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5 inch phones, the next big thing

CES brought with it a few good contenders in the 5-inch phone battle. Only a month ago, the Butterfly/Droid DNA from HTC was the only game in town. In the next couple months, the Sony Xperia Z, Oppo Find 5, ZTE Grand S, and Huawei Ascend D2 will be popping their heads up for your consideration. MWC might even bring more 5 inch goodness, but any phones announced then will still be a ways off. The rumored 5 inch Galaxy S4 is still a good half a year away also.
The 5 inch size seems to fit the bill very well between a manageable and pocketable phone and one that is too big to use and impairs walking. It fits my requirements perfectly. I've owned a Galaxy Note that's 5.3" before and the 80+mm width and 140+mm height was cumbersome and bulky for me. However, the Galaxy S III at 4.8" was almost imperceptible in my pocket and very easy to hold. Most of the 5 inch phones currently releasing are about the same size, especially those with onscreen buttons. Some like the Xperia ZL are even smaller.
Here's a rundown on my thoughts of the current crop:
Xperia Z: The sides and power button are stylish. It's thin at under 8mm. The back is too plain and that plainless allows fingerprints to shine very easily and nastily. Front is pretty generic. The screen seems to be a bigger version of the Xperia S/T screen. That is, the viewing angles and color aren't the greatest. The 13MP camera seems to take great low light shots with very little noise, and the HDR video is also stellar. Sound capture could use some tweaking. IT's also water/dust resistant, but that doesn't factor much into my decision.
Xperia ZL: The internals and screen are identical to the Z, however Sony tried to squeeze the dimensions a bit and the height and width is actually smaller than a Galaxy S III. The thickness, however, is less impressive. There is a godawful butt flap on the back, especially noticeable on the white one. The textured black one is too Samsung-ish and cheap looking to me. The lower right front facing camera, similar to the one on the Nokia N9, also drives me nuts because I always notice it. Not on my shortlist.
Oppo Find 5: This is the one I'm enamored with. I've always liked the way the Xperia Arc looked, minus the cheap looking plastics. This one is matte and soft touch instead. It is sleeker and more streamlined than the curvaceous and fluffier, less hardy looking One X and Droid DNA polycarbonate shells. The screen is supposedly the same one as the Droid DNA, which is the best 5" 1080p on the market. The camera is also 13MP and possibly has HDR video and a 120fps mode. This phone already has a release date of 1/29 in China, with many more countries following after. Most important of all, it's been stated that they will sell it unlocked in the US for $500 online. Hassle-free. Close to release and fully unlocked are big pros in my book. The name Oppo is also very endearing.
Huawei Ascend D2: Probably the ugliest and most generic of the lot. The front seems identical to the Galaxy S II from 2011, and the back is just cheap shiny plastic with generic budget phone design. There's also an iffy homemade SoC inside. The screen might be the same as the Droid DNA/Find 5 however. There is also a sizeable 3000mah battery.
ZTE Grand S: The design looks a lot like the HTC One series. At 6.9mm, it is also the thinnest. The screen seems to have varying opinions. Some say it is good. Others say it is washed out with poor colors. The only thing I can gather from the videos is that the default brightness isn't very high and it always looks rather dim. The large raised dais that the camera sits within doesn't look very elegant. It is a fingerprint magnet and contrast sharply with the matte of the rest of the phone.
Droid DNA: This one is actually out and available. I don't know about the Butterfly or international variants, but it is on Verizon in the US and can be easily unlocked for GSM networks. It has the best 5" 1080p screen in the market, and the colors are not overly warm like the One X. It also has the same fluffy pillow look of the One X, but with some fun red stripes on the sides. It is quite light for its size, but on the thicker side for modern smartphones. There is a woefully small battery. The camera is a transplant from the older One X, and is only 8MP compared to the other 13MP shooters. The quality is decent, but it tends to be overly dark and oversharpened. The video capture is also not very good.

at some point phones can get too big. I have fairly big hands, but still I do not want to be stretching out my thumbs every time I need to click the back button.

well........
in my opinion, 5" is the ideal size, any bigger than that, the phone would be hard to handle as a phone atleast for people like me.
i have my fingers crossed for my next BIG phone , already expecting a Nexus-4 soon, and hopefully get a HTC Butterfyl or Xperia-Z soon.
:fingers-crossed:

Next "BIG" thing ... hehehe
the irony!
But serious I'm also an owner of rather big hands and I think I could handle a 5" phone, especially if it had a 1080p display.

it is good if phone has 5 inch screen display but phone should be comfortable in hands, now a days most of the mobile companies trying to launch big screen phone because big screen phone are very famous in youngsters.

