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As a small phone lover, here’s the thing: we don’t consume as many phones or as many services as (general) big phone people.
It’s not only about the size of the community. It’s that our phones are tools generally at our service and not the reverse.
Hopefully Linux phones are not so far away from usable in the next couple years.
Linux phones aren’t gonna help, the issue is the hardware
Unfortunately it does not look like as if linux phones would be developing anywhere
Isn’t Android Linux?
Linux is often used to refer to a family of operating systems including Ubuntu, Debian, fedora, red hat, ect., which all use the Linux kernel.
However, GNU/Linux may be a better name for this family of operating systems, since they all use GNU components and (to varying extents) embrace the philosophy of the free software foundation.
Android uses the Linux kernel, but not GNU components, and do not embrace the philosophy of the Free software foundation.
Stalman, the man who founded GNU and the free software foundation published his thoughts on this:
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/android-and-users-freedom.en.html
Isn’t android a Linux fork or am I misremembering?
Hopefully Linux phones are not so far away from usable in the next couple years.
I said the same thing in like 2013. :(
Praying the Xperia 5 VI is a bit more compact that the previous iteration. That and Sony actually start supporting their services for at least 5 years -_-
Yeah, the lack of software support made me disregard the Xperia completely (well and its price), which is sad because it is otherwise a great phone with actual useful features that other manufacturers have removed.
It probably is if the rumour about them switching to a 19.5:9 resolution is true. It’ll still be larger than the S24 and Pixel 8 because of the top and bottom bezel but height should decrease by a couple of mm.
I think he means normal sized phones, instead of the ‘phablets’ we are surrounded by now. I still think the ~6.1 inch screen is the perfect size.
6.1” is too big. I miss the 4.7-5.1” range that they had on the iPhone Mini for example.
HTC One dimensions: 146.4 x 70.6 x 9.4 mm
S23 dimensions: 146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6 mm
You don’t account for the MUCH smaller bezels and the different aspect ratio. The phone size is very similar
For me, it’s about width, not screen size.
My current phone is 6.1", but it’s only 68mm wide, so it’s easy to hold one-handed and slips in & out of my pocket easily. (It’s a Sony Xperia 10 V).
I love everything about this phone except that there’s no NA version, so my phone is missing a couple of the cell bands from my service provider. In particular, the wide band, so I don’t get great reception in the middle of large buildings.
Other than that, it’s great. Lots of RAM so app swapping is quick, and the battery life is so good I have it set to only ever charge to 80% and I’ve only dipped down to 20% on very high usage days. My usual usage is 80-50% daily.
Thats a small phone and I agree they are good too. But 6 is a good size imo, plenty of real estate and cant still be used with one hand.
I can’t use a 6" screen one handed, I doubt most women (who are half the population) can either.
@BearOfaTime @warm at 6", even smaller hands like mine are able to reach within .5cm of the top of the screen. At that size, the weight distribution of the phone is what makes a difference in terms of manageability. For example, the weight distribution of the Pixel 6a (6.1") makes it a breeze to use with my right hand, but a tad more difficult with my left one. Using it in reverse (had to once) is impossible one-handed.
Yeah, that size is certainly the limit for usability tbh. Its diminishing returns past that, I dont need a wider or longer phone, everything can be displayed perfectly on a 6 inch.
If you have big hands.
Nah, I have average hand size and can use that size phone with one hand easily. Though I do prefer smaller phones in general and would rather see more choice in that space.
Lol, I call BS.
You clearly don’t have “average size hands” unless you’re excluding women from that calculus.
Even then, an average man probably can’t use a 6" screen one handed. Why else do they ship with “one handed mode” on devices?
Yeah average male hand sorry. Female hands is another reason we need small phones, that and the illegally small pocket sizes they have to put up with!
I can use it one handed, its not the most comfortable thing for every task, but doable. I would not want a phone any larger though.
Pockets at least you can expand, I do it on all my clothing.
I can only reach about 5" with the thumb, while holding the phone. But not the opposite edge. Average male hand.
Yeah if you keep the same grip, if I change grip I can reach everywhere, though smaller would definitely be easier and more comfortable.
I find for me it is half about the usability of thw phone one handed and the other half being pocketability. I don’t want to have to carry a man-purse just to be able to have my phone with me at all times. Front pocket of jeans is where i keep my phone and the pockets are not deep enough to contain the phone without pressing into my hips when i sit. Keeping the phone in the back pocket is just inviting theft.
I just want another Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact with updated specifications.
👶
6 in phones are in no danger of disappearing though.
“We”
I used an iPod touch 4G thru 7G as my ‘phone’. WiFi was available enough where I live that it was all I needed. And if I was off in the woods somewhere, I was ok not having service, and the intarwebs instantly answering my every curiosity. I tried to keep it small.
