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I like small phones because I feel that they're a better tradeoff between form + functionality. I want a premium phone, and I'm willing to pay a lot for it, but

I like small phones because I feel that they're a better tradeoff between form + functionality. I want a premium phone, and I'm willing to pay a lot for it, but I also want to spend as little time on my phone as possible. A smaller screen gives me all the benefit while being easy to carry and handle, and the small screen keeps me from using it too much. I also happen to think small screens feel more elegant. The promise of technology has always been to amplify humans without detracting from the important parts of life. Big screen phones feel ideologically wrong to me in that people use them as a replacement for life.

quicklime 8y ago
When my iPhone 5S died on me a few months ago, I bought a large Android phone to replace it. I've tracked screen-on time and noticed it ramp right up - from something like 90 minutes a day to 2 or even 3 hours now. Most of the increase is due to the fact that it's easier to use in bed before I get up in the morning, as well as before I go to sleep. So I tend to waste more time than I used to, watching YouTube or mindlessly browsing the web. I'm going to try out the new Digital Wellbeing stuff in Android Pie, which lets me set restrictions on app use. But it feels like a smaller phone is a much better solution, as it doesn't have any compromise in terms of portability - what's the point of having a big screen if I'm just going to disable the things that it's good at? It would be nice if Apple or Google or anyone else could commit to serving the small phone market.
- scottmcf 8y ago
  Yeah, I moved from an SE to an 8+, then an XS Max. I love the new phones, but if they brought out a premium SE I'd swap to that in a second.
  - aylmao 8y ago
    I don't care about the size too much, but small has the advantage of one-handed use, of fitting better in my pocket and being less likely to break. I kind of care about the design. It's elegant-- I like the flat camera, the chamfered edges and the brick-y form (which I appreciate they brought back with the new iPad Pro). What I care most about though is the headphone jack. This is why I still keep mine around in spite of having another phone-- to listen to music. EDIT: The fact that it's cheaper, so I could get more memory for the same price as a bigger model also contributes to it still sticking around primarily for music, but also with some games.
  - sh87 8y ago
    That right there sounds like a solid reason for Apple to not go that route. Customers who paid over $1000 will now be spending under $500 for an Apple phone. Thats bad for business.
    - scottmcf 8y ago
      I agree, that's a good point in many cases. Personally, I used my SE in combination with an iPad. The bigger phones made the tablet unnecessary, I can comfortable do what I need on my phone screen now.
rhizome 8y ago
If I wanna watch TV I'll watch my TV, but I think this is almost certainly an opinion that marks me as an old person.
- XMPPwocky 8y ago
  I used to do the same, but eventually the bus driver got mad at me and stopped letting me bring the TV on.
d--b 8y ago
Totally agree. HNers do understand the tradeoffs better. It's like when they started making laptop screen reflective. All my non-tech relatives were saying: "wow that screen is super nice" while I was thinking: "holy crap, the matte screen is disappearing, how I am going to work?"
- nkristoffersen 8y ago
  Although I would argue you should not want the matte screen. They get washed out from ambient light and thus have poorer contrast than reflective screens that can reject ambient light (at proper angles).
  - llampx 8y ago
    Glossy screens can be great in the correct lighting. A few point sources of light that are not directly behind the viewer are great, and you can benefit from the increased contrast that foregoing the matte layer gets you. However, in a situation where you have ambient light from everywhere, like an open office with many windows, glossy screens are insanely distracting. I much prefer the matte screens for that. Yes things on the screen can be harder to read, but way better compared to the "looking into a mirror" effect of a glossy screen.
- jfoutz 8y ago
  apple has masterful market segmentation. they want the inexpensive option to not really fill a specific niche, they want it to be a little uncomfortable, that you're already making compromises so you'll pay a grand for the fancy one instead. What i'm trying to say is, making a smaller option would be cheaper. That would cannibalize high end sales. From the seller's point of view, you want the best alternative to compromise all of your desires, so it's not that big of a deal to just upgrade. something inherently small violates that. HNers can identify the tradeoffs. Apple probably understands the tradeoffs better though. Apple exploits them. (I say this as a loyal iphone owner.)
  - slededit 8y ago
    They’ve done this forever with their computers. Happy with the CPU but don’t want a horrible 5400rpm hard drive (Yes iMacs still ship with those)? Well you’re going to need to bump up to the higher CPU model.
ForHackernews 8y ago
I got this one: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jellyphone/atom-world-s-smallest-4g-rugged-smartphone/ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jellyphone/atom-world-s... It is not "elegant" by any stretch of the imagination, but it is extremely small. Like you, I want something that is very small in my pocket and not distracting me from real life.

