20% of US consumers prefer 4-inch smartphones, says survey

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By Larry Banks

A survey of users of smartphones in the US has found that 20 percent prefer smaller devices in the 4-inch range, which might also be a sign that an updated entry-level iPhone 6c will be introduced by Apple.

There have been recent rumours of the iPhone 6c, and amid these, Piper Jaffray polled more than 1,000 US consumers to determine their favourite screen size. 20.3 percent of those surveyed said they preferred a 4-inch device – the size of the iPhone 5s.

Large-screened smartphones nevertheless were more popular in the poll – 31.2 percent said 4.7-inches was preferred, while 27.2 percent liked the 5.5-inch size of the iPhone 6s Plus (and many other company’s handsets). The other 21.2 percent said they’d like something else aside from 4-, 4.7-, and 5.5-inches.

US Survey Size of Smartphones

Well known tech analyst Gene Munster said the poll suggests a 4-inch iPhone won’t have a major effect on Apple’s sales, and that most consumers will prefer larger smartphones when they grow used to them.

“We believe that part of the reason that over 20% of smartphone users still say they prefer a 4″ screen size is they still have older model iPhones,” he said. “When they upgrade to a 4.7″ screen with an only slightly bigger footprint in the pocket, we expect those users would be converts to the larger screen size.”

Munster predicted that a 4-inch refreshed iPhone would be the new low-end iPhone, and would cost $450 off-contract to replace the iPhone 5s. He says the “iPhone 6c” will also feature Touch ID and Apple Pay but won’t come with the 3D Touch input found on Apple’s latest smartphones.

SOURCE: AppleInsider.

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