Just like they got their thumbs surgically altered when the 5 came out, no doubt you will be getting all your pockets resized if Apple increases the iPhone width.
The iPhone 5 compromises to make the screen bigger, but only by a little.
I don't think I could use a 4" device like a Nexus 4 (I have a Nexus S which was a good size), on my commute where I need to hold onto a handle of the train, underground with one hand, smartphone in other.
I have big hands. I loved the original Xbox controller before they shrank it. I love bigger phones. I find the iPhone 4 and earlier too damn small for me.
The Apple commercials with someone hand showing that it is "perfect size" are simply laughable. Lets have someone with small, medium, and large hands film that commercial and you will see how ridiculous the concept of "perfect size" is.
There are actual limits to width that have to be take into consideration. Just because you might have a hand large enough for a nexus, does not mean every human, or even adult male for that matter shares that trait. And you're guaranteed less women share that trait.
Perhaps you have large hands, and loved the original XBox controller, but you would be in a minority.
Yes, I can. It's complete bullshit. All the arguments for why the iPhone 4 form factor was the best are now being used to claim that the iPhone 5 is the best by a lot of the same people. That just goes to show that you can manipulate that argument to work with whatever screen size you want.
The argument that a smaller screen, allows for a smaller surface area, that is easier to navigate is obvious.
3.5 is easier to use than 4 which is easier than 5.
People may say a 4 inch screen is better in general (because the forgive ergonomics for real estate), but not in ergonomics alone.
That's not obvious at all. Larger screens can allow for larger touch targets, and by showing more content they can reduce the need for "navigation" in the first place.
Citation needed.
The danger is that changes to screen size aren't always reflected by the software, so you may have a small screen that scales down, or a large screen with wasted real estate. See the host of apps that haven't update for the iPhone 5 screen yet!!!
I'll acknowledge that many times you have to fiddle a bit to make sure that your Android view works well on a variety of screens, but usually you can target between 3 and 4 layouts and have a usable UI for all devices from 10" tablets all the way down to small feature phones.
I care more about my phone's abilities than I do about what people think of me when I'm holding it up to my ear. (Which only happens maybe once a week for me, anyway.)
I was very impressed with the overall experience. If I wasn't so used to iOS, I could easily see myself using Android on a Nexus 4. But in the end, I walked away with the opposite impression; I saw no compelling reason to switch to Android and have decided iOS is still the mobile OS for me. Unlike the author, I do not really consider myself a power user. The customizability of Android is really enticing, but at the end of the day I find myself preferring the design/philosophy of iOS. But it really just comes down to personal preference.
After using an iPhone for so long, I became annoyed at the small design/interface differences present in the Nexus 4 (e.g. no physical home button). At times I found it difficult to use the Nexus 4 because of it's greater width. The iPhone width is optimal for my hand size and pocket size. Also, in my opinion as an app developer, the iOS app ecosystem still seems a lot stronger than Android. Browsing the Play Store was a little boring to me. Yes, most popular apps have both iOS and Android versions, but many developers still target iOS first and Android second. Until there's a reason for that to change I think iOS still has the edge in "killer" apps.
That being said, I agree that there are a lot of nice things in Android that I would love to see implemented in iOS.