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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

#521

Post by dti »

achow wrote: post #156
erohead wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I touch on this on the site. 5% of iPhones sold are minis. That's 10m sold per year! That is more than enough demand to cover the NREs and costs of making a phone. * https://9to5mac.com/2022/04/21/cirp-iphone-13-best-selling-l...

Hold on; the math is not that easy. For one - most of the iPhone Mini sale is because of 'Halo effect', die hard fans who anyway would have bought an iPhone, bought the mini version. An Android phone maker will not have that brand pull or halo effect to establish a new category, so it would be no where near that 10M number. Second, iPhone or Mac devices are known for hardware and software integration. That translates…

> it will have no chance in h* to last through the day

My previous Xperia Compact, which is of about the same dimensions as mini, survived for a couple of days easily when new.

> iPhone Mini has been weak in battery department [1]

The article says "solid battery life", which matches my experience with 13 mini.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#522

Post by dont__panic »

amyjess wrote: post #249
abruzzi wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My comment exactly. We've really defined "small" up! I'm still running my 1st get iPhone SE, because I've yet to see a phone that can replace it. With a 4 inch screen, I can just barely use it one-handed.

Thankfully, much of this is because of edge-to-edge display technology allowing for larger screens in the same size chassis. My Pixel 4a with a 5.8" screen has the same 69mm width as my old Nexus 5 with a 4.95" screen, and it's considerably less wide than my Nexus 5X or Moto X4 with their 5.2" screens (especially the X4, that thing was way too wide and was intensely uncomfortable to hold... I actually had to get a ca…

Some of it is. But phone chassis have slowly creeped up since 2012 or so, a few mm per year, to the point where there really aren't any phones in the small category any more. IMO the Nexus 5 is larger than I'd like -- something the size of the Nexus 5 screen is closer to ideal. I've been using the iPhone SE 2016 for years now, hoping for a worthy successor, and the situation has only gotten worse for many years running now. The Pixel 4a was the last phone that came even close to meeting my requirements (one-handable, fingerprint sensor, headphone jack), and it's going to run out of security updates next year.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#523

Post by GekkePrutser »

toqy wrote: post #445
oceanplexian wrote: post #357

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Big companies are drowning in market data. They know some people really, really want small phones. But it's a long-tail opportunity they're willfully ignoring I would argue that they don’t know what people want at all, since market data just reinforces previously held assumptions. For example if you surveyed people in 2006 what kind of phone they wanted, most consumers would probably ask for a better flip phone. It…

Smaller screened smartphones aren't a new market that needs to be defined though. Most people know what they are by virtue of having lived through the era that they were the only choice. And as OP pointed out, Apple makes a smaller screened smartphone, so they exist. In some comment on this post someone said that it accounts for 3% of Apple's phone sales. How big is the group of people that want a smaller smart phone…

Apple's limited success is not only a factor of the screen size but also market positioning. The mini is inferior in some specs to other iPhones but at the same time really high end as far as mobiles in general go. That makes it a niche product even if screen size was not a factor at all.

It targets people that have plenty of cash for a flagship but are willing to forego the top tier specs for a smaller size. Apple prefers you just buy the pro. And if you don't have much cash you can get the reheated 2017 iphone 8 with SE slapped on it :)

I bet if they made a mini T the price of an SE with a more limited camera and screen spec than the current mini it would take 50% of SE sales away.

You can't judge the market viability of one aspect based on a single model.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#524

Post by dont__panic »

orangepurple wrote: post #11

Has anybody tried the $32 SOYES XS11 or $70 or UNIWA XS11 It's a 2.5 inch 3G Android phone. http://www.cwell-hk.com/products/SOYES_XS11.aspx Lots of small Android phones are in the recommended section on cwell-hk in the $40 range.

> 3G

Considering how much USA cell companies are trying to kill 3G, and the fact that 4G/LTE has been around for over a decade now... I'm not sure this makes sense for anybody any more.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#525

Post by hombre_fatal »

Kon-Peki wrote: post #139
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…

I have the 13 Mini. Multiple people have asked me what it was and then commented that they wish they knew about it when they got their current phone. I think sales are probably limited significantly by the marketing plan of both Apple and the carriers that sell phones - I'm sure that the larger phones are more profitable.

