Larger Smartphone Screen Sizes Spurs More Minutes With Apps, Report Says

Larger smartphone screen sizes correlate with longer sessions of app usage, said a report from IHS and Mobidia Technology. The report covered more than 25 smartphone models and usage in the Germany, Japan, South Korea, the U.K. and U.S. Smartphones with higher-resolution screens have higher data consumption, but resolution is less important than physical screen size as an indicator of higher data use, the report said. "Companies building apps for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus need to know what greater engagement these large screen iPhones will deliver for their genre of app, because higher engagement means more revenues through in-app purchases and advertising," said Ian Fogg, IHS senior director-mobile & telecommunications. The prevalence of large screens within the Android world means that “Android becomes a significantly more attractive platform than in years past,” it said. Streaming video and social networking apps have a stronger link between increased data consumption and screen size than do mobile games or chat apps such as WeChat and WhatsApp, the report said.