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I want an iPhone Mini-sized Android phone

• coolgoose 4y ago
  Happy Samsung s10e reporting :)
• amelius 4y ago
  I won't be using/recommending Android as long as it says: > This app you need wants access to all your files and photos. It's ridiculous that it's all or nothing and you cannot have more control than that.
  • hammock 4y ago
    It depends on the app. Some apps (like Telegram) request it that way. Other apps (like GroupMe) can somehow tap into your photos reel without requesting the full superhuge blanket permission like that. I could be wrong but as I recall that's my experience.
    • amelius 4y ago
      > It depends on the app. Yes. The problem is that apps have this power. As a user, I should be able to restrict access to certain folders, regardless of what the app requested.
• exabrial 4y ago
  how about expandable storage and headphone jack while we're at it? We can keep more phones out of the landfill and hone back production of newer stuff.
• unixhero 4y ago
  The Razer 5G from Motorola is small
• smsm42 4y ago
  Oh yes please. I am seeking out smallest phones available that I can get without compromising functionality, and they are still too big for my taste. I already have a tablet. I want a small device that I could comfortably stuff into any pocket and not fear it'd jump out. I want it not to occupy too much space. I don't need it to be enough to fit a full size newspaper - I've got a huge 3-display setup for that in my office where I can read anything as big as I want. I remember fondly the old Motorola Razr that was small, light and functional.
• erohead 4y ago
  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 the roadmap. So I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands. My goal with https://smallandroidphone.com https://smallandroidphone.com is to rally other fans of small phones together and put pressure on Google/Samsung/Anyone to consider making a small phone. I have a very specific set of skills and industry connections that I have acquired over a long career in the hardware business (my first startup was Pebble). I will put them to use in our shared quest to get the perfect small Android phone. If no one else builds one, and enough people sign up...maybe I will be forced to make it myself. If you want a small premium Android phone, this may be your last chance (ever?) to help bring back the phone category that we love.
  • wing-_-nuts 4y ago
    It's pretty damning that when one searches for 'best small android phone' the pixel 5a (massive!) is at the top of most lists.
    • mertd 4y ago
      Maybe they are conflating Pixel 5 and 5a. 5a is larger but 5 while still a big phone, is not that bad.
    • deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
  • djbusby 4y ago
    Pixel3 here, cause it's still pretty small (but not too small)
  • rsyring 4y ago
    The Pixel 5 was just right IMO. I upgraded to a Pixel 6 after the fingerprint sensor had problems. The first thing I noticed was it was too big. I liked the size of the five much better.
• unwiredben 4y ago
  From what I've seen, the tiny Palm Phone (from TCL) didn't do very well, but there's still some inventory on Amazon: https://palm.com/pages/product https://palm.com/pages/product. There's also the Cyrcle Phone (https://www.cyrclephone.com/ https://www.cyrclephone.com/) which doesn't seem to be for sale anymore after its Kickstarter and Indie Go Go campaigns.
  • kk6mrp 4y ago
    There are tons on ebay for good prices!
  • csdvrx 4y ago
    > From what I've seen, the tiny Palm Phone (from TCL) didn't do very well, but there's still some inventory on Amazon: https://palm.com/pages/product https://palm.com/pages/product. The battery is the main issue, about 2h of use or 1 day if in power saving mode with every optimization applied. It's still good enough as a travel phone, turned on only when I need to call.
  • SahAssar 4y ago
    The Cyrcle Phone doesn't look small at all, just in a different shape. Also from the video shots it looked like the UI wasn't very well adapted to it's screen shape.
• AdmiralAsshat 4y ago
  The Galaxy S10e is my current phone, and I'm not sure what I will do when it stops receiving security updates. It's basically perfect. It still has an SD card slot. It still has a headphone jack. It has wireless charging. It's reasonably sized. And it had flagship-for-the-time specs (albeit slightly less than the mainline S10 or S10+). Samsung doesn't make anything comparable to this anymore. The only drawback is that the battery life has gotten worse since I originally bought it. But if I could easily swap that out, I would keep it for another five years. EDIT: Oh, and the fingerprint scanner on the power button seems to work way more reliably, IMO, than the embedded fingerprint scanners under the touchscreens.
  • magnio 4y ago
    Using the same phone. The glass on the back is a bit broken after I dropped it for like the 100th time, and the battery life is somewhat mediocre, but otherwise it is the best thing I have ever used. The S22 (standard version) has slightly bigger screen but is quite similar in size, so that is probably what I will use next.
    • abvdasker 4y ago
      I did exactly what you're describing. I like the S22 but it is a little bigger than my ideal size. My only minor nitpick is with the fingerprint reader being under the screen instead of embedded in the power button (which I loved about the s10e since holding it naturally would unlock the screen). Samsung should just make something like an S22e or 23e.
  • pmlnr 4y ago
    LineageOS will probably support it forever, given they still release for S4.
    • askvictor 4y ago
      Some of the proprietary Samsung stuff (voice calls, camera) can be problematic. Other than that it's amazing.
  • 4y ago
• newaccount2021 4y ago
• perardi 4y ago
  “matching size and design of iPhone 13 Mini” So, by all accounts, the iPhone mini has been an extremely slow seller. https://www.macrumors.com/2022/04/21/iphone-13-mini-unpopular-march-quarter/ https://www.macrumors.com/2022/04/21/iphone-13-mini-unpopula... Why would that form factor succeed in the Android space? --- I see these meme on tech sites all the time: “oh phones are too big I just want something simple”. That is a valid sentiment that I think is shared by basically no average consumer. For a lot of people, phones are their primary computing devices, so a big screen is nice there. Bigger phones allow for more battery capacity. Aging populations like them because you can use screen zoom features to really blow up that text size without making the effective viewport too small. And…people just like big stuff. I know that’s simplistic and a little condescending, but then look at SUV and truck sales.
  • gjsman-1000 4y ago
    Another under-mentioned reason is that iPhones have more efficient processors that generate less heat, and also need less RAM to perform equivalently. Whereas, fitting a top-line Snapdragon into a small phone is a challenge. There’s a reason why top-tier phones have copper heatpipes, vapor chambers, and so on. All things no iPhone has or needs. You could still do a small Android phone, but you might have to abandon the idea of including a Snapdragon 8.
  • erohead 4y ago
    I touch on this on the site. 5% of iPhones sold are minis. That's 10m sold per year! That is more than enough demand to cover the NREs and costs of making a phone. * https://9to5mac.com/2022/04/21/cirp-iphone-13-best-selling-lineup-in-recent-years-despite-tiny-interest-in-iphone-mini/ https://9to5mac.com/2022/04/21/cirp-iphone-13-best-selling-l...
    • DANK_YACHT 4y ago
      5% seems quite small and not worth the trouble. It might be worth it if a small phone generated 5% in additional sales, but most people buying a small iPhone would likely buy a normal-sized iPhone if no small version was available rather than making the switch to Android.
• christilut 4y ago
  Totally agree! I'm still on the Pixel 4a, starting to look at an upgrade but I don't think there is one. Luckily I don't demand too much from my phone, but making better pictures would be nice.
• deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
• danirod 4y ago
  I miss my old Moto G1. Light and with a small form factor, and at the same time it was one of the first phones that were cheap but not low quality. It made a breakthrough in a market where you either had an expensive Samsung or you dealt with cheap phones with very bad specs. This was ages ago, fortunately today there are more phones that are cheap but with acceptable specs.
  • littlecranky67 4y ago
    Moto G1 had the perfect form factor, plus also the "rubber" like back which I really loved. I have no idea why glas surfaces on the back are a thing, I always have to use a phone cover as else it would slip my hands. The rubber the Moto G1 allowed for a safe and firm grip, that every phone should have on the back.
    • ajot 4y ago
      +1, the MotoG had the perfect form factor. I'd love for a 2022 phone with a sub 5" screen.
  • rootusrootus 4y ago
    I'm not sure how similar it was, but when I saw this post my first thought was the original Moto X. Even today, I think I might rate that as my favorite phone of all time. Perfect size, flagship-ish specs, grippy texture without a case, etc. Then of course the next generation made it huge.
• talhof8 4y ago
  $700 seems a bit optimistic unless the scale gets really big. Anyways, I'm in!
• orangepurple 4y ago
  Has anybody tried the $32 SOYES XS11 or $70 or UNIWA XS11 It's a 2.5 inch 3G Android phone. http://www.cwell-hk.com/products/SOYES_XS11.aspx http://www.cwell-hk.com/products/SOYES_XS11.aspx Lots of small Android phones are in the recommended section on cwell-hk in the $40 range.
  • dleslie 4y ago
    Those look lovely. Now can I have one with Android 11 and a halfway decent camera?
  • moffkalast 4y ago
    > Android 6.0 Operation System They're kidding, right?
    • orangepurple 4y ago
      China/HK is wild
  • spicybright 4y ago
    I wouldn't recommend them. Almost every single one is using a very old version of android. Which is surprisingly usable, but there are some apps that don't work. I also wouldn't actually log into anything unless you're ok being pwned. No security patches, plus sketchy cheap as dirt chips running it. You can also not type on it. Maybe a sentence, but it'll take you 3x as long if not more trying to correct typos. If you do any text based communication, you're going to have a bad time. Overall, not worth it.
    • orangepurple 4y ago
      Right, but can they be hacked to run vanilla upgraded software?
      • spicybright 4y ago
        Never tried, not knowledgeable enough in the area. But I wouldn't hold my breath on it. And I still wouldn't trust the chips on the board. There's definitely been cases of spyware locked onto chips in clever ways. Not good for 2FA.
• akmarinov 4y ago
  The article person might want one, but people don't. That's why the iPhone Mini doesn't sell and is being axed.
  • MrRiddle 4y ago
    5% sold were Mini. But I guess let’s axe it if it cuts into profit just a bit.
    • eddieroger 4y ago
      It is a business, though, and if 5% of sales cost disproportionately more than 5% to produce, market, support, and all those things, then it’s fair to say “it doesn’t sell” and axe it.
    • pmlnr 4y ago
      And together with the SE devices?
      • richardwhiuk 4y ago
        About 6, maybe 7%.
    • masklinn 4y ago
      Sadly yes, if the Mini means additional costs and only captures users which'd have bought your phone anyway it's just overhead. Sad to say but ruthless supply chain and product range efficiency is one of the pillars of Apple's return.
  • zuhsetaqi 4y ago
    I wouldn’t call 10 m a year „doesn’t sell“. It might not sell like the bigger ones but there’s definitely a market for it
    • moffkalast 4y ago
      Clearly not enough to warrant a production line, otherwise there would be some offerings for it from some Android maker.
• brokenkebab2 4y ago
  I have a question: how do you cope with on-screen keyboard, when screen is small? I'd like to have a phone which doesn't take too much space in a pocket, but I found that below 5.5" I have too much struggle typing. Should we ask for a physical kbd (say N900 style) if we want a new phone anyway?
  • CarVac 4y ago
    I use MessagEase, which is just fantastic for quick and accurate typing.
  • persedes 4y ago
    I have a 3" inch jelly2 and typing, while often annoying for something like urls, is overall ok. For regular texting text to speech works pretty well and the slide to type feature is pretty solid too. But to be fair I bought it to spend less time on my phone, and the annoyances that it does have make the choice easy lol
  • hammock 4y ago
    Swipe typing.
    • erohead 4y ago
      This is the way
  • whs 4y ago
    I used 9x4 Thai keyboard layout on my 3.7" Nexus One. I mastered it and reached 40wpm without autocorrect/suggestions. After upgrading to 4.7" Nexus 4 I found that the screen is too big and I'd have to use swipe keyboard. I don't think I ever reached 40wpm again. Then again, that was when in high school. Maybe my fingers grew bigger.
  • Marsymars 4y ago
    I have a somewhat larger phone, but I just don't type much on my phone. I only really use it for communication of logistics with people if I'm not home, or typing in addresses to navigate to, etc. Otherwise I wait until I have access to a real keyboard. Due to my aversion of taking my electronics over international borders, I went on vacation a few years ago with a flip phone (LTE still), and found that T9 was too inconvenient for even basic logistics, so got a secondary Android phone after that.
• theandrewbailey 4y ago
  I guess the author doesn't consider SD slots and headphone jacks premium.
• OJFord 4y ago
  With small defined as sub-6" I can almost recommend my Nokia 3.4. (I measure about 3/16" over.) I remember finding it a surprisingly tall/narrow ratio when I first got it though, so maybe it's suitable depending on what bothers you over 6".
• therealmarv 4y ago
  Pixel 6a, Xiaomi 12, Sony Xperia 10 IV. Won't get any smaller. https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?&idPhone2=11285&idPhone3=11522&idPhone1=11229 https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?&idPhone2=11285&idPhon...
  • morsch 4y ago
    S22 is a bit smaller, still, but in the same class.
  • markdoubleyou 4y ago
    You can get a little smaller. Asus Zenfone 8 has a 5.9" screen.
    • qwertfisch 4y ago
      Samsung A40 had a nice 5.9 screen with full HD+ resolution. Sold for under 250€. Unfortunately Samsung only releases such a phone once every five years. The successors were bigger, more expensive and less powerful.
  • rplnt 4y ago
    That's 2cm on my current phone (XZ1 compact) which also has relatively big bezel and it's right at the limit of being able to be controlled with one hand.
• djtango 4y ago
  I was a Sony Xperia Compact aficionado until the latest gen was impossible to buy due to the chip shortage.
  • richardfey 4y ago
    Which model were you trying to buy?
    • djtango 4y ago
      The Sony Xperia 5 iii It was really expensive and was impossible to get at launch. The optical zoom was a nice touch but I didn't really care for the weird aspect they have.
• duxup 4y ago
  I moved to iOS recently, partly to get an iPhone mini. It's wonderful to have a small phone.
  • littlecranky67 4y ago
    iPhone convert for the small form factor here, too. I had Android since the Galaxy S1, but in 2018 switched to the iPhone 8 as there was just no decent SFF android device. I considered the Pixel 3a, and I am glad that I didn't go for it as it dropped out of support and no longer receives security updates, while I'm today still on my fully supported and updated iPhone 8. Next phone will be one of the iPhone SE series.
• CarVac 4y ago
  Have a headphone jack and I'm in.
• rabuse 4y ago
  I love the size of my iPhone mini, and I've had multiple friends use my phone, and want to also shift into the smaller size; most didn't even know the mini was a thing.
