Last Updated on January 1, 2013
Maybe the lack of excitement I had about the new iPhone being “thinner” and “lighter” wasn’t such an invalid complaint after all.
A recent article on CNN lists 5 consumer complaints about the newest iPhone design, and sure enough, its new weight is among them.
CNN acknowledges that as some people might see it, to complain about the phone’s weight might be a little weird. But it then quotes a few tweets from people who aren’t impressed with the slimmer version:
“Can I be honest and say I wish the iPhone 5 was slightly thicker and heavier. Hate thin phones!”
“Held the iPhone 5. Way too light for this spazz-attack. I need a heavier phone so I don’t completely destroy it.”
“This new iPhone is way too light. I feel like its [sic] gonna just fly outta my hand with the slightest breeze.”
I had the same impression a few years back when I picked up a Blackberry phone at a wireless store when I had to leave AT&T because of service issues before anyone else had the iPhone to offer.
There comes a point at which a phone is too light. Or at which it begins to feel too flimsy.
I’ve seen an iPhone 5 in person, but only in the form of a glance across a table. I haven’t held one or tried to do anything with it, so I don’t know how heavy or light it actually is.
But I know how my iPhone 4 — no, not even an iPhone 4S…I’m behind the times — feels, and it feels fine to me. A phone that’s lighter or thinner than that just doesn’t carry much appeal. It’s not, in my book, a “problem” for which a “solution” needs to be developed.
I have a really thick, hard plastic cover on my 4S. Thinner isn’t a selling point for me. I don’t want something that’s going to crack in half in my jeans pocket when I sit down.
My Droid Razr marketed itself being thin and light. I immediately slapped on a shell and holster combo on it because for me that’s the easiest/best way to carry my phone. Â Basically that made it thicker and heavier.Â
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I didn’t really care about how much my phone weighed. When I bought my Razr I wanted 4G (Apple didn’t have it), a bigger screen (mine is STILL bigger than the iPhail 5), best in class maps (Apple Maps was promised, but it has turned out a to be a big letdown), and a longer battery (Apple has fantastic batteries. The Maxx has the best Android battery, but the Razr still had a better battery than my old Incredible).
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Size and weight probably matter more to people who hold their phone a lot, or don’t have a kickstand.