I would choose the Sony ZL from that list for these reasons:
-Smallest surface for a 5 inch phone (for now)
-On screen buttons, very modable like Nexus devices once rooted
-Sony UI are lighter and more tolerable to me than sense and even touchwiz
-The camera, sound quality and durability should be good to excellent which is a trend with Sony devices from what I see, quite important factors
-It has removable storage which the DNA does not, this is a big deal for a 1080p device. They go hand in hand.
-It have bigger battery capacity than the Z and DNA.
-Base on so spec charts, it is 3G pentaband, a huge plus, you can bring it to any GSM carrier in the world. With LTE too.
If you read the spec charts, the DNA and ZL thickness is .1mm apart, if that is enough of a concern than you deserve the 11gb storage space and overpriced CDMA contract. Though the Z is 2mm thinner, it is 8.4mm longer with big empty space below the screen.
But probably I won't buy it due to the price and my preference of Nexus devices.

Still depends on the size of your palm.

bigger screen is better to use, but the issue is the pocketable size, I m a guy and i dont carry a purse with me.... if u put a 5" in ur front pocket, its hard to bend or kneel down, and u risk sitting on the phone if u put it on ur rear pocket, especially for those who wear tight jeans
i guess its fine if u use a purse or a belt hanger or clothing with big pockets

5.0 Screens
I was concerned my 4.3 inch screen would be too large, not so. Now with the bevels disappearing a 5.0 inch screen is workable for an average sized hand. The long term issue for all this larger screens with all the added functionality is going to be battery life. Sony's White Magic integrated white pixels into the screen to help reduce battery consumption, not sure if it did. They are also introducing a new deep sleep mode that is suppose to reduce battery drain, further. I think the Sony Z and ZL are extremely nice. I have an Xperia Arc S, but we will have to see what Google's X phone is...
It could be a leap in development and one would assume it is a 5.0 screen.

As you see everyone have own opinion. I think 4.5-4.7" is max size. So it's good when we have many option to choose.

I like 4inch phones :/
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2

Phew! I have a phone so small that the resolution is cut off sometimes when I play a game. 5 inches would be massive thing to handle casually, and I like to be able to handle my phone from hand to hand easily. Not giving it a death grip afraid it'll be too big for my hands!

Nice.........I don't think 5 inches will be that bad.........looking at the note 2 and then going back to my phone is night and day lol
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app

I will bei getting a Xperia Z or Ascend D2 depending on availability in Germany/Switzerland....5 inch is perfect for my long fingers and Huawei impresses me already with my second phone (G615).

Mmx canvas 2 superphone A110
----------------Read If You Have Time----------------
Send From My Samsung Galaxy Note 2 N7100,
HIT thanks if I did Helped you.
LIFE! It's what you make out of it!

Many people also forget 1 very important thing.
For some people 5" might be/seem to big, why is it too big? Most people use both hands when they operate their phones anyways.
And the important thing I was talking about is:
The eyes!
The bigger the screen, the less eye problems you'll have once you become older.
So think about it, don't just think in the now, but also try to think about your own future.:good:

Dsteppa said:
Many people also forget 1 very important thing.
For some people 5" might be/seem to big, why is it too big? Most people use both hands when they operate their phones anyways.
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Click to collapse
Most? Perhaps. Certainly not everyone. I use my phone with one hand most of the time.
I really only use it with both hands when playing games or writing a really long SMS. And that's not even certain.
Playing Puzzle or rotation games(Like Mega Jump) is easier with just one hand.
I could not for the life of me want to drop your bag or tossing your smoke just cause you have to answer a call. 2 Hand phones really should be a hassle.
I will wait abit till theres a durable, fast speed 4.5" (maximum) phone.
For years everything has gotten smaller I think making them bigger is really a step backwards.
Dsteppa said:
And the important thing I was talking about is:
The eyes!
The bigger the screen, the less eye problems you'll have once you become older.
So think about it, don't just think in the now, but also try to think about your own future.:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I'm only 19. When I'm 80 with eye problems (which probably by then has a magic cure), Phones probably wont even have screens or some crazy stuff.