• hammock 4y ago
  Shameless plug for the Jelly 2. https://www.unihertz.com/products/jelly-2 https://www.unihertz.com/products/jelly-2 It's not a "flagship" but it is fully featured - nothing spared - and half the size of my palm. The screen is just small enough to be too annoying to do anything really distracting on. I have gotten NOTHING but compliments on it since I started using it a month ago (on a reco I picked up here).
  • csdvrx 4y ago
    > It's not a "flagship" but it is fully featured - nothing spared - and half the size of my palm How does it compare to the palm phone PVG100, usually available for 1/3 of the price? (new but in OEM box) It seems much thicker. Also, which network are you using? https://www.unihertz.com/blogs/news/about-at-t-usage-in-the-usa https://www.unihertz.com/blogs/news/about-at-t-usage-in-the-... > Recently, AT&T released a whitelist of smartphone brands that will continue to work on their network after February 2022. Unfortunately, Unihertz products are not among them. I hope someone sues AT&T for its discriminative policy.
    • hammock 4y ago
      Verizon. Not familiar with PVG100, looks interesting though. Thanks for the tip
      • csdvrx 4y ago
        > Verizon Then just get a PVG100, it supports all the features as it was made for this network!
  • bityard 4y ago
    Oh man, that thing is _adorable_ and the price is certainly right. (Unfortunately I am personally looking for something in between this and today's "phablets".)
    • fwipsy 4y ago
      Unihertz has some other phones in different sizes, like the ruggedized Atom L/XL with a 4" screen.
• loloquwowndueo 4y ago
  “Price: $700-800 (again, we have no alternatives so we should be willing to pay a bit more!)” Yeah, not going to happen - people in general are NOT going to pay more for a smaller phone. Even the iPhone mini is cheaper than the full size models.
  • pmontra 4y ago
    I'm not paying more than $300 for any phone, small or big. My ideal size was the Xperia X Compact, but a little bit thinner and with no bezels. Or the phone I got after that one, a Samsung A40 but 1 inch shorter.
  • dont__panic 4y ago
    I think it's possible, if marketed correctly. I'd 100% pay more for a smaller phone, I'm desperate at this point. Imagine a campaign advertising a phone that doesn't get in the way when you work out at the gym, or go for a bike ride, or when you're doing yardwork. A phone that you can use on the subway, or while walking around. A phone that doesn't constantly suck you into Facebook or TikTok or whatever social media you use.
• Pasorrijer 4y ago
  Closest is the Sony Xperia 5 or 10 series I think... My wife loves hers and I'm going to be getting one next.
  • drusepth 4y ago
    I just bought an Xperia 5 a few minutes ago for these exact reasons. Hope it is as good as reviews make it sound once it gets here!
• znpy 4y ago
  I gave up and bought the iphone se 3 as soon as it shipped. I finally have a small phone again, and I’m liking ios.
• j0057 4y ago
  ZenFone 8 is passable and less than 6", but still too big for me.
• grwthckrmstr 4y ago
  Using the Pixel 4a. Basically the perfect form factor and size. I'd upgrade every 2-3 years to a new version of the same phone with minor updates like the chipset etc. Dreading the day I'll have to start searching for a replacement :(
  • gertlex 4y ago
    Same... Used the Pixel 2 before that. Probably will buy a spare 4a on ebay soon.
  • dbrgn 4y ago
    The Pixel 3a (my current phone) has a 5.6" screen, the 4a has a 5.8" screen and the Pixel 5 has a 6" screen. However, they're all approximately the same physical size, it's just the bezels that got smaller.
    • dont__panic 4y ago
      The 4a is actually a smidge smaller than the 3a. Much easier to handle, IMO, though not quite ideal. Your point about bezels getting smaller is very true for the phones you mentioned. But you also left out the Pixel 4a 5G, the Pixel 5a, the Pixel 6, the Pixel 6 Pro, and the Pixel 6a. Which all ballooned massively in physical size relative to their predecessors.
• rendall 4y ago
  How about a premium greater-than €1000 phone of any size that does not have unremovable cruft on it? Doesn't badger you every week or so with self-serving notifications and advertising. Hmm, Samsung?
• nix0n 4y ago
  Without a 3.5mm headphone jack, I would have to carry wireless earbuds, which would defeat the purpose.
  • lillecarl 4y ago
    With a 3.5mm jack you would have to carry wired earbuds, which would defeat the purpose...?
  • littlecranky67 4y ago
    You just need a small adapter cable (1-2inch long) as on the iPhone, which is a fraction of your headphone.
  • antihero 4y ago
    You can get very very good audio with something like the UTWS5 and then you can use top end IEMs.
  • interestica 4y ago
    The thing I never understood about the headphone jack and its disappearance: it doesn't need to be a jack. It need only be three contact points. You could have it on the outside rim of a phone and have a magnetic sheath hold the headphone pin to it. But I suppose it's not just about getting rid of the jack itself but also any DAC component? (But, isn't it doing that anyway for the speaker?)
    • innocenat 4y ago
      We have (had?) that. It's called USB-C Audio Accessory Mode.
    • Bud 4y ago
      DAC is still there. Current iPhones can still use wired headphones, via the Lightning/headphone jack adapter. That adapter was included free in the box for a while. Now it's $9 or something.
      • 4y ago
• asddubs 4y ago
  my dream would be a small linux phone (probably a couple years down the line once the software is a bit more stable), but I would settle for a small android phone as a primary device, to stay a bit more realistic in terms of market share. while we're sharing pipe dreams, i would love a physical keyboard like the n900 as well. i used my nexus 5 for 7 years or so, when i replaced it i didn't even realize there no longer were any phones of that size at all. I don't even need premium, i just want anything at all. I really do hate my current phone, i can't even type on it properly with one hand, it's too big. I may begrudgingly end up replacing it with an iphone, the only reason I haven't yet is that it's locked down and I would miss f-droid, and the linux compatibility sucks. but of course android has its own problems (namely google trying to squeeze as much data as possible out of you, and making it as hard as they can to turn off the various settings related to that buried in different setting sub-menus)
  • pmlnr 4y ago
    https://pine64.com/product/pinephone-pinephone-pro-keyboard-case/ https://pine64.com/product/pinephone-pinephone-pro-keyboard-...
    • asddubs 4y ago
      I got one, and I love it! But it's not really a phone at that point
• encryptluks2 4y ago
  I want a flagship Sidekick-style phone :(
• pmlnr 4y ago
  IMO a lot of the visual appeal of smartphone apps, mainly social media, would go away with small screen. I remember using my HTC desire to read the web and if it wasn't text, it was not great. BTW the best form factor phone I had was the Nexus 4, at 4.7". I would very much like that back, but without that slippery glass back, repairable, held together with screws, with replaceable battery, shipped with LineageOS or /e/. Yep, I'll keep dreaming.
  • nhumrich 4y ago
    Yes! Nexus 4 was a great phone.
• roelschroeven 4y ago
  A problem is that even within the niche of small phones, not everybody has the same wishes. Compared to your ideal specifications, my wishes are: support for microSD card storage; battery that easily and reliably lasts a full day with moderate phone usage; fingerprint sensor, not necessarily on the power button; camera decent, not necessarily great (I don't care that much about low light performance, for example). I'm tempted to sign up even with the specifications as you list them though. Missing microSD card support could be the major dealbreaker. Or alternatively some other user-friendly reliable method of getting lots of files from my PC to the phone's storage, but so far I haven't found any. Early Android versions supporter USB mass storage and that worked pretty well, but the transfer method implemented on newer versions is very slow and never works reliably for me.
  • JumpCrisscross 4y ago
    > Missing microSD card support could be the major dealbreaker And for the other guy a 3.5mm jack and for a third a physical off switch and look at that we have too many dealbreaker features for the form factor. Power users tend to have more dealbreakers than the average consumer. Anecdotally, it seems power users prefer smaller phones. This might be what kills the small phone factor.
    • kuschku 4y ago
      The Moto G (2013) had a microSD slot, a 3.5" port and all of it in a 4.5" form factor. Why can't we just get an updated version of that?
      • stevekemp 4y ago
        I started with one of those, and every two-three years I upgrade to the most recently available one. Over time the MotoG phones have been getting larger - to the extent that now the one I have doesn't fit in my sporran, if I go out wearing a kilt.
        • BucketsMcG 4y ago
• foobarbecue 4y ago
  Me too! AT&T kicked my xperia mini off their network for no good reason. I bought a pixel 4a which was the smallest compatible thing I could find. I also bought a Chinese 4g smartwatch hoping I can use that as a phone.
  • steanne 4y ago
    t-mobile did the same thing to my z1 compact, but i bought a used xz1 compact and they allowed it.
  • foobarbecue 4y ago
    update: AT&T won't let the Pixel 4a on either! Time to switch networks.
• brk 4y ago
  What I really want is both, a larger phone (for me happens to be iPhone) for "most of the time" and a smaller phone for occasional use. I want them to have the same phone number and keep data in sync, basically like two extensions of the same line. However, I'm not willing to pay my carrier a premium/additional monthly cost just to have two phones that cannot be used simultaneously. Much of this is able to be done with wifi, but not via the cellular networks (without additional costs). In other words, there is no ideal one-size-fits-all option, and I'd be willing to pay for additional hardware to give me choice of what to carry at any given time, but I do not want to pay Verizon just for the privilege of having a 2nd SIM provisioned (and I do not want to swap SIMs).
  • ris58h 4y ago
    Foldables.
• nathell 4y ago
  Yes please. Before I switched to the iPhone, I was using the Xiaomi Mi A1, which ticked a lot of the boxes for me (stock Android!) while also having a great bang-for-buck value; but I’d still have preferred it in a smaller form factor.
• recursivedoubts 4y ago
  I have given up: the iphone mini (which I own) is gargantuan. There are a few glimmers of hope around the edges. Palm was interesting but too small (the primary problem was the battery, not the screen size). Unihertz is doing some interesting stuff in the small phone arena, but their stuff is either too small and thick (the jelly) or too big (titan). Their styling is also a bit funky in a 90's tech vibe sort of way that I'm not a huge fan of. What I want is an iphone 4-sized phone that I can keep in my pocket w/o noticing and that provides the basics of smart phones. Even better if it could be an e-ink screen so I don't have to charge it very often. I have accepted that I am a market of one.
  • porcc 4y ago
    I'm with you! The litephone 2 is the closest we've gotten but at our market-size the software stability will likely be lacking.
    • recursivedoubts 4y ago
      a market of two, then i have a litephone for my kids and it's too minimalistic, I'd still like maps, etc if we could combine the styling of the palm, but a bit bigger and with much better battery w/ and e-ink display and decent battery life, I'd be in heaven
      • danstiner 4y ago
        market of three The litephone is too basic and the HiSense A5 etc do not work on US networks. I looked at building a 5.2" e-ink phone for the US market and did some fun mock-ups, but it would be a huge undertaking with my limited hardware background. Smaller phones just have fundamental limits due to battery size that are difficult to work around, and Android has basically no e-ink support as it's such a niche type of display for a phone.
        • recursivedoubts 4y ago
          surely at some point a viable e-ink phone will be released in the US surely :|
• didip 4y ago
  So… there are tons of small Chinese Android phones. Why not get one of them, wipe it clean, and install whatever you want?
  • qwertfisch 4y ago
    Are there really? It's not just the size, but also the weight: cheaper components have larger weight. At least for me that is a dealbreaker. Then you want the display to be small but of high resolution (and quality!), so 1080 pixels in width is necessary to have at least 320 to 350 dpi. My Samsung A40, which I bought for 220€ in 2019. has 440dpi (with 1080 pixels width), and this is marvellous because I cannot see single pixels anymore. Third reason is the processor. There are still enough cheap ones built-in, that cause stutter and pauses. I don't want just a small phone, I want a nice and reasonably-priced small phone. It was sold for less than 250€, so even in smaller batches it should be possible to reach a 500€ mark.
  • rplnt 4y ago
    It's an option only if you don't want a good camera, don't need it to be fast, don't care that screen scratches, etc..
• felixnm 4y ago
  I bought my kids the first iPhone SE back in 2016 and they're still using it due to its size. I also think it's the perfect size and would love to have a Pixel phone with the same dimensions. I currently use the Pixel 5.
• this_is_eline 4y ago
  It is kinda old (2019), but Samsung S10e is imho _the_ small (android) phone. 5.8" 1080x2280 AMOLED display, with a tiny hole punch front camera; Snapdragon 855, 6/8gm RAM, 128/256gb of storage (with support for microsd card); two rear cameras (wide and ultrawide) with great image quality(imho); ip68; gorilla glass 5; 3.5mm jack; usb type c; wireless charging + reverse wireless charging; fingerprint on power button (side mounted); ~4hours SOT (3100mAh); it comes with samsung's bloated os but you can put custom rom (i checked support for /e/ os and its supported, but i belive there are other options); ~400 euros
  • sdflhasjd 4y ago
    I'm going to be upset when I'll have to replace my S10e with something larger and without a headphone jack. Samsung's UI has come a long way, now I actually prefer OneUI over stock Android.
    • this_is_eline 4y ago
      I just wish s10e has replaceable battery... (even tho that would prob ruin ip68 and design :) )
      • nfriedly 4y ago
        It's not impossible to replace the battery - https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Samsung+Galaxy+S10e+Battery+Replacement/121285 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.
        • makosdv 4y ago
          Yeah, I just replaced mine a couple weeks ago. It wasn't hard, but it wasn't easy either.
  • Jiro 4y ago
    I had to replace my phone because of the AT&T 3g shutdown and the fact that no company is going to pay AT&T to approve their old phone models. I got a S10E for pretty much the same reason: small, SD card, headphone jack, and resolution at least 1080x1920. I tried searching for a modern phone that still has all this and there's nothing. The best I could find is a current Motorola phone; most of them still have jacks and SD cards and some have reasonable resolution, but they're all large size. Some of them also support the FM radio chip if you want that.
• lbrito 4y ago
  Wow, is sub 6" considered small nowadays? What have we done
  • abruzzi 4y ago
    My comment exactly. We've really defined "small" up! I'm still running my 1st get iPhone SE, because I've yet to see a phone that can replace it. With a 4 inch screen, I can just barely use it one-handed.
