I’ve always liked a big flagship phone, having enjoyed ‘pro’ sized models like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max. But recently I swapped from the latter to an iPhone 17, and within moments I was reminded of a strong opinion I’d sort of let wither.
The best phone size is around 6.3 inches.
By that I mean the display size, when the screen is pretty much bezel-free. This size, running along the diagonal, threads the sweet spot between offering enough screen space for web browsing, video watching, gaming, and general smartphone tasks to be very pleasant, while also allowing a phone that, at least in my case, can be used one-handed.
I’m reasonably good at multitasking, so I often find myself using a phone with one hand while I do other things, from eating and flicking the channels on my TV to lugging stuff around or vacuuming my apartment. With the iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro Max before it, such one-handed work required massive stretches with my fingers and often led to a mass of typos when texting or for the phones to slip out of my grasp and plunge to the ground; thankfully, titanium frames meant they could weather such gadget skydiving.
But aside from being easier to use, phones with 6.3-inch displays are simply neater than their bigger brethren. I’ve always turned my nose up at the iPhone Pro Max models, which looked a little off compared to their more compact non-Max counterparts.
And while I love the slab-like, pocket computer feel of the Galaxy S25 Ultra and its predecessor, it’s not exactly a subtle phone to use or carry; it’s perfect for ruining the clean lines of a suit. Compared with the compact 6.2-inch display of the Samsung Galaxy S25, the phone slips into a pocket without any unsightly bulge.
Now, having gone down to the more compact iPhone 17 compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, I’m surprised at how long I put up with the large phone.
While I have to give Apple the nod for keeping the phone reasonably slim and light, I never quite felt I fully gelled with the Max iPhones, despite some two years of use. For what it’s worth, I only went down the Max route as Phones Editor Axel Metz bagged the normal Pro iPhones, leaving me with the big units.
So now that I’m back on the smaller iPhone, I’m reasonably sure I’ll not be going Max again anytime soon. And even if I do decide to go back to Android, I suspect I’ll choose a Google Pixel 10 Pro over a Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Luckily, with the iPhone 17 sporting a 6.3-inch display over the 6.1-inch screen of the iPhone 16, yet still taking up the same overall size, and finally being the first standard iPhone with a 120Hz display, Apple has made it quite easy to move from a flagship Pro Max to a smaller, phone without leaving me feel I’m missing all the extra as amy bells and whistles; I’ll have more thoughts on this as I further bed in with the iPhone 17, so make sure you check back with TechRadar.
So, do you agree with me? Is some 6.3 inches the perfect size for phones, or is bigger better? Or perhaps you’re craving for smaller flagships? Let me know in the comments below.
The iPhone 17 sample used for this article was provided by Vodafone. For the latest iPhone contract deals, head to Vodafone’s dedicated iPhone deals page, and check out TechRadar’s Vodafone discount codes page for further savings.
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