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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)

#451

Post by MiddleEndian »

diggan wrote: post #390
MiddleEndian wrote: post #29

6" doesn't register as small to me at all lol. The HTC 8X was 4.3" and that was a "normal" sized phone for me. I used the Palm Phone (PVG100) (3.3" screen) (basically the size of a credit card) [ https://www.ricklohre.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/dsc_097... ] as long as I could until it became too slow to use as software got slower and increasingly battery-hungry and I had to give it up last year. Right now I have…

> https://aiphor.com/products/bluefox-nx1-4-0-android-smartpho... Huh, for some reason, this page loads properly and I can see it for 1-2 seconds, but it seems like as soon as it's done loading, it redirects me to google.com. Based in Spain, so guessing it's their way of turning away EU or European customers I guess?

They seem to be doing stuff by countries, probably due to regulations. The phone has existed in China for a bit already and only recently became pre-orderable in the US.

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

#452

Post by mock-possum »

oreilles wrote: post #436
rickdeckard wrote: post #422

The hard reality is that there is no PAYING market for such a device, because when it comes to the point-of-sale, most people still choose the normal-size device with better screen/battery/camera. This is equivalent to something I called the "QWERTY paradox" more than a decade ago: Back when the Smartphone market exploded, people disliked typing on a touchscreen and repeatedly stated that they want a device with a ph…

Even if was a small % of the Apple lineup, the iPhone mini was one the best selling smartphones all brands considered. I for one switched to iPhone in 2020 specifically because there wasn't a single current-gen small form-factor Android phone anymore. I have a few friend that also made the switch with the 12 / 13 Mini for that reason. The real reason the iPhone mini failed is not related to screen size, it's because…

This is the case for me precisely - I’ve been dismayed at the “phablet” sizing trend, and leapt at the opportunity to keep my iPhone reasonably-sized - I’m on my second SE now and I’m kind of dreading what will happen when I need to eventually replace it.

I just want something small that will fit comfortably in my pocket, and I can use with one hand.

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

#453

Post by layer8 »

al_borland wrote: post #393
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 don’t think any iPhone mini buyer would have been upset if the phone was a little thicker to accommodate a larger battery.

The problem is the weight it would add, more than the thickness.

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

#454

Post by amelius »

sjw987 wrote: post #374
al_borland wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Maybe you can use vinyl tape to mask out the borders of your phone? At least you will be using it less for tasks that work better on a big screen.

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

#455

Post by kayodelycaon »

GRiMe2D wrote: post #427
rickdeckard wrote: post #422

The hard reality is that there is no PAYING market for such a device, because when it comes to the point-of-sale, most people still choose the normal-size device with better screen/battery/camera. This is equivalent to something I called the "QWERTY paradox" more than a decade ago: Back when the Smartphone market exploded, people disliked typing on a touchscreen and repeatedly stated that they want a device with a ph…

Every time I see messages and posts like this, I hope that big companies were being dissatisfied with the product factory scaling issue and device sell effectiveness. I hope that small companies would launch device like this with 500-1000 devices being created and sold in a year just fulfill the niche and doesn't go bankrupt

I don’t think you could manufacture a small run like that without the price being extremely high.

Say you charge $1,000 per device. That means you need to build an entire company, pay staff, and prototype then manufacture a custom hardware device with customized software with less than a million dollars. Costs add up real fast.

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

#456

Post by layer8 »

walterbell wrote: post #38
abujazar wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. I'd prefer a modern iPhone the size of an iPhone 4, it was perfegt. I made the same "upgrade" from 12 mini to 16 Pro, and the 16 Pro is so large and heavy. Feels like we're moving backwards in time.

2026 iPhone Fold is rumored iPhone Mini size unfolding to iPad Mini size. https://9to5mac.com/2025/04/28/iphone-18-fold-details-launch...

It's not iPhone mini sized, the outer screen is wider than even a Pro Max, and it will likely be heavier than a Pro.

See here for dimensions and mockups: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/rumoured-iphone-fold-si...

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

#457

Post by spankibalt »

> "But whenever someone answered the call and built a Smartphone with QWERTY keyboard, the product failed commercially, simply because also to people claiming they want such a phone, at the point of sale they were less attractive than their slimmer, lighter, all-screen counterparts."

The slab form factor is excellent industry design; modern efforts to integrate a hardware-keyboard, i. e. in a non-detachable way, are quite frankly daft. It buys the worst of both worlds: added complexity and error-proneness, more (dead) weight, awkward handling, harder maintainability/repairability, etc.

The form factor that was represented by Psion-machines such as the 3- or 5-series was great at the time, but is now obsolete, as evidenced by Planet Computers' recreations. Integrated sliders (e. g. F(x)tec) are only marginally better.

Technically, the solution of course is very elegant and simple:

1. Slab-form factor UMPC/smartphone 2. Corresponding detachable (as "attachable folder"), roughly Psion 5-sized keyboard a similar 3. Small "click-in" keyboard dock à la Pinephone keyboard or a 4. Detachable slider

But that is indeed just one variable in the whole equation; there's a whole set of features I consider essential for a smartphone- or UMPC-like device that one doesn't find anymore.

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

#459

Post by diggan »

MiddleEndian wrote: post #451
diggan wrote: post #390

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> https://aiphor.com/products/bluefox-nx1-4-0-android-smartpho... Huh, for some reason, this page loads properly and I can see it for 1-2 seconds, but it seems like as soon as it's done loading, it redirects me to google.com. Based in Spain, so guessing it's their way of turning away EU or European customers I guess?

They seem to be doing stuff by countries, probably due to regulations. The phone has existed in China for a bit already and only recently became pre-orderable in the US.

Strange approach to do a silent redirect instead of saying why it isn't available, makes it look broken rather than intentional.

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

#460

Post by mtmail »

rickdeckard wrote: post #422

The hard reality is that there is no PAYING market for such a device, because when it comes to the point-of-sale, most people still choose the normal-size device with better screen/battery/camera. This is equivalent to something I called the "QWERTY paradox" more than a decade ago: Back when the Smartphone market exploded, people disliked typing on a touchscreen and repeatedly stated that they want a device with a ph…

When asking people if they'd buy a yellow Sony Walkman people said yes. Shortly after given the choice to take one home the same people picked black. https://medium.com/@diogomarta/the-yellow-walkman-paradox-th...
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