    • amyjess 4y ago
      Thankfully, much of this is because of edge-to-edge display technology allowing for larger screens in the same size chassis. My Pixel 4a with a 5.8" screen has the same 69mm width as my old Nexus 5 with a 4.95" screen, and it's considerably less wide than my Nexus 5X or Moto X4 with their 5.2" screens (especially the X4, that thing was way too wide and was intensely uncomfortable to hold... I actually had to get a case for that one, and I was miserable the entire time I owned it).
      • dont__panic 4y ago
        Some of it is. But phone chassis have slowly creeped up since 2012 or so, a few mm per year, to the point where there really aren't any phones in the small category any more. IMO the Nexus 5 is larger than I'd like -- something the size of the Nexus 5 screen is closer to ideal. I've been using the iPhone SE 2016 for years now, hoping for a worthy successor, and the situation has only gotten worse for many years running now. The Pixel 4a was the last phone that came even close to meeting my requirements (one-handable, fingerprint sensor, headphone jack), and it's going to run out of security updates next year.
      • qwertfisch 4y ago
        So we better define a maximum phone width instead of a maximum diagonal display size. The aspect ratio changed from 16:9 to 19:9 or longer over the years, but the “extra” display area is the space that was occupied by hardware (sensor) keys for navigation, which you still had to tap … That leads to longer diagonal sizes per se. So phones are not really getting longer in aspect ratio (except for some VERY long Sony phones), and they got more display area because of less thick edges. Naturally the mathematical diagonal size is larger, but that is a moot measurement compared with older phones with their 16:9 displays. I am comfortable with everything less than 70mm width, and because the aspect ratio is kind of settled on 16:9 + navigation keys (or 19:9 complete display), the length is naturally restricted to ~150mm or less. My A40 has 5.9" but still only 142 to 69mm in size. It does not feel like a 6" thing from 2017, and the reason is its small width and weight. Unfortunately, most new phones have width from 75+mm and weights of 190g or more.
• twofornone 4y ago
  I wish they would release a modernized phone with a decent processor and camera in the form factor of a pixel 2. How much compute does the average person even need from their phone these days? Aren't most people just browsing the internet and checking emails?
• lenn_eavy 4y ago
  iPhone SE 2020 was a reason I switched from the Android. I have dedicated tools for my hobbies and I am using phone for messages, simple games, navigation and reading stuff mostly. These bases are covered by both sides, but only one had the form factor I was after. Now I'm considering iPad 6 Mini to be my next planner, bullet journal, occasional article reader and note taker. Having small form factor phones can certainly be an entry point to the device ecosystem for some people.
• TheGoodBarn 4y ago
  I jumped at getting the iPhone 13 mini immediately and haven’t looked back. I remember having an iPhone 5 and how much I loved the formfactor for the same reasons OP mentions. Sure the battery sucks and the phone locks up from too many things happening sometimes, but those are perfectly fine trade offs for a phone that fits into my life and isn’t my life. When I bought my 13 mini I also bought the new iPad mini to have a larger device for content consumption and the combo is lovely
  • teaearlgraycold 4y ago
    That's a shame - I heard the 13 Mini had acceptable battery life. And for someone that doesn't make their phone their life that's especially surprising.
    • sph 4y ago
      I don't make my phone my life, and the 12 Mini has enough battery for me. I charge it every other day, but I have to admit it feels it holds less charge than my old iPhone 8. I only use it for Whatsapp, bathroom break HN and a few calls a week. Everything else I do from my PC. Also, performance is great for me, I'm not planning on running games or k8s on my mobile. EDIT: looks like you're talking about the 13 mini, I got the 12 mini, which IIRC has similar battery life complaints. Not sure if it got worse with the latest iteration.
      • dont__panic 4y ago
        Word on the street (and physical evidence of the larger battery in the 13 Mini) is a strong consensus that the 13 mini has better battery life than the 12 mini. I've never heard anyone complain about the performance of the 13 mini before, maybe there's something funky going on with the OP's phone.
    • MockObject 4y ago
      I've had my 13 Mini since they dropped. My battery is fine, always lasts the day with overnight charging. I'm constantly playing podcasts, talking on Signal, and have the dynamic weather service running.
• HomeGear 4y ago
  > For Apple, 10m phones is peanuts. But for an independent company 10m units per year would be spectacular. If Apple kills the Mini, those people will need a new home. Hm, I’d suspect most of the customers are more attached to the Apple iPhone than the form. I’m one, but, I could be wrong!
  • cheeze 4y ago
    Agree. Some folks want small phones, but generally iphone users want... an iphone.
  • mikestew 4y ago
    I have an iPhone 13 Mini. If no equivalent exists when I go to replace it, then I'll buy iPhone Pro Giant Ass Max and shove it the man bag. But I'll carry a MacBook as my phone before I'll go back to Android, no matter how small they make 'em.
• patwolf 4y ago
  I used an Atom for a while, which had a ridiculously small 2.4" screen. One thing I realized is that the smaller you make the screen, the thicker you have to make the device in order to provide space for the battery. While a smaller screen does use less battery, it's not enough that you can avoid increasing thickness. I know that's a bit more extreme than the <6" mentioned in the article, but I think it still holds that when making a flagship packed with good cameras, battery life, and CPU, it's much easier to make a sexy looking large phone than a small phone.
  • Normille 4y ago
    I'd much rather have a smaller thicker phone than a larger thinner one. The fetish for making electronic devices ever thinner is another one that passes me by. In my book 'thinner = more fragile" And, when it comes to 'pocketability' I find pockets generally trend to expand depth-wise to accommodate thicker items. I've yet to find a garment with pockets that expand length- or width-wise to accommodate larger items
• DrBoring 4y ago
  I like the idea, I'll fill out your form later today. Feedback on the website: On the graphic at the bottom where you overlay different models of phone: 1. I think the red/green/blue borders would benefit from more contrast. It's hard for my eyes to distinguish. 2. I think you should add a deck of cards to the graphic. It would provide a frame of reference for scale. ... P.S. I just noticed the "Extrapolating from past models, the Pixel 10 will be roughly the size of California" below the graphic. If the purpose of the graphic was purely to accompany that joke, then I guess ignore my suggestions. Although, a deck of cards may contribute to the joke. Hmmm
• pkulak 4y ago
  So do I. So I just bought an iPhone Mini after about 10 years of using Android phones. The hardware is better, notifications took some getting used to, but it's fine. Phones are an appliance. I think Android phones just don't have the power efficiency to be small anymore. End of an era.
• meerita 4y ago
  iPhone 12 mini user here: after almost 2 years I decided to not buy a new mini again. The battery life is the biggest factor on my decision. I want a phone that lasts one day at least on full use, the mini once you start doing GPS the battery dies almost in two hours. The screen is good for messagging, some Twitter browsing, etc. After that it becomes painful. I'm buying the next model on the standard size, no need to go for the max options.
  • criddell 4y ago
    The iPhone 13 Mini has amazing battery life. It outlasts the standard size iPhone 12.
• conaclos 4y ago
  I own a Samsung A3 2017 that measures 66x135mm (4.7" screen). It is even smaller than iPhone 12 mini. It is really hard nowadays to find such a small phone.
• deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
• izzydata 4y ago
  The Nexus 5X was the perfect size phone in my opinion. I'm content with the Pixel 4a at the moment, but it is clearly too tall to use with one hand for me. I have to shimmy it up and down to reach the top and bottom. Which I suspect is the problem with almost every phone these days.
• bedast 4y ago
  I have an iPhone 12 mini. I switched to iPhone with the XR and felt it was too big. My old Pixel 2 feels larger than the 12 mini with it's 5" screen versus the 12 mini's 5.4", and that's because it physically is overall larger. When the iPhone 12 lineup was announced, the main talking point about the mini among reviewers and whatnot was how poor battery life will be. To be honest, once I disabled the 5G (I'm not anti-5G, I just don't need it most of the time), battery life is fine. In fact, it's pretty phenomenal for the specs if you've had any lengthy history with smartphones (my first LTE phone either needed multiple charges per day, or I carried spare batteries). It's pretty easy to build an echo chamber that agrees smaller phones are preferred and make it appear as though there's a decent amount of us, but the simple fact is, people like us are in the minority, and it shows in the iPhone sales. That's why there's not going to be an iPhone 14 mini, and why the mini design is probably going to be the next SE. And if you even look at the SE sales numbers, they're still not great against other iPhone models. On top of that, this audience, specifically, are probably not going to be upgrading every generation, so there's going to be gaps where we don't feed the machine/sales numbers to make it look better. I will not buy an iPhone 13 mini. I will not buy an iPhone 14. I probably will not even buy the next SE even if it's an iPhone 13 mini with a newer SoC. So long as my 12 mini keeps going, it'll continue to serve me. So I fail to contribute to the sales numbers to make it look better.
  • NearAP 4y ago
    >> It's pretty easy to build an echo chamber that agrees smaller phones are preferred and make it appear as though there's a decent amount of us, but the simple fact is, people like us are in the minority, and it shows in the iPhone sales. I'm not sure about that. This could be due to the marketing/positioning i.e. Apple first switched to producing bigger phones (with more features/power) which caused people to buy these bigger phones (there were no smaller & newer phones). After some complaints, Apple produced a smaller version of their phone but they market it as one with less features (smaller battery, smaller processor, etc). If Apple devoted resources to producing smaller sized phones with comparable features as the Pro, the statistics might be different. To be clear, a larger phone will always have some edge but the minis should not be clearly designed as a step down version phone
• denysvitali 4y ago
  Maybe in a few years you'll be able to have something like Project Sandcastle for the iPhone Mini. https://projectsandcastle.org/ https://projectsandcastle.org/
• d3nj4l 4y ago
  Man this website took me back. Something about the layout and design reminds me of websites that sold you shit in the oughties, like the ones some dude would set up hawking his supplement line or whatever.
• dr_ 4y ago
  I wonder how much of the limited sales of the iPhone mini could be attributed to the branding? What if Apple were to drop the mini and make this the base iPhone, with the other models being Plus, Pro, Max? Margins may be poorer with Mini, so it likely won’t happen, but I feel mini sales could be much higher if they wanted them to be.
  • dan-robertson 4y ago
    Yeah you can imagine two purposes for the mini: 1. Cheaper iPhone 2. You don’t want to carry a big iPhone and you have a Mac/iPad nearby anyway for anything complicated so a big phone is unnecessary. The second case should motivate wanting eg their ‘pro’ cameras in the small phone but the first case motivates making it cheap and low-margin. You can also imagine a world where apple markets a mini phone as also being an optional companion to a bigger phone, but they already have the watch for that.
    • gopalv 4y ago
      > 1. Cheaper iPhone > 2. You don’t want to carry a big iPhone If you add those two up, you get "Middle school kids". Though the apple watch with its own SIM has solved some of the "contact device without instagram" needs that parents want with their kids.
    • vladvasiliu 4y ago
      But they could have both things in two separate models. Wasn't the 11 pro the size of the mini / SE? I don't remember whether there was an 11 mini, but it seems to me that 11 pro / SE were exactly that, and the current minis / se are the size of the 7/8/se/11 pro. I the time I couldn't justify buying a new phone, but I remember late last year, when I figured I could start looking, I was possibly contemplating getting the 13 pro, for the camera. But when I saw how huge it was, I immediately abandoned the idea.
      • pge 4y ago
        first gen SE is smallest, and both it and the 2nd/3rd gen SE are smaller than the 11 pro (though the latter is closer, only 0.2" smaller in both length and width). The iphone 12 mini and 13 mini are both smaller than the 2nd/3rd gen SE but larger than the 1st gen SE. The 2nd/3rd gen SE is the same size as the iphone 8.
• jbarberu 4y ago
  The best Android phones I've had were Nexus 5 and Nexus 5X. I thought the 5X were a little bit bigger than I prefer, but over all a great device. After that I went through a bunch of different phones, first a cheapo Motorola at 5.7" (smallest I could find without complete garbage specs) and then a Samsung A10 at 6". They were both impractically big, despite having quite large hands. The only way I could find to have a smaller screen was to switch over to iOS. Currently I have an iPhone SE (iPhone 8) at 4.7" which is lovely, but I would have preferred to stay with Android as it's the only Apple device I currently own.
• jpswade 4y ago
  Is there such a thing as a stock Android OS these days?
• mendelmaleh 4y ago
  I'm still using a Pixel 5 with Android 11, so far so good. I used to be a hardcore Android fan, but I don't really like where it's going, at this point I'm almost rooting for a USB-C iPhone SE. (edit) Regarding the specifications: - don't care for 5G, 4G has better range and better power efficiency - don't care for a second rear camera, invest more into the first - 4h SOT seems like a pretty low target, the Pixel 5 can probably do 8h easily
• wollsmoth 4y ago
  Switched to iPhone 13 pro (not even the max) from the pixel 3. It just seems so big but the clutch feature for me is the battery life. I like not having to think about it, although that's probably going to change as I get into the 3rd year of ownership. I thought I maybe made a mistake but then saw a Pixel 6 pro, it's EVEN BIGGER. I do kind of regret getting a pro, but I'm not mad enough about it to swap for a mini.
• automathematics 4y ago
  For me, must have: - Wireless Charging Nice to Have: - Higher refresh rate screen! Just because we're small doesn't mean we need to have worse feature sets!
• aimor 4y ago
  I really liked my Xperia XZ2C, until the touch screen started glitching out. I'd love to hear if anyone has a solution for this common problem (touch becomes unresponsive, or goes wild, and is fixed temporarily by locking the screen or squeezing the screen). I'm glad the author mentioned weight, as I think it should be added to the list of requirements. The iPhone6 is 129 g and feels light, the iPhone13 mini is 141 g, my XZ2C is 168 g and is heavy enough I think it causes wrist pain, while the Pixel 5a is 183 g!
  • aimor 4y ago
    Might be a grounding issue, solved by separating the screen and the battery. https://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_xz2_compact-reviews-9082.php https://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_xz2_compact-reviews-908... "U must open the case and Put some sticker behind the lcd.ghost touch happen cause have contact between lcd and battery. Grounding issue" I'm willing to try it.
• NearAP 4y ago
  This resonates with me (I'm an iPhone user). Never been a fan of the large phones which was why I held on to my iPhone 6S for a very long time (compared to how frequently folks upgrade) before finally upgrading to an iPhone 12 mini (when I ran out of space on the 6S).
• magneticnorth 4y ago
  I just made the switch from Android to iPhone, entirely because I wanted a small phone that still has a good camera and good battery life. If iPhone discontinues the mini or there's a small Android phone on the market that meets my needs, I'd switch back happily.
