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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

#991

Post by skavi »

Spooky23 wrote: post #677
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…

> 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, and people who need phones will still buy something even if reluctantly. I've been in the meetings, small phone advocacy goes nowhere. I love my iPhone 12 mini and prefer the form factor, but will go bigger, because of battery life.

The iPhone 13 Mini improved battery life significantly. The A15 series is significantly more efficient and they managed to increase the battery capacity. It should last somewhere in the range of 30% longer than the 12 Mini.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#993

Post by Fnoord »

eertami wrote: post #338
nicpottier wrote: post #305

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Snag up a lightly used Pixel 5 while you can. You get 5G and it is basically the same form factor, just a bit better all around. (I've had both and the Pixel5 is a step up for sure)

The 5 was already available here when I purchased the 4a (Europe), but the 5 was twice as expensive - which is hard to justify for "a bit better". A headphone jack is much more useful for me personally than 5G, so I happily saved the money.

5G is completely useless in The Netherlands for the time being (until at least end 2023). You can safely ignore it if you're from NL. In other countries, how useful it is going to be depends on your use-case. For example, German autobahn has good 5G coverage.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#994

Post by mtremsal »

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 tall man with large hands and my S10 is uncomfortable. Just ordered an iPhone 13 mini after finding out that the Pixel 6a, my last hope for a small Android phone, will be big. This will be my first iOS phone despite 10+ years on Android. The situation is idiotic.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#995

Post by mgalgs »

> Also, personally, after 6 months of iOS I am itching to get back to Android. Why? The notification system SUCKS on iOS compared to Android. It’s impossible to move files between apps. Hard to get any work done on it. Beautiful hardware though!

I felt this so hard! Switched to iOS a few months ago after 14 years of Android (OG G1 user) due to privacy concerns and the lack of a small phone on Android.

iOS applications are almost universally better than their Android counterparts, but when it comes to the OS itself Android is light years ahead of iOS in terms of usability, convenience, and features. The iOS keyboard is such a steaming pile of bull dung compared to Android, and then there's call screening, notification actions, copy history, inter-application shareability, webview->browser state sharing, etc...

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#996

Post by haasbat »

I like the language of wants, but it might be good to reference the industrial design of iPhone mini, but with the caveat that plastic is okay. The pixel a-series I think has a nice plastic. As did Xperia. Pre-pixel, my Moto X (2013) was knocked out of my hand by the dog while sitting on the front steps so many times, but never broke the body or screen (literally hit and bounced off every step on the way down, no case). This could be key to a case-less small phone. And rugged and case-less could be a big feature.

I would also say, a small phone is a great opportunity to add whatever features are necessary to offload usage to a watch (Bt,BtLE), car, smart home (UWB), smart glasses, ear buds. This seemed to be the way Essential was going. I would love the ability to hear my texts, either in ear buds or smart home, and hold my phones power button like a walky talky to dictate responses, almost like Android Auto. (Maybe even a knurled physical dictation button on the rail right next to where the gboard microphone soft button is located). And have UWB smart appliances know I was approaching and 1-factor authenticate me. All this to say, don't skimp on the innards which can help the device grow with accessories. I think accessories are really where a manufacturer can win. Where your phone just becomes a remote so all your other devices know it's you.

And when you are looking at the phone and using it, it needs to be weighted (battery down?) at the bottom so it balances in the hand better, a la Palm Pre (I so wish I had bought one instead of waiting for a second generation). No more pop-sockets!

I also suspect that narrower is more important than shorter. And thicker is better for battery and the bend test. Remember when Pixel 1 had an angle to its back? Imagine a phone that can lay firmly on a flat surface on slight angle, just enough to go into portrait or landscape mode, and not wobble. And if the speaker were on the back, it could use the flat surface to reflect the sound back at the viewer. (I think rog or another had an angled phone back that looked like broken glass).

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#998

Post by Abishek_Muthian »

zem wrote: post #982
Abishek_Muthian wrote: post #837

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have baby hands, I am a dwarf. With each generational increase of display size, The number of times I drop the phone over its lifetime increases proportionally. I've used android phones from 2.8" to 5.7" display as daily drivers over the past decade. I assume, Many with small hands(palms) do face the issue of dropping phones, So I finding it quite surprising that 'Easily Repairable' wasn't included in neither 'Must…

I have largish hands and I still find the pixel 6 painful to use due to its sheer weight. the pixel 3 really was the perfect size for me.

> pixel 6 painful to use due to its sheer weight

Weight is indeed and important factor. I recently held an iPhone13 Pro Max with acrylic case and was shocked by its weight,

iPhone13 Pro Max: 240g

Pixel 6: 207g

I hope that extra weight goes towards rigidity of the phone, Anyways its not intended for people with small hands.

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#999

Post by niutech »

grishka wrote: post #457
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…

Yes, I'm as frustrated as you are. I want a no-compromise 4" Android phone, comfortably usable with one hand. For me, the phone is a communication device for the outside, that's it. I hardly use it at home except for calls. My primary device is my laptop. I have exactly zero use cases that would benefit from a large screen, yet all of my use cases would benefit from being able to fully use it one-handed. I don't watc…

If a smartphone is just the communication device for you, why don't you get Samsung Galaxy Xcover 4s?

Re: I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

#1000

Post by SteadBytes »

> Extrapolating from past models, the Pixel 10 will be roughly the size of California

+1 just for the chuckle I got out of this! For some reason I found that unreasonably amusing :D

More seriously, though, I would love for this to succeed and would absolutely be a customer. Personally, the IP86 water resistance is important due to being outdoors (cycling, running, hiking) a lot. However I understand that may not fit within the budget (I would pay extra for it though).

Best of luck!

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