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I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)

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Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)

#321

Post by crossroadsguy »

pclowes wrote: post #8

My cynical take is that small phones don't exist because they are not the product. Similar to vape pens the product is the addictive substance the device loads. In this case its apps and ads. A smaller screen probably negatively impacts KPIs on many levels, at Google/Apple/Meta/X and on down through the ecosystem. I understand that Apple did not make enough money to make it worth their while to continue the iphone mi…

Just like 16e, Mini and SE were meant to push up the sales of their "other" phones. Otherwise they would not have had both Mini and SE. I mean it was a joke.

But Hanlon's razor and the way Apple has been on a screwing up spree of late I doubt it was anything intentional. They f'ed up knowing not what to do at all. They don't anymore.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)

#322

Post by VoxPelli »

VoxPelli wrote: post #313
chartered_stack wrote: post #292

I'm a convert on this topic. I went from wanting a small phone to being unable to wait to ditch mine. Like the OP, I switched from Android (Pixel 3a) to an iPhone SE 3 specifically for the smaller form factor. After using it for over a year, I've found the trade-offs in battery life and camera quality are too significant for my daily use. These limitations aren't an issue when I'm at home or my desk with easy access…

"the trade-offs in battery life and camera quality are too significant" - a small but thicker phone would have no trouble with battery life and could for sure have the same good cameras as larger phones – and could possibly even ditch the camera bump if it just made the entire phone as thick as the camera bump to fit a larger battery. (After all, easiest way to increase battery size is to increase the smallest dimens…

If one were to make a iPhone 17 Pro Mini as thick as the iPhone 4 then it would:

- Likely still weigh less than a Pro Max - Have a battery with a capacity larger than the Pro Max - Have the pro cameras stick out about as much as they did on the iPhone 6

And it would feel as robust and solid as an iPhone 4 – my favorite iPhone so far

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)

#323

Post by okanat »

2muchcoffeeman wrote: post #91
pclowes wrote: post #8

My cynical take is that small phones don't exist because they are not the product. Similar to vape pens the product is the addictive substance the device loads. In this case its apps and ads. A smaller screen probably negatively impacts KPIs on many levels, at Google/Apple/Meta/X and on down through the ecosystem. I understand that Apple did not make enough money to make it worth their while to continue the iphone mi…

You’re way too cynical and have let your cynicism cloud history. The first phablets were probably the Galaxy Note line starting in 2011 which was met with some skepticism due to the size of them. These were well before the edge to edge screen days. So you had 5.7 inch screens with a bezel. They were huge but I would routinely see small women pull these things out of their hand bags and press a device that obscured al…

Smaller phones has always been limited in performance, batter life, the app support and the camera quality. Camera is the most important factor and battery is the second.

General population doesn't buy phones every year and they don't want a nerfed phone when they have to pay 500-1000 $/€s. So they gravitate towards higher end ones.

Companies including Apple has always treated the small size as an entry to mid segment phone. The only exception I know is Sony z3 and z5 compact which suffered heat and battery swelling issues due to Qualcomm messing 810 series SoCs up.

Companies also want you to buy the most expensive phone. So they market the premium models and train their store personnel to sell more of the premium line. If they stop intentionally nerfing the smaller phones, I think there is a market there. However, it will still be smaller.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)

#324

Post by thorio »

Since Google is about to brick my Pixel 6a with the battery botchering update, i find myself in the same struggle again i had when buying the 6a.

Basically you have to make compromises on performance and camera and then this was, what i came up with: - Zenfone 10 (flagship with prices still above launch price (!), which soon gets no updates anymore) - Unihertz Jelly Max (small, but thick and bad camera) - Rakuten Hand 5G and Rakuten Mini (also bad camera and older Android) - Balmuda Phone (which i really like, but also bad camera and discontinued, so probably not even security updates and no custom rom support) - Bluefox NX1 (really tempting, but appearantly kind of bad build quality and no NFC)

All other options are even older phones. Samsung S25 line does exist, but i really like vanilla Android. I think the price chart of the Zenfone DOES somehow indicates the existence of a market and i wonder if it would be big enough for a small niche player!?

Personally I am considering a pixel 8, which is the "smallest" of current phones, but it still really isn't small. And i don't see myself as a Google customer because of the battery topic...

