The three new iPhone sizes. Photo: Marques Brownlee
Smartphones have become so user-unfriendly that I realized something. I don’t care about the camera, or the chip, the battery life or the screen, I’m just looking forward to the iPhone 12 because it’ll be ergonomic. The first smartphone since the 2016 iPhone SE to actually fit in a hand.
Remember when Apple’s commercials looked like this?
One of the best features of the iPhone 5 was that it featured a larger display over the iPhone 4, 3.5 inches vs 4 inches. It was still small, but it was usable space. People didn’t want a handheld tablet, but still wanted a larger screen. Eventually, Apple gave us smaller bezels, but the screen size skyrocketed, and devices became hard to hold. Now people want something a little more hand-friendly again.
But has smartphone design gotten so bad that the best feature of a new device will be ergonomics?
Yes.
Potential Drawbacks?
I came to this realization while listening to one of Rene Ritchie’s videos while washing some dishes. He had mentioned a (disputed) rumor that the iPhone 12 mini would have a “B14” processor, rather than the A14 in the other iPhone 12 models. This would be a slower processor to preserve battery life on the iPhone 12, which will have a smaller battery. It’s more likely that Apple would simply underclock the processor, or just rely on the existing iOS battery preservation techniques.
These rumors, including the one that Rene Ritchie mentions in that video about Touch ID replacing Face ID on the iPhone 12 mini, are unreliable. That’s why this may be the first time you’re hearing them. I often read tweets and cutting-edge rumors, but as you may have noticed form the sources I provide in my articles, I tend to not share unreliable rumors. Unless a rumor is highly probable, I wait until numerous sources come forward or reliable sources comment. I just haven’t seen that yet for some of these rumors.
Regardless, I realized that I just wouldn’t care. So I may have a slower iPhone 12. So it may not have Face ID. Big deal. It’ll be smaller.
Ergonomics as a Feature
I have a beautiful keyboard I assembled myself, an OLKB Preonic. It’s feature-packed, compact, and I customized it myself. Still, it collects dust more than keystrokes. That’s because using it is so uncomfortable.
Ergonomics is a feature. When I’m standing on the train, holding my skateboard in one hand and trying to operate my iPhone with the other, being able to reach the whole screen, and all of the buttons, while holding the phone with one hand is vital. It’s why I hate the iPhone 11 now. It’s simply too large. Using the phone with a loop means I’m less likely to drop it, but also have to stretch and contort my fingers to reach the lock buttons, volume, or even anything in the top half of the screen. That’s why I often didn’t even touch my iPhone during my commute.
What use is speed or battery life if I can’t use my iPhone?
A supposed iPhone 12 case next to the iPhone 11
So, I’m ready to compromise. I’ll give up the large screen that’s great for games, comics, and movies. I’ll even give up some performance and battery life. I just want to use my iPhone again. Maybe 5.4 inches will be too small. Maybe I’ll be wrong. But I’d like to at least see if a phone that actually fits in a pocket and a hand works in 2020.
Ergonomics have become a driving factor for smartphones. We’ve reached peak smartphone design and are going back while exploring new possibilities. Maybe it’s finally time smartphones get interesting again. I just hope companies remember that ergonomics is one of the most important features for a device that we’ll use for many hours a day.
Probably too many hours, but who’s counting?