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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)

#461

Post by kasey_junk »

mock-possum wrote: post #452
oreilles wrote: post #436

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I owned 2 minis and would just replace screens and batteries whenever one got bad. Keep one in a drawer, take the broken one to the shop, rinse repeat.

I did this for years because I liked the form factor so much.

My new buying criteria for my iPhone is simply “buy the smallest one offered”.

But I’m willing to accept I’m not a big enough market segment to move the market.

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

#462

Post by layer8 »

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…

No 5G, no eSIM, no NFC, and a bit thick, though.

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

#463

Post by einpoklum »

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…

> the numbers showed that it didn't attract additional customers, at best it only fragmented the existing customer-base.

So, it did sell, but at the expense of larger phones. Which means we are not offered this because it's a bit more profitable for the smartphone makers to only offer larger phones. Extremely annoying.

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

#464

Post by FirmwareBurner »

mtmail wrote: post #460
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...

A bunny walks into a bakery. There he asks the baker if he has any carrot cake.

The bakers says: ‘No, I don’t sell carrot cake.’

So the bunny leaves, but returns the next day. He once again asks if the baker has any carrot cake.

Once more the baker answers: ‘No, I don’t sell carrot cake.’

Once the bunny left, the baker started making a carrot cake thinking the bunny would return the next day for the cake. And so the bunny did, and he asks: ‘Do you have carrot cake?’

To which the bakers answers: ‘Yes, today I DO sell carrot cake.’

So the Bunny says: ‘YUCK, isn't it disgusting, why do people sell these things?!’

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

#465

Post by alabhyajindal »

kayodelycaon wrote: post #455
GRiMe2D wrote: post #427

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Why does the cost need to be so high? Chinese markets have many small phone options like Soyes and Servo that cost less than $100. Unfortunately, these devices are potentially loaded with malware.

Can a similar device without malware not be made in small batches? At a selling price of $500 or less?

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

#466

Post by philwelch »

microtonal wrote: post #254
GarnetFloride wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 don't know. I think the SE was there there to generate services income (Apps, Apple Music, etc.) from people who wouldn't buy an iPhone otherwise. The design was intentionally very stale to avoid cannibalization of their flagships. I don't think a lot of people who bought flagship iPhones before would go to an SE. Imagine going from an iPhone X or XS to an SE, it's a big downgrade. People were not buying the SE bec…

I’ve never had battery issues with my mini. But then again, I just want an unobtrusive tool. You can make a lot more money selling phones that are targeted to compulsive/addictive “whales” than you make selling normal phones for normal people.

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

#467

Post by coldpie »

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…

> Even if was a small % of the Apple lineup, the iPhone mini was one the best selling smartphones all brands considered

Correct. To back this up a little bit with numbers, the iPhone 13 Mini all by itself sold about the half of the rate of the entire Google Pixel lineup. I bet lots of phone manufacturers would love to have half the sales of Google's premier Android phone. I also switched from Android to iPhone solely because of the 13 Mini form factor (I prefer Android, but I prefer a human-hand-sized phone even more).

Source:

Google shipped about 10 million Pixel phones in a year https://9to5google.com/2024/02/22/pixel-2023/

iPhone Mini accounted for about 3% of iPhone sales https://9to5mac.com/2022/04/21/cirp-iphone-13-best-selling-l...

iPhones sell about 200 million units per year https://www.demandsage.com/iphone-user-statistics/

200 million * 0.03 = 6 million iPhone Minis per year

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

#468

Post by coldpie »

alabhyajindal wrote: post #465
kayodelycaon wrote: post #455

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Why does the cost need to be so high? Chinese markets have many small phone options like Soyes and Servo that cost less than $100. Unfortunately, these devices are potentially loaded with malware. Can a similar device without malware not be made in small batches? At a selling price of $500 or less?

I actually had a brief email conversation with the folks running the project in the OP. Basically they said they can't get a reasonable-quality screen in that size. No one makes it. They would have to spin up a whole new manufacturing line for a quality, small screen and the cost on that is insane. The screens on the small phones you're talking about are very low quality.

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

#469

Post by jmlim00 »

sjw987 wrote: post #438
VagabundoP wrote: post #419

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm using a google pixel 5 with google pay right now.

Just a heads up, when I contacted Google Support about this, they insinuated that this is something slowly being rolled out across Pixel 5 devices, so while it may work now, it could stop at any moment. The issue I received when tapping to pay was "Your phone doesn't meet software standards". It did mention it can be due to rooting (my phone wasn't rooted) or "uncertified software" (of which I didn't have any). I'm s…

Terrifying. I opened this thread to leave the same comment that Google pay is working for me on my pixel 5. I bought it second handed and replaced battery so I didn't spend too much money on it, but it would be a real shame when that rollout reaches me. Especially because I also quite enjoy the size and functionality. It's enough for everything I need to do on a phone..

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

#470

Post by NoGravitas »

jcgl wrote: post #387
jakegmaths wrote: post #248

I'm writing this on a Unihertz Jelly Star which is tiny, and I consider it my "protest phone" at the lack of decent small phones. A friend jokingly calls it my "microphone", another a "prison phone" (due to its size allowing for more easily smuggling in body cavities). Occasionally I go to mobile phone shops and ask if they have a case for it just for the fun of seeing the look on their faces when they see it (I don'…

The lack of updates/general software sketchiness is what has me turned off from the Jelly. I know a product like that never has a chance in hell of running Graphene, I’d be way more interested if it could run Lineage.

There's an unofficial Lineage build, I believe.
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