Our mobile phones are getting bigger – and here’s the proof

Europe’s mobile phone market has been taken over by giants. For years now, smartphones have been growing larger and larger. In fact, almost half of all smartphones bought on Galaxus and Digitec now have a screen diagonal of 6.5 inches or more. Meanwhile, the figure for displays under 5.5 inches has slumped to five per cent.

While phones with a screen diagonal of 5.5–6.4 inches are still slightly more popular than heftier models, their market share has shrunk by 25 percentage points since 2019. «I anticipate that devices larger than 6.5 inches will take the lead for the first time this year,» says Andrea Jacob, the woman responsible for the mobile phone range at Galaxus and Digitec.

There’s not much demand for phones with screens smaller than 4.5 inches these days. Customers who’re ordering them are almost exclusively opting for flip phones such as the Motorola Razr or the Xiaomi Flip – each of which has an additional display on the front alongside the camera lenses. When opened up, flip phones are also about 6.9 inches in size. For comparison, the first iPhone’s screen was a paltry 3.5 inches (article in German).

Andrea mentions four main reasons why screen diagonals are expanding:

• We’re increasingly consuming media on our smartphones – and it’s not just TikTok or YouTube videos. A representative survey commissioned by Galaxus recently revealed that more than a quarter of the population in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and France now watch films and series on their phones at home. «Many people have a large mobile phone instead of a tablet or even a TV,» Andrea says.
• If you want your phone to have the latest technology, there’s no avoiding the supersize option. «Camera lenses need a lot of space. And it’s the same for powerful batteries and processors, which have to cope with 120-herz refresh rates and AI features,» Andrea says. Large displays, she adds, are a side effect of consumers’ thirst for better hardware.
• Larger phones have dropped sharply in price in recent years thanks to increased competition and cheaper components. «You can get a large, powerful mobile for 400 francs or euros these days.»
• The habituation effect: «Because mobile phones are getting larger every year, we’re not really noticing the difference. However, if you were to put an iPhone 4 and an iPhone 15 next to each other, you’d see astonished faces all round,» Andrea says.

Men over 35 are the target customers

Customers of a certain age tend to prefer larger screens. Around half of those who order a phone with a screen diagonal of 5.5 inches or more is aged 35 plus. Three out of ten are 45 or older. The age divide is all the more apparent when it comes to flip phones (see chart). «This is probably down to the devices’ relatively high price tags,» Andrea says.

By contrast, smaller smartphones with a diagonal of 4.5 to 5.4 inches are going down very well with young people. A good half of customers buying these devices are under 25, with two thirds aged under 35. «The bulk of these sales can be traced back to the inexpensive iPhone SE and the iPhone 13 Mini,» Andrea says.

At first glance, the stats on gender show that men generally buy more mobile phones. A second look reveals that although women appreciate large screens, models measuring 6.5 inches and above tend to be too bulky for them. «It’s tricky to use a phone one-handed if you have small hands,» Andrea explains.

Do you remember what size your first smartphone was? Have you bought extra baggy trousers and a bum bag for your new phablet? What do you make of the giant phone trend? The comments section’s all yours!