• giords 4y ago
  My opinion is that the demand for small phones will be satisfied by foldable phones. I see that option more viable and effective.
  • DanHulton 4y ago
    I actually really want a smaller screen, though. I have smaller hands and I want to be able to reach across it one-handed without having to precariously adjust my grip.
    • ece 4y ago
      The zflip/razr foldables have smaller screens.
  • aceazzameen 4y ago
    Nah. A foldable is just an excuse to charge a consumer more money. It has features people don't need.
• amyjess 4y ago
  This is why I'm not moving on from my Pixel 4a. If it ever dies, I'll go on eBay or wherever and buy a new one. I don't even care if it goes EOL and stops receiving security updates. TBH if I do end up replacing it with something else, it doesn't have to be stock Android or even a powerful device. I'm okay with replacing my 4a with some cheap ultra-budget shanzhai phone as long as it's small and it works with T-Mobile US's LTE network. Also the iPhone Mini itself isn't an option—not only do I not want to be part of Apple's ecosystem, but I have sensory issues and can't handle metal phones. I need a plastic phone. And no, a case isn't an option because a case would just make the phone too wide for me to hold.
  • makeitdouble 4y ago
    For me the more problematic aspect of the 4a is the updates it’s receiving make it so much slower. For instance at this point opening the camera takes around 3s, and the shutter button lags 2s as well. Going back yo the previous OS would fix that, but it was also buggy and missing proper support for the new gesture navigation. I love the phone but it also makes me hate Google so much.
    • amyjess 4y ago
      TBH I don't use gesture navigation so that doesn't matter to me. I just hate Android 12 because it forced ugly gray backgrounds on me. I miss being able to see the active application under my notification shade and to see my wallpaper behind the app switcher. At this point I think I'm just done with Google's Android and I think I'm ready to try one of those Chinese forks with a super-colorful iOS-like UX.
    • bipson 4y ago
      Huh? My 4a is works perfectly so far.
      • makeitdouble 4y ago
        Interesting. I thought that was the battery, but status seemed to be ok. I’ll try to see if there’s some setting killing it.
• lazaruzLong 4y ago
  I have old eyes - I want need and have a Giant sized phone. My wife just purchased an new iPhone SE2. I truly cannot use the phone the screen is too little for me.
• haunter 4y ago
  Zenfone 8 https://www.asus.com/Mobile/Phones/ZenFone/Zenfone-8/ https://www.asus.com/Mobile/Phones/ZenFone/Zenfone-8/ LineageOS supported https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/sake/ https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/sake/
  • AiAi 4y ago
    There's an issue with ZenFone 8 often referred to as "ram dump" which Asus hasn't addressed, and caused many phones to brick suddenly: https://zentalk.asus.com/en/discussion/comment/208476/ https://zentalk.asus.com/en/discussion/comment/208476/
• mg 4y ago
  I maintain this chart of small Android phones: https://www.productchart.com/smartphones/small_android_phones https://www.productchart.com/smartphones/small_android_phone... You can filter by specs to see how close you can get to your dream phone. There are quite a few available on the market that match the 5.5" screen size of the iPhone 13 Mini. Even by the big manufacturers like Samsung and Google. Like the Pixel 3. Which was introduced 4 years ago though. In general, phones have been becoming larger and larger over the years. So this chart has been becoming more and more sparse over time. But recently, the voices demanding small phones seem to become louder and more frequent. I am curious to see if it will reverse the trend. At some point, I will probably make a graph that shows the change in average screensize over time.
  • aidenn0 4y ago
    No Jelly2?
    • mg 4y ago
      Good point! Will add it.
  • pavon 4y ago
    Missing Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact - the most recent (and apparently last) small phone that Sony made.
    • mg 4y ago
      Thanks, will add it.
  • foresto 4y ago
    Sony Xperia XZ1 is on there, but not the Xperia XZ1 Compact?
  • richardwhiuk 4y ago
    Louder, but not more numerous.
  • 4y ago
• meonmyphone 4y ago
  This is something I've been wishing for a while - some kind of initiative to help make a small Android device available. So I'm happy to see this, especially when it's backed by someone with influence in the industry. The author's motivations don't see that strong, though. I mean, if Apple improved the notification system and the file management, would this project exist? Or is it that unlikely to happen in a few years? Anyway, I really hope the project works. I really do. And I'm willing to contribute the way I can. I've been trying to make the switch to Android for years, but couldn't find a decent device, despite few attempts over the years.
• bobbiechen 4y ago
  One interesting feature on my Samsung Galaxy S9 is "one-handed mode", which shrinks the screen area to about the size of the iPhone Mini screen, leaving black bars along one side and the top. It's interesting that they're aware of the issue and have a software solution. One-handed mode is decent when holding the phone parallel to the ground supported by your hand, but still doesn't cut it for holding the phone up since you'll need to grip the entire phone body anyways.
• ngngngng 4y ago
  I wanted this and it didn't exist, so now I use an iPhone 13 mini. I'll likely replace the battery on this a few times since rumor has it the mini model won't be continued. It's too bad that Apple is running entirely on the sales numbers of the mini itself for that decision, as since getting an iPhone 13 mini I've bought 3 of the newest model of macbook pro for members of my family, started using Apple TV+ and Apple Music, and bought myself some Airpods pro. Apple brought me into their ecosystem with this device so from my perspective it seems like it could be worthwhile for them to continue making it.
  • rplnt 4y ago
    I've been looking at new phones since my Xperia Compact (XZ1) started having some issues, and iPhone seems to be the only choice. I just wish it had usb-c. By the way, did you consider to go with 12 instead of 13?
    • ngngngng 4y ago
      I had the 12 mini and then paid a few bucks to upgrade to the 13 mini during a promotion at a local shop. The 13 mini battery life is better which I really appreciate since my phone is my GPS device when I'm in the backcountry without a charger.
    • coldpie 4y ago
      I'd give the iPhone 13 Mini a weak-recommend for small phone lovers coming from Android. It is truly the only option for small phones. (Well, small-ish. I actually find it a bit larger than I'd like, but it's acceptable.) But, iOS is a really significant downgrade from Android. It's usable, I've lived with mine for months, but I'm really hoping I can switch back to Android in the future. I've even considered just reselling the iPhone at a loss so I can switch back sooner, but it's hard because there are also no good Android options, so I haven't... yet.
  • joshvm 4y ago
    I also got a 13 Mini. It's a nice phone, but it feels very dense, especially with the magsafe case. I'm not sold on the experience coming from Android, but it seems like it's a case of learning workarounds. In hindsight, I realised that I was coming from an Android phone a few generations back (Pixel 2) which I considered to be a reasonable size. Pixels have gotten about 10 mm longer over time. However now we have wall to wall screens, it's quite a difference. The iPhone Pro is the same form factor as a Pixel 2, for example, but is all screen. 6" seems doable for Android, but that's a lower bound. I think what we all want is a Pixel 2 without the bezel. There are lots of phones with smaller OLED displays, but none without the bezel.
• bobbiechen 4y ago
  One interesting feature on my Samsung Galaxy S9 is "one-handed mode", which shrinks the screen area to about the size of the iPhone Mini screen, leaving black bars along one side and the top. It's interesting that they're aware of the issue and have a software solution (along with similar features like the camera shutter button that can be dragged around to a more convenient location to tap). One-handed mode is decent when holding the phone parallel to the ground supported by your hand, but still doesn't cut it for holding the phone up since you'll need to grip the entire phone body anyways.
• simonmales 4y ago
  I search long for something like this, and I just bought the Asus Zenfone 8. It's also supported by LingeageOS.
• londgine 4y ago
  The galaxy xcover 5 is really good https://m.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_xcover_5-ampp-10718.php https://m.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_xcover_5-ampp-10718.ph... 5.3 screen, full rectangular screen (no notch or hole), replaceable battery and dual sim. It is unfortunately Samsung, so it has their bloat. But that isn't too bad.
• m000 4y ago
  For a phone that is not intended for heavy use (cramped screen, average screen-on time), 8GB of RAM seems like a pricey choice. Also, stock Android can be a mixed blessing. My guess this is mostly used as synonymous to "no bloatware". But stock Android doesn't necessarily translate to a better user experience, or to software updates for a longer time.
• gallerdude 4y ago
  For me, the people who want smaller phones are the textbook example of a vocal minority. I've read so many Hacker News and r/apple threads about how people love and miss phones you can use with one hand. And then every few years a phone manufacturer will try it, and it won't sell at all. I almost think people with small phones just underestimate how much they'd be able to adjust to a larger phone.
  • ncallaway 4y ago
    > I almost think people with small phones just underestimate how much they'd be able to adjust to a larger phone. I switched from a large Android device to an iPhone Mini because I preferred the size. Before the switch, I had used pretty much only larger phones. So, at least for me as a data point, your assumption is wildly wrong.
    • gallerdude 4y ago
      This is good to know. It could also be that people with large phones underestimate how much they'd be able to adjust to smaller phones.
• davide_v 4y ago
  Absolutely agree, but I think we are in the smaller size of the pie. I had for many years a Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini (4.3' 124mm), super small phone that I loved, then I switched to a Xiaomi Redmi 4 Pro (5.0' 141mm), reasonably small but bigger then S4 and still usable with one hand without risks. Then I switched to a Xiaomi Mi 9T for the huge body-display ratio and I always feel it's too big (6.39' 156mm) and sometimes I need 2 hands, and I've pretty big hands... Nowdays you can't find any good android phone around ~140mm in size, that I think is the perfect size.
  • qwertfisch 4y ago
    I also used an S4 Mini for a long time (more than five years), but its size and very small weight came at the price of not having the Full HD display of its big brother S4. It didn’t even have a 720p display! Also the battery was much too weak. Still I searched the whole year 2019 for a replacement and finally settled on the Samsung A40, which has a FullHD(+) display, reasonably good battery, all features I wanted and is still lighter than other phones of same size. You are right, around 140mm length would be fine, and then an equivalent weight of 140 to 150g. I cannot stand these bricks with their 180, 200g of weight, no matter the display size. These are just not usable for me.
• s17n 4y ago
  I just gave up and bought an iphone, good luck all
• ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago
  I've got an iPhone 13 Mini. I brought it, because I suspect that it will be the last small-format phone Apple makes. I figure it's good for a couple of years. I have a lot of Apple gear (I develop Apple native apps). I tend to use the Mini phone, and the Mini iPad, the most. The rest of the stuff sits around, until it's testing/screenshot time.
• Transisto 4y ago
  What is so wrong about the pixel 4a? Nobody's going to pimp up CPU and Camera specs every year on a phone people claim is to just take calls and leave in their pocket.
• kgermino 4y ago
  “4 hour screen on time” That seems crazy low. I have an iPhone Mini (and would switch back to Android when I replace it if they have a mini quality phone and Apple doesn’t) and my battery lasts “all day.” I’m not sure how it works out in terms of screen on time, but it’s got to be at least 6 hours a day. Probably more.
  • eertami 4y ago
    Battery settings probably shows your screen on time? In independent reviews, the iPhone mini (12 & 13) seemed to get closer to 5 hours screen on time. 6 hours or more _per day_ sounds absolutely insane though, you must be overestimating that unless you use your phone as a GPS to commute or some similar use case that requires it on in the background.
    • kgermino 4y ago
      > 6 hours or more _per day_ sounds absolutely insane though, you must be overestimating that unless you use your phone as a GPS to commute or some similar use case that requires it on in the background. Interesting. I do use my phone a lot: slack/email regularly throughout the day, twitter addiction, videos in the background while doing other stuff, and reading; but you might be right that I'm overestimating it. (Screen Time says about 7 hours, I have no idea what that counts though) Regardless, if the consensus in reviews is about 5 hours asking for 4 isn't crazy, especially since (IIRC) iPhones tend to do better than Android in battery life.
• davee5 4y ago
  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 hurdles in your paths forward. - 1. Supply chain / component R&D - You will be very, very hard pressed to source a pre-existing, high quality, non-exclusive 5.4" display with a hole punch. If you end up doing this as your own startup then you're going to start by trying to buy off the shelf parts to keep costs down. But that display you want is simply not on any of the development roadmaps for the major component manufacturers. The industry has its own momentum, and the component suppliers have also been looking at the trendlines so they are building bigger and bigger. If you can't find the screen you want in a catalogue then you have to pay someone to build it. Convincing BOE et. al that your phone will sell enough to pay off R&D costs is unlikely, so be prepared to pay several million bucks in NRE to make it worth their time (it might still not be) and the wait a year for them to spin up the fabs. So ~$5M and 9-18 months later you have a display. - 2. Big players are uninterested, not uninformed - 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. Also I'm a little surprised you're hoping an online petition will work after your prior experience trying to influence your acquirers. I presume you saw the inside of Fitbit / Google and how decisions are made...
  • mgkimsal 4y ago
    > and the component suppliers have also been looking at the trendlines so they are building bigger and bigger but... aren't they influencing the trendlines by doing this? if the only things manufacturers make are bigger and bigger, they then get to use the sale of those bigger items as justification to continue to make bigger items? Also seems a bit weird with more eco-awareness going on that some manufacturers wouldn't explore/embrace 'smaller' in some sense. At scale, it would mean less materials, less shipping, less warehouse space, etc. Apple made a huge stink about getting rid of a wall plug in their packaging, and... over hundreds of millions of units, that little bit doesn't hurt. Wouldn't more 5" screens (vs 6"+) require less power, less weight/shipping, and less input materials?
• Julesman 4y ago
  Because you want to modify it. Right? Tell me about all of your planned modifications. So many changes. So custom. So freedom.
  • dixego 4y ago
    I just don't like Apple, what's the problem?
• nfriedly 4y ago
  I'd like a small premium Android phone too. I was thinking about my previous phones the other day, and I really miss some of the more innovative ones from HTC. I think the Startrek was my favorite - a Windows Mobile flip phone with a "dumb phone" keypad. The myTouch 3g might be next - Android with physical buttons and a trackball(!) Phones have gotten faster, but they keep getting bigger, the battery life is rarely more than a day's worth of use, and the "premium" ones keep getting more expensive - while simultaneously loosing features like expandable storage and the headphone jack.
• gsich 4y ago
  Galaxy S7, the last usable Samsung phone.
