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I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

smallandroidphone.com

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Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#342
post #6

“matching size and design of iPhone 13 Mini” So, by all accounts, the iPhone mini has been an extremely slow seller. https://www.macrumors.com/2022/04/21/iphone-13-mini-unpopula... Why would that form factor succeed in the Android space? --- I see these meme on tech sites all the time: “oh phones are too big I just want something simple”. That is a valid sentiment that I think is shared by basically no average consum…

Similarly, the F150 is the best selling vehicle in the US. #2 is the Silverado, and #3 is the Dodge Ram. Clearly, this whole 'sedan' concept is a failed form factor, every manufacturer should only make pickup trucks. Why shoot for less than the #1 market spot?

Side note, It is just RAM now and not Dodge Ram. RAM is a brand under Stellantis just like Dodge, Citroën, or JEEP.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#343
post #6

“matching size and design of iPhone 13 Mini” So, by all accounts, the iPhone mini has been an extremely slow seller. https://www.macrumors.com/2022/04/21/iphone-13-mini-unpopula... Why would that form factor succeed in the Android space? --- I see these meme on tech sites all the time: “oh phones are too big I just want something simple”. That is a valid sentiment that I think is shared by basically no average consum…

I have the 13 Mini. Multiple people have asked me what it was and then commented that they wish they knew about it when they got their current phone. I think sales are probably limited significantly by the marketing plan of both Apple and the carriers that sell phones - I'm sure that the larger phones are more profitable.

Agreed. I love my 12 Mini, and my SE's before that. I'm also anti-case so the phone looks extra small compared to most. Fun to have someone take our photo with the phone, cause they always ask how ancient it is and are shocked to hear it is newer than the phone they have! Non-existent marketing doesn't help

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#344

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 conven…

Can you not... disable FaceID?

You can set any iPhone to use a passcode every time, disable TouchID, FaceID, whatever.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#345

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…

As a non-power-user, I mostly keep my phone in the pocket, where I’d like it to be small. I’d almost go for a dumb phone, almost... but then I need emails, maps and WhatsApp. I don’t need 50 filters, 3 cameras, razor-thin (yet somehow enormous) body, more Storage than my laptop, etc etc...

Yeah, I really wanted to ditch owning a phone at all when my last one broke but I realised that too many services require having some sort of authenticator or phone for two factor authentication. Banks literally require having a mobile phone as they will require you to authenticate transactions through their app. So I'm still chained to the damn thing.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#346
post #70

IMO a lot of the visual appeal of smartphone apps, mainly social media, would go away with small screen. I remember using my HTC desire to read the web and if it wasn't text, it was not great. BTW the best form factor phone I had was the Nexus 4, at 4.7". I would very much like that back, but without that slippery glass back, repairable, held together with screws, with replaceable battery, shipped with LineageOS or /…

Yes! Nexus 4 was a great phone.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#347

Zenfone 8 https://www.asus.com/Mobile/Phones/ZenFone/Zenfone-8/ LineageOS supported https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/sake/

There's an issue with ZenFone 8 often referred to as "ram dump" which Asus hasn't addressed, and caused many phones to brick suddenly: https://zentalk.asus.com/en/discussion/comment/208476/

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#348
post #2

I’m a long-time small phone Android user. But after the Pixel 5, I have not been able to find a suitable small Android replacement. The Pixel 6 is gigantic, and the Pixel 7 looks like it is also destined to be huge. It’s gotten so bad that I’ve resorted to using an iPhone Mini, biding my time and hoping desperately that some Android OEM would step up. But it’s increasingly clear that a small premium phone is not on t…

I want to add another comment here supporting the fact that the camera is probably the main device feature I care about, and why I end up with a phone fancier and bigger than I’d like, and maybe second most important factor is battery life.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#349
post #270

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 hur…

Talking about notch/hole-punch displays. As somebody who never ever uses front-facing camera, can I have a phone/display without such defects, please?

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#350

I have given up: the iphone mini (which I own) is gargantuan. There are a few glimmers of hope around the edges. Palm was interesting but too small (the primary problem was the battery, not the screen size). Unihertz is doing some interesting stuff in the small phone arena, but their stuff is either too small and thick (the jelly) or too big (titan). Their styling is also a bit funky in a 90's tech vibe sort of way t…

I miss the iPhone 5. That was a great size and shape. Same width as the 4, just a bit longer of course.
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