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Increasingly huge phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 are missing the smart phone “sweet spot”, according to Motorola. Future phones from Google’s in-house mobile-maker will be smaller than big-screen rivals — and even better, will use pure, unadulterated Android.
As many phones balloon in size to 5 inches or more, Motorola’s design chief says that instead of “bigger is better”, Motorola has decided that “better is better”.
“There are some people that like a big display,” says Motodesigner Jim Wicks, “but there’s also a lot of people that want something that’s just about right… I think ‘just right’ is important, and we’re designing so we don’t disappoint those people.”
Apple shares that thinking, resisting the temptation to make the iPhone bigger, with the latest 4-inch model just a smidge taller.
Even though future Motophones — perhaps including the oft-rumoured X Phone — will avoid getting bigger, screens will expand to fill the space. Motorola wants to continue in the vein of recent models and further reduce bezel size.
Wicks acknowledges consumers want the latest Android updates sooner. But more importantly, he wants to cut down on bloatware, those unnecessary and unwanted extra apps and widgets added by manufacturers and networks. “People don’t want all that stuff pre-populated on their devices,” he says. Amen, brother! Testify!
Rival phone-flingers love slathering extraneous extras like extra apps and custom interfaces on top of Android. That makes sense when you’re trying to differentiate yourself from other manufacturers, but it’s good to have an alternative. Up to now, the Google Nexus 4 and its ilk have been the only phones to run pure Android.
Google bought Motorola a year ago, so it’s about time we started to see some pure Google goodness filtering through. The ‘just right’ phones are expected to arrive in the second half of this year.
Is Motorola right that phones are getting too big? Are you looking forward to more pure Android options? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.
