At this rate better chance of waiting for cover screen of flip foldables to be mini phone sized.
Samsung Z Flip 7 has that, it was launches few days back.
I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)
531–540 of 702 posts
Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)
#532I'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 jelly star has got junk in the trunk though
The thickness of the phone honestly isn't an issue at all. The phone is so small that it remains easily pocketable.
Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)
#533Heh. I want an iPhone Mini-sized iPhone (2025)!
Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)
#534The 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…
> 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.
I bought Motorola Droid 4 when it came out. I was so desperate to have a new phone with physical QWERTY, that I bought it blindly, even though it wasn't available in Europe, even though I have never seen it, even though I knew it *didn't support mobile networks* in Europe for a few months, to be fixed by an update. I had to use a coworker who was going on vacation to Florida.
When it arrived, the first thing I saw was that the black screen during boot shines bright blueish, horribly bad contrast. Then when image appeared, I've learned that it has two subpixels per image pixel, for efficiency. This made single color areas show the pixels very visibly.
Then I took a photo. The quality reminded me of a Sony Ericsson Walkman phone I had 6 years back, except the colors were much worse. Everything was blueish. It had a physical (touch) "search" button below the screen, but companies like Google didn't seem to understand why it would be useful to search for anything, so most of their apps didn't react to it. Especially Gmail.
But hey, I could touch-type any long message, and I could use SSH client conveniently (it even had a physical CTRL button).
Other than the keyboard (pretty solid too), it was one of the worst phones I ever had. So yeah, based on that model the market decided that "nobody wants keyboard phones", and the Droid 5 never came out.
Because it's easy to blame the most standing out feature.
Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)
#535Earlier quoted context omitted.
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..
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. In hindsight, I really miss using the Pixel 5 and semi-wish that I'd kept using it and just switched Google Pay/Wallet for card. The form factor and size was perfect. I changed to a Pixel 9 because I had an opportunity around the same time to get it cheaper, and thought I may as well go to the latest model to keep security updates up to 2030. Even after a few months, I can't get us…
Yeah, I'll hold on to it until I lose the pay as well. I was looking at either pixel 8a or 9a for my next phone. Like you said with pixel 9, I assume it would be a big leap with both of these phones. But at least with 9a I won't have the camera bump problem so that's hopeful.
Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)
#536Earlier 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 don't think so. Yesterday I was browsing phones and there was a Google Pixel 9 Fold on dislpay, closed and showing something. That has a display on the outside and a foldable display on the inside.
I opened it, and most of the screen looked like a big, roundish black blob of ink, centred on the fold, on top of the Android animations working perfectly underneath, but only visible at the edges. I was impressed that the rest of the screen around worked perfectly, but it was unusuable due to the size of the black blob.
Something had broken at or near the fold while it was on display.
All other devices were in great condition; it was a well-maintained store.
Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)
#537I want an iPhone Mini-sized iPhone with the Pro model cameras.
Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)
#538Earlier quoted context omitted.
> 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.
Unihertz devices fill a gap but are subpar phones in terms of hardware. They also don't get any software updates the minute after they are launched.
Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)
#539With a battery that can be swapped rapidly without tools. Bonus points for pogo pins like a Samsung XCover phone. Smaller size means smaller battery, but that's mitigated by the above. I want utilitarian. I don't want a phablet. I want practical and unobtrusive. The smartwatch was meant to replace the phone, but doesn't hit the right notes for me.
foldables are possibly good for this, I'm considering the fold 7 personally
(sorry, meant the flip 7)
Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone (2022)
#540The 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…
I've seen this pattern before, with laptops ("I want a laptop with" specific spec+feature combo not in the market ) and cars ("I just want an electric car with physical controls and no subscription services or extra electronics") immediately coming to mind. Which is a shame, because I can sympathize with most of these requests. I want something like Kick-starter which operates the same way but isn't meant for funding…
Soon to be added to that list, the army of Redditors that insist the Slate truck is the ideal vehicle for them.