4 ms·

Xperia Z* Compact is one of the last series of phones that are 4.3-4.6 inches and fit comfortably with one hand. All other vendors went all in into 5+ inches ph

Xperia Z* Compact is one of the last series of phones that are 4.3-4.6 inches and fit comfortably with one hand. All other vendors went all in into 5+ inches phones that are difficult to operate with one hand. Sony phones do not have all the newest fancy features, but I found the flagships to be reasonably powerful and just work™. I never liked Samsungs because they modify the default Android experience too much and ship too much crapware. Since ~Android 6 they are more aligned UI-wise, but the "back" button on the right, and the different middle button are also annoying. Last but not least, being an Android dev, Samsung is one of the most annoying vendors, which makes weird modifications to their fork of Android, which result in Samsung-only crashes. (Having said that, for majority of consumers, none of this is an issue, given the sales numbers.)

ashishb 8y ago
I am surprised how rarely is the phone size issue mentioned. I, personally, would prefer 4.6" Android phone but impossible to get from the major vendors.
- curlypaul924 8y ago
  AFAICT it's impossible to get from _any_ vendors now. The XZ3 compact doesn't exist, and the only other phone I know of that has a comparable screen size is the Nokia 1, which as a phone isn't comparable at all. There are also rugged devices like the Zebra TC75, but even though it has a 4.7" screen, the phone itself is large. Similarly, the Blackberry KEY2 has a 4.5" screen, but the keyboard adds quite a bit of bulk. Both phones are also pretty wide, which is a big factor in whether it fits in one hand. The Galaxy S10e is being touted as a brilliant compact phone, but it's the same size as an S7, and comes with a giant 5.8" screen. Today's "compact" phone is yesterday's "phablet". Then there are the clamshell smartphones. Surely there's a market for these. The only one sold in the US is the ZTE Cymbal-T, and it's carrier-locked. And while I'm ranting -- why hasn't anyone made a decent shoephone yet?
usrusr 8y ago
Samsung are infuriating: the S9, after some update, is now running a sequence of two animations before finally showing the content of the app drawer. It would be bad enough if they were running concurrently (which would admittedly look somewhat slick), but no, you wait for one to finish, get your expectations up, but then there is the second animation just starting. I don't know wether it's stupidity or malice (timed to the release of the s10 to make the old model feel sufficiently slow?) and I've long come to refuse invoking Hanlon's Razor when it comes to Samsung.
- lstodd 8y ago
  Boo Boo. Don't like it - root it, hack it. It this hacker news or what? In any case Android Q disables access to external storage, so it's either one submits to Apple-style walled garden or seeks something else. Where those vendorcrap apps aren't there or are removed without any problem. And if someone does submit to the Q changes, then there's no point to discuss.

ashishb 8y ago

I am surprised how rarely is the phone size issue mentioned. I, personally, would prefer 4.6" Android phone but impossible to get from the major vendors.

curlypaul924 8y ago
AFAICT it's impossible to get from _any_ vendors now. The XZ3 compact doesn't exist, and the only other phone I know of that has a comparable screen size is the Nokia 1, which as a phone isn't comparable at all. There are also rugged devices like the Zebra TC75, but even though it has a 4.7" screen, the phone itself is large. Similarly, the Blackberry KEY2 has a 4.5" screen, but the keyboard adds quite a bit of bulk. Both phones are also pretty wide, which is a big factor in whether it fits in one hand. The Galaxy S10e is being touted as a brilliant compact phone, but it's the same size as an S7, and comes with a giant 5.8" screen. Today's "compact" phone is yesterday's "phablet". Then there are the clamshell smartphones. Surely there's a market for these. The only one sold in the US is the ZTE Cymbal-T, and it's carrier-locked. And while I'm ranting -- why hasn't anyone made a decent shoephone yet?

usrusr 8y ago

Samsung are infuriating: the S9, after some update, is now running a sequence of two animations before finally showing the content of the app drawer. It would be bad enough if they were running concurrently (which would admittedly look somewhat slick), but no, you wait for one to finish, get your expectations up, but then there is the second animation just starting. I don't know wether it's stupidity or malice (timed to the release of the s10 to make the old model feel sufficiently slow?) and I've long come to refuse invoking Hanlon's Razor when it comes to Samsung.

lstodd 8y ago
Boo Boo. Don't like it - root it, hack it. It this hacker news or what? In any case Android Q disables access to external storage, so it's either one submits to Apple-style walled garden or seeks something else. Where those vendorcrap apps aren't there or are removed without any problem. And if someone does submit to the Q changes, then there's no point to discuss.