I personally would have been more happy had Eric made a small android phone instead of the new pebble, but hey...

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)

#325

Post by mmarian »

thorio wrote: post #324

Since Google is about to brick my Pixel 6a with the battery botchering update, i find myself in the same struggle again i had when buying the 6a. Basically you have to make compromises on performance and camera and then this was, what i came up with: - Zenfone 10 (flagship with prices still above launch price (!), which soon gets no updates anymore) - Unihertz Jelly Max (small, but thick and bad camera) - Rakuten Han…

I have the Pixel 8, and I've been happy with the battery and pretty much everything. It's got a great performance/price ratio.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)

#326

Post by prmoustache »

_trampeltier wrote: post #256
thekevan wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Samsung Galaxy Note (the first one) had a screen size of 5.3 inches. The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 had a screen size of 5.5 inches. I had one and regularly had strangers ask me if that was really a phone. I had friends say, "Give me a call on your tablet" as a joke. I loved it. Now my 6.1 inch iPhone feels on the small side.

This. I'm also had several Note's. I even would like now also to have a bigger phone again. But it seems nobody does 8" or 9" phones.

> But it seems nobody does 8" or 9" phones.

They are called tablets, some come with a sim slot so they are essentially the same.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)

#327

Post by atemerev »

crossroadsguy wrote: post #321
pclowes wrote: post #8

My cynical take is that small phones don't exist because they are not the product. Similar to vape pens the product is the addictive substance the device loads. In this case its apps and ads. A smaller screen probably negatively impacts KPIs on many levels, at Google/Apple/Meta/X and on down through the ecosystem. I understand that Apple did not make enough money to make it worth their while to continue the iphone mi…

Just like 16e, Mini and SE were meant to push up the sales of their "other" phones. Otherwise they would not have had both Mini and SE. I mean it was a joke. But Hanlon's razor and the way Apple has been on a screwing up spree of late I doubt it was anything intentional. They f'ed up knowing not what to do at all. They don't anymore.

Sometimes assuming just a tiny bit of malice can explain what otherwise had to be explained by a lot of stupidity.

Occam's razor beats Hanlon's razor.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)

#328

Post by TulliusCicero »

pclowes wrote: post #8

My cynical take is that small phones don't exist because they are not the product. Similar to vape pens the product is the addictive substance the device loads. In this case its apps and ads. A smaller screen probably negatively impacts KPIs on many levels, at Google/Apple/Meta/X and on down through the ecosystem. I understand that Apple did not make enough money to make it worth their while to continue the iphone mi…

Conspiracy minded bullshit.

Like it or not, Apple keeps cancelling smaller phone lines because they don't sell well. That's it. If they sold really well then they'd keep selling them, but they don't.

I would also love more capable small phones personally, but I can't deny that people overall don't seem to want them.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)

#329

Post by prmoustache »

volemo wrote: post #299
pyman wrote: post #282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Phones are big now because people want better cameras and longer battery life. Also, people are spending 4-5 hours more per day on screens than they did 15 years ago, so they want bigger screen for reading, playing games and watching videos.

I know I can’t claim to be “the norm”, but all I want is a smaller phone with 1–2 day battery life. I don’t need a better screen, a better camera, or ever more compute. (It’s a freaking smartphone, not a game console!) All I need my phone to do is run a web browser, messaging apps, maps, my banking app, and random little apps some organisations force you to use – like my university’s app, my city’s public transport a…

Did I read it right, are you installing "resstaurants apps"?

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)

#330

Post by nicholassmith »

ginko wrote: post #270
conradev wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The margins are also worse, which is way, way closer to a manufacturer’s bottom line than the software ecosystem. There is demand for larger phones, yes, but manufacturers also charge more for bigger devices and most of that is margin. Following their own logic, they also charge less for smaller phones. If your customers are sticky, then many of the people who buy the smaller phone would have otherwise bought a bigge…

>manufacturers also charge more for bigger devices and most of that is margin. Why do they do that though? Usually more compact, high end devices would be more expensive than bulkier one. When has this trend reversed?

Bigger equals better consumer perception, I imagine driven in part by the top-tier phones being larger to fit additional battery capacity in for the higher performance processors making all larger devices carry some premium cachet.
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