Meet The 5-inch Screen Smartphone

That’s not a tablet you see tech executives holding up to their heads. It’s just their new, hip smartphones.

If there’s one thing that’s become quite clear at CES it’s that 5-inch-plus phones are no longer strange. In fact, they’re the norm here as more phone makers roll out oversized devices.

Just a year ago, a smartphone with a 4-inch screen was a big deal.

Now, companies including Samsung, LG and Lenovo are adding 5-inch screen devices every time they have a new announcement.

On Monday, for example, Sony announced that its new flagship phone for 2013, the Xperia Z, would also have a 5-inch display. The Xperia Z will also have another feature that’s becoming a trend among jumbo-sized phones: a full 1080p HD resolution.

For reference, that’s the type of display that was originally intended for 40-inch televisions. But that hasn’t stopped phone manufacturers, such as HTC with the Droid DNA and Vizio with a device it’s making for China.

And because 5-inch phones are starting to become common, some companies have begun to push the boundaries with even larger displays. Samsung last year announced the Galaxy Note II with a 5.5-inch display, and this week Huawei announced the mammoth 6.1-inch Ascend Mate.

I personally am not a fan of holding a brick up to my face and talking to it, but there’s no stopping this train now.