Piper Jaffray Survey on Smartphone Sizes

New survey on screen size preference fuels smaller iPhone 6C rumors

piper jaffray smartphone screensize survey iphone 5c green — Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s clear that most people prefer a large and in charge smartphone. We have seen screen sizes getting larger and larger to the point that some of them are too big to fit in your pocket.

While most manufacturers pushed the envelope to 6-plus inches, Apple waited until last year to go over the 4-inch mark. Once Apple obliged, sales for the iPhone went through the roof. However, not all consumers prefer to hold something larger in their hand. Keep it in your pants folks — we are still talking about smartphones.

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Investment firm Piper Jaffray conducted a survey that showed 20.3 percent of consumers yearning for a phone with a 4-inch display, which is the same size as the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C (pictured above).

Now as much as there are some people who have great eyes and prefer the smaller display, the survey of 1,077 U.S. consumers proved that most people want more screen real estate, which isn’t surprising. 31.2 percent of respondents feel the iPhone 6S (4.7 inches) is the perfect size, while 27.2 percent prefer the larger iPhone 6S plus (5.5 inches). The remaining 21.2 percent wanted something other than 4, 4.7, or 5.5 inches.

While this data is fueling rumors that Apple might offer a smaller iPhone 6C to cater to the 20 percent, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster doesn’t think it would have a positive affect on sales. He believes that most of the 20 percent who claim they prefer the 4-inch size haven’t upgraded to a larger iPhone yet. Munster thinks they will move to the “dark side” once the jump is made.

I wholeheartedly agree with Munster on this. I remember when I would tote around my larger Android phone, iPhone users would constantly say that they have no interest in a larger phone. Once Apple unveiled the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in late 2014, those same people magically loved the larger size.

With that said, smaller phones aren’t going away anytime soon. They service a niche, namely budget phones. The iPhone 6C might not set the world on fire, but according to Munster, it would be a lower-priced alternative for many consumers who want the Apple brand, but can’t shell out $600 plus for an iPhone. He believes an iPhone 6C could cost $450, which generally isn’t classified as “budget” by today’s standards, but it would be for Apple. The phone could launch next spring alongside a new Apple Watch.

Let us know in the comments what size you prefer — and yes, we are still talking about phones.

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