• hnburnsy 4y ago
  Check out Unihertz, they have a variety of unloved formats including small form factor and physical keyboards. https://www.unihertz.com/collections/smartphones/products/jelly-2 https://www.unihertz.com/collections/smartphones/products/je...
• seydor 4y ago
  I have a hunch a lot of people are not upgrading because there are no new phones under 6 inch now.
• irrational 4y ago
  I recently saw an android phone (I can't remember the name of it) that folded in half (how the screen doesn't crack in half after being folded and unfolded hundreds of times is beyond me). When it is folded in half it is quite narrow, but when unfolded it looks to be the size of a mini tablet. After seeing that I couldn't help but wonder why Apple didn't create a similar thing (patents I presume). It is like the best of both worlds, both a phone and a tablet all in one.
• melenaboija 4y ago
  I used to love small phones since I started having short sightedness problems. Cheaper, lighter, easy to carry on, … was mostly what I cared about phones until I realized that my sight is getting worst and how important to me is to have bigger fonts.
• minroot 4y ago
  There must be no notch or punch hole camera.
• adwf 4y ago
  Latest Motorola Razr foldable scratches that itch for me. I know it doesn't fit into the mid-price category, but I finally have my pocket space back again!
• pluc 4y ago
  I want a phone that doesn't put billions of R&D into twelve fucking cameras
• tazjin 4y ago
  > small > 5.4" Yeah, the ship well and truly has sailed on this.
• Melatonic 4y ago
  How much larger is the Sony Xperia 5 III ?
• sabas_ge 4y ago
  Isn't the PinePhone 6"? https://www.pine64.org/pinephonepro/ https://www.pine64.org/pinephonepro/
  • richardwhiuk 4y ago
    6" is iPhone 13 territory - iPhone 13 Mini is 5.4"
• deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
• alkonaut 4y ago
  “Sub 6 inches” Isn’t 6” about the size of an iPhonex/XR/11 which is a huge slab of a phone?
  • qwertfisch 4y ago
    Yes, very strange. GSMarena lists it as 6.1 inch, and its length of 150mm (5.9") might be acceptable, but the width (76mm / 3") is large. Comparing with my Samsung A40 (5.9" diagonally), the latter is much smaller, and also lighter: https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=9320&idPhone2=9642 https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=9320&idPhone2... Edit: Both smartphones have the same display aspect ratio, but the XR seems to have thicker edges. The screen-to-body-ratio is only 79%, compared to 85.5% on the A40. So it must be wider and higher.
• deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
• DevKoala 4y ago
  I want a smaller iPhone Mini. The small screen discourages me from wasting too much time on it and using it only when needed.
• reusable_batt 4y ago
• vbezhenar 4y ago
  iPhone Mini is still huge. I want 3.5" phone. That's it.
• abhaynayar 4y ago
  I want a notch-less phone. Where did they all go after 2019?
  • mg 4y ago
    If you like the punch-hole design, then there are quite a few options.
• nikonyrh 4y ago
  Sub 6 inches, why not sub 5? Six inches is about 28% larger than a Samsung A3 from 2017.
• reusable_batt 4y ago
• TedShiller 4y ago
  Your dream Android phone is an iPhone
• mxuribe 4y ago
  My favorite statements from this post... > ...An Android phone (with Beeper for iMessage) might be an adequate alternative... ...and... > ...Extrapolating from past models, the Pixel 10 will be roughly the size of California
• deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
• dschuetz 4y ago
  I want a thicker (longer battery life), mini-sized iPhone-like actual Linux phone.
• kringo 4y ago
  100% with box design!
• rootusrootus 4y ago
  I have to say, I do like the form factor of the iPhone Mini. Not enough to buy one, because my aging eyes prefer a larger screen now, but it really does feel nice in your hand. Just fits, no stretching, a perfect fit. The problem, of course, is much like brown manual diesel station wagons, it's a small but vocal niche and there may not be enough actual buyers to justify it. Apple's sales figures are large enough that it may very well 'big enough' for them, but is that true for any individual Android manufacturer?
• dmitrygr 4y ago
  > Cameras must be as good as Pixel 5 I know that you think you are setting an attainable bar, But that is not the case. Most phones you can buy today would not deliver this. A lot of it has to do with computational photography (code Google will not license to you) and per-device tuning done at the factory (details of which Google will not give you)
• mustaflex 4y ago
  I have the same issue, I have big hands and going from a pixel 2 to a pixel 6 has been a nightmare. I can't use the pixel 6 with a single handle.
• t0bia_s 4y ago
  I absolutely agree with size. I'm long time Samsung A5 2017 user because Lineage OS compatibility and size. However I'm refuse to pay more than 200 USD for phone. It is device that could be easily broken, lost or stolen. I also do not need super specs. I mean... It is ridiculous how basic purpose of phone (calls, messages, emails, contacts...) shifted to machine that has betters specs than laptops. Of course quite a lot o people simply switch from laptop to high end phone, but what about those who need reliable phone for basic communication and don't want to pay for features that don't actually need (I never used front camera, NFC, big screen for gaming, etc.)? Maybe I'm old fashioned but for me: • phone = communication, calendar, notes, GPS • pictures = camera • gaming, work = desktop
• dchichkov 4y ago
  There is Palm. It looks a bit like the first iPhone, but the size of a credit card. https://palm.com/pages/product https://palm.com/pages/product Regretfully, it filled with a lot of carrier spyware (originally Verizon) that eats the battery in the background. If cleaned up, the battery life gets much better (up to two days). But, after a month or so, for me the phone for some reason factory-reset itself. Not sure, if it was an update or initiated by the carrier or a hardware glitch or something else. Nice, clean looking, unlocked, very inexpensive hardware (<$100 refurbished), but very poor android build.
• grishka 4y ago
  I'd add a headphone jack to "must have". And I don't like these bezel-less displays. Just give me a more modern HTC Desire S. Or a first-gen iPhone SE that runs Android.
  • cheeze 4y ago
    And now you've made such a niche product that you and a few HNers want it, and that's about it.
    • grishka 4y ago
      I believe that there is a non-negligible number of people for whom their phone is a bit more than a communication device, and most of the things they do online, they do on a computer. I don't understand the appeal of these notched/hole-punched/rounded screens on phones. They solve no real problems. They are a gimmick.
• mywacaday 4y ago
  I recently discovered the one handed feature on my Note10+ that allows the shrinking of the screen to whatever size you want. Don't use it but might be useful to someone. https://www.samsung.com/africa_en/support/mobile-devices/how-do-i-use-the-reduce-screen-size-of-one-handed-operation-on-the-galaxy-note-edge/ https://www.samsung.com/africa_en/support/mobile-devices/how...
  • ajot 4y ago
    LineageOS used to have this feature, by swiping the navbar. Unfortunately, it was based on some hackery by HTC or Huawei and it's not feasible anymore.
    • mywacaday 4y ago
      It's the same on the note10, swipe down to activate.
• odiroot 4y ago
  I'm holding onto my XZ2C tight until some manufacturer wakes up and starts producing compacts again.
  • mormegil 4y ago
    I was holding onto my XZ1C. Two months ago, I bought Samsung S22: it is bigger, but acceptably so, and there seems to be no smaller option in the foreseeable future, anyway.
• officeplant 4y ago
  Its too bad the iPhone Mini is already dead as a size. I love small phones as well, but the market as a whole seems to shun our kind.
• lormayna 4y ago
  One of my first Android phones was an Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro. It was great except the low resolution display and camera and bad touchscreen. I will buy a similar phone with new Android version.
• Sohum 4y ago
  Fellow small phone fan. I've gotten a lot of mileage out of the smaller OnePlus phones designed for kids.
• Ensorceled 4y ago
  My wife just bought the iPhone mini for all of these reasons, but she is definitely in a minority. The main use cases for smart phones are texting, email, social media Twitter/Facebook/Whatsapp/etc., general computing (banking etc.), games, video. All of these use cases are made better by a larger screen size.
• baq 4y ago
  you can pry the iphone SE from my cold, dead hands. i've been in the anti-iphone group since the first iphone. frankly, android has (and more importantly android phones have) pissed me off more than apple and that's the primary reason of me being an iphone convert now.
• camillomiller 4y ago
  Asus Zenfone 8.
• bdorn 4y ago
  Pixel 5 is good, I got a 6 and returned it because it was massive. Hoping they return to this this form factor & add the rear fingerprint sensor back.
• high_pathetic 4y ago
  Aw, to be young again. Ocular myopathy is a thing, unfortunately.
• NelsonMinar 4y ago
  Battery size is a lot of what's driving the escalation of phones. Phones keep getting bigger, with bigger batteries, but usable time stays about constant. I'd love a renewed emphasis on lower power / longer battery life without having to make the thing so big it doesn't fit in my hand comfortably.
• dskloet 4y ago
  I would buy this if it was dual SIM (nano+eSIM) but honestly iPhone 13 mini is still too big for my taste. No wider than iPhone 4 would be ideal for me. Fine if it's thicker to fit a decent battery. I'm currently using a Pixel 3a with multiple cracks in the screen. Willing to drop a lot of money on a phone but there isn't a single phone I want.
• teekert 4y ago
  +1, I switched to iPhone 12 mini from a OnePlus3. But, I’m not going back anymore. Let’s hope when this thing gives out in 5 years my watch can do all of this. I always thought iPhone would be restrictive. But I have my selfhosted apps and my wireguard (but ffs let me tunnel my hotspot connected clients through the vpn Apple!).
• Balvarez 4y ago
  I'd love a smart phone that... - is android - is small - has a headphone jack - has a great camera(on the back) - has a removable SD card - has a removable battery Currently, my next phone will be a Sony as it checks more boxes than any other phone.
• cosmojg 4y ago
  I want an Apple Watch-sized Android phone.
• soylentgraham 4y ago
  Im still on an iphone SE (same shell as 5s) and waiting for another iphone this small. The mini is still too big! I mean, I was a big fan of the nokia 8210, the iphone nano (the long one) and the razr when it first came out. I dont watch tv/films on my phone because Im not insane, give me a smaller one!
• rationalfaith 4y ago
• netcyrax 4y ago
  The Samsung Flip seems like it can solve the problems descibed in the post. Large enough screen when you open it, small enough to fit nicely in your pocket when closed. Of course it's a bit think when it's closes, but we are getting there.
• dougifresh94 4y ago
  "This means that Apple may decide to kill the Mini." -> according to the rumors, it already has for the 14+
• nfriedly 4y ago
  I just signed up for his mailing list and put this down for my comments: I really want a microSD slot. Shared with the second SIM is OK, but please don't exclude it entirely. And/or more internal storage. I'm on a Pixel 2 and am generally satisfied with the size of that phone, but I could live with smaller. My biggest problems are that 1) google screwed me with a non-unlockable bootloader when I sent it in for repair, so the software is slowly rotting and 2) I keep running out of storage. Other than that, the phone is basically fine. From the reviews I've read, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 likes to draw way too much power and then thermally throttle - so probably not a great choice for a small phone (with both a smaller battery and less surface area to dissipate heat.) But, this phone probably won't ship this year, so maybe they'll have something better out by the time it does. I wouldn't put "Hole punch front camera" on my "desired" list, but eh, it's not a dealbreaker for me either. I'd rather have a little bit of top and bottom bezel with decent front-firing speakers, and then stick the camera in the top bezel. Kind of like the current Xperias, only shorter. Headphone jack would also be nice to have, but also not a dealbreaker for me. Oh, and video output over USB-C would be another nice to have. I think it comes built-in with most recent Snapdragons, but Google seems to go out of their way to disable the feature...
• sroussey 4y ago
  The problem with the iPhone Mini was that it was not a Pro and this not all the cameras, etc. It would have sold like hot cakes! I would have paid extra for a smaller iPhone Pro.
• Linda703 4y ago
  [dead]
• volleygman180 4y ago
  As an iPhone user, I've wanted to use an iPhone Mini ever since they came out. It was hard to compromise on the camera, coming from a Pro device, but I finally made the switch when the iPhone 13 Mini debuted. Within 24 hours however, I was back at the Apple Store returning it. What was the issue? Nothing wrong with the device at all - it was everything I hoped it would be! Unfortunately, the issue was with the apps instead. Developers have gotten so used to everyone being on bigger devices. Since the Mini _lowered_ the standard size of a device (and represented such a small audience), I found that most of my apps had various UI bugs as they were written to target a regular iPhone dimension or larger. In some cases, apps were unusable due to the UI bugs. As an iOS engineer, I can also speak to the development side of things. At the various places that I've worked, I can't say that any testing was ever specifically done on a device smaller than the smallest _regular_ iPhone (like an iPhone XS). Even our team of QAs had all kinds of devices that they'd use and we had automated UI testing, but an iPhone Mini was consistently overlooked. Maybe the device will be better in the future, but until then, the apps just aren't ready. Granted this is my experience with iPhones and iOS apps. Android could very well be in a different place. I expect less out of the app development on that platform, however, developers are also more attuned to targeting smaller screen sizes, given how many Android devices exist, so it could indeed be a better experience if you find a device that you like.
  • djvdq 4y ago
    Interesting, can you give an example of such apps "not really working" on iP Mini? I'm asking because my wife uses 12 Mini and she never told a word about it. I'm also using it from time to time in few apps and everything looks ok.
  • mikestew 4y ago
    I don't recall having UI trouble with a single app since getting a 13 Mini some months ago, nor have I heard such from my spouse. Would you have any examples? But for me and my house, pry that Mini from our cold, dead hands.
• productceo 4y ago
  A prudent business will respond to what people do rather than what people say.
• dti 4y ago
  > are easy to use one-handed without dropping Not necessarily. I bought an iPhone Mini expecting that it'd be comfortable to use in a single hand like my previous Xperia phone of exactly the same width. Unfortunately, it is not the case: the iPhone screen is very close to the bottom edge, and to switch apps you need to move your thumb to the very edge and then swipe up, which is rather uncomfortable (or requires holding your phone very low, in which case, you can't reach the top of the screen without changing your grasp). Similarly, the keyboard is rather low and uncomfortable to use from the otherwise most natural single-handed grasp.
• 7speter 4y ago
  Interesting to me how all the tech people here want an iPhone mini sized phone when its the least popular and even the low cost to entry iphone se, which is also lauded around these parts is “struggling” to find buyers: https://www.pcmag.com/news/up-against-flashy-flagships-iphone-se-and-pixel-6-struggle-to-find-buyers https://www.pcmag.com/news/up-against-flashy-flagships-iphon...
