14 
You already thought Samsung’s Galaxy Note was too big, right? Suitable only for use by elephants? Well rumour has it that the plan is to make it even bigger.
Currently the Note features a mere 5.3 inches of screen on the diagonal. According to MK Business that is not enough for Samsung. Instead, the company is apparently planning to launch an update, called the Note II, in October with a 5.5-inch screen. They also suggest that it might feature a quad-core processor and 12-megapixel camera.
Whatever. The important thing to take on board here is that the rumour suggests that the current Note isn’t big enough. What. The. Hell? The thing barely fits in a pocket as it is. Make it any bigger and you’ll need a wheelbarrow to transport the thing.
Of course, the rumour might be complete nonsense — and here’s hoping it is — but if it’s not, then get your hands limbered up for some extreme stretching. [MK Business via Phandroid via The Verge]
Photo by Techblock
The Rich Cats of Instagram: They're Real, and They're Spectacular
Oh God, Here Come the Private Security Drones
Oh for the Love of God, Not Another Bloody Standards War
I’ve heard the same rumour in a few places, though if they pull the same trick they’ve done with the SGSIII, then I doubt the device will actually be that much bigger
What will be interesting to see is if they up the screen resolution.
“You already thought Samsung’s Galaxy Note was too big, right?” No and neither did the millions who bought it. Just because you use a piddly little phone don’t project your prejudices onto other people.
But Darrell, surely you of all people know that everyone wants exactly the same size and shape of phone!
Of course, how silly of me.
I agree completely. And an extra 0.2 inches on the diagonal length is unlikely to make an impact on the dimensions of the casing.
But even if it did make it much bigger, hell, I’m already carrying the mammoth thing so what’s an extra couple of mm. Can’t even get my legs into skinny jeans, so unlikely to try to wrestle a phone into them!
The Note’s screen could get slightly bigger without making the overall phone bigger and reduce the bezel, suppose it depends if they can fit all the bits needed in the current chassis form. Suppose a slightly bigger battery would be needed to match the current battery perfomance..
They’ve done it with the SGSIII, and tbh the proposed spec jump would give the Note the broadly same internals with more space in which to store them!
yeah I think all smartphone phones should take this approach, make screen bigger, reduce the wasted bezel space and keep the phone the same size
Agreed. Maximise rather than compromise
Though saying that, there has to be a practical limit to how small you can make the bezel, or you won’t be able to hold the thing without triggering the screen!
I think Samsung have come pretty close to the ergonomic limit with the SIII, possibly short of using the space taken up by the SAMSUNG logo.
They released it as a “I wonder if the mass market wants this” and it does. So they’re makin’ it a little bigger. I don’t have one but my 4″ Atrix feels too small. You wont lug a 7″ tablet around so s’all good.
Although calling people looks a bit ridiculous, like holding a tablet to your face…
Here we go. It’s not too big for everyone. And it does fit in pockets, unless you’re the kind of gimp who wears skinny jeans. It always makes me laugh when someone says ‘yeah, but it doesn’t fit in your pocket’ and then I show them that, miraculously, it does.
To be fair, my girlfriend can’t fit her 3.7″ smartphone in her jeans, in that it sticks out the top by a couple of centimetres, which isn’t ideal, but tough.
+1 to that. I have the Note and it’s the perfect size for me. It’s maximising the screen for the same pocketable size. They can make the screen larger without altering the phone’s current dimensions.
5.3″? That should be categorised at a tablet!!!
Why?
It’s freaking huge! http://t.co/ObatFgay
Oh god, yes.
Reduce bezel, make thinner, higher res screen aaaaand…. that pretty much sums up any surviving smartphone manufacturer in next 5 years.
Love the way people at work were laughing at me back in the day when I had my collosal 4.3″ HTC HD2. They were like ‘hey where’s your laptop? lol’ (coz pads still weren’t the mainstream).
The HD2 was the best phone at the time when it was released and can still hold a candle to most modern phones. I’m really annoyed mine met its grizzly fate with a pavement
New 5.5 Note + JB = extremely winning
Ha! I pity you small-handed munchkins. Man-sized phones should be celebrated and baby-sized micro-handsets should be ridiculed for the pathetic abominations that they are!
Just because you can make something bigger … doesn’t mean you should.
I was gonna buy GS3 but holding out for the Galaxy Note 2 and hope they make the screen bigger.
.2 ” hardly a huge difference ! if they keep the size of the body the same then why not. Plenty of people bought the thing for what it is – a midsized tablet.
I upgraded to a note recently. Best decision I ever made. Sure there are better phones out there in terms of specs but the thing fits my giant flappy hands easily and portability is no issue. Emailing and browsing are a joy and it has stopped me thinking about ever needing a 7inch tablet as this seems to do the job just fine. I wish tech journalist would stop railing on the note and try living with it for a month.