Apple goes big on going small

Earlier this morning Apple announced their latest addition to the iPhone line-up. No, it’s not a bigger and faster smartphone many anticipated to be the “iPhone 7”.

Instead, Apple took a step backwards from their last smartphone, the iPhone 6S, that was launched in September last year, and announced a smaller iteration: the iPhone SE.

The new iPhone is literally the iPhone 6S in an iPhone 5S body. Packing almost the same amount of processing power (the A9 chip with 64‑bit architecture and Embedded M9 motion coprocessor) everything from the 4.7-inch iPhone 6S is now in the four-inch iPhone 5S from 2013.

It comes as an unconventional approach amidst the trend of large displays. Samsung recently launched the 5.5-inch Galaxy S7 Edge, while the 5.3-inch LG G5 is set to launch in early April.

However, Apple might be giving consumers like youths what we have been asking for – smaller phones.

According to Apple, a whopping 30 million four-inch iPhones were sold worldwide last year alone. “For some people, they simply love smaller phones,” said Apple Vice President, Greg Joswiak, at the press conference this morning.

Bigger phones may seem attractive to hold and, on paper, seems more practical for binge watching your favourite TV shows or movies on the go. In addition, a larger surface area on your screen allows for thinner phones. It’s like rolling dough: the larger it spreads, the thinner it gets.

However, bigger screens also mean bigger problems. The most obvious difficulty youths face with owning big phones is the lack of privacy. We have all glanced at someone’s screen by accident and it’s not because we were being nosy. The fact that your bright five-inch plus display is glaring our eyes makes it hard to avoid looking at, or taking the opportunity to peek at your screen.

The last thing you want is for strangers or friends to be looking at your personal messages when you are texting away. Sure, privacy screen protectors may work shelter you from busybodies, but they devalue the high definition original screen quality you paid for.

Another problem that many people including youths face while using larger phones is its ergonomics. Large screen phone users struggle to reach different ends of the screen with one hand, making using it more of a hassle. Not to mention how they are too big for our pockets.

“I would rather keep my iPhone 4S than upgrade to a bigger phone. Sure, it’s not as advanced but I’m comfortable with the screen size in my hand. It fits perfectly well,” said 19-year-old polytechnic student, Yogaraj Panditurai.

Apple will start taking pre-orders for the iPhone SE on Mar 24 and it will be available in Singapore on Mar 31. Retail price starts at S$658 for the 16GB model and S$828 for the 64GB one.

For those who still fancy large displays, you can look forward to a slate of bigger phones this year. As for the die-hard Apple fans hoping for an upgrade in screen size, you might need to keep your fingers crossed for the iPhone 7, which is expected to be announced sometime in September this year.