Big Smartphones, Small Tablets

One wonders how big smartphone screens can get, and small tablet screens can get. The Sprint HTC Evo 4G and Verizon's Motorola Droid X have huge screens of about 4.3 inches and 4.4 inches, respectively.

The Evo 4G measures 4.8 by 2.6 by 0.5 inches and has a 4.3-inch touchscreen. T-Mobile's HD2 phone, also built by HTC, has similar dimensions--4.7 by 2.6 by 0.4 inches--as well as a 4.3-inch display. The Droid X, slated to debut next week, is even bigger than the Evo 4G or HD2, and has a 4.4-inch screen. By comparison, Apple's new iPhone 4 is relative petite with its 3.5-inch LCD.

The Dell Streak, an upcoming tablet device, will feature a 5-inch touchscreen. While the Streak will have 3G broadband and Wi-Fi, as well as a front-facing camera for video chat, it's definitely not a smartphone, according to Dell.

There are boundaries for how big a phone can be, and still be usable, though. One might argue the same thing is true of tablets. There is some point at which they likely are too small to be highly useful. Right now, it's hard to say where the line is, though.

Weight and battery size are other issues. To drive a larger screen you need a bigger battery. That adds both heft and weight to any device, but especially for a phone.

Supersized Smartphones: How Big Can They Get? - PCWorld