For smartphone buyers, bigger is increasingly better

The days when smartphone buyers valued devices that fit neatly into their hands appear to be over — nowadays it’s all about the big, beautiful display. A new survey from Strategy Analytics has found that consumers are increasingly attracted to smartphones with larger screens, indicating that the trend Samsung started with its Galaxy Note line of phablets has taken hold. Overall, the survey found that consumers preferred an average smartphone size of around 4.5 inches in the second half of 2012, or right in the middle of Apple’s 4-inch iPhone 5 and Samsung’s 5-inch Galaxy S4. What’s more, the survey also found that many smartphone owners have a case of “phablet envy” since “the majority of consumers surveyed indicated that they preferred prototypes that have a larger screen than their current phone.”