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

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

#571

Post by dehrmann » Thu, Jul 17, 2025, 5:01 PM UTC

fkyoureadthedoc wrote: post #540

throw10920 wrote: post #521

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Not having power windows or a radio with Android Auto/Apple Carplay was a mistake. It would have added $1,500 to the price, but those features are big quality-of-life improvements.

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

#572

Post by redbell » Thu, Jul 17, 2025, 5:02 PM UTC

This was a hot post in 2022: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31411191

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

#573

Post by singpolyma3 » Thu, Jul 17, 2025, 5:02 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…

The problem is that the bar for "commercial failure" is too low. I not only would pay more for a qwerty device but I have multiple times and I've delayed purchases of a device when no qwerty option was available. And I know there are thousands of people like me.

But there aren't hundreds of millions of people like me. And the bar for "success" is selling that many units so it gets considered a "failure"

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

#574

Post by throwawaymaths » Thu, Jul 17, 2025, 5:02 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…

how does Fairphone exist?

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

#575

Post by singpolyma3 » Thu, Jul 17, 2025, 5:05 PM UTC

throw10920 wrote: post #521

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…

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…

I don't see how this would be different from Kickstarter. This is what Kickstarter is for.

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

#576

Post by rickdeckard » Thu, Jul 17, 2025, 5:15 PM UTC

ikari_pl wrote: post #530

mtmail wrote: post #460

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

Well, that's a lesson on asking the right question . You like the new yellow one, but you like the black one even more. Nobody asked about black.

They don't like the black one more. The yellow one caught their attention, but when it comes to the actual buying-decision, they find that drawing attention is not a feature they want.

But the existence of the yellow one helped sell the black one.

That's a typical issue for car sales by the way.

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

#577

Post by lastofthemojito » Thu, Jul 17, 2025, 5:21 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…

Well there's certainly not no paying market. But the market is apparently too small to be viable.

Apple apparently sold a couple million iPhone 13 minis. Ford reliably sold more than 100,000 Focus cars in the US annually before deciding to discontinue it. But Apple and Ford decided they were better served redirecting that engineering effort towards more profitable projects.

It just frustrating when these gaps occur and there's no smaller player to fill them. A couple million small smartphones or a couple hundred thousand compact cars sounds like enough to sustain a business, but it isn't enough for the big players to care, and small players can't affordably create a competitive offering.

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

#578

Post by geodel » Thu, Jul 17, 2025, 5:22 PM UTC

singpolyma3 wrote: post #573

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 problem is that the bar for "commercial failure" is too low. I not only would pay more for a qwerty device but I have multiple times and I've delayed purchases of a device when no qwerty option was available. And I know there are thousands of people like me. But there aren't hundreds of millions of people like me. And the bar for "success" is selling that many units so it gets considered a "failure"

Well if company can't profit selling such device in small quantity it is commercial failure. There is not much qualification to it beyond that.

The bar appears too low to prospective customer because they lose nothing if they try this product but ultimately decide to not buy but for business it is clear loss.

This is like those mythical users who'd buy Macs once its fully hackable and officially support linux. Apple thinks it is just better to not serve those buyers.

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

#579

Post by fkyoureadthedoc » Thu, Jul 17, 2025, 5:24 PM UTC

PaulHoule wrote: post #569

fkyoureadthedoc wrote: post #540

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Soon to be added to that list, the army of Redditors that insist the Slate truck is the ideal vehicle for them.

People report struggling to buy a Ford Maverick. Shadowy organizations can't stand it that Americans demand Kei Trucks and get legislation so they can't get them. Increasingly I see rural people driving compact cars... Maybe they'd like a big-ass truck but they can't afford one at $90k.

The Ford Maverick starts at like $2k more than the Slate truck.

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

#580

Post by icedchai » Thu, Jul 17, 2025, 5:26 PM UTC

prmoustache wrote: post #335

pclowes wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there are a lot of offerings out there now. Maybe not to the minute with respect to battery life but Apples chip advantage is steadily evaporating. I typically don't need more than 8 hours of battery personally. Have heard good things about framework computers. As a more efficient chip or battery comes out you just upgrade that component if your use case requires it.

Most people don't really need more than 2 hours of battery life anyway[1] as their laptops barely ever leave the house. >8H of battery is nice to have but it is really an important parameter for a specific population while for others it is just convenience. I wouldn't trade an OS/desktop I don't like over my linux setup just because it last longer when I never need more than a couple of hours on battery[3]. [1] which…

I spent almost 10 hours at a coworking space and didn't even worry about charging my M4 MacBook Pro. Apple Silicon is a game changer: incredible performance and long battery life, generally totally silent, no thermal throttling. 10 hours may be extreme, but it's nice to be able to go to a coffee shop and not worry about not having charged your laptop since last week.

I used to run Linux on a laptop (10+ years ago) and you couldn't even close the laptop lid without risking it not going to sleep and overheating in your bag.