I can see people not liking phones like > 6" screens because they are too hard to hold but it seems like 4" screens are too far in the opposite direction.
Hard disagree. 4-inches screens were a thing because that’s the perfect size for a human hand. Phones became huge when content consumption got prioritized over ergonomics.
I have an iPhone 6 that I keep around (I normally use an iPhone SE, of course) and I don't really like it much; I find it uncomfortable to hold for long periods of time and I constantly have to use Reachability to get at stuff :(