I like the 5-inch phones, but I am just worried where I am supposed to keep them since they will barely fit in my pocket. I currently own a Galaxy S3 and I have trouble keeping that in my pocket. I'll have to purchase custom pants if I want to get a 5-inch phone

I think 5" is really the acceptable limit. Anything over that would be too uncomfortable to use as a phone.
It'd make more sense to get a tablet if you need anything bigger.

After using the Note 2 for a while, the biggest thing I don't like is the fact that I don't want a smaller screen for my next phone. I have average sized hands and don't find it cumbersome hardly at all. 5 inches would be the smallest id consider. The DNA is certainly a lot easier to manage though. 5 inches would be the minimum for me and 5.5 the max. I will say that I've lost count of how many times I've dropped the Note 2 on my face when laying down
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda app-developers app

Thinking of buying...

Hey guys I'm really thinking of buying this tablet but one thing that's holding me back is people saying that the resolution is low...are you guys satisfied with the display? also I'm using a note 2 ATM and am satisfied with its display... Can anyone make a comparison between the 2 displays..
Thanks

Well i had a Nexus 10 and that had an amazing display. So coming off that to the Note 10.1 was a big difference. But the resolution on the Note 10.1 is fine and you won't be bothered with it unless you compare it side by side with any 1080p or higher resloution device. But everyday usage I am fine with it and I like the Note 10.1 a lot more than the Nexus 10 too believe it or not. So yeah go for it, I think walmart has a sale on it right now for like 280 something refurbished with warranty.

The display is fine.. I think people will really only notice if you put the two side by side.
I've even got a Spigen anti-glare screen protector on and that makes it even less clear - still fine with it (Greasy fingers!)

I think people talk about the galaxy Note 10.1 lower resolution when comparing to other tablets with much higher PPI screens because thats all there is to complain about. The screen is still very clear and as others have said unless they were side by side you would not know because the Note 10.1 screen looks great.
Don't forget that some of those other tablets that have the higher PPI don't have the S-Pen or a micro sd card slot, don't know about you but I wanted and need those two options.
.

Thanks for the response... Really helpful!!

arty93 said:
Thanks for the response... Really helpful!!
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Click to collapse
Plus I would add that not all apps display fine at the dpis of a full HD screen, whereas on the lower resolution screen of the note 10.1, all the apps display fine.

I have the s4, and I will admit, my vision has started to deteriorate just a bit, but the resolution doesn't bother me one bit. So many pluses that outweigh very few drawbacks on this tablet. The 12.2 is quite intriguing, kinda large, but would be nice in bed so the misses can watch comfortably to. Might even be sufficient to replace a tv in the bedroom.

jaydubbbbs said:
I have the s4, and I will admit, my vision has started to deteriorate just a bit, but the resolution doesn't bother me one bit. So many pluses that outweigh very few drawbacks on this tablet. The 12.2 is quite intriguing, kinda large, but would be nice in bed so the misses can watch comfortably to. Might even be sufficient to replace a tv in the bedroom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That 12.2 is laptop size........ I think that may be the one that they are going to put the screen in manufactured by Sharp.
.

Hopefully they will keep the size of the original tablet and just decrease the bezel... Or make it slightly larger, a 12.2 would be awesome!!

