Giant phones, what are they good for?

October 22, 2022 7:37 AM

I have come into possession of the latest model iPhone Pro Max (the big one), which is mine to do with as I please, except sell or give it away. I generally try to keep the smallest form factor smartphone as I can for pocketability and ease of one-handed use, but am curious enough to give this a try. Folks who prefer the larger format phones: what do you like about them?

How do you get the most out of the bigger screen? How do you compensate for the added bulkiness, or is that not an issue for you (and why?)? People with smaller hands, do you just.. not hold it in one hand for long periods of time? (I’ll be honest, I do not like the look of popsockets and similar phone grip-aid devices.) Thank you for indulging my curiosity.

posted by btfreek to Technology (30 answers total)

I really dislike the giant phones. Even my current iPhone 8 feels too big for me; I'd much rather have something the size of the iPhone 4. I like to be able to hold the phone in one hand, and reach any area of the screen with my thumb.

I have a couple friends with giant phones, like the Galaxy Note series, and they like them because they're a nice compromise between phone and tablet. Large enough that it makes for a better experience watching a video, taking notes, doing a quick photo edit, looking at a Google Doc, etc. but small enough that they can still stick it in their pocket and have it be their one everyday carry device, without having to also carry a tablet or ultralight laptop. For them, the compromises are a worthwhile price.
posted by xedrik at 7:55 AM on October 22, 2022 [1 favorite]

I work with an older guy who loves his Pro Max because text on the display is larger and easier to read. I learned this after joking that "small" is the objectively correct size for a phone, and immediately felt like a heel.
posted by Alterscape at 8:03 AM on October 22, 2022 [6 favorites]

I only get the largest versions, because a phone has largely replaced lots of devices for me - it replaces my laptop and my tablet and my kindle (or rather it did, until I recently bought a kobo). So I watch movies on it on planes, and YouTube videos every day, and do all of my web browsing on it.

I have very small hands (I wear children’s gloves) and I never use my phone with one hand. I have never used my phone one-handed, even in the old days of the Nokia bricks. No pop-sockets or the like, just a grippy case that helps stop dropping.
posted by umwhat at 8:27 AM on October 22, 2022 [1 favorite]

I like the screen size and on Android, for a long time now there's multi-window function so i can really do more than one thing at a time. I'm also one of those who's found their phone replaced much of my laptop's function. But it got in the way of usability (small hands) and accidents galore (falling on my face in bed, and once they get a certain size they do weigh quite a bit). And eventually the screen is still isn't big enough for reading and notation without making the usability issue worse.

Then I got a tiny bit of windfall, and I got the new Galaxy Z Fold 4, and I got the best of both worlds frankly - when folded I got my small phone again, I've been missing the form factor.
posted by cendawanita at 8:42 AM on October 22, 2022

I work with an older guy who loves his Pro Max because text on the display is larger and easier to read.

Do people not know text size is changeable in the system settings?

Anyway...My personal, highly unscientific, observations tell me that people who live every aspect of their lives, as well as a good amount of their worklife, through their phones really like the bigger screens. Whereas luddites like myself, who merely use their phones as, well, phones that you can also text and take photos with, tend to prefer smaller screens.

I mourned the latest iOS release, which was the first one my trusty, small, 6s was not included in.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:50 AM on October 22, 2022 [3 favorites]

Do people not know text size is changeable in the system settings?
That's not always a great solution, though. A lot of mobile sites are still pretty awful, and changing text size can totally break a lot of sites, or make them super frustrating to use. Sometimes, people's preferred accessibility solutions are different from yours, and that's okay.
posted by xedrik at 8:55 AM on October 22, 2022 [30 favorites]

I love my giant phone! I love the larger space of the screen. I do use a pop socket with it. And hey, I'm a woman so the pockets in my clothes rarely have space for much at all, and switching between a small and large phone doesn't make that much difference.

