness, and the titans already on offer, and while the Moto X doesn't shine in numbers on a sheet of paper, its objective is to wow users in its real world performance, use and personalisation. Part of this real world use factor boils down to the fit of a device in the hand, and the ease with which is can be taken places and used with little hassle. The size of the Moto X and portability is one of the reasons the device appeals to me, and what I'm sure will be many others.
I have a large hand and long fingers. I can use a Galaxy Note II and have the length of my thumb stretch to the furthermost corner of the display. A chance encounter with a Galaxy Mega 6.3 bore surprisingly similar results. So why then would I be excited about a device that fits size-wise between an iPhone 5 and a Nexus 4? It's simple - pockets.
Take for instance, the HTC One. It's the pinnacle of smartphone design, and while it isn't "thin" by today's standards, it does a commendable effort at hiding its girth. BoomSound also makes up most of the device's appeal, but it comes at a cost - size. The Galaxy S4 manages to squeeze a 5" display into a smaller footprint - smaller even than the SIII, and is thinner, which should make it more pocketable than the One. That's not to say I struggle with the One, but not all pockets we're created equal, and not all pants or jackets imbue the same self-assuredness for the safety of your device - and it's worse if you're a woman.
The Sony Xperia Z is both taller and wider than the One, and from a brief glance it's apparent without the need for comparison in-hand. Whilst it does make up for this with an equally thin profile to the S4, it'll peak out of pockets in some cases more than it fits in them. My sister owns one such glass-bodied black beauty, and she's not found a single article of everyday clothing with pockets to support her slab of Xperia (save for an overcoat). It's become a burden in many ways to carry the phone around in her hand, beside a small purse, and the phone has endured its fair share of drops as a result (surviving all of them so far).
But why does it have to be like this? Motorola have considered this before, and their edge-to-edge display in the RAZR M signalled hope for those who wanted more screen, less bezel, and ultimately more manageable devices on the whole. Whilst we've largely yet to see an OEM craft a truly bezel-less smartphone, for the time being, this edge-to-edge business makes do for the space it saves, and now with the Moto X making use of a 'stepped battery' to maximise space efficiency, a 4.7" 720p display is possible in a footprint that's almost 1cm shorter than the One, and 2mm narrower. While those numbers seem insignificant - even the most minute of numbers make a world of difference to anyone familiar with smartphones, and they affect the end user immensely.
So how are you finding the sheer size of phones and their impact on portability? Do you think more handsets should be designed with these considerations in mind? It doesn't seem the case at the moment with many OEMs pressing on in the pursuit of size - but maybe not enough of us are making a fuss about it for them to take a step back.
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