The Note 10.1 display resolution is fine for me for daily operations.. Issue comes only when you compare.. but pros outweighs cons for 10.1

I would be very annoyed if the Note 4 will only have a 5.7" screen

All the size speculates that the Note 4 will only have a 5.7" but with 4k resolution. I don't get the point of this, why have a such high resolution but still on 5.7" screen?

kuromusha38 said:
All the size speculates that the Note 4 will only have a 5.7" but with 4k resolution. I don't get the point of this, why have a such high resolution but still on 5.7" screen?
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I'd be more than happy if it would retain 5.7". Anything above 6 inch seems to go overboard with the so called phablet. Pocketability option would be close to non existent if it is.
4k resolution on 5.7 inch for me is fine too. I've tried LG G3 and I am honestly impressed.
But that's just my opinion.
We'll still see what Note 4 has to offer. If it is just a screen size/resolution bump and additional sensor gimmicks. I'd probably pass and wait for Note 5.
Since Note 3 still serves me well. I'm hoping that at 2015. New battery technology would be powering the upcoming handsets, as we all know we are just a year or months away from 64 bit processors. The supposed new ion batteries that theoritically doubles battery life of the current lithium ion batteries.

Yeah seriously, 5.7 is like perfect size. Instead of bigger and bigger screen, they can spend that time making better screen and other specs. Seriously the whole thirst for bigger screen and octo processors is just asinine. At the end of the day, its a damn phone. And then after all those specs dumped into the phone, another one will be released the next year. 5.7 with better screen and more PPI. Yes please
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Free mobile app

I want smaller bezel and slightly shorter.
I reckon its about 5mm too long at the moment.

IF the note 4 has the same 5.7 inch screen size as the note 3 I am going to skip it and wait for the note 5 next year. I want a 6 inch screen note and won't support a phone or a company with my hard earned $$ for a new device with the same screen size as last year's model! I currently own a note 3 with a 10,000 mah zerolemon battery and rugged case so I can wait for the note 5 if need be.

QHD =\= 4K.
I'd like a jump to 5.9" myself.

Introducing the Galaxy note 8, with the best AMOLED screen yet, sitting at 9 inches!
Come on guys, when and why did a bigger screen become part of an update requirement?
I won't mind a bigger screen as long as the size of the phone stays the same (ie smaller bezels). But, there's not much room left.

Hhhhh , you wont see a 4K display in a phone untill next year or the year after and the screen size will be smaller not bigger
Samsung need to compete with the 5.5inch iphone 6 so they will make the note 4 screen smaller to 5.5inch or they will keep the same 5.7inch and it will have a snapdragon 805 chip with a QHD=2K super amoled display like the galaxy s5 lte-a
Personally i have the galaxy note3 and i skipped galaxy s5 because the note 3 was better and i am waiting for samsung to impress us/me with the note4

The screen size doesn't bother me if it goes up, but any of the epic fail features (waterproofing causing system overheating or port covers that fall off/are a pain to use) will preclude me from buying the Note 4.
I want buy it but I won't if it's going to be a turkey like the Galaxy 5, Xperia Z2 etc.

I must admit I get quite a kick out of people who say they'll wait for the Note 5, even though the Note 4 hasn't even been released yet.
For the guys who think the Note 4 sucks, I'd just like to save you a little time...
The Note 5 sucks too.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW

If this the logic is new device = bigger screen then note 6 will be a tablet. For me 5.7" is perfect. If they make the device any bigger than this I won't buy it. It would be perfect if they could keep he 5.7" screen but make the device smaller which means more practical and easy to handle with one hand.

What logic?
I just think 5.7" is too damn small for a phone with a stylus.
Minimum should be 6".

*smaller bezel, like the G3
*stereo speakers, cupping speakers is ridiculous, imo
*better battery life at full brightness, no tweaks
*improved TW speed, the devs have it pretty smooth, but there are still some lag relative to iphones
*an incremental processor upgrade is not going to be enough imo
the iphone will have the better design, better battery life, better processor, and smoother OS and it will be released withing DAYS of announcement, which really means nothing to me since the phone is so locked down, so I am done with Apple products
why can't HTC just release the REAL phone I want which is a 5.7 M8

Personally 5.7" is my perfect size too.. i wouldnt buy if the size would increase..
but screen bigger than 5.7" but smaller or same footprint, well thats another story..

