Umm, you still can buy them
They cost like 10 dollars each man, it’s not that difficult
Why can't we go back to small phones?
Submitted 1 year ago by corbin@infosec.pub to technology@lemmy.world
https://www.spacebar.news/cant-go-back-to-small-phones/
Comments
IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
Because most people use their phone as their main, if not only, device, so a bigger screen is more desirable to consume content.
iopq@lemmy.world 1 year ago
By that logic everyone should buy a foldable
IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
Unfortunately, they haven’t figured out a way to get gorilla glass to bend and not shatter so the current plastic screen is way too weak and a fingernail can scratch it. Not good for a $1500+ device.
A $100 Motorola Moto G Play has a 6.5 inch screen. To get a foldable big enough to double the screen area would cost $1400 more. Most people couldn’t afford that, so the budget phone is the best price/screensize compromise. The foldable still get more easily scratched than the $100 phone which just makes foldables very bad.
needanke@feddit.org 1 year ago
I would if they were more durable, easier to repair and cheaper…
the@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
I would, if long term durability is not a concern and the price is not too damn expensive.
Basically if money is no issue.
rottingleaf@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I just want Star Wars style comlink. Wearable on my belt or neck, with a strap in case of dropping it.
Will have to be a bit bigger, to have enough keys. And some display, preferably monochrome text-only.
But in general it should be a device not emitting horrible blue light all the time.
About form - I think something round with keys on the sides is still a good idea.
Shardikprime@lemmy.world 1 year ago
You want a pager or beeper
rottingleaf@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I’d like it to run something Unix functionality-wise and be usable for voice calls.
surph_ninja@lemmy.world 1 year ago
When are we finally going to get curved phones on some kind of bracer? They wear them in every futuristic movie, we finally have curved screens, and no one’s made one for wearing on your forearm yet.
Blackmist@feddit.uk 1 year ago
Sounds like a big smart watch.
And I’m not sure how useful the Pip-Boy format would be. Now you’ve got a device that still requires both arms to use, but you can only use one hand…
surph_ninja@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Exactly. I wish at least the smart watches were 2-3x wider to be more useful. Maybe just give us some kind of arm dock that curves the device when attached, and flattens when removed for more hands on stuff.
BarbecueCowboy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
More than one company has gotten to the prototype stage. You don’t realize how much the form factor sucks until it’s real.
surph_ninja@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Maybe they could make a pop out version that would flatten when off the dock. Seems like it would be less wear and tear going from slightly curved to flat than the screens that fold completely.
setsubyou@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Samsung had a smart watch with a curved screen and a 3g modem in 2014 (the original Gear S). I guess it didn’t work out.
OhNoMoreLemmy@lemmy.ml 1 year ago
Because they’re fucking stupid.
I can pick up a phone in either hand and type on it, and I can play games using both hands at once. If I’m using a bracer, it means I can’t do anything else with either hand or use my off hand to interact with it.
surph_ninja@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Honestly sounds like a benefit. Could help battle phone addiction.
Fredthefishlord@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 year ago
Bracer if unbreakable could be decent to use a gadget for industry applications, I think. Easier to check the screen, without keeping one of your arms off to do so
tal@lemmy.today 1 year ago
Why can’t we go back to small phones?
The iPhone SE is dead,
Is there any chance that you chose to lock yourself into a very small walled garden with a vendor who might make decisions about product that you might not agree with?
Apple is the only one making iOS phones, and Apple doesn’t seem interested in small devices anymore, so that door is shut.
Right. You stick yourself in that garden, you are gambling that the vendor is going to come out with the product that you want.
There are still a few niche companies working on smaller devices, like Unihertz, but those phones almost always have low-end hardware and limited software support.
Well, size is kind of a constraint on what hardware you can put in the thing.; I’d think that he’d be okay
If what you mean by “limited software support” is “apps are going to be optimized for the bulk of users and will probably feel small if the great bulk of users are using larger screens”, well…I mean, yeah.
The iPhone 3 SE you have:
4.7-inch (diagonal) widescreen LCD Multi‑Touch display with IPS technology
1334-by-750-pixel resolution at 326 ppi
Memory 4 GB LPDDR4X RAM
www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2022&nRamM…
Let’s grab one from that list:
gsmarena.com/ulefone_armor_mini_20t_pro-13298.php
Size 4.7 inches, 53.3 cm2 (~63.1% screen-to-body ratio)
Same screen size as your phone.
Resolution 720 x 1600 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~373 ppi density)
30 pixels narrower, but 266 pixels taller than your phone.
8GB RAM
Twice the memory of your phone.
Can buy online in the US:
Now, you may not be able to get an iOS phone that fits your hardware wants, but them’s the breaks when you go with a platform that has only a single vendor making hardware for it.
Zak@lemmy.world 1 year ago
That phone isn’t actually small. It has a small screen, but it’s 25mm thick and weighs 300g.
iarigby@lemmy.world 1 year ago
“walled garden” - how many 5.4” android phones can you name from the current decade?
kilgore_trout@feddit.it 1 year ago
I agree, it’s like the author is saying “why did public-market company I trusted blindly is not doing what I (minority) want?”
umean2me@discuss.online 1 year ago
I think it’s a valid criticism that should be welcomed. You could make this argument for any company when they make a bad decision.
“Oh well you trusted this company blindly so why are you upset and criticizing this design choice you don’t agree with.”
I also am not convinced a criticism is less meaningful if it’s the minority opinion. Many such cases in the world where the minority opinion is proven to be better for the majority.