When I bought the 13 Mini, it wasn’t even an option on their /iphone landing page. I only saw it when I clicked into the store.

Edit: Yup, it’s nowhere to be seen on apple.com homepage. They don’t push it at all.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#526

Post by sudosteph »

erohead wrote: post #2

I’m a long-time small phone Android user. But after the Pixel 5, I have not been able to find a suitable small Android replacement. The Pixel 6 is gigantic, and the Pixel 7 looks like it is also destined to be huge. It’s gotten so bad that I’ve resorted to using an iPhone Mini, biding my time and hoping desperately that some Android OEM would step up. But it’s increasingly clear that a small premium phone is not on t…

Thank you for taking initiative on this! As a 5'5" woman with small hands, I haven't had an android phone that I could use with one-hand since my Nexus 5 (which I used for 5 years straight). The current android flagships are unwieldy even with two-hands for me, and it's been just a quality of living downgrade ever since my Nexus 5 broke. I'm not into apple products myself, but I know many other women swear by the iphone mini since it's the only phone that fits their hands.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#527

Post by mg »

pavon wrote: post #519
mg wrote: post #210

I maintain this chart of small Android phones: https://www.productchart.com/smartphones/small_android_phone... You can filter by specs to see how close you can get to your dream phone. There are quite a few available on the market that match the 5.5" screen size of the iPhone 13 Mini. Even by the big manufacturers like Samsung and Google. Like the Pixel 3. Which was introduced 4 years ago though. In general, phones h…

Missing Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact - the most recent (and apparently last) small phone that Sony made.

Thanks, will add it.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#528

Post by dont__panic »

loloquwowndueo wrote: post #35

“Price: $700-800 (again, we have no alternatives so we should be willing to pay a bit more!)” Yeah, not going to happen - people in general are NOT going to pay more for a smaller phone. Even the iPhone mini is cheaper than the full size models.

I think it's possible, if marketed correctly. I'd 100% pay more for a smaller phone, I'm desperate at this point. Imagine a campaign advertising a phone that doesn't get in the way when you work out at the gym, or go for a bike ride, or when you're doing yardwork. A phone that you can use on the subway, or while walking around. A phone that doesn't constantly suck you into Facebook or TikTok or whatever social media you use.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#529

Post by qwertfisch »

amyjess wrote: post #249
abruzzi wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My comment exactly. We've really defined "small" up! I'm still running my 1st get iPhone SE, because I've yet to see a phone that can replace it. With a 4 inch screen, I can just barely use it one-handed.

Thankfully, much of this is because of edge-to-edge display technology allowing for larger screens in the same size chassis. My Pixel 4a with a 5.8" screen has the same 69mm width as my old Nexus 5 with a 4.95" screen, and it's considerably less wide than my Nexus 5X or Moto X4 with their 5.2" screens (especially the X4, that thing was way too wide and was intensely uncomfortable to hold... I actually had to get a ca…

So we better define a maximum phone width instead of a maximum diagonal display size. The aspect ratio changed from 16:9 to 19:9 or longer over the years, but the “extra” display area is the space that was occupied by hardware (sensor) keys for navigation, which you still had to tap … That leads to longer diagonal sizes per se.

So phones are not really getting longer in aspect ratio (except for some VERY long Sony phones), and they got more display area because of less thick edges. Naturally the mathematical diagonal size is larger, but that is a moot measurement compared with older phones with their 16:9 displays.

I am comfortable with everything less than 70mm width, and because the aspect ratio is kind of settled on 16:9 + navigation keys (or 19:9 complete display), the length is naturally restricted to ~150mm or less.

My A40 has 5.9" but still only 142 to 69mm in size. It does not feel like a 6" thing from 2017, and the reason is its small width and weight. Unfortunately, most new phones have width from 75+mm and weights of 190g or more.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#530

Post by mg »

aidenn0 wrote: post #499
mg wrote: post #210

I maintain this chart of small Android phones: https://www.productchart.com/smartphones/small_android_phone... You can filter by specs to see how close you can get to your dream phone. There are quite a few available on the market that match the 5.5" screen size of the iPhone 13 Mini. Even by the big manufacturers like Samsung and Google. Like the Pixel 3. Which was introduced 4 years ago though. In general, phones h…

No Jelly2?

Good point! Will add it.
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