I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022) • Hacker News Board

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

#501

Post by RankingMember » Thu, Jul 17, 2025, 2:15 PM UTC

JamesSwift wrote: post #490

mpascale00 wrote: post #487

Number one factor for me when buying a phone is how long is it going to last . I mean durability, camera quality, os updates. Will I still want to use/be using it in 5 years? I cannot justify $700 as much as I _really want a smaller phone_. But _maybe if it was built to last_ I would be the customer and I would tell all my friends. Currently use a Pixel 7a because it was cheap and OK. I was debating the iPhone 12 min…

Yes. The iphone se was basically the exact thing I wanted (and previously the moto G series). It doesnt seem like apple wants to continue to offer the product line.

The 16e is the successor to the SE in case you want to take a look at that.

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

#502

Post by fsflover » Thu, Jul 17, 2025, 2:16 PM UTC

keyringlight wrote: post #363

zerr wrote: post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd say the same goes for the removal of FM Radios from mainstream phones.

FM radio uses the headphone cable as an antenna, so with the move to bluetooth I assume it got squashed for similar reasons. The other aspect is it assumes if you want live radio that you're happy needing an active data connection and allowance, any any local stations have a stream available. One of the things I love about streaming (via RadioDroid, etc) is that you can get a station from anywhere on the planet but s…

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-hidde...

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

#503

Post by NoGravitas » Thu, Jul 17, 2025, 2:19 PM UTC

VoxPelli wrote: post #305

The Mudita Kompakt ( https://store.mudita.com/store/mudita-kompakt-global ) is a 4.3” e-ink Android based phone that's about the size of an iPhone Mini. It doesn't have the Google Play Store but one can sideload Android apps onto it

My only gripe with the Mudita Kompakt is that one of the reasons I need a smartphone is to run those little apps without which you cannot navigate the modern world - 2FA, corporate proprietary 2FA, parking, bank (my bank lets you deposit checks through the app, but not through the website, else I would only use the website). And a lot of those require the Play Integrity API at some level, unfortunately.

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

#504

Post by nextos » Thu, Jul 17, 2025, 2:20 PM UTC

amluto wrote: post #473

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 it comes to the point-of-sale, most people still choose the normal-size device with better screen/battery/camera. My theory is that much of this effect is an error, or at least a far-less-than-ideal effort, on the part of the designers. Of course it’s hard to sell a low-end “mini” device with a worse camera, worse battery life, etc. But that’s not actually what I, or many people I discuss this with, want. I wo…

Unihertz sells some decent Android phones that have 3 and 5 inch displays, respectively: https://www.unihertz.com

AFAIK, these are similar to the iPhone SE? The SE form factor was great in terms of size and thickness. Easy to use with one hand. I miss that.

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

#505

Post by dontlaugh » Thu, Jul 17, 2025, 2:21 PM UTC

2muchcoffeeman wrote: post #498

dontlaugh wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do wish Apple would make one. The Samsung Z Flip almost follows the Apple design language, if only it ran iOS.

Are the screens reliable now?

I wouldn’t know.

I assume they must be reliable by know, they’ve been making foldable screens for years.

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

#506

Post by zimmund » Thu, Jul 17, 2025, 2:24 PM UTC

theendisney wrote: post #111

nomel wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It needs only 20-30 meter range. And, this is trivially satisfied with a $10 extension cord.

That would be a different idea i also like. Something like calls over wifi but use ethernet in stead. No more radiation

so... VoIP?

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

#507

Post by Topfi » Thu, Jul 17, 2025, 2:30 PM UTC

amluto wrote: post #473

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 it comes to the point-of-sale, most people still choose the normal-size device with better screen/battery/camera. My theory is that much of this effect is an error, or at least a far-less-than-ideal effort, on the part of the designers. Of course it’s hard to sell a low-end “mini” device with a worse camera, worse battery life, etc. But that’s not actually what I, or many people I discuss this with, want. I wo…

> The iPhone 12 and 13 Mini were always marketed as the cheaper versions [...]