There is at least the Unihertz Jellystar, which is a fairly nice tiny phone. Personally I’m likely stuck with Pixel phones because I’m a big fan of Graphene OS, otherwise I’d likely pick one up after my Pixel 4a fails, which might be awhile, since it’s still going strong.
Never heard of the Jelly Star! $200 bucks?! I just ordered one.
Fucking awesome phone. Been my daily driver for a week now.
Typing is horrible, tough, and for anything serious (browsing, streaming…) you will want a bigger screen and general more build quality. Camera, sound quality, screen are all screaming low end.
Super fast charging because the battery is tiny, sill good SOT because the screen is tiny too.
Feels damn good to be able to use and hold your phone one handed in almost any orientation you can hold your arm in.
Keyboard: AnySoftKey and a Compact layout (2 keys, 1 button) is very helpful.
Have you heard of thumb-key keyboard? It’s basically a 3x3 grid with swipe gestures for extra characters. I’ve been trying to switch to it for a bit cause I think eventually my typing will be faster and it will be a better one handed typing experience.
Anyway, I think this would work well on a small screen device too, if you can get used to a whole new keyboard paradigm.
It’s on the IzzyOnDroid repo for f-droid.
Hope this is helpful to someone!
Tried ThumbKey and realized, I’m 100 % used to QWERY/QWERTZ keyboard layouts. The ThumbKey keys are not in roughly the same spots as on a regular keyboard and I just couldn’t get used to this. Damn brain. I might give it another try in the future, because the idea is damn great.
Yeah I had the same problem. I just had to commit to being a slow typer for a while, but I inproved quicker than I thought. Still learning tho. I keep a regular keyboard I can switch to with the button on the bottom right of the home buttons for the rare times I need to type something urgently.
Oh, cool! Hope you like it dude :)
MKBHD’s video titles are so click baity now
The death of small phones is why I’m so committed to my flip 4. The space it takes up in my pocket or bag is so much less than any “regular” phone.
Pocket space is only half the problem. The other half is one-handed use and the flip is huge when opened.
This is true, and honestly my biggest gripe with the phone. I don’t wear small mitts, and I can only comfortably reach 3/4 of the way up the phone. This is exacerbated by the fact that phone application design is in a very top-centric stage right now. I wonder if there’s a way I could extend the android nav bar to take up the top 1/4 of the screen…
On Samsung devices there is an accessibility setting that gives a smaller one-hand screen when swiping down from the bottom bar. But that just feels like a waste of space when you could just have a smaller screen.
That’s available on Pixels as well - I use it a lot even on my smaller 4a. Very handy in a pinch!
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Because it’s something you use a lot for small things throughout the day. When you need to quickly answer a message or look at a map you shouldn’t need to stop and place down everything you’re holding.
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This is probably very subjective. I’d say I use my phone one-handed about 7/10 times and I’d do it more if I could. Actually I do most things one-handed when possible but I have small hands so phones are becoming an issue. There isn’t a specific reason, it’s just more convenient.
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I just don’t find I really need to very often, very rarely in fact.
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To me that’s the exact and only purpose of a phone: for it to be a handheld portable computer. For that purpose I should be able to use it with one hand
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To me that doesn’t really compute. I like to see a lot of information on my screen and my eyes aren’t as young as they were.
I do too, but glasses help a lot. In my use case 5" is plenty, though not with default settings: global UI size was tweaked so everything is smaller, and more fits on screen.
I don’t really like looking at curved screens
Neither do I, and I’m doing everything I can to avoid those phones. No feature can balance that huge con.
Flat screens aren’t as easy to do that with especially as I like to use a case.
Hmm, interesting. I’m using gestures too, some more than others, and with a flat screen it’s fine for me.
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True that I don’t use a case. It has fallen apart years ago and didn’t bother to get a new one. I was using gestures while I had the case, too, but I don’t remember how was it it usability.
Haven’t watched the video but he is one of the reasons and a strong one. He has really big hands and has been pushing flagship devices since forever.
I have really big hands too, and even with those, really big phone sizes are just not practical, IMHO. Unless one has giant NBA player tennis racket sized hands, past 6” to 6.2”, you just can’t comfortably hold your phone and reach every part of the screen without shifting it around all the time.
I have pretty small hands and I use a 6.7" phone with no trouble. (As a size reference, I can comfortably reach the frets on a 3/4 size electric bass or a guitar, but a full size electric bass is too big for me and I can’t play without moving my hand a lot more than you’re supposed to.)
