Size matters: This is why Google likes a ‘big’ Nexus 6

At Google’s annual Asia-Pacific press event in Taipei this week, the search and advertising giant which seems to be nurturing increasing ambitions of becoming a device player, concentrated on this mobile first world. Google thinks the “most exciting computing revolution of our time, the mobile web,” is being forged in Asia.

“Asia will be the new market for this new (mobile only) change. The demand for smartphones with larger screens in on the rise as for most first-time smartphone buyers, it is there only computer. So, the industry needs to design products accordingly,” said Executive chairman Eric Schmidt delivering a keynote via Google Hangouts from Japan.

Nexus 6 (left) vs Nexus 5. (Source: Debashis Sarkar)

Not long ago, smartphones with 5-inch screens were considered to be ‘big’. Now, the same ‘big’ smartphones are almost standard, especially in India.

“I personally prefer the Nexus 5 and feel that the Nexus 6 is a big phone…but then big phones are the future,” said Schmidt.

Commenting on the fate of tablet PCs, Schmidt said, “If you already own a 6-inch smartphone (or phablet) then tablets will have to get better and deliver much more. Smartphones can primarily empower developing nations in improving safety of citizens and quality of education.”

(Source: Debashis Sarkar)

“Those users will buy a smartphone as their only computer, for them a large screen betters the experience be it for playing games, taking notes, browsing the Internet or watching movies,” said Chris Yerga, APAC Engineering VP, Google Play.

On the Android application front, Yerga said, “Asian developers lead the race in Google Play and this region will help us predict the future of the rest of the world.”

The author was hosted by Google at Taipei, Taiwan.