No, they were not. They were literally a scaled down version of their respective regular sized counterparts, the 13 Mini had the same cameras, SOC, memory, screen quality and storage options as the regular 13 [0], yet its sales success (or lack thereof [1]) was enough to instantly cure me of any previously held notions that there is a sufficiently large group of buyers for these devices out there.

It isn't because the specs are inferior, the cameras are changed, the display has a lower pixel density (the Mini actually had slightly higher ppi) or anything else. There simply is no sufficient market, the 13 Mini was the worst selling phone in that generation by a frankly impressive margin. 38% for iPhone 13 vs 3% for iPhone 13 mini, despite them being as close to just being scaled down and otherwise identical as one can make a phone speaks a very clear language that any manufacturer wanting to succeed has hear loud and clear. Most certainly why Asus has seized with their more compact smartphones. The amount of people I know that praised Asus for making a more compact flagship with a very large battery [2] was not in any way proportional to their sales. In this case, the battery life was actually superior to many larger competitors. Same for my Xperia 5 V, the compact phone I bought and used at the time, cause I walk my talk and have been following phone releases to a sufficient degree that I can assure everyone, there have been and are flagship speced, compact phones with good battery life, that no one ever buys. I'd love more options in the market, heck, I use both the Xperia 5 and an iPhone 15 Pro Max in a Clicks case, either for different situations, so am on both sides as a consumer. Simply, the lack of any actual market demand beyond online comments makes that impossible, we need to be honest here.

[0] https://www.apple.com/by/iphone-13/specs/

[1] https://www.macrumors.com/2022/04/21/iphone-13-mini-unpopula...

[2] https://www.asus.com/mobile-handhelds/phones/zenfone/zenfone...

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

#508

Post by sjw987 » Thu, Jul 17, 2025, 2:32 PM UTC

scarface_74 wrote: post #494

sjw987 wrote: post #382

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But Apple and Google (Pixel) are a huge portion of the market.. The other manufacturers are forced to go along with the market leaders, but sometimes also side-load apps for post-device-sale revenue.

The pixel is not a “huge portion of the market”. It’s 4% of the market in the US ( https://www.counterpointresearch.com/insight/post-insight-us... ) and a nothingburger outside of it. Globally, Apple has what 20% market share? And besides Qualcomm chips, Apple has a complete separate parts supply chain than Android. Besides, Samsung could definitely create its own small phone and would if there were a market.

Sorry, in my national market. Apple has 51%, Samsung has around 28% and Google 5%. These 3 hold almost 85% of the UK market.

Samsung, from what I remember used to side-load tons of apps (some alongside identical stock Android apps), so it's in their best interest to maximise screen time through media apps, which generally work best on a bigger screen.

It's against all of these companies interests to sell you a phone which you quickly use and put away. They all have every incentive to keep you staring, because they're all getting extra money from every ad you see in a game, TV show, movie, web browsing, or wherever else they can slot it.

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

#509

Post by _seiryuu_ » Thu, Jul 17, 2025, 2:33 PM UTC

This resonates strongly. The Pixel 7 is my current holdout due to its 'acceptable' size, even though it's not exactly "mini". It's a shame to see manufacturers like Asus move away from compact form factors, as I'd have been an immediate buyer for a smaller ZenFone.

The market's push towards larger devices is making e-ink 'dumb' phones increasingly appealing for me.

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

#510

Post by jeroenhd » Thu, Jul 17, 2025, 2:40 PM UTC

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…

Unihertz is currently serving both the slim size and the QWERTY niche, with a QWERTY Kickstarter running right now. Their hardware actually seems quite appreciated, but they don't seem to care much for software updates.

Currently, foldable smartphones (the flip phone ones) seem to be the fashionable alternative to small phones, but they're even more expensive than the huge ones.