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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

#461

Post by hindsightbias »

perardi wrote: 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…

It's hard to tell from the colors, but if you take the 8, the two SE models, the 12 & 13 minis that's closer to 15%. Those models are are about the same size.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#462

Post by Bud »

reaperducer wrote: post #120
izacus wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These "slow iPhone 13 mini" sales are more than all Google Pixel phones sold in a year. Think about that. I don't understand when did the ability to choose a product fitting your preferences become a bad thing on HackerNews and modern American perception. Why is being able to buy niche products somehow not a worthy thing to be desired?

I don't understand when did the ability to choose a product fitting your preferences become a bad thing on HackerNews Because so many on HN have been indoctrinated into the "scale at all costs" mentality. It demonstrates the difference between HN and the real world. On HN, if you can't serve a billion people, your product is niche. In the real world, billions of people earn a very nice living making niche products. I…

Saying that HN readers (who are quite diverse, btw) "know nothing about how the world works" or "don't understand" things in this context is just lazy thinking.

We understand just fine. It's not difficult to comprehend the appeal of customized, handmade work. The appeal is clear.

It's just that it's completely irrelevant in the context of this thread. Because you can't design and make smartphones by hand, one at a time. So what are you even talking about?

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#463

Post by dsr_ »

cercatrova wrote: post #428
nousermane wrote: post #349

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

No, because there are so few of people with your opinion that those types of phones will not sell enough to recoup costs, much less make a profit. At most, you can buy a phone with a pop-up camera (the OnePlus 7T Pro is nice, although a few years old now) [0]. [0] https://www.androidauthority.com/pop-up-camera-phones-slider...

The popup selfie cam on the 7pro is very, very good, because:

a) guaranteed not to be on until it's out

b) never eats screen space, ever

My current phone is a 7pro. I haven't seen a good replacement yet.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#464

Post by Bud »

rekoil wrote: post #375
d3nj4l wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's as good as guaranteed that the mini won't be returning this year - dummy models of the upcoming line which are used to size cases have made their way to the usual leakers, and even before that the front panels of the line were leaked. No mini, unfortunately :/

That said, Apple does tend to keep their designs for a fair while, so it's possible there will be one next year, or that it will become the new SE at some point. I really really want a Pro Mini :(

You won't get one, unfortunately, both because there's no motivation for Apple to make it, and because battery life would be an insurmountable issue, at least with current tech. The battery life in the Mini is already significantly inferior to the other iPhones in the line; Apple's only going to be willing to push that so far before it's an obviously-compromised product and they would just refuse to ship it.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#465

Post by newaccount74 »

andjd wrote: post #138
perardi wrote: 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…

> So, by all accounts, the iPhone mini has been an extremely slow seller. This narrative is cited a lot, and fueled rumors that Apple would kill the mini for iPhone 13. They didn't. So clearly it's profitable enough for them even though it's a comparatively low-volume product. I think the issue with small form factor on Android is whether too many apps will have broken UI on such a small screen. Software support has…

> fueled rumors that Apple would kill the mini for iPhone 13. They didn't.

Apple plans pretty far ahead and moves slowly. When a phone goes on sale (like the iPhone 12 mini) the successor is already pretty far along in the pipeline, and I think it's unlikely they would cancel the successor based on a few weeks of sales data. They would at least wait until after christmas, at which point the 13 mini was probably already almost ready, at which point it probably doesn't make sense to cancel it anymore.

So if Apple nixes a product because it lacks demand, I would expect that to be after two years of sales. The decision might have been made already after the first year of iPhone 12 mini, but the decision would not affect the iPhone 13 lineup, only the iPhone 14 lineup.

You could see this slow product cycle when Apple failed to jump on the big phone trend. When the iPhone 5 came out, they underestimated the market for huge phones, and it took them two years to course correct and jump on the phablet bandwagon with the 6/6+. (And they had a phantastic quarter when they did since everyone has been waiting for a big iPhone for two years)

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#466

Post by coldpie »

rplnt wrote: post #241
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've been looking at new phones since my Xperia Compact (XZ1) started having some issues, and iPhone seems to be the only choice. I just wish it had usb-c. By the way, did you consider to go with 12 instead of 13?

I'd give the iPhone 13 Mini a weak-recommend for small phone lovers coming from Android. It is truly the only option for small phones. (Well, small-ish. I actually find it a bit larger than I'd like, but it's acceptable.) But, iOS is a really significant downgrade from Android. It's usable, I've lived with mine for months, but I'm really hoping I can switch back to Android in the future. I've even considered just reselling the iPhone at a loss so I can switch back sooner, but it's hard because there are also no good Android options, so I haven't... yet.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#469

Post by nfriedly »

I just signed up for his mailing list and put this down for my comments:

I really want a microSD slot. Shared with the second SIM is OK, but please don't exclude it entirely. And/or more internal storage.

I'm on a Pixel 2 and am generally satisfied with the size of that phone, but I could live with smaller. My biggest problems are that 1) google screwed me with a non-unlockable bootloader when I sent it in for repair, so the software is slowly rotting and 2) I keep running out of storage. Other than that, the phone is basically fine.

From the reviews I've read, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 likes to draw way too much power and then thermally throttle - so probably not a great choice for a small phone (with both a smaller battery and less surface area to dissipate heat.) But, this phone probably won't ship this year, so maybe they'll have something better out by the time it does.

I wouldn't put "Hole punch front camera" on my "desired" list, but eh, it's not a dealbreaker for me either. I'd rather have a little bit of top and bottom bezel with decent front-firing speakers, and then stick the camera in the top bezel. Kind of like the current Xperias, only shorter.

Headphone jack would also be nice to have, but also not a dealbreaker for me.

Oh, and video output over USB-C would be another nice to have. I think it comes built-in with most recent Snapdragons, but Google seems to go out of their way to disable the feature...

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#470

Post by mywacaday »

ajot wrote: post #449
mywacaday wrote: post #403

I recently discovered the one handed feature on my Note10+ that allows the shrinking of the screen to whatever size you want. Don't use it but might be useful to someone. https://www.samsung.com/africa_en/support/mobile-devices/how...

LineageOS used to have this feature, by swiping the navbar. Unfortunately, it was based on some hackery by HTC or Huawei and it's not feasible anymore.

It's the same on the note10, swipe down to activate.
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