Personally I'm gonna wait awhile before getting a new phone as I am still really happy with my Note 3. Of course I'll be curious and probably tempted but the Note 3 can easily last another 2 years (if not more) and it will be interesting to see what is out and available by then

ciprianruse88 said:
It would be perfect if they could keep he 5.7" screen but make the device smaller which means more practical and easy to handle with one hand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty much this. at 5.7" the screen only just fits in the pockets of my slacks without sticking out, and barely better in my jeans. If the device retained the current form factor and reduced bezel size that would be okay though.
One area where samsung could really reduce the size of the device, or increase the screen size is by moving the damn buttons. It is 2014 and Samsung are now the only android OEM with physical home/back/menu buttons, just give us some damn softbuttons already.

Juan123 said:
Personally I'm gonna wait awhile before getting a new phone as I am still really happy with my Note 3. Of course I'll be curious and probably tempted but the Note 3 can easily last another 2 years (if not more) and it will be interesting to see what is out and available by then
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty much this. The only thing that could make me move off the Note 3 before that would be a Nexus for Verizon Wireless in the states haha.

Hmm.
1. I think physical button will stay. (have not seen a galaxy phone without it)
2. I think we won't get stereo front speakers. (aforementioned physical button)
3. So much hate for the phone that's not even out yet.
4. I think TW is going to stay. (they now have "Galaxy Apps"!, instead of Samsung apps..., not to mention Samsung wearables only for Samsung phones)
5. New features from S5 will definitely be a possibility. (i.e. heart rate sensor, fingerprint scanner, water resistant rating)
6. I agree that they will have to come up with something we have not seen before(not just software, or features from the S5) or many people will not upgrade or jump ship to a different manufacturer. (sigh...no more updates to Wanam Xposed)
Relax and enjoy the ride.

lilstevie said:
Pretty much this. at 5.7" the screen only just fits in the pockets of my slacks without sticking out, and barely better in my jeans. If the device retained the current form factor and reduced bezel size that would be okay though.
One area where samsung could really reduce the size of the device, or increase the screen size is by moving the damn buttons. It is 2014 and Samsung are now the only android OEM with physical home/back/menu buttons, just give us some damn softbuttons already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And if they move that ugly logo to the back, it would be amazing *_*
But where would they put the finger print scanner though?

kuromusha38 said:
What logic?
I just think 5.7" is too damn small for a phone with a stylus.
Minimum should be 6".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really, when you remember that the note has no on screen buttons getting in the way. A phone still has to be portable you know and unless they're gonna be fitting that screen in the same footprint it may be a little too large IMO.

Who thinks the S8 looks better or worse than the G6?

So far all the leak photos make the s8 look quite cheap and plasticky IMHO. I also think the G6 looks a lot like the Note 5.

How does glass looks cheap and plastic?

I like actually like the G6 better, and because it actually has flat screen, I use S7 edge now and it pain the the ass sometimes with my big meat paws, and the S8 looks too tall and skinny. doesn`t look right. lol

after today its not clear which is better

I agree, Samsung is forcing high price Curved only model, millions of people might be stay away when they know S8 available only with curved screen

Nothing wow'd me about the S8 so I'll stick with my S7 Edge.

I am S7 user and I loved flat screen front and curved back, I don't see any technical advantage of having curved screen, also as always UK and maybe Europe version is NOT available with Snapdragon 835, another bad piece of design is position of fingerprint scanner, iris is ok but not a huge advantage, I have doubt that 3000 mAh battery will be not be class leading or better than S7, Bixby is completely gimmicks, Camera review is not out yet but on specs wise it's same apparatus & pixel size and I doubt that Samsung will try to make same old hardware better by optimising and twining software only, No sound DAC, PC attachment is also nothing new as we seen it already, I will wait for full review and see how S8's camera and battery perform, compare with £689 price range Huawei P10 plus, LG G6 or Oneplus 3T 128GB, Dual SIM Midnight black 'limited addition' is also a looker, Best of luck guys

I was on the fence of getting either the G6 or S8. I'm not a big fan of the edge screen. I had the S7 edge and my big hands always touched the screen. With that said, I'm going to order the S8 over the G6. For the simple reason is price and newer specs. If I don't like the curved screen I'll just sell it or return it if Verizon offers the free restocking when our based online.
Sent from my SM-T817V using XDA-Developers Legacy app

It clearly looks better than the G6 to me
Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

Neither is great tbh. But the S8 has then "edge" for now. I'll wait and see the weeklong ownership reviews before I decide. Who knows, the note 8 might be the phone to get when it drops this year, but when?
Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

The S8's could win beauty contests including Victoria's Secret! : cool:

I prefer the one that doesn't have curved screen.

