Large phones are the new normal size now.
Going back to small phones now feels like trying to type through a postage stamp
this post was submitted on 22 Jun 2023
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I'm waiting for a free upgrade to switch to a flip phone. I didn't want one immediately because I was worried about quality, but from what I hear they're doing well. Decent compromise for me
Yeah, I was thinking who's to say what "normal" size even is? In hindsight, it was awkward as hell taking calls on my tiny nokia brick. Personally, I think we've hit a sweet spot between functionality and size practicality. I'm happy with my 6" screen as long as women's clothes continue on the trend of indulging us with functional pockets.
Everytime someone says this and manufacturers end up making a smaller phone... no one buys them.
People asked Apple for this, and when they obliged, it sold so terribly that retailers literally could not give them away. Unfortunately, it seems those who actually want smaller phones are a vocal minority
Capitalism: Providing infinite consumer choice, so long as your choice is to consume what everyone else is consuming.
I've got about a billion issues with capitalism, but I'm not sure how you think something like this should work otherwise? Product design/development/manufacturing takes a bunch of resources, so it doesn't make sense in any model to make things people generally don't want.
Apple user here. If they don't come out with a new generation of iphone mini, I am simply going to never buy another phone again.
I am simply going to never buy another phone again.
This will not happen.
The comments section of a post like this feels like early reddit. Love it!
I adored my Pixel 3a. The size was perfect in my opinion. Small enough to handle with one hand and to put it in my pockets, big enough to enjoy watching videos on it. The Samsung S10e was lovely too.
I don't have sources but I remember them stating that small form factor phones were not selling too well. So I guess we won't see many flagship or even midrange phones in the near future.
Old people, who have bad eyes and money, buy the bigger phones. Profit margins are bigger with the bigger, more expensive phones. If you want a small phone, get one. Just don't expect the large phone makers to sell them.
Small phones have shittier cameras.
I like the idea of a small phone but, if I’m being honest, I’d probably use an iPad Mini as my phone if it had the ProMax (or better) imaging group on it.
It's these glass backs that I can't stand. I bought a phone not a wet bar of soap.
There's definitely a market for these - my partner prefers a more compact phone, it has been harder and harder to get a decently spec'd small phone of late. There are certain niche markets for small devices and alwasy will be
but the big phone manufacturers don't realize there's a market for this and they completely neglect that. or rather, they know that there's a market for it but they know it won't make them enough profit so they stick with the mainstream, which is a huge shame. i'm sure that there are engineers working at google, samsung, etc. who would love to work on smaller phones, phones with other unique hardware such as trackballs, but aren't able to because of "turn everything into money" mindset.
It is strange, it may be a small market niche (pun intended) but surely its worthwhile for someone to jump into it, particularly given that it could be satisfied with existing technology, no great advances required
Life is your creation. :)
I switched to a Pixel 7 today from a Xiaomi Android phone. I always felt my existing phone was too big, and when looking for a new one the first thing I did was go to gsmarena and search for a phone released relatively recently with a smaller screen. Literally the only result was the Iphone SE.
The Pixel phone is practically the same size, just a tad smaller and just a tad heavier. But there is a significant difference in the gesture support, which is usually something I don't bother with. The result is that the basic system navigation and app switching can be done with my right hand only, in its normal holding position. The swipe from the left to go back a screen can be done from the bottom of the screen, so I don't need to stretch my thumb up and across to do it from the middle of the screen.
Stretching unnaturally is still required to swipe down from the top of the screen, or I guess if third party app design puts buttons in the top left. But as a software solution to this hardware problem which also preserves the larger screen size for cases where that's useful or desired, I think it's pretty good.
you should be able to install a custom ROM that allows you to have notification bar on bottom so that you can swipe up.
@LordShrek @gila iphones used to have the control center by swiping up. Took a while to adjust to doing it from the top right. Wish we had the option to add it to the bottom
Wish we had the option to add it to the bottom
@apple @android feature request here. submitting ticket.
I figured out that the swipe down doesn't need to begin from the actual notification bar, like it does on my older Android phones. I can just naturally extend my thumb up to halfway up the screen and swipe down from there. Doesn't work if I have scrollable content already on screen though
I'm a big guy, with big hands.
Got the s22 ultra, and it feels like it's finally a me sized phone. I've been fighting tiny phones for decades!
In the end, we need a range from small to large.
Unironically if there was enough demand they would be made. Even the iPhone mini failed in market penetration, not to mention things like the Sony compacts and the Zenfones.
Unihertz, interesting, thanks!
Not possible at the moment. Without the large size, you can't fit an adequate battery to last a day or longer.
Not to mention that many people want good cameras on their phone, an they need space as well.
Display needs a lot of battery, less of it and you dont need such a big one. Than make it two millimeters thicker and the problem is solved.
I'm typing this comment on a Zenfone 9, which is a pretty reasonably sized phone with a decent battery and camera. Charging to 80% usually lasts me over a day of usage. The camera is good enough as well. Phones don't have to be so massive to have those features
Just grow bigger hands 😉
They can't even fit in a headphone jack in the large phones. A small phone would require a SIM adapter and external battery if they ever make one.
Why do people prefer smaller phones? Like I use a realme 7. So not small but I don't feel like it's massive. And ths screen is nice if I want to watch a video or play a game. I feel like with more people using their phone as a primary computing device they will be bigger to accommodate that. Genuinely interested in why people prefer smaller phones
My desktop is my primary computing device, and I still want a large phone. Using small phones is no fun, and I'm actually looking for larger. I prefer the screen width to be at least 7cm, most phones don't clear that.
Small hands. My Pixel 4a is as big as I'll go at 5.8", as I can reach the other side of the phone with my thumb to type one-handed.
I miss my pixel 4a everyday. one-handed, back fingerprint scanner
@eighty the main feature I miss from my Note 9 is the back fingerprint scanner. It just worked so much quicker than the under the screen type.
100%. It feels much more natural scanning at the back while it's in my pocket. I was able to bring the notification shade by swiping down the scanner. It felt more like the device was an extension of myself rather than a cumbersome large screen. Aiming towards a smaller one-handed phone for my next everyday carry.
I have very small hands. Like smaller than children's sized. I though the same until my boyfriend got me an s29 ultra and at first I thought it was ridiculously large but I've had it since launch and anything smaller now feels cramped. I tried using his pixel once and it felt barely usable to me. I mean I've user the iPhone 4s and a honor 6x and at the time I thought they were fine but just the extra height on my current phone leaves me with a whole phone worth of space when typing. I used to hate how much screen real estate the keyboard took up. It's definitely useful to have smaller phones for a more utilitarian perspective. I'm that case though I'd rather have a bar or flip phone with a very long battery life and at most a black lcd screen or something. Sometimes I think id rather have my phone separate from my portable internet device.
So your boyfriend travelled to the future and got you an S29? 😛
20 years ago these were great. Now? Ye gods I'm too old for that tiny stuff.
A friend of mine was all in on the palm pre. And extolled the small form factor and how much better it was than the incoming 4G Android phones...
Now he buys the largest iphone possible every year
I used an overlooked palm pre for internet access before I got my first smart phone and while it was neat at the time it really wasn't going to be good for say, browsing on jerboa with that screen size. The keyboard wasn't good either.
It'll take a bit, but big minds are working on it
There's a chinese brand called cubot that already makes small phones. It's already available for buying.
Their website does not instill me with confidence, plus China.