Mobile Device Screen Sizes Resource Guide

Clients often ask us, “How many different screen sizes do we need to accommodate when it comes to mobile optimization?” The simple answer is that there are programming techniques that can accommodate virtually any mobile device screen size.

But that doesn’t mean maintaining quality control across the range of smartphones and tablets isn’t a complex challenge. Screen sizes across smartphones and tablets vary from device to device. There are about 18 major devices with 12 different screen sizes ranging from 3.5 inches to 10.6 inches, measured diagonally from corner to corner. To help demonstrate the different devices and their screen sizes, we’ve developed a handy one-page resource that provides dimensions of all the major devices.

When developing a website, email or landing page, it is essential to consider how to optimize the user experience across the many different devices. Today, 74% of mobile users rely on mobile devices to check email, and that percentage is steadily increasing.

Additionally, according to eMarketer, 15% of online retail sales will take place on a mobile device, up from 11% in 2012. By 2017, that number is expected to reach 25%. With this in mind, you want to ensure the responsive design of your website, landing pages and email delivers your content to the mobile user in a way that ensures a successful, enjoyable experience on any mobile device.

So how do you ensure that your website or email will work favorably across each individual mobile device with different screen sizes?

The best way is with responsive web design, or RWD, a web design approach aimed at crafting sites to provide an optimal viewing experience—easy reading and navigation with a minimum of resizing, panning and scrolling—across a wide range of devices.* Without RWD, ensuring each individual user has an optimal experience with your website, email or landing page would be nearly impossible, but by using responsive design one time you can ensure that each will work seamlessly across the many different mobile devices, regardless of screen size.

With technology constantly advancing it seems bigger, or smaller, new and improved mobile devices are constantly becoming available to the billions of consumers who use them daily.

To learn more proven ways to enhance the effectiveness of your mobile marketing programs, talk to J&C.

To see responsive design in action, visit our portfolio.

*Wikipedia contributors. "Responsive web design." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. May 2013.