Currently have the G6 and it is a fantastic phone. Never used a phone with an 835 SOC as have neither of you so I cant say which is Faster. But the G6 is certainly smooth, and that flat screen is Awesome for glass screen protectors. But, IMO the LCD panel (which looks good) is nothing compared to the Oled samsung panel (subjective, yes). It seems im turning the brightness up to 60%+ just to feel comfortable using it, Its too dim otherwise. Previous phones Ive been able to keep the brightness on 30-40% and been happy (inside of course) Having had the 6P, S7 and OnePlus 3T with the amoled panels, this LCD on the G6 just doesnt do it for me. I personally even think the LCD on the iPhone 7+ looks better and Im not an iPhone fan. Also, and maybe this is over critical, I feel like the edges of the G6 display all leak a bit of light, especially the top. For some reason it just drives me crazy (OCD? ) So Im giving the G6 to one of my kids and getting the S8+

bamfsig45 said:
Currently have the G6 and it is a fantastic phone. Never used a phone with an 835 SOC as have neither of you so I cant say which is Faster. But the G6 is certainly smooth, and that flat screen is Awesome for glass screen protectors. But, IMO the LCD panel (which looks good) is nothing compared to the Oled samsung panel (subjective, yes). It seems im turning the brightness up to 60%+ just to feel comfortable using it, Its too dim otherwise. Previous phones Ive been able to keep the brightness on 30-40% and been happy (inside of course) Having had the 6P, S7 and OnePlus 3T with the amoled panels, this LCD on the G6 just doesnt do it for me. I personally even think the LCD on the iPhone 7+ looks better and Im not an iPhone fan. Also, and maybe this is over critical, I feel like the edges of the G6 display all leak a bit of light, especially the top. For some reason it just drives me crazy (OCD? ) So Im giving the G6 to one of my kids and getting the S8+
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same thing here the G6 might look nice compare to older models but is not doing for me.

I've been to my local VZW store and they are both on display. While I like them both, I feel the S8 is the better of the two. The sleekness​ of the S8 is amazing. It feels better than my pixel in my hand. The display is awesome. I'm ordering mine tonight from Verizon. There is not a restocking fee when you order on line. So if I don't like it back it will go. I'm pretty confident I'll love it. The only thing that will ruin it is poor battery life.
Sent from my Pixel using XDA-Developers Legacy app

bamfsig45 said:
Currently have the G6 and it is a fantastic phone. Never used a phone with an 835 SOC as have neither of you so I cant say which is Faster. But the G6 is certainly smooth, and that flat screen is Awesome for glass screen protectors. But, IMO the LCD panel (which looks good) is nothing compared to the Oled samsung panel (subjective, yes). It seems im turning the brightness up to 60%+ just to feel comfortable using it, Its too dim otherwise. Previous phones Ive been able to keep the brightness on 30-40% and been happy (inside of course) Having had the 6P, S7 and OnePlus 3T with the amoled panels, this LCD on the G6 just doesnt do it for me. I personally even think the LCD on the iPhone 7+ looks better and Im not an iPhone fan. Also, and maybe this is over critical, I feel like the edges of the G6 display all leak a bit of light, especially the top. For some reason it just drives me crazy (OCD? ) So Im giving the G6 to one of my kids and getting the S8+
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went from a S7E to a V20 and the first thing I noticed was the huge downgrade in screen quality. I'm happy to go back to Samsung.

