With so many device types – small smartphones, big smartphones, tablets, dumb phones, you name it…it can be hard to know what to choose when you go shopping. After all, many of these devices allow you to do the same things: You can make calls from a tablet, write on a phone, watch movies on pretty much anything you want.
So what drives people to buy particular devices rather than others? And are buying tendencies moving in a specific direction, now that more and more types are becoming available?
Smartphones still outsell tablets
Obviously, part of what you choose to buy depends on what you want to do. And many people have multiple devices that they use for different purposes. But overall, smartphones are still a bigger seller globally than tablets for several reasons. They are easy to carry – you don’t have to have a separate bag for them and can slip them in your pocket. You can text just as easily as you can write short messages on a tablet. And watching movies in any given location is just as easy as you can hold a smartphone at a comfortable distance for viewing.
This isn’t to suggest that tablets are going away any time soon. Because of their larger size, they are particularly useful for people with poor vision. They also tend to cost less (although of course the cost of any given smartphone model goes down after every six months or so), and have longer battery lives than smartphones do. So for people who are on the move a lot and don’t want to stop and charge, they might be a better choice.
What size smartphone is most popular?
Statistically, the most popular size smartphone has a 6.1 inch screen. The preferred size of smartphones has been going up since they first came out, of course, which almost blurs the line between phone and tablet. Now that more and more streaming platforms are available, people want to get as much watching space as they can. However, many people only feel comfortable texting in a space that they can easily manipulate with their thumbs while simultaneously holding a phone – and this can become awkward if a screen is too wide.
And what of the new folding phone phenomenon? Well, in terms of market share, these devices have yet to really take off. In 2023, they still accounted for just over 1% of smartphone sales. First of all, they are much more expensive than their flat counterparts. Also, people have become accustomed to having a phone that they can easily slip into their pocket, that is lightweight, and that they don’t have to manipulate very much. So how much these new devices will really take off in the future is unclear. Many people would prefer to own both a phone and a tablet, and use them each for their own purposes.
How about smartwatches?
Smart watches are becoming more of a thing. While they can’t take the place of smartphones in every respect – and most people certainly wouldn’t want to watch movies on them – smartwatches can certainly fulfill a lot of functions. You can monitor different things with them. You can speak voice messages into them and read responses. If you’re interested in experimenting with smartwatch ideas, you can try out Apple watch mockups and explore the possibilities.
Do “dumb” phones still exist?
They do, in fact. And some people – not many, but some – actually prefer them. Not everyone is glued to their Facebook page all day long. In fact, some people would really like to do away with it – and the pressures of keeping up with it – altogether. Having a traditional mobile phone allows you to do this. No more distractions while you’re walking down the street. No more constant bleeping of messages from multiple sources. Just a means of calling people when you need it.
And it’s not just your grandparents that are thinking in this direction. You’d be surprised at how many people are finding ways to get rid of their boss…
What does the future hold?
There will surely be many new and innovative designs in the future. With the growth of AI and other new technologies, communications could take on forms that we never before imagined possible. But let’s not forget that we humans are still made in the same way that we have been since before any of these things existed. Our hands and fingers are still the same size. We still feel most comfortable carrying the same amount of weight that we did 100 years ago. And we still have the same ability to view things that we always have.
So we will see. But the most popular features of what we talk and read on, watch, and play will may well remain similar to what they are now.