• moelf 4y ago
  Xperia 5 III
• HeavyStorm 4y ago
  So do I. My hands are small for current phone sizes. I need to use both hands to type.
• JohnJamesRambo 4y ago
  Please make an android phone the size of the old iPhone SE. I want out of the Apple ecosystem but there are no phones this size on android I can find.
• quartus 4y ago
  I'm still using the Pixel 4, I'm happy with it. I tried the Pixel 6 but it's just too gigantic, and the camera strip sticks out too much, so I went back to the 4
• ccbccccbbcccbb 4y ago
  + hardware camera power switch and/or physical lens cover
• yc-kraln 4y ago
  Which criteria does the Asus Zenphone 8 fail? I just bought one with more-or-less the same wishlist, and threw Lineage on it, and it's perfect for me.
• AbraKdabra 4y ago
  You know what I want? I want the manufacturers to stop doing damn slim and thin phones and just give me a Motorola Milestone 1 type of phone, made of metal, not thin and packed with a giant battery, and a physical keyboard, I'm sick of "thinnest phone ev4r" being a slogan to promote a phone. Give me that and I'll be the first in line to buy it.
• sm4rk0 4y ago
  Current phone: Samsung S10e (5.8" AMOLED, 142mm/5.6" long) and previous: Motorola Moto X 1st gen from 2013 (4.7" AMOLED, 129mm/5.09" long). Very happy with them. Both being flagship models (powerful CPU), the only drawback is shorter battery life than other phones.
  • thrwwmbkpr 4y ago
    I loved the original Moto X! It was one of the first true smart phones my wife and I purchased, and almost the best. It's a great balance of features and practicality that I wish a premium (or near-premium) phone would return. If there are any comparable current models, please let me know. Hardware - Not premium, but a great combination of rugged, good looking, and practical. It was a pleasure to hold (and still was last time I pulled it out), with the soft, grippy, rubber back and "just right" size. Removeable battery was a plus. Software - Lots of nice little touches by Motorola. I wish Google integrated more of them when they bought Motorola, like the "double flick" to turn on the flashlight. One of the first with lock screen notifications in white.
• otikik 4y ago
  When Android went big, I went iPhone.
  • onedr0p 4y ago
    What happens when iPhone goes big? It's only a matter of time due to sales.
    • otikik 4y ago
      I'll still pick the least shitty smallest one that I can get.
• bmacho 4y ago
  Can it be lightweight (<100g) and wide (16/10 or wider) as well? Pretty please? edit: also buttons, like back, home, menu and search? edit2: like my ~ZTE v970 [1], but capable of newer https standards. Even teddit refuses to serve me content :D 1: https://www.gsmarena.com/zte_grand_x_v970-reviews-4597.php https://www.gsmarena.com/zte_grand_x_v970-reviews-4597.php
• JansjoFromIkea 4y ago
  unfortunately the best option I can see is supporting Lineage OS development on the XZ2 Compact at the moment. Seems to be no market for smaller phones at all (Apple are even ditching the mini for 14 iirc, Jelly has never made it anywhere near me to try). Beyond that, the Xperia Ace 3 is an okay size (slightly bigger than iPhone Mini) and maybe if it does well there will be more smaller options? I've a 12 mini now because I thought the original SE was losing support last year, I def regret not sticking with the SE for another year instead, for me the 12 mini is unreasonably big.
• deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
• guerrilla 4y ago
  I hate giant phones too, that's why I got a Samsumng Galaxy Xcover 5. The 4 was even smaller but is too slow for today's apps. https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_xcover_5-10718.php https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_xcover_5-10718.php
• arendtio 4y ago
  My Samsung Galaxy S3 turns 10 next month and it is still in daily use as a second phone. The biggest reasons it is still working are the changeable battery, the sdcard and wireless charging. It consumed something like one battery per year, the integrated memory of 16GB are barely enough, but with a 64GB sdcard it worked fine so far. However, the mirco-usb connector became unstable years ago, but the wireless charging has very little wear and works fine. I think an updated version (new processor, new camera, more RAM, modern network capabilities) should be able to check most, if not all, of the requirements from the website.
• 0xbadcafebee 4y ago
  There are 120 Android phones with 4G that are 5.8" or smaller, since 2019. Of those, the best are probably the Cat S62 Pro, Pixel 4 or 3, Fairphone 3+, and Samsung Galaxy S10e. https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2018&fDisplayInchesMax=5.8&s4Gs=0&sOSes=2 https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2018&fDisplay... Palm released a tiny Android phone in 2018, but the performance was crap so it didn't sell. Smaller phone means smaller battery and fewer cutting edge components, unless you fab everything yourself, making it more expensive. The tradeoffs don't work unless you're the richest company in the world.
  • rootusrootus 4y ago
    > The tradeoffs don't work unless you're the richest company in the world. More accurately, I think that would be "unless you sell the most phones in the world." A niche iPhone still sells more phones than Google.
• lcnmrn 4y ago
  You want a Pixel 5 or 6a. Set smallest width to 432dp from developer settings. Check the result with mydevice.io to see 2.5x pixel ratio. You got a iPhone Max resolution for the size of a Mini.
• brundolf 4y ago
  I got an iPhone Mini hoping to be able to use it with one hand, but it wasn't small enough to do that (and I don't have small hands), so I returned it. I figured if I'm going to need a PopSocket anyway, I may as well have more screen space too I'm not surprised the Mini has been underperforming. I think it's in an awkward valley where it's not small enough for that to be an advantage, it's only small enough for it to be a disadvantage
  • ksd482 4y ago
    My thoughts exactly. I am 6'4" and I have an iPhone 13 mini and even I think it's too big for my taste. I simply need something that I can use comfortably with a single hand, small enough to call it compact and hide in my pocket. I totally get the appeal of a bigger screen though. I can appreciate it for what it achieves: bigger screen means easy to read, good for watching media, playing games and easier to type on it. But for my use case, I want to AVOID making it that easy to do all of those things while still getting benefits of a smartphone, let alone an iPhone. That's why I am really bummed that iPhone mini is going away. I don't think I'll switch to Android, because I have a lot of apple devices and the ecosystem integration is quite valuable for me.
• sabujp 4y ago
  > Extrapolating from past models, the Pixel 10 will be roughly the size of California Thanks for that
• posterboy 4y ago
  I too looked for a small phone and left disappointed. I think there are two or three notable factors. 1. Bigger chassis allows a bigger battery, longer up-time. This is probably the biggest issue. 2. Having gotten used to a 6+" for a while, the small ones appear almost too small. Books are on average bigger than that for a good reason. 3. Very naively speaking, bigger looks better and thus more expensive. Users are therefore more willing to spend more money, whereas a smaller phone will look disproportionately expensive and, as per the first point, now less powerful. Sony was the last one other than apple to try that, as far as I can tell. However, cheaper smartphones still exist in that space, they just don't come with newer hardware.
• twism 4y ago
  so pixel 5?
• vladms 4y ago
  What's wrong with Samsung S22? It is 6.1 inches (author mentions 6' but I find this close enough), cameras are great and while not stock Android the OneUI stuff is not annoying for me at least. Plus it does have some of the other ideal/nice to have, although not a perfect fit. I have to admit the S22 is one of the smallest high end Android phones that caught my eye.
  • jimmaswell 4y ago
    I don't get the desire for a small phone personally. Very happy with the S22 Ultra.
• soheil 4y ago
  I've had one for 2 years now. Love it and agree with all Eric's points except > are easy to use one-handed without dropping I find it very hard to use one handed and it keeps slipping through my fingers if I try to type on it one handed. Also my finger constantly partially block the rear camera when taking pictures. It probably has something to do with the size of my hands. Otherwise, I love how light it is and you barely notice it in your pocket when walking or biking.
• upsidesinclude 4y ago
  Samsung S10e Already there and has probably every spec that's listed
• polishdude20 4y ago
  I've been using my original pixel 2 since the day it came out. Still works like a charm. Fast, battery is good, small and the camera is great. I've been looking at getting an iPhone mini but what I get for the price doesn't seem to be that much better than what I have now.
• soheil 4y ago
  Umm.. there are literally 100s of small Android phones: https://www.productchart.com/smartphones/small_android_phones https://www.productchart.com/smartphones/small_android_phone...
  • sanitycheck 4y ago
    Set the size slider to max 5 (6 is not small), set the date slider to min 2020 and there's.. One. From a manufacturer I've never heard of. There actually are more than one (gsmarena is better for this search), but not many and as far as I can tell none with wide availability or much hope of getting security updates etc far into the future. The best option at the moment seems to be ebaying an old phone that's supported by Lineage and hoping it doesn't die.
• pipeline_peak 4y ago
  > 4 hours Screen On Time (SOT) > Unlockable bootloader > NFC You could’ve kept things simple and attracted a larger audience by just saying you want a smaller phone. This reads like an over passionate CS freshman……. “Dude wouldnt it b cool if it ran Arch Linux” I’ve rarely heard net positive reviews for phones from no name Chinese brands like One Plus or whatever that thing is. There just needs to be a smaller modern phone, that’s all. No TTL connectors, no OCAML based user environment. I promise there are enough frustrated kids and adults in the planet to sign a strictly smaller modern phone petition. Unfortunately the Smartphone world is pretty dominantly Apple, Google and Samsung. Hopefully the petition will raise notice, but we all know companies rarely operate this way.
  • jiffygist 4y ago
    Unlockable bootloader is criterium number 0 for me, even when recommending phones to people who will never want to change firmware. I would be happy if manufacturers stated this in phone specs.
• nsonha 4y ago
  I've just got the galaxy s10e, a phone released 3 years ago, for this reason. The new s22 is also only slightly bigger than it. Samsung seems to now have this form factor as the baseline of their line up, with the top one added extra things that don't matter such as bigger, higher display frame rates and curved edges (whoever came up with this stupid trend needs to go to jail, but it's good that Samsung thinks that's a "feature", so it sells normal screens at a discount)
• goldforever 4y ago
• mgalgs 4y ago
  > 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...
• thanatos519 4y ago
  How about even smaller? :D https://www.techradar.com/reviews/unihertz-atom-xl-rugged-smartphone https://www.techradar.com/reviews/unihertz-atom-xl-rugged-sm... I used to have a Sony Xperia X Compact and when its SIM slot stopped working, I went looking for a new phone and there was nothing of that size. I got the Ulefone Armor X7 Pro which was basically the same phone with a worse camera, less shovelware, and built to last. Still fits in my pocket, more or less.
• ajmurmann 4y ago
  I really wanted Apple to create an iPhone Mini. I had been holding on to my iPhone 6S for years, hoping Apple phones would shrink again. So I was super excited when the Mini came. Once it came out, I was rather unhappy that there was no Pro version. I really, really wanted the cool Pro camera in a phone that's a substantial investment. I'd have been happy to pay more, but the Mini's price was high enough that lacking crossing the excitement line for the camera made me see too little value to invest. So I ended up buying the super cheap, new SE instead. I now wonder if the camera I want isn't possible in the size I want.
• synergy20 4y ago
  Our house wants small phones, we had Pixel 4a and 3(both size are small) and converted the rest three to iphone mini and iphone SE. over many years it does seem andriod phone has shorter life span and iphone lasts longer, which is one more reason we converted two andriod phones to iphones, in addition to the screen size reason.
• dotancohen 4y ago
  I'd love a small Android phone, with one caveat: A built-in stylus. I'm stuck with the huge Samsung Note series, or the Samsung S22 which is no smaller. I've used external stylii and my fingers too, but absolutely nothing comes close to the experience of just sliding out the stylus which is always there and using it.
• ManBlanket 4y ago
  I used a Palm, a phone about the dimensions of a business card, 1 slammer-pog thick, and loved it. The battery life was dismal, I had to disable most of the software which ran in the background, the camera was crap, but I loved that phone. Then my stupid provider implemented a list of approved devices and now I'm schlepping around a big piece of garbage with a cracked screen. I want my small phone back, so bad.
• steelframe 4y ago
  I've replaced the battery twice on my Sony Xperia Z5 Compact and have flashed a custom AOSP build, and I will continue to keep it alive as long as humanly possible.
• jl6 4y ago
  If this thread proves anything it’s that there is huge demand for customizable phone designs. Currently, there is total reliance on economies of scale to make standardized SKUs affordable. Imagine if you could figure out a way of manufacturing a phone with design on demand… imagine a configurator website where you adjusted sliders and tickboxes. Headphone jack here, screen size slider all the way to the left, battery size all the way to the right, pick your color, oops you can’t have IP68 because you selected the pop-out camera… Like variable fonts, but for hardware. Frankly I’ve no idea how you would do it. But that’s the level of innovation required to unlock this market.
  • rootusrootus 4y ago
    > If this thread proves anything it’s that there is huge demand for customizable phone designs. I think it just proves what we already know -- there is a vocal minority (but strong emphasis on minority) who would like a customizable phone. The market largely doesn't seem to care. And it may even actively discriminate against customizable phones by ensuring they had no resale value. The more custom you want it, the fewer people who want to buy that particular device.
    • Gigachad 4y ago
      You really only get to have one obscure requirement. If you want a small phone, the mini exists. If you want a phone with a headphone Jack, those exist. Once you start stacking up two, three or four odd requirements, you’ll never get what you want. The problem with targeting small markets is almost everyone in the group wants absolutely everything the way they expect. There isn’t a “small phone market” there is a “small android phone with removable sd card and 3 cameras” market and a “small android phone with one camera but a replaceable battery at $400” market. And then it just becomes literally impossible to make work so we have mass market products only.
  • Gigachad 4y ago
    It’s not even close to possible. Phones are likely the most advanced items in human history. So far beyond anything else you’d interact with. It’s only possible through hundreds of thousands of people working on mass production and research. You could make customisable phones but they wouldn’t be anywhere near as good as mass market phones.
• yeellow 4y ago
  Funny thing is that I still use my Samsung Note 3 (8 years old and kicking, with Android 11) and what was considered ridiculously large phone when I got it (people were laughing at me) is now the smallest one around. It was interesting to observe this gradual shift in perception, especially among those who were laughing at me back than :)
  • aceazzameen 4y ago
    I hear ya! My previous phone was a Note 4. My current phone is still a Note 8. I thought that was a big jump in size! Phones today are even bigger, and I'm done going up in size.