I've only seen the G6 online and in videos, so I can't comment on the hands-on take, just yet anyway. I was honestly a lil concerned when I saw that the S8 was ONLY going to have a curved display, as I'm used to my flat display on my S6. Feeling the S8 firsthand, it honestly doesn't feel bad at all to me. Feels very similar to what holding my S6 feels like. Unlike the older Edge models, the sides aren't pronounced, like they don't feel as thin. For instance, the S6 Edge was too thin and not that comfortable to hold, and while the S7 Edge improved on it, the flat variant felt better.
From what I've seen with the G6, it doesn't look like a bad phone and it probably doesn't feel bad in the hand, but Samsung pushing the curved displays on both their regular and plus variants this time around, seems a bit more innovative and honestly, look way more sleek and futuristic. Flat displays are the standard as we know it since the first smartphones hit the market, so they all start to look the same -- I mean, how much can you really innovate on a flat display?

If your frame of reference for feel and usefulness of curved screens is the S7 Edge you are in for a welcome surprise. I have big hands and was frustrated from day one by the occasional (several times a day) false edge screen touch on the S7 Edge. Luckily (and unluckily) I broke my S7 Screen. When I took it in for replacement, they offered me the Note7 for the same cost as a S7 Edge. So I got the Note 7. Night and day difference in the feel and false touch rejection with the Note7. In the month or two I had a Note7 i think I got accidental edge activation a couple times. On the S7 it was multiple times per day. The phone also feels better in the hand, curved front and back feels so much better than curved front and flat back. My guess is that the S8 will be even better than the Note7 in feel and false touch rejection. And that will be a great thing.

Sold my G6. It's not that great of a device imo. Ready for the S8+. Device of the year until the Note 8 comes out.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

bamfsig45 said:
Currently have the G6 and it is a fantastic phone. Never used a phone with an 835 SOC as have neither of you so I cant say which is Faster. But the G6 is certainly smooth, and that flat screen is Awesome for glass screen protectors. But, IMO the LCD panel (which looks good) is nothing compared to the Oled samsung panel (subjective, yes). It seems im turning the brightness up to 60%+ just to feel comfortable using it, Its too dim otherwise. Previous phones Ive been able to keep the brightness on 30-40% and been happy (inside of course) Having had the 6P, S7 and OnePlus 3T with the amoled panels, this LCD on the G6 just doesnt do it for me. I personally even think the LCD on the iPhone 7+ looks better and Im not an iPhone fan. Also, and maybe this is over critical, I feel like the edges of the G6 display all leak a bit of light, especially the top. For some reason it just drives me crazy (OCD? ) So Im giving the G6 to one of my kids and getting the S8+
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The LCD is specifically the reason why I went with the S8. I don't think I can go back after having 2 back to back phones with OLED.

[DISCUSSION] [OPINION] Samsung should've made the S8 phones in 16:9 screen ratio

After using several onscreen navbutton phones in the past and having this S8 for 5 days now, I see almost no reason as to why the 18.5:9 screen aspect ratio decision was made.
It would still have a big screen, probably close to the S7 Edge size.
The only thing I can think of is that Samsung is used to creating apps for 16:9 ratio screens because previous phones had physical navbuttons. Maybe they didn't want to have to mess with that and just put the navbuttons on the screen and increased the length to accommodate the extra buttons taking up space on the button; still allowing them to make 16:9 native apps. I just don't like it. It makes for an awkward Android experience, especially with unsupported apps.

I disagree. Based on the number of pre-orders alone for this phone, it will soon become one of the most popular android phones in use. As use increases, more companies will fit their formatting to the unusual aspect ratio. The fact that the G6 also has this aspect ratio (and yes, I know it's not exactly the same, but close enough) means that there will be more impetus for developers to accommodate the screen. I think this is a big step forward in the mobile phone industry, it just needs to take some time for the rest of the industry to catch up.

marinebio94 said:
I disagree. Based on the number of pre-orders alone for this phone, it will soon become one of the most popular android phones in use. As use increases, more companies will fit their formatting to the unusual aspect ratio. The fact that the G6 also has this aspect ratio (and yes, I know it's not exactly the same, but close enough) means that there will be more impetus for developers to accommodate the screen. I think this is a big step forward in the mobile phone industry, it just needs to take some time for the rest of the industry to catch up.
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The preorders aren't an indication of the abnormal height of the phone, but the infinity screen itself. They could've kept it infinity just the same with 16:9.
Why do you think this is a big step forward? What purpose does the super tall phone serve in your opinion?
Hoping we can have a good discussion.

