US, UK Smartphone Owners Prefer Display Sizes Between 5 and 5.5 inches, Survey Finds

American and British touch-screen smartphone owners prefer handsets with display sizes between 5 and 5.5 inches, a Strategy Analytics survey has found. Though slightly more respondents rated the 5.3-inch device in their top three, a higher proportion chose the 5-inch “prototype” as the device “they would most likely consider purchasing for their next smartphone,” the research firm said. Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of respondents canvassed ranked the 5-inch prototype as their favorite overall, with an additional 27 percent placing it in their top three, it said. Though 16 percent ranked the 5.3-inch prototype as their favorite overall, another 36 percent “placed this device in their top three,” it said. Device prototypes of 6 inches or larger and 4.5 inches or smaller “were least preferred overall,” it said. Respondents were most likely to be interested in a device that had a display that was up to 1.5 inches larger than their current smartphone, it said. Respondents initially showed overall preference for the thinner prototype, 6 mm rather than 8 mm, it said: “Yet when told that the thicker device could provide a third more battery life, the majority of respondents instead opted for the thicker prototype. What is clear is that respondents prioritize battery life over a thin design. Crucially, however, this does not mean that manufacturers can make very thick devices in order to provide much larger batteries." Today's iPhone 6 Plus has 5.5-inch display, while the iPhone 6 has a 4.7-inch display.