True Life: I’m afraid the iPhone 6S will be too big for my tiny hands

As a technology journalist and a longtime Apple user, many people ask me what is on my iPhone 6S wish list. But considering the event is mere days away and we won’t have much longer to speculate, my wish list is turning into more of a bare necessity.

You see, I have super-small hands. Not unnervingly small, but just diminutive enough to make holding the iPhone 6 with one hand uncomfortable and the iPhone 6 Plus practically impossible. I’m excited to see what the company has to offer, but I’m dreading the form factor of the iPhone 6S.

Apple, is it so difficult to have a smaller phone? I’ve already picked out the name: iPhone 6S Minus.

I’ve been dreading the dawn of larger smartphone sizes since 2013, when I reviewed the big (for the time) 5.5-inch LG Optimus G Pro. I was happy knowing that, at the time, Apple had been clinging to Steve Jobs’ reluctance to cater to the big phone or “phablet” trend.

My tiny mitts could barely wrap around the Optimus G Pro, and more than two times in my review period I had to catch the phone as it slid out of my hands like a cartoon bar of slippery soap.

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Day-to-day wear of a larger phone caused my cocktail weenie fingers to practically protest in a matter of weeks. I had hand cramps, and I was cranky. Even worse, I always felt I was four seconds away from shattering the phone on the pavement because I could never get a good grip. The big phone did not wear well on me.

So cue my dread this time last year, when Apple introduced the large iPhone 6 and the even larger iPhone 6 Plus. I have always been on the S cycle, which rarely brings exciting hardware changes, so I knew it was likely that I would have to kiss the phone size I love, that 4-inch iPhone 5S, goodbye.

And that sucks! I believe that if Apple is going to bring the larger phone size to cater to those with big hands and a desire for more screen real estate, then it should also provide a smaller size for people who are just looking to be able to take the phone out of their pocket and feel comfortable doing so.

This of course, walks into the biggest risk of the iPhone 6S Minus: that it would not only be lesser in size, but also in function. I’m a technology fan, and having to settle for a less powerful phone just because I can’t hold the big version feels like a letdown. Apple explored this idea (to not-great effect) with the iPhone 5C, and I don’t think it worked. And it’s especially unappealing considering the rapid rate at which iPhone models get outmoded over time as new OS versions continue to evolve.

This means that on September 9th, I’ll likely have a very tough choice. As much as I want to continue my fidelity to Apple, I might have to reconsider the latest model because of the way it feels. If the company decides to go larger than the 6’s 4.7-inch form — which is the maximum that I can hold to remain comfortable — then I will have to consider saying, “No thank you” to the iPhone 6S.

From there, I’ll be searching for the phone that is small yet mighty, kind of like me. I have no qualms switching to Android if it means I can have the power I want with the comfort I need. So if you have any suggestions, I’m all ears!

But part of me still hopes I don’t have to choose, and that Apple will present a phone that feels good to hold. So don’t listen to what they tell you: size does matter.