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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

#721

Post by rodgerd »

sudosteph wrote: post #526
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 iph…

I'm a fairly large person (185 cm and decent sized hands), but I prefer the mini, and in my Android days used the Xperia mini. I don't particularly want a large phone on a day-to-day basis.

Unfortunately it seems that it's a niche that doesn't generate enough revenue to get broader support.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#722

Post by foresto »

scarface74 wrote: post #714
foresto wrote: post #708

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> that’s not likely to happen. Why not? It has happened before. My Xperia XZ1 Compact: - runs Android (I'm on Android 10, but might upgrade) - measures about 14cm diagonally and 8-9mm thick - uses around 10-15% charge per day of light use (without Google services) - has a standard headphone jack - has stereo speakers - has decent front and back cameras, with no bump - has a microSD slot - has a USB type C port - has…

It’s also a phone that was first announced in 2016, by a company that has lost money for the past 5 years and is basically retreating from the global market. https://www.androidheadlines.com/2019/05/sony-mobile-strateg... Not exactly a ringing endorsement of its mobile phone strategy. And it last a long time not using any services that make Android what it is to most users (ie using Google service) is not a mass mark…

You seem to be arguing in bad faith.

Being a few years old does not make my example less valid. (Arguably the opposite, given that it still works well today.) The point is that it meets GP's needs.

Sony's poor marketing strategy was not caused by one phone model, nor is it a requirement for small phones in general.

You could easily adjust the numbers I quoted to estimate battery life with Google services running. Assume half, or a third, if you like. It would still meet GP's needs.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#723

Post by radec »

Vladimof wrote: post #507
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…

My Pixel 3 is just a bit bigger then the iPhone 13 Mini... works great with Lineage OS... might have to change the battery in a year though (not looking forward to it).

I just replaced the battery on my pixel 3. I also replaced the USB C port, because it was cheap and the phone was open. It's pretty simple to do, just tedious. I would recommend buying a replacement back as well so you don't have to worry about keeping the glass intact.

I would love a smaller phone then the pixel 3 but I'll stick with this for now, it's my absolute max size.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#724

Post by makosdv »

nfriedly wrote: post #493
this_is_eline wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just wish s10e has replaceable battery... (even tho that would prob ruin ip68 and design :) )

It's not impossible to replace the battery - https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Samsung+Galaxy+S10e+Battery+Rep... - it's just a bit of a pain. And, yeah, it probably does compromise the waterproofing.

Yeah, I just replaced mine a couple weeks ago. It wasn't hard, but it wasn't easy either.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#725

Post by Nition »

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…

> How big is the group of people that want a smaller smart phone but aren't willing or able to switch to Apple?

It just feels like surely capturing 100% of the market for premium small Android phones (there really are none right now) must be at least as good as yet another large Android phone entering a market full of large Android phones.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#726

Post by hedora »

bscphil wrote: post #643
CountSessine wrote: post #623

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Among smartphone customers, what do you think the numbers are for customers who prefer a big phone vs a little phone? 99/1? 90/10? 80/20? I don’t know this myself. But I figure that if no one is stepping into this market, it’s probably pretty damn small.

I'm not sure why you're asking me, but the OP's site says that 5% of iPhone orders (10 million phones a year) are the mini. That's quite a large market in absolute terms.

I'd prefer the mini, but want a better camera.

If the camera were the same, I suspect many, many more people would buy the mini.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#728

Post by metadat »

drited wrote: post #653
pbhjpbhj wrote: post #575

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Samsung make one called the Z-flip. Way too expensive for me, but to me it's the better flip phone I've been waiting for since 2005!

I have the Z-Flip 3 and love it. It meets the 2 criteria of the post's 4 that matter to me: 1.fits nicely in pocket. I can sit down comfortably with it in a pair of jeans. No dodgy posture. 2. Won't fall out of my pocket Its screen is also much less likely to break like has happened with all my old phones when they accidentally fall out of jacket pocket

Just don't drop it on the hinge.

Also the z-flip battery life is atrocious, and the CPU is old prev gen tech.

I really want a top tier foldable.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#729

Post by hedora »

nousermane wrote: post #349
davee5 wrote: post #270

Hi Eric, I'm a hardware startup guy myself (our paths have crossed) with the distinction that my own "very specific set of skills" has been honed at smartphone megacompanies and smartphone startups. OSOM, Essential, HTC, Samsung, Apple. I've designed and built a lot of phones. I'm building one now. I think this is a noble effort, I personally prefer pocketable phones too, but I think there are nigh-insurmountable hur…

Talking about notch/hole-punch displays. As somebody who never ever uses front-facing camera, can I have a phone/display without such defects, please?

The hole punch is a nice to have. A phone with a case that was half the area of a pixel 6 pro, and also had a top bezel would still have a perfectly usable screen.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#730

Post by metadat »

cehrlich wrote: post #290
davee5 wrote: post #270

Hi Eric, I'm a hardware startup guy myself (our paths have crossed) with the distinction that my own "very specific set of skills" has been honed at smartphone megacompanies and smartphone startups. OSOM, Essential, HTC, Samsung, Apple. I've designed and built a lot of phones. I'm building one now. I think this is a noble effort, I personally prefer pocketable phones too, but I think there are nigh-insurmountable hur…

I wonder if there isn't a third factor: 3. Android OEMs can't make a good small phone, even if there was the demand to produce it at scale Because of how efficient Apple's SoCs are compared to Snapdragons, Android phones typically have much larger batteries than iPhones while getting about the same battery life. Big battery requires a big phone. The occasional somewhat small Android phone (for example Galaxy S10e) te…

S10e battery life was generally fine for me, always lasting at least one day of typical usage, even when I was on the go all day.
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