I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone • Hacker News Board

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#261

Post by rst » Tue, May 17, 2022, 4:13 PM UTC

stormbrew wrote: post #231

samatman wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe the bit about power users is the HN effect at work, the main customers for small phones are people with small hands and/or pockets, who are disproportionally women. Women are also overrepresented in the Really Big Phone market, and wield them two-handed. They also trend heavily iPhone in the US market, but that leaves plenty of alpha for the manufacturer who serves the actual market for small-form-factor An…

I agree with this. Power users are a tiny market compared to “people who can’t reasonably fit a modern phone in their pocket.” But if you have to keep your phone in a purse anyways, why not just get a big one? So mostly the people in that market who still care are the ones who can’t or don’t want to carry a purse, which is also a smaller market. (I’m in this market though, so i am sad)

Not everyone wants a phone that they have to operate two-handed -- particularly those with small hands to begin with.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#262

Post by rplnt » Tue, May 17, 2022, 4:14 PM UTC

therealmarv wrote: post #20

Pixel 6a, Xiaomi 12, Sony Xperia 10 IV. Won't get any smaller. https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?&idPhone2=11285&idPhon...

That's 2cm on my current phone (XZ1 compact) which also has relatively big bezel and it's right at the limit of being able to be controlled with one hand.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#263

Post by kgermino » Tue, May 17, 2022, 4:14 PM UTC

“4 hour screen on time”

That seems crazy low. I have an iPhone Mini (and would switch back to Android when I replace it if they have a mini quality phone and Apple doesn’t) and my battery lasts “all day.” I’m not sure how it works out in terms of screen on time, but it’s got to be at least 6 hours a day. Probably more.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#264

Post by amyjess » Tue, May 17, 2022, 4:15 PM UTC

makeitdouble wrote: post #254

amyjess wrote: post #201

This is why I'm not moving on from my Pixel 4a. If it ever dies, I'll go on eBay or wherever and buy a new one. I don't even care if it goes EOL and stops receiving security updates. TBH if I do end up replacing it with something else, it doesn't have to be stock Android or even a powerful device. I'm okay with replacing my 4a with some cheap ultra-budget shanzhai phone as long as it's small and it works with T-Mobil…

For me the more problematic aspect of the 4a is the updates it’s receiving make it so much slower. For instance at this point opening the camera takes around 3s, and the shutter button lags 2s as well. Going back yo the previous OS would fix that, but it was also buggy and missing proper support for the new gesture navigation. I love the phone but it also makes me hate Google so much.

TBH I don't use gesture navigation so that doesn't matter to me. I just hate Android 12 because it forced ugly gray backgrounds on me. I miss being able to see the active application under my notification shade and to see my wallpaper behind the app switcher.

At this point I think I'm just done with Google's Android and I think I'm ready to try one of those Chinese forks with a super-colorful iOS-like UX.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#265

Post by torstenvl » Tue, May 17, 2022, 4:15 PM UTC

mtoner23 wrote: post #227

dr_ wrote: post #173

I wonder how much of the limited sales of the iPhone mini could be attributed to the branding? What if Apple were to drop the mini and make this the base iPhone, with the other models being Plus, Pro, Max? Margins may be poorer with Mini, so it likely won’t happen, but I feel mini sales could be much higher if they wanted them to be.

Sounds like you've answered your own question. Margins are lower, why would they want to sell more of those compared to the regular iphones?

So increase the price?

As a criminal defense attorney, I will never own a FaceID device. Ever. I owned an iPhone 7, then an iPhone 8, then an iPhone SE 2020, then another iPhone SE 2020. I may upgrade to the iPhone SE 2022.

Cost is not an issue for me. I don't buy the iPhone SE because I'm cheap. I buy the iPhone SE because it is, on balance, hands down the best phone Apple makes right now for people who value convenience, portability, and security.

I tried the iPhone Mini when I broke my first iPhone SE while hiking. I don't trust FaceID to work when I want it to (masks, glasses vs contacts, etc. tripped it up). I don't trust FaceID not to work when I don't want it to. I ended up returning it and going back to the SE.