And yes, I do know about increasing the font size but with a bigger phone you can do that and still see enough of the page to be able to functionally use a site or app.
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:00 AM on October 22, 2022 [5 favorites]

I also have small hands, hate large phones, but ended up with one anyway. I have a Pixel 6, which is about the size of an iPhone 13/14. I use a Popsocket with a non-slip case mostly because my hands don't work real well. I never use it one handed, but with the new swipe keyboard I can type with either hand equally well.
posted by fiercekitten at 9:00 AM on October 22, 2022

While I prefer a smaller phone, I have at times gotten the large one (mostly in years when it had a better camera than the small one) and one benefit is that the battery is bigger so lasts longer.
posted by primethyme at 9:01 AM on October 22, 2022 [1 favorite]

I like it because I can increase the font size and still have a large enough screen to not feel cramped. I have a grippy case and, not a pop socket, but a magnetic grip from Anker that folds down when not in use.
posted by matildaben at 9:12 AM on October 22, 2022

My mom (late 50s) likes her larger phone because she can increase the font size and still fit a reasonable amount of text on the screen. Also, it’s ideal for showing off pictures of her grand babies to everyone in a six foot radius.
posted by MadamM at 9:47 AM on October 22, 2022 [2 favorites]

I ended up with a big phone as a hand-me-down and haven't found too many downsides, even though I am not a heavy phone user. Smartphones in general don't fit in women's pockets well and I have arthritis that prevents me from using phones one-handed. So the larger screen that makes everything easier to see is just nice.
posted by metasarah at 9:48 AM on October 22, 2022

I have a big phone (pixel 6) and hate the size so much, but like the phone for other reasons. I do have a popsocket because I don't always have both hands free and my hands are small. It really does help a lot even though the weight still sucks. I almost always use it with the socket "minimized" since just the small ridge is enough to allow me to hold the phone much more easily. The look isn't my thing either but I'm used to it now (I did get a design I liked which helped with that). I would try one if you're considering keeping the phone - they aren't very expensive and remove easily if you still don't like it after a while.
posted by randomnity at 10:37 AM on October 22, 2022

my trusty, small, 6s

Good news, the iPhone SE 2020 is basically the same size as the 6s.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 11:02 AM on October 22, 2022 [3 favorites]

I have a large-ish phone (iPhone 12 Pro), and the next one I buy will probably be the full-on XL (I think they're called Max in Apple lingo).

Other people have said most of this, but, just as a data point: I like the bigger battery, because I try to go four years between phones--I'm going to keep using it past the point where the battery health starts to decline. I mostly wear jeans (I'm male), and, with jeans pockets, a bigger flat rectangle isn't a lot harder to carry than a slightly smaller one. When the bigger one has a nicer camera, that's another plus.
posted by box at 11:13 AM on October 22, 2022

I use my phone for work and it’s really helpful to have a bigger screen to maneuver on. It also makes my phone a great device to read audiobooks on- one page can hold plenty of text so I don’t need to be page flipping every ten words.

I also have large enough hands (and set up my Home Screen) such that I can operate the most common functions one-handed. However, I do usually use both hands when operating it. I use a magnetic add-on card holder and now I no longer need to use a wallet (I don’t use cash), so the phone/wallet combo is less than I’d be carrying otherwise.
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 11:25 AM on October 22, 2022

So I can remember using dumb phones one handed but once I had a blackberry, I was typing with two thumbs…the point about female clothes and pockets that don’t accommodate any phone size has been made and once you need a bag, however small, to carry stuff the benefits of a larger screens no longer have any downsides. For me these are mainly reading, a lot of apps are nicer on a slightly larger screen etc. Although I have smallish hands I also suffer from fat finger syndrome and having a bit more space just makes it easier.
posted by koahiatamadl at 11:27 AM on October 22, 2022

I currently have a regular iPhone 13, which is large enough for me on a daily basis. For comparison, I would love a Pro Max because I am interested in video blogging and photos, especially because there is a RAW capacity for the Pro Max. The larger screen is also super helpful for large text -- squinting is really bad for your eyes and crows feet. Otherwise, you probably need a phone strap or a pop socket to be able to use it comfortably because it is so heavy.
posted by yueliang at 11:53 AM on October 22, 2022

I have a Max. I like the flexibility and huge battery life. I don't CHOOSE to watch videos or read or write or play games on my phone as a preference, but in a situation where I am *sans* iPad/laptop it is a perfectly adequate solution to all those requirements. Those situations arise more often than one would think, because I just leave the house with my phone, secure in the knowledge that if I need to write, read, play a game, or watch a video, I can do that without loading my bag down with other technologies.
posted by MagnificentVacuum at 1:01 PM on October 22, 2022

I like a large phone. Others have pretty much covered the why - the main thing for me is that my viewing preferences are different from the rest of my household, so I tend to watch movies and shows on my phone.

I have pretty small hands, but use a case with a ring stand. I can slip a couple fingers into the ring, and use the phone one-handed. Except for typing, where I hold the one with one hand and type with the other.

Also large phones are better, for me, for video calls, which I make at least once daily.
posted by Vigilant at 1:27 PM on October 22, 2022

I currently have an iPhone 13 Pro (not Max). My first iPhone was a first gen SE, so it was small. I actually liked, it, though the screen was (for me) uncomfortably small for many things.

