I have a Moto X at 4.7 inches and it's a little too big for comfort. It's usable, and you do get used to the size, but I can't reach the top of the screen from every hand position. The HTC Incredible 4G I used to have, at 4 inches, remains my ideal screen size. Unfortunately, that means I have to compromise on performance, since there are now no reasonably-sized high end phones.
> I can't reach the top of the screen from every hand position.
Well, I think that is not a self-evident bad thing. As a result of Android and Windows Phone design guidelines, by far the most interactions happen on the bottom half of the screen. I think that as long as you can reach the notification bar, there's a pretty good argument to be made that the additional screen estate is more beneficial.
Furthermore, just because you're used to it on your current phone should not necessarily imply that you need it on your next. That is a line of reasoning I'm also seeing a lot, but that just sounds like people being conservative to me. It's a fine preference to have, but such a slightly different way of using a new phone may not always be a bad thing either.
I'm not arguing that bigger screens are better, but I don't think that there are clear objective constraints to screen size. You could even wonder why people think one-handed usability is important at all.
the top left corner is very high on usage. on newer android without the menu button, the top right is very high too.
now, android added lots of unsatisfactory work arounds for the very fact that almost everyone can't reach those corners. such as sliding from the left to simulate the top left corner touch. or even the failed fire phone with screen tilt to do the same.
it's all lame work arounds for the problem. the real solution is smaller screen sizes.