quicklime 8y ago

When my iPhone 5S died on me a few months ago, I bought a large Android phone to replace it. I've tracked screen-on time and noticed it ramp right up - from something like 90 minutes a day to 2 or even 3 hours now. Most of the increase is due to the fact that it's easier to use in bed before I get up in the morning, as well as before I go to sleep. So I tend to waste more time than I used to, watching YouTube or mindlessly browsing the web. I'm going to try out the new Digital Wellbeing stuff in Android Pie, which lets me set restrictions on app use. But it feels like a smaller phone is a much better solution, as it doesn't have any compromise in terms of portability - what's the point of having a big screen if I'm just going to disable the things that it's good at? It would be nice if Apple or Google or anyone else could commit to serving the small phone market.

scottmcf 8y ago
Yeah, I moved from an SE to an 8+, then an XS Max. I love the new phones, but if they brought out a premium SE I'd swap to that in a second.
- aylmao 8y ago
  I don't care about the size too much, but small has the advantage of one-handed use, of fitting better in my pocket and being less likely to break. I kind of care about the design. It's elegant-- I like the flat camera, the chamfered edges and the brick-y form (which I appreciate they brought back with the new iPad Pro). What I care most about though is the headphone jack. This is why I still keep mine around in spite of having another phone-- to listen to music. EDIT: The fact that it's cheaper, so I could get more memory for the same price as a bigger model also contributes to it still sticking around primarily for music, but also with some games.
- sh87 8y ago
  That right there sounds like a solid reason for Apple to not go that route. Customers who paid over $1000 will now be spending under $500 for an Apple phone. Thats bad for business.
  - scottmcf 8y ago
    I agree, that's a good point in many cases. Personally, I used my SE in combination with an iPad. The bigger phones made the tablet unnecessary, I can comfortable do what I need on my phone screen now.

rhizome 8y ago

If I wanna watch TV I'll watch my TV, but I think this is almost certainly an opinion that marks me as an old person.

XMPPwocky 8y ago
I used to do the same, but eventually the bus driver got mad at me and stopped letting me bring the TV on.

d--b 8y ago

Totally agree. HNers do understand the tradeoffs better. It's like when they started making laptop screen reflective. All my non-tech relatives were saying: "wow that screen is super nice" while I was thinking: "holy crap, the matte screen is disappearing, how I am going to work?"

nkristoffersen 8y ago
Although I would argue you should not want the matte screen. They get washed out from ambient light and thus have poorer contrast than reflective screens that can reject ambient light (at proper angles).
- llampx 8y ago
  Glossy screens can be great in the correct lighting. A few point sources of light that are not directly behind the viewer are great, and you can benefit from the increased contrast that foregoing the matte layer gets you. However, in a situation where you have ambient light from everywhere, like an open office with many windows, glossy screens are insanely distracting. I much prefer the matte screens for that. Yes things on the screen can be harder to read, but way better compared to the "looking into a mirror" effect of a glossy screen.
jfoutz 8y ago
apple has masterful market segmentation. they want the inexpensive option to not really fill a specific niche, they want it to be a little uncomfortable, that you're already making compromises so you'll pay a grand for the fancy one instead. What i'm trying to say is, making a smaller option would be cheaper. That would cannibalize high end sales. From the seller's point of view, you want the best alternative to compromise all of your desires, so it's not that big of a deal to just upgrade. something inherently small violates that. HNers can identify the tradeoffs. Apple probably understands the tradeoffs better though. Apple exploits them. (I say this as a loyal iphone owner.)
- slededit 8y ago
  They’ve done this forever with their computers. Happy with the CPU but don’t want a horrible 5400rpm hard drive (Yes iMacs still ship with those)? Well you’re going to need to bump up to the higher CPU model.

ForHackernews 8y ago

I got this one: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jellyphone/atom-world-s-smallest-4g-rugged-smartphone/ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jellyphone/atom-world-s... It is not "elegant" by any stretch of the imagination, but it is extremely small. Like you, I want something that is very small in my pocket and not distracting me from real life.