The 13 Pro is a good size. I'm a 65+ y.o. guy, the eyes aren't what they used to be. Yes, you can (sometimes) make text bigger, but big text on a small screen means more frequent page turns when reading ebooks and email, isn't always a good answer to web pages, and it doesn't help when watching videos.

Also, the main reason I bought a 13 Pro was for the camera. The smaller 13s don't have the telephoto lens, which is critical for me. Though I have a MacBook Air and an iPad Mini, the phone is foundational technology for me, the one thing I have with me all the time, so having full features and an acceptable size are important.
posted by lhauser at 1:44 PM on October 22, 2022

My phone before this one was the tiny iPhone SE (previous model), and now I have a Pixel 3X which is almost twice as big, screen wise. I got the SE before I needed reading glasses. I loved how it fit anywhere. But the bigger screen is much nicer now that my old eyes can't see for shit anymore. It helps that I have big hands and men's pockets.
posted by rikschell at 2:12 PM on October 22, 2022

Aside from the bulkiness of the phone, what's not better on a larger screen? Watching videos, shows, movies; checking email; reading stuff online, etc...
posted by bearette at 2:23 PM on October 22, 2022 [3 favorites]

I rocked an iPhone 8 Plus for years and mostly chose it because it had a significantly larger battery that I thought would mean the phone would be usable for a longer period. I was right!
posted by rhymedirective at 4:02 PM on October 22, 2022 [1 favorite]

I love my giant phone! The main reason is actually the fact that more information fits on one screen. I read very quickly and on a smaller phone, I have to put the text down so weeny to use it as a e-reader without flipping pages all the time that it just isn't worth it. I also like being able to look at e.g. the month view of my calendar and get significant information about each day without scrolling. I don't think I'm a particularly heavy phone user, and I rarely use the split-screen option or similar. I think I just like to consume a larger amount of data at once.

For me, the bulk isn't an issue—I don't miss typing one-handed, mostly carry bags or have big pockets, and always use a PopSocket or tether around my wrist to reduce dropping it. Obviously people's mileage varies on this subject.

I don't understand why so many people are so judgmental about people who prefer big phones. I don't feel judgmental about people who prefer little phones! Is it because we all resent how much time phones take up in our day regardless, and that's getting transferred onto us big-phone partisans? IDK. Weird.
posted by branca at 4:55 PM on October 22, 2022 [1 favorite]

I like a big phone bc I have a big windup when I throw curve balls in Pokémon go and in a smaller phone I end up hitting the side rails of my case (speck grip, idc how ugly).

Yeah my hands go numb sometimes so I put my phone down for a minute. The speck case makes it stay in the pockets of my skinny jeans or whatever.

Finally I like to read pdfs & jstore papers & stuff on my phone and bc I’m old I have to turn my phone on its side and unpinch the document as wide as it will go so I can read it comfortably without having to scroll side to side
posted by toodleydoodley at 8:51 PM on October 22, 2022

The biggest advantage of my large phone is reading and writing. I use Libby plus the kindle app to check out books from the library, and then read them on my phone. it feels a lot more natural than my previous normal sized phones did.
posted by whisk(e)y neat at 12:18 AM on October 23, 2022 [1 favorite]

I have the iPhone 7 Plus (this thing has held OUT... battery is a little worse than when new, but still perfectly acceptable). I read entire long novels on it with the Kindle app and Apple's Books app. Never have a problem with eye strain and I'm 51 years old.
posted by SoberHighland at 5:07 AM on October 23, 2022

I am definitely not a fan of big phones, but was recently issued a standard-sized iPhone 13 for work which is still larger than I'm used to (personal phone is a Pixel 5). The extra bulk bugged me a bit at first but the larger screen is really nice and much easier for reading.
posted by photo guy at 7:07 AM on October 23, 2022

Mobile games are a lot easier and more fun on a big phone. I'm playing through Gris+ right now on an iPhone 14 Plus and already, sometimes the character is so tiny I can barely see her (why do they do that???). Stardew Valley is also much nicer on a big phone.

Reading too - but mostly I read on my kindle, so not as big a deal for me.

However, like most people who wear women's clothing, I've found the size is not ideal for carrying around. Even most of the phone-pockets on bags and backpacks are a bit too small for the plus/max iphones. If Apple put out a folding iPhone, I'd be all over that.
posted by invincible summer at 8:04 AM on October 23, 2022