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Comment by dm8 | Hacker News Reader

Another oversized phone. When I saw its predecessor I was shocked by the size. How can you properly fit it in pocket? I don't understand why phone manufacturers are engaged in "we are the biggest screen" race? Make your hardware better. Things like Retina display add that wow factor. I have owned two Android phones (none of them were Nexus) and they were marred with hardware and battery problems. Motorola Droid (I used for dev stuff) had amazing hardware but rest other sucked big time.

Edit: Grammatical mistakes

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I think people really overstate how much bigger such a phone is compared to an iPhone in your hand. When people hear something like a 4.7" phone vs a 3.5" they must imagine it's like twice as tall or something. Galaxy S3 is only 2 cm taller and 2 cm wider than an iPhone. A picture comparing the 2 here:

http://cdn.androidcentral.com/sites/androidcentral.com/files...

I've tried a 4.3" Galaxy S2 recently (I own a smaller older phone right now), and I could easily use it with just one hand, and yet there's this myth around the Internet ever since that misleading Curtis article that only 3.5" is the "perfect size" for one-handed use. It's not true. And no, I don't have large hands.

I think this photo better exemplifies the difference:

http://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-gallery#

The S2 fits in my pocket better than the HTC G1 did as it is so much thinner. The real problem is that it's too big to fit in my hand. I got the S2 not because of its size but because it was the best Android phone at the time (in terms of hardware anyway, battery life leaves something to be desired).

You'd have to have some pretty tiny pockets to not have this phone fit. My Galaxy Nexus fits fine in my Levis or suit pants and even feels a lot smaller in my pocket than my Motorola Droid did due to being a lot thinner. Hell, my Galaxy Tab 2 7" can (just barely) fit in my pocket though that's hardly something I'd actually carry around in my pocket. It has a "retina display" (306 PPI) but is a vibrant, high contrast-ratio AMOLED screen.

I'm honestly confused about what this nebulous hardware wow factor is that the iPhone has that this phone doesn't[1]. Not every Android phone has great hardware but this one does.

[1] http://www.theverge.com/products/compare/5588/2783

I think this is one of those things people will never agree on. I guess it boils down to which you value more- the time the phone is in your pocket or the time it is out of your pocket.

I personally prefer a larger screen because it just makes reading and browsing so much nicer and at this size, a relatively small increase makes a drastic difference. Though I know a lot of people who like the smaller screen. Every time I use a Galaxy Nexus and go back to an iPhone I feel like it is just not as nice of an experience.

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