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Will smart watches lead to larger phones?

nexusI have a pretty large phone. With a 5″ screen, the Droid Maxx can’t be called “small”. Offhand, I don’t think I’d want anything bigger than that.

Rumors are swirling that the next “Nexus” phone for Android (codenamed “Shamu”) will be a 5.9″ monster from Motorola. There’s also rumors that Apple will be increasing their screen size and offering a 4.7″ and 5.5″ model for the iPhone 6, compared to 4″ screen on the iPhone 5s.

The more I think about it, though, maybe a 5.9″ phone is exactly what I need, thanks to the rise of smart watches.

Less looking, more using

I’m really enjoying my Android Wear watch, and I’ve noticed that it’s causing one major change in my phone usage — less “looking”. You can’t really be very productive with the watch, but I use it often during the day to check notifications, archive emails, and handle light housekeeping. As a result, I don’t check my phone nearly as often, but I still pull it out when I need to get something done.

I make very few calls with my phone against my head

I don’t spend a lot of time on the phone, but when I do it’s usually in other formats:

  1. Most of my calls are via Google Voice, using my computer speakers (and/or headset).
  2. The next largest group of calls I make are using the bluetooth speakers in my car.
  3. Lastly, I’ll occasionally use the phone itself to make a call, but it’s only a handful of minutes per day.

I agree that holding a 5.9″ phone up to my head would be a bit awkward, but it really won’t matter very often.

I have deep pockets (literally)

One advantage of being a guy is that I tend to have fairly large pockets on all of my pants. A 5.9″ phone would likely be a tougher fit, but the 5″ Droid Maxx is never an issue, so I think I’ll be alright there.

Huge email and GPS device? Yes, please.

So I’m away from my desk and I need to get work done. Why not a bigger phone to knock out some emails? Or a larger, easier-to-read GPS? It seems like that would be pretty handy.

I’m still not completely sold on the idea of a huge phone, but it’s growing on me. As long as I continue to feel that the smart watch is worth wearing, I think that a giant phone could turn out to be a great companion.

What do you think?

About the Author

Mickey Mellen

Co-Founder and Technical Director

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