日前，NPD发布的一份报告指出，智能手机行业的面貌正在改变，大屏化成为新的趋势。NPD行业分析执行总监罗斯•鲁宾表示：“智能手机可获取的互联网和视频内容激增，使得用户开始重新考虑自己手机的尺寸。更大的屏幕能提供更丰富的多媒体体验，而且能为用户提供更大的虚拟键盘空间。手机制造商正在不断挑战手机大小的极限，以便更好展现4G手机强大的视频能力。”

    NPD对手机市场的最新调研显示，2010年第四季度，4英寸及以上屏幕的智能手机市场占有率迅速攀升至24%，其中包括三星（Samsung）银河S、宏达电（HTC）EVO 4G和2010年第二季度上市的摩托罗拉（Motorola）Droid X。iPhone和其它3.5至3.9英寸屏的智能手机市场占有率，在2010年第四季度也上升了2个百分点。而屏幕小于3.4英寸的智能手机的市场占有率，则从2009年第四季度的63%下滑至2010年第四季度的36%。

    2010年最畅销的5款4英寸及以上屏幕智能手机分别是：

    • 1 宏达电 EVO 4G

    • 2 摩托罗拉 Droid X

    • 3 三星Fascinate

    • 4 三星Captivate

    • 5 三星Vibrant

    我评判一款手机最重要的标准是：手机外壳和屏幕的比例。也就是说，我希望制造商能在最小的设备上制造出最大的屏幕。宏达电EVO的长度和宽度都比典型的3.5英寸屏手机大不了多少，但其屏幕竟有4.3英寸大！同样，摩托罗拉的ATRIX也在“小巧”的设备上嵌上了大屏幕。

    T-Mobile的Comet和其它来自华为的廉价Android手机则恰恰相反。它们的外观尺寸中等，但屏幕太小。这是很大的劣势——浪费了重要的使用空间。

    事实上，完美的手机也许100%的空间都是屏幕，不过这样的手机将很难把握，因为触摸屏随时有可能被激活。谷歌（Google）、苹果（Apple）和微软（Microsoft）也许将在未来的移动操作系统里增加对这类手机的支持。他们也许会将屏幕外侧设为不能响应触摸动作的盲区；或是至少在人们握住手机时，让屏幕外侧的像素暂时失效。

    谈到苹果，也许他们的设计师会顺应这一潮流。有小道消息称，下一代iPhone将在保持大小不变的基础上，配备4英寸显示屏。宏达电的HD 7和三星的Focus也配有4英寸以上屏幕，它们均采用最新的微软操作系统。

    译者：项航

    A report today from NPD shows that the face of the smartphone industry is changing, for the bigger. "The explosion in Web and video content available for smartphones has caused consumers to rethink their phones' sizes," said Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis for NPD. "Larger displays offer a richer media experience, as well as a roomier surface for on-screen keyboards. Handset vendors are continuing to push the envelope of pocket real estate to complement the video capabilities of 4G handsets."

    Based on the latest information from NPD's Mobile Phone Track, smartphones with 4-inch-or-larger screens, like Samsung's Galaxy S, HTC's EVO 4G and Motorola's Droid X, which debuted in the second quarter (Q2) of 2010, quickly grew to encompass 24 percent of the market by Q4 2010. The market share for iPhones and other smartphones with screen sizes between 3.5 inches and 3.9 inches increased 2 percent over the prior year's Q4; while the market share of smartphones with screens smaller than 3.4 inches, declined from 63 percent in Q4 2009 to just 36 percent of the smartphone market in Q4 2010.

    The five best-selling handset models in 2010 that had screen sizes of 4 inches or larger were as follows:

    • 1 HTC EVO 4G

    • 2 Motorola Droid X

    • 3 Samsung Fascinate

    • 4 Samsung Captivate

    • 5 Samsung Vibrant

    One major criteria I use when evaluating phones is the amount of chrome, or frame on a mobile device. That is, I look for manufacturers to put the biggest screen on the smallest device. The HTC EVO, with a height and width marginally bigger than a typical 3.5 inch screen phone, somehow fits a 4.3 inch screen on it. Motorola's (MMI) ATRIX has a lot of screen for its size as well.

    The cheaper Android devices like the T-Mobile Comet and other devices from Chinese manufacturer Huawei are the opposite. They are medium sized devices with small screens. That is an immediate turn off –wasted important space.

    In fact the perfect phone might be one that is 100% screen, though that would make it hard to hold without activating the touch screen. Perhaps Google (GOOG), Apple (AAPL), and Microsoft (MSFT) will tweet their future mobile OSes to make the outer few pixels a dead zone for touch actions, or at least deaden those outside pixels when held.

    Speaking of Apple, the designers in Cupertino might be listening to this trend. There are rumors that the next iPhone will have a four inch screen on the same sized device. Microsoft has 4+ inch phones with its HTC HD7 and Samsung Focus amongst others.