• Animats 4y ago
  There's the "lightphone."[1] Stuck at "pre-order" since 2019. There's this little Android smartphone from Shenzhen.[2] $104 in quantity 2, $74 in quantity 1000. You can get it from Amazon for about twice as much. [1] https://www.thelightphone.com/ https://www.thelightphone.com/ [2] https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Small-Cellphone-3-0-Inch-Very_62515704022.html https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Small-Cellphone-3-0-I...
• notorandit 4y ago
  Me too!
• notorandit 4y ago
  Port android to iphone hardware
• m1sta_ 4y ago
  Sony 5ii/iii
• blangk 4y ago
  I owned the iPhone 12 mini and thought it was a great phone - I was able to one hand it quite easy and the hardware specs were more than sufficient. My partner now uses it but she would prefer a slightly larger screen I think. I moved to a Pixel 5 and think it is currently one of the best smaller phones - For most stuff I can one hand this phone too, and in some ways the ergonomics of the Pixel are better. For instance the back side finger print scanner unlock is the best I've ever used. I used to want to keep my aux port, but the bluetooth audio industry has really stepped up in recent years - I still just use my airpod pros and probably will continue too
• TheRealNGenius 4y ago
  stop whining and be the change you want to see in the world. source some parts from China and make it yourself.
• kazinator 4y ago
  It's funny to read some young person reiterating the desirable properties of small phones, completely oblivious to how smaller was universally better in cellphones phones before the smartphone era. http://www.mobilephonehistory.co.uk/nokia/nokia.php http://www.mobilephonehistory.co.uk/nokia/nokia.php
  • Nition 4y ago
    The peak of that was the amazing Panasonic GD55: https://www.gsmarena.com/panasonic_gd55-372.php https://www.gsmarena.com/panasonic_gd55-372.php
    • kazinator 4y ago
      You still get a sad pang when you pull some old coat or backpack out of the closet and rest your eyes on the tiny cell phone pocket, that is of no use today.
• sunflowerdeath 4y ago
  And I want IPad Mini-sized Android tablet, but for some reason all compact tablets have terrible performance, and because of this you have to use a large phone to watch videos or play games.
• Beauseph 4y ago
  Here you go. https://news.samsung.com/global/samsung-announces-galaxy-xcover-5-the-newest-durable-and-advanced-smartphone-built-for-tough-environments https://news.samsung.com/global/samsung-announces-galaxy-xco...
• danielEM 4y ago
  Add there 2 USB type C >= 3.1 with displayport/hdmi Alt mode, unlocked bootloader and I'm in
• dbg31415 4y ago
  "You think you do, but you don't." I LOVED my iPhone 4 & iPhone 5 back in the day. I thought they were just perfect. I could reach all the keys, they fit in any pants, and they were just my favorite era of phones ever. Metal edges, glass front and back, no stupid camera bump -- perfection. For the time they existed, there was nothing to improve on those phones. But I pretty much hate my iPhone Mini. And it has almost nothing to do with the phone -- it's basically an improved version of the iPhone 4, except now it's got a stupid camera bump. And I would still love the form factor, but like... so many things just don't fit right. Apps just haven't been tested to work on it, especially if you tweak your default font sizes at all, and it's just a sub-optimal experience in almost every way. My fingers fit, but now websites are built with bigger fonts and need bigger screens. I passionately hate "viewport wobble" and you see it all the freakin' time on the iPhone Mini. Book an Uber? The buttons are off screen, or weird places. Sure that's the app's fault -- and frankly a lot of apps need to do better for responsive design in order to better improve accessibility (especially for elderly users!) but that's a bigger fight than I want to get into when I pick up a phone and just want it to work. So I don't know, like if I had a magic wand and could just zap every website, every app into compliance with the slightly smaller screen... sure it'd be great. But I don't, and that makes for a frustrating user experience that, frankly, ruins the iPhone Mini for me. My iPhone 4 was the best phone I ever had. Hands down. Loved it, emotional memories of it are still very fond. Wish I could find that again, really do.
• Cupprum 4y ago
  Today i just saw this video about small phones. The only bad thing is that the camera is pretty bad :( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUCULGEmgTo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUCULGEmgTo
• rejor121 4y ago
  I think the iPhone 5 was the perfect size. I still have mine though it doesn’t work anymore since I dropped it ages ago. Still hoping a phone even smaller than the iPhone 12 mini is released
• joshxyz 4y ago
  Shut up and take my money.
• causality0 4y ago
  Currently there are ZERO premium Android phones with <6” displays. No amount of money can buy one right now. I truly do not understand why people refuse to buy flagship phones from a couple of years ago because they're "outdated" but then endorse some new phone with a garbage SoC that gets less performance. Buy an Xperia XZ2 Compact.
• haasbat 4y ago
  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).
• Daige77 4y ago
  The phone companies haven't even bothered to ask people what they actually want. They just take a wild guess, they make a bad phone and it sells bad, then they claim "see, people don't want small phones". That is just ignorant behavior on their side. No, we don't want ugly or clumsy phones. We don't want overpriced phones. We don't want brittle phones that can't stand a fall. We don't want phones with weak batteries that won't last a day. We don't want lousy cameras. We don't want laggy and buggy phones. We don't want good phones that are only available in other parts of the world where we can't buy them (Sony is making small phones...but only in Japan). The companies should ASK the consumers what they NEED. But they don't.
  • richardwhiuk 4y ago
    They look at sales figures for the phones they are selling. That tells them way more than asking people. <10% of iPhones sold are <6". That's the ball game.
• girvo 4y ago
  I want an iPhone Mini 14, but that's gone too now. I'm going to have to trade up my Mini 12 for a Mini 13, and the repair it until its impossible to repair further, as this is the perfect phone and is basically the last of it's kind now.
• hsuduebc2 4y ago
  Smallest I got from Samsung is Galaxy A52 which is ridiculous. Please make it more compact.
• hsuduebc2 4y ago
  I'm suspecting developers of phone that that they don't want to downgrade resolution of whole display because of marketing but making higher DPI phones is more than expensive.
• kllrnohj 4y ago
  https://palm.com/pages/product https://palm.com/pages/product The small Android phone already exists.
  • 2OEH8eoCRo0 4y ago
    Android™ Security Patch Level: September 2020 :/
• cassianoleal 4y ago
  ...and I want an iPhone that's comfortable to use with a single small hand. Even the Mini is too big and certain tasks are either extremely uncomfortable (rotating the phone whilst balancing it atop a couple fingers so I can reach a corner, for instance), or just require both hands which sometimes is incredibly inconvenient.
• technovader 4y ago
  Maybe its just me but the Pixel 5 is the perfect size. I don't find the iPhone mini being any better in terms of size. They are both usable with one hand.
• throwaway81523 4y ago
  Meh, unfortunately the most important smart phone app is the web browser, and what the browser has to do is dictated mostly by site operators, and web sites have an expansionist hunger for more and more cpu power and screen space. So phones have to keep getting bigger batteries even as the electronics get more efficient, because the work loads get heavier faster than the electronics can keep up with. Once you have such a big battery, you may as well also have a big screen, especially since you need it anyway to keep the web sites readable without a magnifying glass. It is a vicious circle. I blame the rise of non-removable batteries and the transformation of javascript from a scripting extension into a full fat application framework. It would be great if more sites had public API's.
• mansarip 4y ago
  Searching something like this for months. I ended up having an Asus Zenfone 8.
• jmprspret 4y ago
  For me the pixel 4a kind of filled this niche for a while. The 6a seems significantly bigger.
• grwthckrmstr 4y ago
  I jokingly tell my friends that i want to start a phone company. It'll just sell one phone. aPhone. It's, a phone. Not aPhone 1, aPhone 2. That's not minimalist. Just aPhone, 2022 edition. And so on. It's aPhone for people who like regular sized phones. 5.8" display max, 3-4ths of the way to flagship specs, a $500 ish price tag. Pair it with near stock Android with minor adjustments only, and i really think the aPhone could be a hit and help build a (not a billion-dollar) multi-million dollar company.
  • richardwhiuk 4y ago
    So the aPhone 2022 then?
• jacobrussell 4y ago
  There is technically a mini-sized Android phone [0]; I've been using it for about 6 months [1]. [0] https://palm.com/pages/product https://palm.com/pages/product [1] https://jacobhenryrussell.medium.com/six-months-with-a-tiny-phone-132388ca970e https://jacobhenryrussell.medium.com/six-months-with-a-tiny-...
  • jonwest 4y ago
    I have one of these too. I used it for a few months and aside from the battery life, I loved it. I wish the bootloader would’ve been open for custom roms that could’ve taken advantage of it better, but it’s been in a drawer ever since. I still wish it had a future.
• asimops 4y ago
  I am currently using a Pixel 4a, which in my opinion is the latest useable Pixel. Since we are basically doing market research, here is my take ;) It is kind of sorted by relevance as it is in the order in which it came to my mind. Here is what I need from a new phone: - height between 145mm and 150mm - width between 70mm and 75mm - thickness up to 15mm, I honestly don't care - storage atleast 128GB, expandable if possible - 3.5mm heaphone jack - USB-C 3 (at least 5Gbps) - fingerprint (in-display, or front bezel, back is also acceptable) - stock Android - hardware security features of the Pixel Line (Secure Element, Hardware attestation, everything that would make the GrapheneOS people want that phone) - "enough" RAM, maybe 6-8GB - recent SOC but *not* a power hungry flagship, I want the efficiency king - battery for two days of messengers and phone calls (no games, no social media crap) - no glas where it doesn't need to be - current wifi and bluetooth This is what is nice to have: - small top bezel for camera, ear piece, sensors - small bottom bezel to better reach the on display controls - fingerprint resistent, non slippery and light casing (maybe aluminium frame with tpu around) - easy to replace battery (doesn't need to be hot swappable, but no glue, not burried under the mainboard or next to *flimsy* ribbon cables) - IPXX rating - camera on Pixel 5 level
• vonwoodson 4y ago
  I got an iPhone mini, and I can tell you that it is truly a wonderful experience. A small premium android would be a great idea.
• osigurdson 4y ago
  One theory for the iPhone mini's lack of success is people currently equate an expensive phone as a somewhat larger device (but not huge). The iPhone mini looks a bit like an old iPhone 5 from a distance. Paying a premium for something that looks like what everyone already has two or three of in their junk drawer is a tough trade-off for many people. The longer battery life then becomes the rational anchor. In any case, I certainly hope they make a smaller devices again in 4-6 years.
• delta_p_delta_x 4y ago
  So basically the Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact[0], then. Unfortunately this phone is approaching four years out of date. I owned it (still do, technically; I just gave it to a relative) and it was by and large the best smartphone I ever had. Even 4 years after purchase, the battery still lasts for 5+ hours of screen-on-time, the front-firing speakers are extremely powerful, and there are no noticeable slowdowns. It experienced some water damage early on, so the screen likes to randomly spazz out on occasion; there is also no headphone jack (this was when Sony attempted to follow the trend, to tremendous backlash). Addendum: I daresay many of the demographic here at Hacker News likes phones similar to that of /r/Android: headphone jack, notchless rectangular display, SD card slot, notification LED, not-too-crazy design, and there's literally only one company doing all this: Sony. [0]: https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=9082&idPhone2=11104 https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=9082&idPhone2...
• needle0 4y ago
  The Rakuten Hand 5G ( https://network.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/product/smartphone/rakuten-hand-5g/ https://network.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/product/smartphone/raku... ) sounds like it fits the bill at 138 × 63 × 9.5mm vs iPhone 13 mini's 131.5 × 64.2 × 7.65mm, though it's only available in Japan from Rakuten Mobile.
  • pellaeon 4y ago
    Rakuten also previously released a tiny Rakuten Mini with 3.6 inch screen https://network.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/product/smartphone/rakuten-mini/ https://network.mobile.rakuten.co.jp/product/smartphone/raku... Sharp also makes a lot of interesting phones: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/05/japans-sharp-aquos-r7-is-the-cure-for-bad-smartphone-design/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/05/japans-sharp-aquos-r... Plus, Xperia Compact series is from Sony. That made me wonder: - Why does it seem like Japanese manufacturers are the only ones making "different" phones? - Many other threads are talking about the lack of components and lack of component manufacturer interest, but if so, how did the Japanese manufacturers did it? - What is special about the Japanese market that allows these phones to survive? - What difficulty would there be for let's say Rakuten to sell their phones internationally just like Sony did? A few points of relevant observation: - Japanese consumer electronics manufacturers have a habit of keeping their best products only to Japan - such as DSLRs. - There is a strong customer base for mini devices in Japan. GPD pocket laptops are in regular stores.
    • fomine3 4y ago
      More local small models: Balmuda phone, mode1 GRIP. For Sharp, they are also OLED/Camera CMOS manufacturer so maybe it's easier to make custom one (and it's one of a purpose to have own factory). Japan mobile careers buy much amount of devices at launch from manufacturer, that helps for constant sales. Even if sales for customers is bad, it's already sold for career.
• atoreno 4y ago
  Can’t wait for a mini android phone
• perryizgr8 4y ago
  I was the owner of a Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini. It was the smallest phone I ever used. Fast, nice UI, fully featured, decent camera. The only downside was the horrible battery life. But I loved it, it was just so small. I miss the trend of making all electronic smaller and smaller.
• DanHulton 4y ago
  I actually ended up going out and buying an iPhone mini today because of this thread. An upgrade from the 12 Pro. I love it. It's SO much lighter, and small enough that I can reach the entire screen one-handed, so no longer do I need to awkwardly try to find a place to put down whatever I'm carrying in my other hand just so I can text or interact comfortably.
• gkhartman 4y ago
  I like smaller size phones as well. I've considered the recent Moto Razr models. But I can't get over the fear of mechanical failure due to the hinge and folding screen. I'd much rather have a viable mainline linux phone even at a larger size, but that's for another thread.
• shp0ngle 4y ago
  Are you sure you cannot buy such a phone from Aliexpress? They have all shapes and sizes of random stuff... they surely have a small Android phone.
  • dmead 4y ago
    99% chance this is just going to be a whiteboxed phone of similar origin.
• husamia 4y ago
  well, you have the foldable android
• laserbeam 4y ago
  I am in the same bucket, recently switched to an iPhone mini. I did make a ruckus about small phones not existing. I have found 1-2 supporters of the idea within the dozens of people I complained to. Based on my small sample size I'd say 3-5% of the market would be willing to buy a small phone. A much smaller percentage would be actively looking for a small phone. I think those are optimistic numbers (sadly).
• deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
• JoshTko 4y ago
  I've had the iPhone Mini since launch and it's basically the perfect phone. I use it without a case and it hasn't gotten any scratches. Camera is excellent, video is solid, processor/RAM is never fully utilized, battery life is very good, if feels amazing to be able to use with just one hand, it's relatively light, and the screen color/brightness/resolution is excellent.
• ck2 4y ago
  Droid Mini was a great smaller phone, a bit ahead of its time in features but locked bootloader doomed it for 3rd party life extension (cyanogenmod, lineageos) https://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_droid_mini-5603.php https://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_droid_mini-5603.php Dang can't believe it's a decade old, I still have a few sitting in a box unused.
• airtonix 4y ago
  OP wants the Samsung s10e
• santioriginal 4y ago
  I'd like a small phone, big battery (I don't mind clunky/brick) or changeable * excellent dac * headphone jack * FM dab+ * ir * for camera: join up with Ricoh / Pentax *
• Helmut10001 4y ago
  I still use my HTC HD2 (12 years old) because I could not find a small phone. It is now on its 5th battery and still working flawlessy. The caveat is: I only have 5 apps and because there are no more.
• deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
• santioriginal 4y ago
  I'd like a small phone, big battery (I don't mind a bulge) or changeable * excellent dac * headphone jack * FM dab+ * ir * I would say: partner with Ricoh / Pentax for camera and with Onkyo for audio. Fujitsu as manufacturer.
• oogabooga13 4y ago
  I use the iPhone SE (Gen 2) and appreciate the size not the battery life. From a connectivity standpoint even the Apple Watch is sufficient (for me!) in a world where I have my iPad / Laptop / Desktop to choose from depending on the content and with the the M1 laptop even App Store games; where I want to play them is a matter of ultimate convince and choice these days. It seems like the mini didn't sell well and that is unfortunate, hopefully we can still have enough range of size choice within the iPhone eco system moving forward.
• aceazzameen 4y ago
  This thread is making me miss the original Motorola Droid. It was the perfect pocket size phone with a slide out physical keyboard. I hated the day I upgraded away because the storage was too small to keep up with app sizes. Give me that same phone with modernized internal specs and a decent camera. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.
• secsubsc 4y ago
  I am using an iPhone SE only because of its size. Android devices are huge, the top factor is its battery life - to have a good battery (as Android consumes more battery) they need to keep its size big.
• mixmix 4y ago
  I've been using my iPhone SE since 2016 and man do I wish there was something to switch to by now. I don't think I can stand PWM on newer OLED iPhones (that includes 12/13 mini) and I will dearly miss the headphone jack. If there were a modern (un-Googled) Android phone like the 1st-gen iPhone SE, I'd be ready to spend $800 on it, I don't even care about cameras, fingerprint sensors, or NFC.
• dhzhzjsbevs 4y ago
  It's not going to happen. The only people who like small form factor phones are tall men. Every other demographic still needs two hands for a 5" phone and thus opts for more screen real-estate almost all of the time.
  • hedora 4y ago
    5" is still too big though. The iPhone SE screen is a fine size at 4.7"
    • dhzhzjsbevs 4y ago
      iPhone 8/se is the same size as a mini isn't it? Just smaller screen. Personally 5" screen size is one hand usable for me. It's. Little stretch for one corner but otherwise it's fine. I've just resided myself at this point. Sticking with a bigger phone. Currently enjoying 3 day battery life off one charge with my mid range Samsung.
  • testermelon 4y ago
    > Every other demographic still needs two hands for a 5" phone... Sorry to sound snarky, but make it smaller then. 4" sounds good to me.
• kuon 4y ago
  I'd like a smaller phone too, but with a bigger battery. If I browse the web in the, I cannot use my phone to buy my train ticket as you have to show the QR code and 4G is killing the battery really quickly. My current phone is a one plus 5T and the new phone could have 3cm less in height and 1 in width while being 4 time thicker. Ideally I'd like addon battery to come back, you remember those nokia 3310 with the added huge battery? I want that. Now I have an external battery, but I need a cable and it's not that practical. As a more general comment, I'd like "design" to be less important. I don't care if my phone is a dumb cube like shape. I want function.
• underlines 4y ago
  I bought one of the first mainstream Phablets, the Samsung Galaxy Note 1 and everyone laughed at me. Now people all own larger devices.
• magic_hamster 4y ago
  Got an Asus Zenfone 8 and it's the best decision I could make. It has great specs and it's so convenient. The only downside is the camera which isn8as good as the camera you get in iphone or Galaxy devices, it's fairly good but not outstanding.
• KernelPryanic 4y ago
  Yes, yes, yes!
• MrDresden 4y ago
  Still using my Pixel 3 (still holds a full charge for around 15 hours of use) and simply can't imagine going for anything bigger. My only option will be to go for the Pixel 6a once it comes out this summer (I only want stock OS, and "LTS")
• coolg54321 4y ago
  I think sony xperia 5 iii is the closest you can get, may be a tad big 6.1", but it has everything flagship snapdragon, stockish android, 5G, 8/128 GB, NFC, 3 rear cameras, IP68, Fingerprint sensor on power button, big 4500mah battery with added on goodies like sd card, 3.5mm jack
• tech2 4y ago
  The Sony Xperia Z5 Compact was my previous phone that I'd had from 2015 until mid last year. It was close to perfect. Waterproof, headphone socket, SD slot. If a new version of that were released with less of a screen border than the original I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Thickness could stay the same too, I'd like the additional runtime rather than everything needing to be wafer-thin.
• raynr 4y ago
  After years of lurking, I wrote a post over on /r/android on this... in 2019. By then the small phone minority had been loud and vocal for some years already. Based on the responses and trends observed since then, I don't think this is ever going to happen. Tech savvy users for tech savvy products are gone. It is now a consumerism and popularity driven market, small phones simply don't have the bling factor to sell. Even if this was not the case, logically, if you have only one mobile computing device, you would be better of getting a big one so you that you can do more with it. Read more e-mail, watch more content, play more games, take better pictures (bigger phones tend to have more space for more options). And for us die hard small phone folks, well, all of us need a phone, right? And since all of our phones stop getting updates after a few years (iPhone notwithstanding), we will complain loudly about the lack of small phones... and then buy a big phone anyway. The best we can hope for is for manufacturers to make a loss leading mini line. Like Sony, Samsung, and Google used to do. Now that they do not, I own an iPhone 13 mini, and I hope to use it with battery replacements for at least 4 years. I put my money where my mouth is for the longest time. My phone history: iPhone 3G, iPhone 4, Sony Z1 compact, Sony Z3 Compact, Sony Z5 Compact, Sony XZ1 Compact (good golly gosh what a fantastic phone that was), Pixel 3, iPhone 13 Mini. But our market is too small. RIP small phones.
  • fennecfoxy 4y ago
    I would so buy a modernised Xperia Mini Pro, it was such an amazing phone/format. Recent camera/screen etc and maybe a bit thinner and it'd be so perfect.
  • testermelon 4y ago
    > Now that they do not, I own an iPhone 13 mini, and I hope to use it with battery replacements for at least 4 years. I own an iPhone 12 Mini, and if it ever breaks in the future I plan to buy the iPhone 13 Mini, even though by that time it will be on the brink of being obsolete. And if that also ever breaks I will buy another 13 Mini again if they still sell it. No matter what.
• gridder 4y ago
  I want an iPhone Mini Pro. Please Apple do it!
• abujazar 4y ago
  I find even the iPhone 12 mini way too large. The iPhone 4 form factor was perfect.
• rd07 4y ago
  The lack of less-than-5-inches android phones also disappointed me. My first and second android phones come with 4.7 and 5.0 inches display respectively. And then, when I have to upgrade to my current phone which is 6.4 inches, I feel like my hands are a little too small for it and I have to constantly use 2 hands to hold it so it won't drop.
• emberfiend 4y ago
  The Atom XL fits the bill, doesn't it? Or do you want bleeding edge specs & chipset? I like the general idea and wish that there were more small phones available.
• aucls 4y ago
  You are the man erohead ! For me beside the size, main feature would be batery follow by camera and connectivity (5g, nfc, wifi)
• oleg_antonyan 4y ago
  Glad to see I'm not the only one who hates big smartphones. Not b/c of small hands, but b/c I hate carrying plasma TV in my pocket. btw, let's go below 5"
• supermatt 4y ago
  I want an iPhone mini sized iPhone pro :/
  • gridder 4y ago
    Same. Please Apple!
• usrusr 4y ago
  So, how much would we be willing to pay for an Android distribution that runs on the iPhone mini?
• toss1 4y ago
  >>Cameras must be as good as Pixel 5 -- must have great low light performance >>2 rear cameras (regular and wide angle) Upgrade that to as good as Samsung S22 Ultra w/10x Optical zoom; also great macro capability, so make that 3 cameras. >> 128/256gb Storage Fine, but I'd also like to see removable storage >>4 hours Screen On Time (SOT) I'm looking more for 6h - I'd rather have a thicker/heavier device and longer battery While I like my smaller Samsung GS8, I'm upgrading to the S22U and not the smaller S22 specifically for the camera and bigger battery (and the fact that the GS8 is no longer supported with upgrades). I'm not sure how I'll like larger form factor, but I'm sure I'll love the larger screen too, so trade-offs. EDIT: Basically, I want a full set of top-of-the-line flagship features in a small form factor. It used to be that smaller was extra, as it required more engineering, not smaller is cheaper like kiddie-plate food portions. I suppose we'll have to wait until the foldable formats become more unbreakable/reliable and they upgrade all the features to top-of-the-line.
• dncornholio 4y ago
  I'm still running the Sony Xperia Compact Z1. Have upgraded it twice with an iPhone 7 and a OnePlus. Gave both away away to people who enjoyed them WAY and WAY more than I did. Think I'm going to carry my Z1 till it literally stops working. So far, I can still do 1 to 1.5 days with my battery easily.
• mickotron 4y ago
  I moved from Pixel/GrapheneOS to iPhone 13 mini. Would go Pixel in a heartbeat if I could get the size of iPhone mini.
• BiteCode_dev 4y ago
  If you are on HN, you likely use a computer a lot. But 15 years ago, a switch occurred, and nowaday, there are way more people using a phone that don't have a computer at home, or use it rarely. This means for the vast majority of people today, and hence customers, the phone IS the computer. It's the entry point for everything. They consume content, shop and even work on that. But phones have terrible ergonomics. Their productivity sucks. One of the reason is the limited screen space. For someone using a phone, mostly as a communication device, while doing important things on a computer, a small phone makes sense. I'm this kind of person. My phone is too big for my taste. Anything complicated, I reach for my laptop: it's more efficient. Phones are terrible at multitasking, and constraint myself to 2 finger typings, tabs that open in several steps and a viewport of the size of 2 credit cards? But we are not the target. For the target, a big screen is the mandatory crunch they need because they watch a lot videos, do banking, read pdf and even type work stuff on their phone. This tiny, constrained square they have to make do with for everything. It makes small screen a hard sell. The iphone mini was not a great success if we compare it to other phones, despite everybody claiming we would all love it.
• xtrimsky1234 4y ago
  I agree, it's the reason this year I switched to iPhone even if I clearly prefer Android :(
• mc4ndr3 4y ago
  Users don't "want" gigantic bliddy phones. Marketers give extravagant presentations to justify their positions, claiming that users want big phones. Then the engineering team is instructed to design big phones. Then only big phones are available. If it doesn't fit in your pocket, at least make it comfortable to hold in your lap. Now marketing has "data" that appears to indicate that people want even bigger phones. Repeat, until the form factor beggars the moon.
• CurrentB 4y ago
  Don't have much to add here but I desperately feel the need to +1 this in case any manufacturers are paying attention. Every phone I bought was google's latest flagship since the G1 came out, including the most recent pixel 6 (non pro). I absolutely hate the size of it and went back to my pixel 4. I really am disappointed that google is forcing me to shop around more, and that apparently there aren't any great options.
• timmyjoe42 4y ago
  I like phones that fit into my pocket and allow me to sit down. I refuse to wear a belt clip.
• dr_pardee 4y ago
  Finally, a phone aimed at me! GREATEST PHONE EVER. I told Eric we could do this and he went ahead and did this. He's a genius, not like me, I'm an ultra genius, but good guy - Donald Trump
• barfingclouds 4y ago
  I went from iPhone 13 mini, to iPhone SE 2020 and was way happier. That screen was too big and no home button sucks. I yesterday just bought an iPhone SE 1 (shape of the iPhone 5s) (the smallest/oldest phone AT&T will support because of 3g removal). Excited to try it out
• ppjim 4y ago
  Like this one? https://palm.com/pages/product https://palm.com/pages/product
• deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
• terrycody 4y ago
  And must be LCD (good ones)!
• vietvu 4y ago
  Small enough is nice but I desperately need an iPhone like battery Android. Battery issue on Android is ridiculous.
• theriddlr 4y ago
  No OLED please. I suffer from PWM sensitivity. Couldn't use the iPhone 13 Mini because of this. https://www.notebookcheck.net/PWM-Ranking-Notebooks-Smartphones-and-Tablets-with-PWM.163979.0.html https://www.notebookcheck.net/PWM-Ranking-Notebooks-Smartpho... I was dragged kicking and screaming from my iPhone SE 2016 as apps don't work on it anymore and it would shut down when it reached peak performance capacity. I used the Pixel 4A and have switched to the iPhone SE 2022. I get wrist tendon cramp from stretching to type and pinky strain from the weight on both phones. I also loved the Xperia Compact line as it had pro features such as noise-cancelling wired earphones and NFC. My phone history: iPhone 4, Xperia V, Xperia Z1 Compact, Xperia Z5 Compact, iPhone SE 2016, iPhone 13 Mini, Pixel 4A, iPhone SE 2022.
• theriddlr 4y ago
  https://www.notebookcheck.net/Sony-Xperia-Ace-3-Compact-smartphone-unveiled-in-multiple-colours-with-a-4-500-mAh-battery.618881.0.html https://www.notebookcheck.net/Sony-Xperia-Ace-3-Compact-smar... This but it's gimped by low-end specs
• hirawat 4y ago
  I have been using Pixel 4a. Check all the boxes. Just that the last Security Updates will be untill August 2023. - Just need a newer version to this series.
• SteadBytes 4y ago
  > 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!