Disagree. This should be the standard much more comfortable than s7 edge. Not because of the edges but becaus3 of the slim side ratio. Would not buy another 16:9 phone ever again

I really don't know why people are *****ing about the aspect ratio. With modern Android you don't notice this at all because the developers know how to deal with constaints of interface elements. Now you can see one google news more. You have more space above the keyboard. List views have one more entry. Whats the problem with that? Maybe there are apps that are incompatible but I have yet to see one.

To be honest I've not encountered any issues worth talking about, related to elongated screen. If there is software that can take advantage of extra screen (and there will be more coming soon), great, if not there are bars on the screen just like if I had larger bezel (or like watching 4:3 program on my HDTV). Actually I have hard time telling where the screen ends and bezel starts. I was expecting to miss physical home button, but since it is now permanent part of the screen and it is still there, except invisible, it doesn't bother me at all. And benefits of longer screen are great: finally we can have 2 programs display properly on the screen at the same time, typing is much easier, with more text displayed, web pages show more, with less scrolling, most cinema movies are shot at 1.85:1, some are as wide 2.39:1 etc.

In my opinion.. the only issue with the weird aspect ratio is that it fools some people into thinking their screens are so much bigger than it actually is. The S8 for example has only 2% more screen area than a 16:9 5.5" screen while the S8+ has 17% more screen area. The regular S8 screen is also narrower than screen on iphone 7 plus.
If you are going from a 5.5" 16:9 ratio phone like the iphone 7plus.. the regular S8 WILL feel like a smaller screen in comparison.

eduardmc said:
Disagree. This should be the standard much more comfortable than s7 edge. Not because of the edges but becaus3 of the slim side ratio. Would not buy another 16:9 phone ever again
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You can keep the exact same slim side ratio and reduce the height of the S8 to get roughly the same size screen as the S7 Edge in a much smaller body. Not sure where you were going with that.

I'm actually quite happy with the screen.
the extra wide/tall screen helps create better immersion in 3D games, improves field of vision in VR, and compensates for the screenspace now lost to the onscreen buttons(or in my case, my physical keyboard)
the slimmer design also makes the phone more comfortable to hold, the S8 has the perfect width for me.

pete4k said:
To be honest I've not encountered any issues worth talking about, related to elongated screen. If there is software that can take advantage of extra screen (and there will be more coming soon), great, if not there are bars on the screen just like if I had larger bezel (or like watching 4:3 program on my HDTV). Actually I have hard time telling where the screen ends and bezel starts. I was expecting to miss physical home button, but since it is now permanent part of the screen and it is still there, except invisible, it doesn't bother me at all. And benefits of longer screen are great: finally we can have 2 programs display properly on the screen at the same time, typing is much easier, with more text displayed, web pages show more, with less scrolling, most cinema movies are shot at 1.85:1, some are as wide 2.39:1 etc.
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You made a few good points:
1. Multi-window works better
2. Bit more room to type
3. More webpage for scrolling less
While those are good, if I was given a decision I'd still take a shorter phone. I personally prioritize the size of the phone over many other things.
If this phone was released as 16:9 with a 5.5" screen (same as S7 Edge), it would be slightly larger than an iPhone 6/7. Which is insane because their screens are only 4.7". To me the iPhone is the perfect one-handed size phone with every other hardware being not so great.
The S7 was a 5.1" phone and the natural progression could've been to a 5.5" 16:9 phone in a smaller body than the S7 with the same size screen as S7E. I really think they went with 18.5:9 because of the apps. I bet you this screen would be 16:9 if you chopped off the navbar softkeys. Could be wrong though.
I'm really just nitpicking

I've actually enjoyed the taller screen. I went with the plus and am still able to function just as I was able to on the s7e. It gives you an option to expand apps that aren't already expanded to take full advantage of the screen, and watching video with bars on the side isn't a big deal to me, because as was said above that would be the bezels on an older s model phone and I prefer(love) the look of this one. An iphone may have the perfect ratio, but the resolution doesn't compare to these screens and that's what I'm looking for more than the ratio, just my opinion of course. That bixby button on the other hand...