I don’t disagree you may find it comfortable, I just genuinely don’t understand how you do it. I guess you don’t mind the shuffling around that comes with typing a button in the opposite corner of the screen, but I personally do. When holding my phone with one hand in a position I can type in and the phone just won’t slide down to the floor, my thumb just doesn’t reach the opposite corner of the screen without shifting the phone in my hand.
I think it’s a matter if habits mostly. After thinking about it more, it seems I almost always use my phone with both hands. With one hand it does feel pretty awkward and unstable if I’m trying to do something complicated like typing. I can use it one handed and it’s fine for something like scrolling through social media or controlling a music player. I also use a launcher (Niagara) that happens to be designed well for using one handed on a big phone (but that’s not why I use it).
It could also be an Android vs iPhone issue. I use Android, and the back gesture is really convenient no matter how you’re holding the phone. I’ve noticed that iOS doesn’t seem to have a back gesture, and the back button in a lot of apps is in the worst possible place for one handed use. I think there’s an overall trend in Android apps to put the most important controls at the bottom of the screen, but in my (admittedly very fuzzy) recollections of Apple apps, they seem more inclined to put buttons at the top.
Dunno if it’s really an Android vs iOS thing considering I’ve been on Android since forever before the last 3 months. But yeah it probably has to do with usage patterns, of how you use your phone. I barely ever use mine two-handed unless I’m typing more than a sentence or two. I mostly navigate and interact with apps more than I type.
My hands are also tiny and smol, and I’m also clumsy, but I have no issues with my S23 Ultra. 🤷🏼♀️
I’d kill for a sub-6" phone with a physical telephoto lens.
Because there is no demand, display manufacturers don’t produce small phone displays anymore. And because there’s no small display in stock, phone manufacturers have given up on producing small smartphones. Technically, you can contract the display manufacturers to restart production of small phone displays, but no one seems to be interested in taking the upfront risk.
I definitely think Apple and Samsung can do a smaller premium phone if they want to as Apple makes the lion’s share of profits in the industry and Samsung is the only other manufacturer that makes a significant amount of profit. Heck Samsung can probably do a smaller midrange phone as well. I do not think it makes sense for other manufacturers as they make 3% profit and targeting a very vocal but demanding minority isn’t going to help them improve that.
Small phone users should also temper their expectation, I saw a lot of comments from people saying they didn’t get the iPhone mini because they expected the Pro Max’s specs in the mini form factor. They have to understand that the cameras on the biggest flagships occupy a lot of space and it isn’t feasible to bring it to a smaller form factor. Increasing the thickness might help with the battery but that’s about the only component that benefits with an increase in one dimension.
The S23 and S24 are solid phones at a regular size. So Samsung already do normal sized flagships. It’s the mid-low range that is lacking, they are all oversized in that price range, so people don’t have much choice but to buy an oversized phone.
Yeah they’re regular sized, you could consider the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro as regular sized as well. I think they could probably do a smaller phone about the size of the iPhone 12/13 mini as well if they wanted to. However I’m not sure if they’ll do it since the S22 is their smallest phones since the S10e and they haven’t gone smaller than that unless you go all the way back to the S4 (which itself has a similar width to the S10e). I understand why they wouldn’t do it because it seems the people who want an iPhone 5S to iPhone mini sized phone are extremely vocal but that doesn’t seem to translate to numbers in real life.
People would probably buy smaller phones if given the correct choices, I think the iPhone 15 size is good yeah. iPhone is often a fashion statement, so people usually want the highest end they can get and manufacturers tend to put more features in their bigger more expensive models.
There’s no options in the mid-range for smaller phones, most are over 6.5 inches. So people are forced into buying them, there’s definitely a large market for small phones, but manufacturers force them into larger models. I suspect they are easier/cheaper to make, so that’s what we get. Also bigger numbers = better right, so they’d rather crank the marketing on battery, screen etc.
I don’t think they’re going to be able to put the same cameras on a smaller phone, especially if you look at something like the Xiaomi 14 Ultra or the Oppo Find X7 Ultra. The sensors are massive and require a lot of space. You may be able to fit two of those sensors on a 6.1 inch phone without compromising on other things like the battery, haptics, antennae for example. They could probably fit a bigger battery by making the phone thicker but it seems like manufacturers like a uniform thickness for most of their models or somewhere thereabouts probably because it’s easier to machine the frame.
Of course there’s some limitations yeah, though the S24 and iPhone 15 have great cameras, more than enough for the majority of people. Most people aren’t power users and won’t even look at specs in-depth, just a glance at what it looks like, storage and price. Size would definitely be a factor people would consider (and already do when they can) and it’s a real shame there aren’t more options.
