Consumers Demand Big Screen iPhone 6 as Galaxy S5 Interest Spikes

Consumers want a bigger iPhone 6 this year and the pressure is on for Apple as consumer interest in the Samsung Galaxy S5 spikes right as the new phone arrives in stores.

A new survey shows 40% of consumers want a new iPhone 6 with a lager screen. The survey focused on early adopters, users who plan to buy the new phone close to an iPhone 6 release date. These are normally the most excited consumers.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 release date is today, Friday April 11th, and a set of large-screen fans are heading to stores to buy the latest 5.1–inch Galaxy S5. While there may not be the same level of hype with stores opening early and people lining up, this survey shows that the interest in a Samsung device is higher than it has ever been.

The iPhone 6 is the name given to two potential new iPhone models for 2014, both likely arriving with larger screens and with iOS 8 and a new faster Apple A8 processor. There is no official information on this device, but many leaks and reports provide an interesting picture of what to expect.

The ChangeWave survey of over 4,000 individuals, shared on Fortune, shows a huge amount of interest in the iPhone 6. 26% of respondents said thy are very likely to buy an iPhone 6 and 14% said they are somewhat likely to buy an iPhone 6. For the survey ChangeWave described the new iPhone 6 features as a device with a, “larger screen size, gesture control, a faster processor, an updated iOS operating system,” and with a $199 on contract price like the current iPhone.

iPhone 6 rumors line up with this description. The short list of rumored iPhone 6 specs and features below highlights the similarities.

• iPhone 6 with a 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch display
• iPhone 6 running iOS 8 which Apple is expected to announce in June
• iPhone 6 with an Apple A8 processor

The iPhone 6 price is an area that rumors don’t always agree on. Some suggest Apple will keep the price the same on contract, while other suggest larger displays with a Sapphire cover will push the price up.

It’s not clear what gesture control ChangeWave is talking about, but the HTC One M8 features a very nice gesture control option to tap on the display or swipe form an edge to perform actions and the Galaxy S5 also combines motion and some gestures to control the phone. For the most part iOS 7 and iOS 7.1 do not include gesture controls.

This is an accurate description of the iPhone 6 based on current rumors and a recent analyst report that included many key details and features.

Speaking with Fortune, Andy Golub of 451 Research summarizes the findings and keys in on pent up consumer demand.

“This is the highest level of demand for an unannounced Apple model in a ChangeWave survey – stronger than we’ve seen in previous years for the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5 models prior to their announcements.”

“Speculation over a larger screen iPhone is clearly striking a chord with consumers.”

It makes sense that consumers are eagerly waiting for a large screen iPhone 6 this year. Apple introduced a 3.5-inch iPhone display on the first iPhone and did not upgrade to a 4-inch display until 2012 on the iPhone 5, which is the same as the iPhone 5s display on sale today. During this period the competition pushed the size of a smartphone display larger, to a nearly 5-inch average size in 2013 and 2014.

By using thinner bezels and new screen technology Samsung and others are able to use bigger displays without making phones that much bigger. The Samsung Galaxy S3 vs Galaxy S4 vs Galaxy S5 illustrate this by increasing from a 4.8-inch display to a 5-inch to a 5.1-inch display with a very limited overall growth in the phone size year-to year.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 release date is today and consumers are already gravitating towards the large 5.1-inch 1080P display that a display benchmarking firm calls the, “best performing smartphone display,” taking the honor away from the iPhone 5’s 4-inch Retina display

Read: 50 Galaxy S5 Tips, Tricks and Hidden Features

The ChangeWave survey also measured consumer interest in buying a Samsung smartphone, charting it back as far as 2009 when Samsung launched the first Galaxy S smartphone. The Samsung Galaxy S5 release delivered a spike in consumer interest, pushing the number of shoppers who say they will buy a new Samsung smartphone in the next 90 days to 28% of respondents.

The iPhone 6 still only lives in rumors, but the Samsung Galaxy S5 is available on store shelves today to capitalize on the consumer demand for a larger display.