I don't think I'm alone.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#266

Post by richardfey » Tue, May 17, 2022, 4:15 PM UTC

djtango wrote: post #21

I was a Sony Xperia Compact aficionado until the latest gen was impossible to buy due to the chip shortage.

Which model were you trying to buy?

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#267

Post by rplnt » Tue, May 17, 2022, 4:16 PM UTC

didip wrote: post #89

So… there are tons of small Chinese Android phones. Why not get one of them, wipe it clean, and install whatever you want?

It's an option only if you don't want a good camera, don't need it to be fast, don't care that screen scratches, etc..

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#268

Post by debaserab2 » Tue, May 17, 2022, 4:16 PM UTC

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #137

roelschroeven wrote: post #79

A problem is that even within the niche of small phones, not everybody has the same wishes. Compared to your ideal specifications, my wishes are: support for microSD card storage; battery that easily and reliably lasts a full day with moderate phone usage; fingerprint sensor, not necessarily on the power button; camera decent, not necessarily great (I don't care that much about low light performance, for example). I'…

> Missing microSD card support could be the major dealbreaker And for the other guy a 3.5mm jack and for a third a physical off switch and look at that we have too many dealbreaker features for the form factor. Power users tend to have more dealbreakers than the average consumer. Anecdotally, it seems power users prefer smaller phones. This might be what kills the small phone factor.

I definitely want a smaller phone but I don't know that I'd call myself a power user given that I use my phone less now than I have in the past 5 years - but it has been a total replacement for things like photography.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#269

Post by joshvm » Tue, May 17, 2022, 4:16 PM UTC

ngngngng wrote: post #221

I wanted this and it didn't exist, so now I use an iPhone 13 mini. I'll likely replace the battery on this a few times since rumor has it the mini model won't be continued. It's too bad that Apple is running entirely on the sales numbers of the mini itself for that decision, as since getting an iPhone 13 mini I've bought 3 of the newest model of macbook pro for members of my family, started using Apple TV+ and Apple…

I also got a 13 Mini. It's a nice phone, but it feels very dense, especially with the magsafe case. I'm not sold on the experience coming from Android, but it seems like it's a case of learning workarounds.

In hindsight, I realised that I was coming from an Android phone a few generations back (Pixel 2) which I considered to be a reasonable size. Pixels have gotten about 10 mm longer over time. However now we have wall to wall screens, it's quite a difference. The iPhone Pro is the same form factor as a Pixel 2, for example, but is all screen. 6" seems doable for Android, but that's a lower bound.

I think what we all want is a Pixel 2 without the bezel. There are lots of phones with smaller OLED displays, but none without the bezel.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#270

Post by davee5 » Tue, May 17, 2022, 4:17 PM UTC

Hi Eric, I'm a hardware startup guy myself (our paths have crossed) with the distinction that my own "very specific set of skills" has been honed at smartphone megacompanies and smartphone startups. OSOM, Essential, HTC, Samsung, Apple. I've designed and built a lot of phones. I'm building one now. I think this is a noble effort, I personally prefer pocketable phones too, but I think there are nigh-insurmountable hurdles in your paths forward.

- 1. Supply chain / component R&D -

You will be very, very hard pressed to source a pre-existing, high quality, non-exclusive 5.4" display with a hole punch. If you end up doing this as your own startup then you're going to start by trying to buy off the shelf parts to keep costs down. But that display you want is simply not on any of the development roadmaps for the major component manufacturers. The industry has its own momentum, and the component suppliers have also been looking at the trendlines so they are building bigger and bigger.

If you can't find the screen you want in a catalogue then you have to pay someone to build it. Convincing BOE et. al that your phone will sell enough to pay off R&D costs is unlikely, so be prepared to pay several million bucks in NRE to make it worth their time (it might still not be) and the wait a year for them to spin up the fabs. So ~$5M and 9-18 months later you have a display.

- 2. Big players are uninterested, not uninformed -

Big companies are drowning in market data. They know some people really, really want small phones. But it's a long-tail opportunity they're willfully ignoring, and people who need phones will still buy something even if reluctantly. I've been in the meetings, small phone advocacy goes nowhere.

Also I'm a little surprised you're hoping an online petition will work after your prior experience trying to influence your acquirers. I presume you saw the inside of Fitbit / Google and how decisions are made...