It was the iPhone 7 Plus. That damn iPhone 7 Plus. It was not only my first major iPhone, but also the first major cell phone in general that I owned. Not far from the Huawei P30 Pro I had, but enough to start I hate big cell phones. Those we still called phabletsa term now as obsolete as my disdain for the iPhone “Plus” and “Max.”
Because yes, I am a fan of small cell phones and also of those who said goodbye to the iPhone mini, even if in a somewhat cynical way, I admit, for years I stopped using small iPhone. And I don’t regret not using them at all. If you are still team small iPhones, I will try to convince you to take the plunge towards a large one, although I also warn you that everything is not pretty.
Tendonitis completely kept me away from big iPhones
No one cares about my life and my little struggles. I know, although ultimately this is an opinion piece and I think it’s relevant to say why I started preferring more compact phones after the iPhone 7 Plus. Like I said, it was the biggest phone I’ve ever had.
I loved it and still love it because it still works in someone else’s hands. It was the first with a dual camera and my return to the iOS world after a few years of absence. However, it didn’t take long after purchasing it to feel a strange twinge in my hand and wrist. This had never happened to me and it is no coincidence that it happened to me after several minutes of using the iPhone.
Without thinking too much about it and risking losing my call due to a problem that actually had another origin, I exchanged this iPhone 7 Plus for an iPhone 7 with a very close friend. There was such confidence that if I had wanted to return to “Plus”, I would have agreed to change again. The fact is that was to get back to 4.7 inches and make my pinches disappear completely. And that’s where my hatred of “More” began. As I said, it’s not so much a real hatred as an obvious health preference.
I came back for the feel and stayed for all the benefits of a big iPhone
Due to my profession, changing my iPhone every 1 to 2 years is almost an obligation and fortunately, I was able to afford it. So, with the exception of the ‘XS’ generation, I was able to try all the following ones. In 2017, I upgraded to the iPhone Then I upgraded to an iPhone 11 Pro, although this generation would mark my return to big phones.
I loved my iPhone 11 Pro. It worked wonderfully and its hardware (including cameras) was identical to the iPhone 11 Pro Max. However, I felt that in some way I wanted to take a leap and feel like I was carrying something different in my pocket. So yes, I ended up getting rid of this ‘Pro’ and moving to the ‘Pro Max’. And I won by a lot.
It’s a brick, but you get used to it
Never having gone to the doctor (badly done, I know) when these pinches happened to me with the iPhone 7 Plus meant that I could never know if it was really due to the size of the phone or not. The fact is that with the iPhone 11 Pro Max it was heavy, more annoying and less comfortable, it’s true and it’s something that I continue to perceive today with an iPhone 13 Pro Max. However, I never felt such discomfort again. and I eventually got used to this large size (even larger when I upgraded from it to the iPhone 13 Pro Max).
A bigger screen equals better consumption
Image: Alejandro Alcolea for Xataka
I’m not a big fan of watching series or movies on my mobile. Not even on an iPad. Any screen under 30 inches seems small to me. However, yes I consume a lot of multimedia content from social networks and YouTube. In this I won because the content is infinitely better.
Reading anything is much less painful
By the way, in addition to watching video content, you I am fighting against my aging and my increasingly tired eyesight while reading. During my last few months with a small iPhone, I started seeing worse and had to strain my eyes too much or increase the text size. With the iPhone ‘Pro Max’, this no longer happens to me. And I apply this to books as well as text messages, articles, emails or documents.
Being more productive is not a cliché
I admit that it horrifies me when I read/listen/see someone’s content where they say “thanks to X thing, I’m more productive.” I don’t want to become that, but I definitely felt that with a big iPhone, I’m more productive with the iPhone. And that, for technical purposes, is the same as a small, but having a larger screen invites more.
Go ahead and far from it, it has replaced my Mac or iOS center for much of my work. Absolutely. However, I noticed that In some situations I resorted to the Mac because I was too lazy to do it from the iPhone. From creating a note that’s a little more elaborate than just a quick note to writing a long email. Typing on a big iPhone is a pleasure.
I’m not a big gamer, but the size invites me to it too.
The fact that I am not a video game enthusiast does not only apply to the mobile domain, since it also happens to me with video game consoles. However, it is precisely the simple and casual games that I resort to the most, it is these features that flood iPhone games.
Now enjoy these games on a bigger screen They not only make content better, but also more comfortable.. In titles where there are on-screen controls, a small iPhone may end up not being up to the task, but grabbing an iPhone “Plus” or “Max” for this is a nice feeling.
The crown jewel: a bigger battery (more than Apple says)
I come to the key point and I think that even makes them compensate for possible disadvantages which I will comment on later. In recent generations, Apple has determined that the difference in battery life between a small and a large model is around 2 hours, but of course, these are their calculations based on very precise usage studies.
From my actual experience, I will say that I have obviously noticed some wear and tear on the battery over time and with a few updates (which have occurred) that eat away at the battery life. However, In general I noticed that I have a lot more space than with a 6.1 inch model. The exact figure varies a lot, but when I had “Pro” I could barely make it to the end of a day at 8-9 p.m. without using the charger and now I can make it to about 12 p.m. with 20% or more. battery (depends on usage, of course).
There are also “buts”, even if that compensates me
Not everything that glitters on an iPhone “Plus” or “Max” is gold. Like everything in life, there is nothing perfect. In this experience which has now lasted five years, I can say that although I am paid for the advantages, I also encounter certain disadvantages.
See for example when I’m on a call that lasts several minutes. If I don’t have my AirPods nearby or the ability to use the speaker, I admit that my arm gets tired. Which is more due to posture and therefore this also happened to me with a small iPhone, but we add here that the cell phone weighs much more. Luckily, this rarely happens to me and when I anticipate the call is going to be longer, I try to have headphones handy.
One-handed operation It was also more complicated. There aren’t many occasions where I have to use the iPhone one-handed, but there are circumstances where I do. With an iPhone the size of my “Max”, this becomes complicated, although fortunately I have two tips for reaching any part of the iPhone: using the split keyboard and the “easy access” function.
It also happens to me that does not fit in every pocket. In general (and I don’t know the reason) the pockets of women’s jeans are smaller, so I fear that women will have more difficulty in these cases. Yet I also have jeans with pockets that aren’t as big as I’d like and the iPhone doesn’t fit me. And where that is, it can end up being uncomfortable. Carrying a brick there is noticeable.
Before, buying a big iPhone required us to reach almost 1,500 dollars, but now there are options without exceeding three figures
Likewise, I can’t ignore this Big iPhones are more expensive. Therefore, those who want to upgrade from small to large will have to make larger expenses. Yes, with the introduction of the iPhone 14 Plus in 2022 there is now a more economical option that costs around 1,500 dollars as a base for a ‘Pro Max’ and which is the only option to have the same price. bigger.
So all, and concluding with this experience, let’s say that Now I think it makes up a lot for having a bigger phone.. If the batteries of the little ones were significantly increased or if we even saw the long-awaited foldable iPhone that could have different sizes, perhaps things would change. Today my iPhone is big and the next one will be too.
Cover image | Original by Iván Linares for Xataka
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