[Closed] Getting used to a big phone.

What is it

Xiaomi mi10t lite

I went from IPhone 6 to Motorola power.

The only problem with getting used to it is occasionally reaching the opposite corner with a thumb.

Getting used to It was fine.

After a day or so you pick up the old phone and think “what is this, a phone for ants?”

That said I am 6’4” so maybe a big phone is just in proportion for me...

I don't think my phone is particularly big (Samsung S7) or my hands particularly small (size 9-ish) and sometimes I can't get my thumb to the other side of the screen and think "well this is stupid".

Have you tried holding it further away?

😞

I've got a massive "phone" - 8.4" screen
(I hardly ever make calls on it and mostly use it for reading stuff and showing stuff to other people on-screen)
Suits me fine but I never use it one-handed except when it's on the desk

I’ve got a massive “phone”

Suits me fine but I never use it one-handed except when

Do you get used to them ? Anyone had to go back to a small one?

I’ve used iPhones since the second version, the 3G, then a 4G, 5, 6+, and now an 11 ProMax: I skipped the 7, 8, 9 and X/10 - the 6+ lasted me five years.
I still have the 4G, although its Home button has been flakey for years, its only used for playing music on an old DAB radio alarm. When I use it now, it feels like I need to use a toothpick to operate it! As I’m not one of those people who only use their thumb to operate their phone, size isn’t an issue, the bigger the better, in fact.
Like anything, use an item/object for a while, you adapt, and think nothing of it. As I use my phone as a book reader, camera, and satnav, with phone pretty much last, and virtually no social media, so pecking away at a screen is just not important, size and clarity of the screen is paramount - I don’t want to have to wear reading glasses to see what I’m doing.

and sometimes I can’t get my thumb to the other side of the screen and think “well this is stupid”.

Just ‘cos you’ve got opposable thumbs, doesn’t mean you’re forbidden from using yer fingers!
Crows only have their beak, but they manage to use tools in a fairly sophisticated fashion, it’s worth doing likewise...

My new phone is 6.5", yup it feels massive compared to normal phones. You kinda get used to it but it's not without drawbacks.

In reality one handed use is impossible.

The other issue is once it's in a case it doesn't fit in a normal pocket. Too tall for jeans, and a big bulky shape inside a jacket. Fine if you're the kind of person who carries a bag of stuff, not great if you like the fact phones let you ditch 90% of a bags contents.

On the upside the bigger size means bigger batteries, it's 9.30pm and it's still on 69%.

1 month ago i went form a Samsung S9 to a Xiaomi mi 10, 5.8 to 6.6 ish. It took a couple of days to get used too but it was the weight that has bothered me more although now a month on that isn't a issue. Impressed by Xiaomi.

Do you buy trousers with bigger pockets?
I have Madison biking shorts with a rear hip phone pocket, it is perfect with my current 4.7" screen phone, but I am worried that larger phones will be a hassle.

It's when I read stuff like this on here, complete with actual weights in grammes, I realise I'm not actually the strange one.

Jesus, it's a smartphone, fractionally bigger than you've used before. Do you really have to 'get used to it', rather than just pick it up and use it?

I've had 3 Sony phones in a row now the first was a great phone but just too bloody big (6" IIRC with some bulk beyond the screen, the second was smaller (and cheaper) 5.2" and did well for almost 3 years but started to chug.

The current one, they've changed aspect ratio it seems so its almost exactly the same width as the previous 5" phone but a fair bit longer making it a 6" screen but also annoying to fit into most zipped rear pockets on Jackets and Gilets, as well as poking out of my jeans pockets...

So yeah I would happily go down to a ~5" phone again now, but all the smaller sized phones are shite specs now it seems... I'm waiting for flip phones to fully come back now we can bend the screens (but I'm not buying a Samsung again)...

The only problem with getting used to it is occasionally reaching the opposite corner with a thumb.

One if the moto actions reduces the screen for thumbage.

Open the moto app and turn it on.

I tried out a bigger phone and got used to it but it wasn't as comfortable to hold and use with thumb and it wasn't as comfortable when in pocket. The larger screen was a plus but outweighed by the minuses for me.

