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Comment by sardonicbryan | Hacker News Reader

"[A 3.5 inch screen instead of a 4 inch screen]is an example of one of those design decisions that you don’t usually notice until you see someone doing it wrong. It’s one of the things that makes Apple products Apple products."

http://dcurt.is/3-point-5-inches

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Spot on. "For the first time ever we've increased the size of the display. By making the screen taller, but not wider, you can still comfortably use it with one hand." - Jony Ive

(quote from engadget's liveblog at http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/12/apple-iphone-5-liveblog/)

I'd argue that the reason the iPhone succeeded as wildly as it did is because the one-handed-thumb-operation use case pales in comparison to everything else a big (for its time) touchscreen lets you do. My old T9 Symbian was fantastic for using one-handed with my thumb. I didn't have to look at the screen to type since the keypad had tactile feedback, and navigating up and down with the direction buttons to, say, delete a row from my grocery list while walking through the store was a breeze. I can type faster on a touch screen (especially when using two thumbs), but I can't do it blind nearly as well.

Nowdays I hold my phone in one hand, and use the other hand's index finger to manipulate the screen. It's vastly better than a physical thumb keypad for watching media, browsing the web, or viewing any other kind of information (all of which benefits from a larger screen, which is why—epecially as a guy with large-enough hands to do one-handed operation in a pinch even on a bigger screen—I prefer 4.3" screens over the 3.5" of the iPhone). It's also vastly better than a physical keypad for most other forms of interaction. But one-handed thumb usage has always been my mode of last resort for a touch-screen phone. So I like trading against the usability of that mode in exchange for more visible surface area.

"I'd argue that the reason the iPhone succeeded as wildly as it did is because the one-handed-thumb-operation use case pales in comparison to everything else a big (for its time) touchscreen lets you do."

I agree with this statement.

A larger display delivers a much better experience when reading text, watching videos, playing games or touching controls in apps.

I agree that the "I can reach the corner with my thumb" feature is an advantage. But that advantage pales compared to the fact that a large display (4.3+) significantly improves almost every action that people use on smartphones today.

IMHO the only reason Apple sticks with the sizes they use is because they built an operating system that is not designed for multiple screen sizes.

[edit: strange comment fail: I actually wote that I disagree with a statement that I actually agree with ;). fixed this now I guess]

You both seem to be in agreement.

I agree

The new screen is the same width as the old; just taller. If you look at the images in that blog post, it's pretty clear that a taller screen would be fine. It's the wider screen that really suffers. So I think his points hold.

...because nobody uses their phone horizontally.

It's uncommon to use a phone horizontally with one hand.

But many people use their phone horizontally with both hands.

See: text messagers, IRC users, ssh session runnners, angry birds players

And I doubt that you'll have any trouble using the iPhone 5 with two hands.

Hey look! It's a PS Vita without the backside touch interface or media card reader! ;-)

While the iPhone 4 screen's aspect ratio is 1.5:1, but the iPhone itself is 115.2 mm x 58.66 mm (approx 1:2). So, the same reasoning should apply to two finger use horizontally.

Depends on the phone.

With one hand? No.

Pretty much, yeah. Unless they're watching a movie or playing a game, it is pretty rare for somebody to be holding their phone horizontally.

No it doesn't. iPhone's new screen is 16:9, same as every Android phone. So a 4" iPhone screen would be exactly the same dimension as a 4" Android phone's screen.

Also check this out. The Droid RAZR M is just slightly taller than iPhone 4S, and I guess on par with the new iPhone - even though it has a 4.3" screen!

http://images.anandtech.com/doci/6242/DSC_8062_575px.jpg

http://www.technobuffalo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ipho...

It's the absolute distance that your thumb has to travel that is important, not the aspect ratio. The question is whether your thumb can reach the opposing corner of the screen. Of course you could always say that the parts that aren't reachable will only be used for display, not controls. But I doubt that iOS 6 moves the navigation buttons to the bottom.

No doubt all the Apple fanboys will now be rushing to flip-flop and explain why a 4" screen was the right decision all along.

Not really. The width remains the same, so it's still usable with one hand. What's there to flip flop about?

No more than Apple's detractors are quick to say things like "No doubt all the Apple fanboys will now be..." :)

No doubt all the Apple fanboys will now say things like "No more than Apple's detractors are quick to say things like \"No doubt all the Apple fanboys will now be...\" :)" :)

Width, which seems optimal, hasn't changed. On the last image one can see that the green semicircle extends beyond the touchable part of the screen to the edges of the phone, implying the potential for a greater tactile surface.

Those circles aren't the same size, favoring the iPhone. It's not an honest comparison.

The Samsung circle reflects the fact that more of your hand is taken up in holding the increased witdth of the phone. If you actually try it you can see how it works easily.

I've got an HTC Sensation (the same size as the S II), an iPod Touch, and a Nexus One, and my "thumb range" is pretty wildly different from Dustin's diagrams.

I said it when he first posted it, and I'll say it now - the larger screen isn't a problem unless you have midget-thumbs, and the diagram is not true to the actual range of motion for the devices.

I don't have midget thumbs or the largest fingers but my range of motion pretty much matches his diagrams. I have an iphone but don't operate it one handed enough [1] for this to be remotely a dealbreaker.

[1] If anything I prefer to use the phone two handed and in landscape.

Agreed. I dropped a loaner SII on the concrete because I only had one hand to try and reach something. I'm not an iPhone user but having used the SII I won't ever get a phone with a screen so large it compromises actually using it.

To be fair, Dustin Curtis was mostly complaining about the width of the screen, which is unchanged in the iPhone 5.

Which is why he made the iPhone's circle both wider and taller than the S II's, I suppose?

The author used a smaller radius for the Samsung phone... Is it a mistake or is the the picture on the right at a smaller scale?

Neither! Using Apple products makes your appendages larger, including your thumbs, obviously! :)

Using the ruler tool in photoshop and comparing the ratios, it looks like they're pretty close to the same scale, and, even though it doesn't effect the message of the picture much, the second area is definitely smaller...

It's likely because your hand has to traverse the entire back of it. Put a phone in your hand and see how far your thumb swipes. Now turn the phone 90 degrees (or use a 2nd larger phone) and see that you really do make a smaller circle.

The size of your hand is fixed. With a wider object in your hand you cannot fold your thumb over as far.

Eagerly waiting for a new post from him saying how actually 4" is the perfect size.

Which is why Apple had to sue Samsung so people are no longer allowed to buy that phone. They love users so much they didn't want to see them using a phone where you can't reach the other corner with your thumb.

He must have very tiny thumbs

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