To be honest looking at the teardowns it’s impressive what Apple and Samsung have managed to fit in their phones, I think the Xiamoi 14 Ultra isn’t doing itself any favours with that camera placement though, seems inefficient having the modules in the middle of the phone?
I’m not a fan of the cameras on the S24 and base iPhone 15. Samsung have recycled the same cameras for three generations now, I think they can put a larger primary sensor in there.
To be honest looking at the teardowns it’s impressive what Apple and Samsung have managed to fit in their phones, I think the Xiamoi 14 Ultra isn’t doing itself any favours with that camera placement though, seems inefficient having the modules in the middle of the phone?
Idk, Apple does a better job with the Pro as compared to the regular model. Google, Xiaomi and Asus managed to fit bigger batteries on the Pixel 8, Xiaomi 14 and Zenfone 10 without increasing the size too much. Here’s a teardown of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. It seems like they’re using space pretty efficiently in there.
Fair enough, but I think for most people the cameras are more than enough. I haven’t used the iPhone ones but the Samsung ones are honestly fantastic already. It’s diminishing returns past that point, like it’s buying an actual camera territory.
It feels like with the cameras in the middle, they have to have smaller PCB area around them? Whereas if they are to the side, there’s a larger space for a PCB. I don’t know though, I think the phone is ugly anyway.
Small phone users should also temper their expectation
Every time there is a small phone thread here or on reddit most of the comments are from people complaining that there is no small phone with the equivalent features of their near 7-inch flagship. People do not seem to weigh size in the same way as other features and are not willing to make compromises for it. Small phone fans need to think seriously about how important and practical all their supposedly “essential” high end features actually are versus physical size. There have been plenty of chances to buy and own smaller phones in the past and these people didn’t buy them because they weren’t perfect. This is the result.
Yeah it’s strange some of them expect the exact same specs as the Pro or Ultra phone in a smaller form factor. Some sacrifices have to be made to fit components in a smaller form factor as you cannot overcome the laws of physics. I’ve seen many ridiculous comments saying manufacturers can fit the same cameras and all the sensors along with a bigger battery if they made the phone thicker. It’s almost as if they expect the bigger phone to get neutered to maintain parity.
I hate small phones. I switched back to an iphone SE years ago and realized it was a pita to use anymore. Everything is… too small.
Bigger screens make it easier to use as my main computer, thank you.
I couldn’t resist. I’m sorry
Dom Joly moment
BIG
I used to like small phones. I thought the form factor of my eastwhile iPhone 5 was perfect.
But then I got older, and my eyesight got worse. Reading small fonts on small screens is becoming increasingly difficult, but I’m not yet at the point where I have to wear glasses or contacts all the time. I also don’t like just increasing font sizes, as I lose screen realestate. So I’m kinda starting to see why some people like phones with bigger screens.
It started as a hardware problem and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. LTE needed more and larger antennae for lower frequencies than older tech. Four cellular antennae are now pretty standard. Then you have wifi, Bluetooth (which can share if they can TDM), wireless charging, NFC, ultra wideband, GNSS. Then the chips are so powerful they need heat dissipation systems installed (or just lame thermal throttling like what Apple does.)
The modems require more power, (especially at the beginning of LTE) which means bigger batteries. LTE and NR have reduced range compared to the older narrowband technologies, so the phone needs to use more power to transmit, especially when carriers like Verizon didn’t backfill cell sites to compensate for the reduced coverage.
Then, cameras, one wasn’t enough, 4 or 5 are very common now (usually 3 primary and depth or low res sensors for aiming.)
When tablets became popular, many people decided to just have a large phone screen rather than a tablet, further entrenching the size.
The tech is more mature now, a 2-antenna MIMO antenna for cellular would suffice, albeit at the expense of network performance. Likewise one camera with a depth sensor would work, although mobile photography would be more limited. Dropping some limited-use items like wireless charging and ultra wideband could further shrink space.
So it would be possible now, but as others here have mentioned, the supply side focuses on larger hardware.
Ironically, at this point I’d almost prefer a smart watch with LTE and stop carrying a phone altogether. However, the aforementioned antenna issue makes it so watches generally have poor to unusable signal, poor battery life in cellular mode, no camera, and the 5G NR low power spec/chips aren’t fully done yet, so it’s LTE only on them, which, with carriers transitioning to 5G will make it so watches can only access a handful of congested bands.
Also, that device manufacturers tend to design smart watches to be companion devices to a smartphone rather than primary makes that concept’s execution problematic.
Another idea I had that was anti small phone but huge battery boost was to just bring a backpack or a satchel or whatever. Carry a full sized tablet around, and use a Bluetooth headset for calls. However, tablets are also often crippled by carriers/manufacturers so they can’t do common things like SMS or voice calls, and Apple has basically monopolized that market.
