“I have never been tempted by massive phones. The 5-inch Galaxy S4 is already a bit of a stretch when you’re using it with one hand, and the 5.9-inch HTC One Max just seems excessive, particularly when placed next to the 4-inch iPhone 5s,” Sophie Curtis writes for The Telegraph. “However, analysts point to the growing popularity of ‘phablets’ (a horrible word to describe something between a phone and a tablet). In parts of Asia, they’re more popular than laptops and tablets combined, and even Apple is rumoured to be working on a larger-screen iPhone.”
“I decided it was about time to explore this new phenomenon for myself, and scooped the One Max into my handbag,” Curtis writes. “One (Max) thing you notice very quickly when you’re using a phablet is the expression on people’s faces when you take it out – a combination of intrigue, horror and ridicule. My HTC quickly became known as the ‘clown phone’ in my house because, like a clowns’ giant shoes, it somehow makes the rest of you look smaller.”
“It’s not a device I could imagine a man using, because it fits in very few pockets… At 217g, the One Max is not the lightest device to carry around with you, although admittedly far lighter than an iPad Mini or Kindle Fire tablet. The problem for me was that I just couldn’t quite get over the feeling of looking ridiculous,” Curtis writes. “I will be surprised if phablets really catch on – and this is not just a comment on the HTC One Max, but on all large-screen smartphones, including the Samsung Galaxy Note, the Sony Xperia Z1 Ultra, the Nokia Lumia 1520 and others. While they have their advantages, they are unwieldy and, unless giant pockets come into fashion next season, they remain slightly impractical.”]
“I will also admit that, by comparison, the smartphone I am using now – the 4.3-inch Sony Xperia X1 Compact – feels incredibly small, and my typing has gone completely down the pan,” Curtis writes. “For now, however, I’ve decided that phablets are not for me. I can’t think of any applications other than gaming that are better suited to this size of device than any other – and I’m no gamer.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: She really wants an iPhone. Pity that she doesn’t seem to realize it as she mows through a field of iPhone wannabes, also-rans, and roadkill.
Sophie, come on, go get yourself the real thing now!