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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)

#371

Post by amelius »

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…

Yes, the iPhone is basically a vending machine in your pocket. Owned and run by Apple. But you paid for it. Quite smart, actually.

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

#372

Post by randomcarbloke »

GarnetFloride wrote: post #178
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…

What was so odd was how Apple fumbled the iPhone mini launch by launching the iPhone SE first. At that point there hadn't been a small phone for a few years, There was pent up demand. The SE came out and it was a big success, lots of people wanted ti because it was a small phone. Then few months later they launched the mini expecting it to sell even more or something. Somehow they missed that everyone that wanted a s…

I'm still using a 13 mini, it's fractionally too large, I think the original SE is perfection.

Regardless, battery life is horrendous now, and it's starting to lag and fail so when the new ultra watch is released I'm going to replace my phone with it.

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

#373

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #179
makeitdouble wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> very small Android phones IMHO this is just not viable in the current world. I agree with line the article sets (5"4 for 1080p, almost the size of the Pixel 4a), as mainstream apps will properly work at that size. I still have a working 4a, and some banking apps are getting pretty cramped for instance. And many websites already need furious panning and zooming. A credit card size phone would only work for people wh…

I agree. I think the article about them was on Ars Technica, but I don’t really feel like looking for it. They seemed underwhelmed at the phones. [EDITED TO ADD] Found ‘em: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/10/palm-rises-from-the-... Also, these: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/11/meet-this-unique-com...

And this was their review of it: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/12/palm-phone-review-fu...

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

#374

Post by sjw987 »

al_borland wrote: post #151
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…

This is the part that frustrates me. Apple keeps introducing software “solutions” for hardware problems. Reachability, Screen Time, Focus Modes, etc. A smaller phone naturally solves most of these problems. Small phones act as more of a utility device for when you’re away from a proper computer. This is all I want my phone to be. I really think they got it right the first time in 2007. I ended up switching from a 13…

"Small phones act as more of a utility device for when you’re away from a proper computer. This is all I want my phone to be."

You, like me, are not representatives of a market phone manufacturers are interested in. Utilitarian and minimal use only sells one phone every few years.

They are catering for the overwhelming market that spends upwards of 5 hours screen time per day, watches movies and TVs, plays games, and generally spends as much time as possible on them, with as much payment and ad revenue as that comes with on top of the original device sale.

I always personally liked the idea of computers being fixed, or semi-fixed (like a laptop), as a place to work or study, and then leave once that is done. The replacement of computers and laptops by tablets and phones is a wider cultural shift from computers being tools and productive technology to entertainment and consumerist technology, in my opinion.

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

#375

Post by oaiey »

user_7832 wrote: post #214

Just as an FYI to everyone who thinks such products are financially "infeasible" - look at companies like Unihertz (or heck, even Framework). Niche categories can and do attract a small but devoted following. Btw: 1. Unihertz recently launched a BlackBerry esque phone (titan 2), if anyone reading this is interested. (Not sponsored by them) 2. There are many forums (and I think r/smallphones on reddit) where you can f…

Actually Framework is often asked to build a phone. So maybe the author should partner with them.

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

#376

Post by urxvtcd »

gargan wrote: post #302
ginko wrote: post #265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I generally only charge my 13 mini every other day or so. The only time I recently struggled getting through the day was when on vacation and constantly using google maps & translate. But that is with a 3 year old phone.

May I ask what your approximate screen on time is each day? You must be less addicted than the general population where its 4-6 hours a day

13 mini here, also not charging every day. My screen time is around 2 hours a day, which IMO is still to much. I try to keep battery between 20 and 80 percent.

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

#377

Post by keyringlight »

MiddleEndian wrote: post #90
frosted-flakes wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At $138 I can't imagine that the Bluefox NX1 will perform very well. (By the way from some reason aiphor.com automatically redirects me to google.com unless I disable Javascript.)

The Soyes S10Max performs fine with 8 gigs of ram and a slightly slower mobile CPU. The most intensive thing I do on it is probably video call with people on FB Messenger or Telegram (or I guess load TicketMaster, but even my gf's expensive iPhone struggles with that one lmao), and it does that fine. But I'll write a review on reddit once I've used it for a week or two. No clue on aiphor.com, webdevs (or their manage…

I think performance requirements depend on what it's used for, and what other devices you have access to in your life. If someone only has one phone as their personal computer for everything then I can see an argument that the minimum should be higher, but if the phone is intended to be comfortably pocketable tool for tasks you're likely to need while away from a larger/more powerful device. For example have the phone to handle calls, simple messaging, taking photos (minus editing), transport/store apps, and a full PC or larger phone/tablet for ticketmaster.

The only other option that I've toyed with is buying a small feature/"dumb" phone for going in the pocket and a smartphone in a bag, which seems less ideal.

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

#378

Post by bondarchuk »

TheDong wrote: post #188
bondarchuk wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But, for example, what is the money flow from google/advertising in general to Motorola, that makes them not want to release a small screen model in their lineup of cheap phones?

Instagram, Tiktok, and Google have gotten users addicted to consuming content, and larger screens help with that. We are helplessly addicted to digital cocaine, and so we demand large phones, and so motorola will not make money selling a small phone. It's like the parent said: our addiction is the product, and so just like a chain-smoker will say "I want to quit" as they buy 5 packs a day, a modern smartphone user wi…

Sure, but that's something totally different. Basically just "customers don't want it and won't buy it". I understood the root comment to imply some kind of more direct incentive: "A smaller screen probably negatively impacts KPIs on many levels" - if advertising KPIs are supposed to be given precedence over demand from consumers there has to be at least some kind of mechanism for it.

"No major player wants a smaller screen because it has downstream impacts on the pipeline of addictive material and ad pixels they can stuff into ocular nerves." -- what is the direct (or indirect) pressure that the major players can exert over some more or less independent hw manufacturer like Motorola? I'm not saying it's impossible, it reminds me of e.g. the situation where (pre iphone) carriers blocked phones from having wifi because they wanted them to be dependent on their network, but if something like this is happening it should be possible to roughly point out how.

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

#379

Post by MrDOS »

ginko wrote: post #265
microtonal wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I went to buy it, and the case, the employees at the Apple Store questioned me and tried to push me toward the normal iPhone. Probably because they knew that customers would come back to complain about the abysmal battery life of the Mini? I had a 12 Mini, I loved that phone, but man was it hard to get through the day on a single charge.

I generally only charge my 13 mini every other day or so. The only time I recently struggled getting through the day was when on vacation and constantly using google maps & translate. But that is with a 3 year old phone.

Worth noting that (so I've heard) the most impactful hardware change between the 12 mini and the 13 mini was improvements to the battery life. I've never struggled with the battery life on my 13 mini, either, but the handful of people I know with a 12 mini have always bemoaned it.

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

#380

Post by Aissen »

We see those posts regularly about people wanting a flagship small phone, but I see two options:

- either the market is dysfunctional, and the niche of people wanting those devices does not meet the smartphone offer.

- or the market is even smaller than what they think, making it unsustainable.

Both can be solved with time and patience (waiting for this to happen as conditions change) — or by voting with your wallet and making this requirement have priority over others (security, updates, quality, performance, compatibility, etc.).

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