I got used to a Mate 20 Pro quite quickly, but you always notice the weight. Changed to a Pixel 5 when I renewed the contract and although I miss the giant screen a bit, I think I value the small size more.

Only disadvantage of course is that a giant phone never falls out of jersey pockets on a bike while a smaller one can bounce out.

I've gone smaller from a Moto G6 plus to pixel 4a. There is very little in the screen size change as the the pixel has a much better case - screen ratio. When it first arrived I was worried smaller would be a pain be it really isn't (and you start to appreciate that it fits in pockets better). I compared it to be brothers IPhone 11 the other day, that is a seriously heavy and chunky handset!

If you use your phone as a phone above all else, go small. If you use it as a communication and entertainment device, go big.

iPhone 8 Plus here. It replaced two decades of blackberry use - and I still miss the proper keyboard. But it also replaced my iPad Mini 4 as well, which came as a surprise. It lives in a back pocket.

Anyone had to go back to a small one?

Had to?

No-one was twisting my arm but I went from having a couple of the early phablets (yes, I know) like the Samsung Notes to ones that are about 140ish mm. The size just didn't really add anything for what I use it for.

Perfect size for me is about 140/70.

Do you really have to ‘get used to it’, rather than just pick it up and use it?

Yes, you have to get used to not being able to sit down with it in the front pocket of jeans. And it just feels like it's going to fall out the back pocket.

So yes, it requires getting used to finding somewhere else to stash it.

Do you get used to them ?

Yeah, pretty quickly.

I went from iPhone 8 to 12 Pro Max. Within a few days my 8 felt tiny.

The downside? Like HD and 4K TV once you get used to it, the newer better version just feels normal the the old terrible, it doesn’t feel special for long.

I could never get used to a phone that won't fit in my pocket. I don't carry a handbag as a guy (not that guys can't have handbags if they want of course) and I'm not carrying a phone in my hands in the open.

Riding bike, yeah I know shouldn't keep phone in pocket anyway, but I'm getting so minimal on some rides now I have no where else to put it, and I still prefer to risk the pocket for the convenience of whipping out the phone to check a route or take a photo. Depending on the ride type. If I'm going to do anything gnar (not that I'm ever "gnar") then yeah, I'll find somewhere else to stick it. Uplift, it may even have to stay in the car as I'm probably not carrying a backpack.

Anyway, this is my biggest problem looking for a new phone. They're all stupid size. Why did we change from phones getting ever smaller, to wanting a massive tablet type thing as a phone?

Of course another solution is the smart watch you can pair with the phone. Can't be doing with that as I'm finally glad I no longer need to wear a watch so not going to start wearing one again.

Why did we change from phones getting ever smaller, to wanting a massive tablet type thing as a phone?

So I can answer daft questions like this without having to switch on my laptop. 😉

I've had a 7" Mi Max 3 (in a rubber case) for a few years now. Holding it in one hand and tapping with the other is just normal for me. I can honestly say it's never been an issue (don't think I've ever been a one hander tbh, possibly because I've always had fairly large screen phones and/or I've always used the swipey predictive text keyboard that comes with stock Android and works best IMO with two hands).

In the last 12 months it's maybe become a bit inconvenient now I have to use the phone to open my car door, as you're often carrying stuff to the car in one hand, but you just cope with it.

Never had an issue stashing it in the clothing I wear. The only time I've ever wished I had a smaller phone is when out running and want to take a phone to listen to music/podcasts, it's abit too heavy and bulky for that (haven't looked at those arm strap phone holder things).

Also it often doesn't fit in the usual phone areas in cars, so usually ends up on the passenger seat.

How small are some people pockets?!

Or how tight are some peoples jeans 😳

My iPhone 6s fits in my saddle bag (Topeak aero wedge, medium), which is a limiting factor for me - I wouldn’t want anything bigger. I still use my 3G, mostly for playing music in the car or for taking on holidays loaded with extra books for the kids, but it’s amazing how small it feels now.

I bought a rugged case for my mi10t lite. Makes it a bit bigger but the lumpy corners on the case and the magnetic mount/stand on the back makes it easier to grip with one hand.