Liking it large: over one third of smartphones are 5 inches or more

Ron

Liking it large -- over one third of smartphones are 5 inches or more

The smartphone market shows no sign of waning, with new figures showing that there were an impressive 279.4 million handsets shipped in the first quarter of 2014. While this represents a 5 percent drop from the previous quarter, Q4 of any given year usually sees a surge in sales for the holiday season so this is not entirely surprising. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2013, there has been a 29 percent surge in shipments.

In terms of market share, there are few surprises. As has been the case for some time now, it’s Android taking the top spot with an 81 percent share, iOS taking second place with 16 percent, and Windows Phone bringing up the rear with a 3 percent share.

But while buyers choice of mobile OS may not be much of a surprise, the report from Canalys makes for interesting reading. It seems that there is a definite preference for devices with larger screens, and devices boasting screens of 5 inches or more accounting for more than a third — or 34 percent — of the market. This is a staggering growth of 369 percent.

In fact 10 percent of handsets shipped have screen of 5.5 to 5.9 inches, and 2 percent stretch things to 6 inches or more. There has certainly been an increase in the number of Nokia Lumias packing larger screens, so this is a trend that looks set to continue.

What’s your ideal screen size? Do you prefer a larger device, or would you rather opt for something more diminutive?