01189998819991197253@infosec.pub 1 year ago
And it has a flir camera. Not super useful for the masses, but flippin awesome nonetheless
Sustolic@lemmy.world 1 year ago
RAM is a horrible indication of phone performance imo.
The A15 chip in the iPhone 3 SE absolutely destroys the Dimensity 6300 chip in the 8GB phone you linked
A lot of people had liked iPhone because for the longest time android phones were not able to compete in the cpu/gpu space especially around the time of the iPhone 11.
Although now at the high end android phones are much closer together in performance so it’s more about what features you care about more between the phones.
MangoCats@feddit.it 1 year ago
Flip phones with 7 day battery life, including 20 hours of talk time?
tal@lemmy.today 1 year ago
I assume that the author specifically wants a smartphone.
JustARaccoon@lemmy.world 1 year ago
The truth is though that it’s not an apple-specific thing. On the android side Asus was the last large phone maker to ship modern small phones, and even they have taken over their zenfone line (small phones line) with a large phone for the ZenFone 11.
Based on reports from companies, it sounds like the market is just not there, at least not big enough to warrant the R&D compared to “regular” phones which make them good money.
twocupsofsugar@lemmy.world 1 year ago
people like larger phones because they like social media. For people in developing countries a cell phone is their only personal computer so for them having larger screen more preferable. People just like larger phones. I loath them because I don’t have pockets. I could probably live with a dumb phone, but mobile banking, and maps are too useful of a feature for me to live without out. tbh unless your a power user or gamer there really isn’t much of a reason to upgrade your cellphone anyway
tal@lemmy.today 1 year ago
I loath them because I don’t have pockets
This is especially an issue for women, who often have more form-fitting clothing that either doesn’t have pockets or have very small ones that don’t work for phones.
I think that the usual solution for “women carrying things” is that many are gonna carry a purse – if someone’s pre-menopause, they’re gonna need pads or tampons anyway, so can put it in there. Problem is that the phone breaks this. Even if women have a purse, women don’t always carry their purse all around the office or house or whatever, but don’t want to miss calls.
My mother got a fanny pack just for her phone (which isn’t even all that large).
pieceworkmagazine.com/a-brief-history-of-the-pock…
At one point in the past, it used to be common for women to wear a bag on a belt accessible through a slit in their dress.
The first examples of pockets began to be inserted into men’s clothing at the end of the 1600s. Before this construction development, illustrations show that men used small pouches, which hung from a belt around the waist. These separate pouches could be concealed inside of a coat or tunic. The words pouch and pocket are related, through the Middle English/Northern French word pouche, originally describing a small bag.
For women, pockets remained an accessory that tied around the waist and was accessed through an opening in a skirt’s seam. The full skirts of the 1700s allowed these pockets to be easily hidden.
I think that the solution is gonna be some women’s clothier figuring out how to make an appealing way of carrying a phone.
Lara Croft runs around with thigh holsters. That doesn’t mess with the body silhouette, which I assume is why women don’t want male-style large pocket, non-form-fitting clothing. So maybe something like that would work. Dunno how much of a chafing issue that is.
IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
For people in developing countries
Oh its not just developing countries. My parents in the USA have their phone as their only device
AeonFelis@lemmy.world 1 year ago
If they make the phones smaller they’ll have to make the ads smaller too. Can’t have that.
yarn@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
Yes please. I really dislike iOS, but I use the iPhone 13 Mini for work and it’s the perfect form factor. I desperately want an Android phone that’s the same size, but I’m rocking a Flip which is the best I can do for small form factor right now.
Spezi@feddit.org 1 year ago
The iPhone 13 mini was the perfect size and if Apple would have used that as a base for their new SE instead of the shitty 16e, I would have bought it in a heartbeat. Just give me a thicc 13 mini with a good battery, camera and a new processor.
yarn@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
Same, and I’ve never used an iOS device as a daily driver outside to work. I would literally dump my whole investment in the Android ecosystem over favourable form factor, especially now that Apple is on board with USBC.
I’d buy another 13 Mini, but I’m worried about how long it’ll be before planned obsolescence takes over.
potentiallynotfelix@lemmy.fish 1 year ago
Check out unihertz jelly phones, they are pretty impressive.
yarn@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
Thanks for the recommendation! I’ve checked them out before but found them a bit too bulbous.
howlingecko@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
I’ll continue to carry my iPhone mini since there isn’t a comparable option
Pregnenolone@lemmy.world 1 year ago
How many times is this going to be regurgitated? The question has been well and truly answered.
We don’t buy them.
MichaelScotch@lemmy.world 1 year ago
[deleted]Pregnenolone@lemmy.world 1 year ago
They don’t care about “you”. They care about their “consumers” (as in, you in bulk), who don’t buy them.
It’s capitalism; simple as that.
MangoCats@feddit.it 1 year ago
Not to mention: the old people (the ones with money) can’t see them.
lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
That, and small phones on the Android side are often nerfed beyond reason, like a bottom-of-the-barrel Mediatek SoC with low RAM and shit storage option instead of the bigger model’s Snapdragon and quality storage, or shit cameras, or garbage screen resolution, etc etc.
There is something to be said about the larger variant having more room for better cameras, but outside of that, the nerfing feels almost intentional.
wccrawford@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Small size means a smaller battery. If they make the phone’s processor too powerful, the battery will run out in less than a day, and then everyone will be mad about that. There’s also less surface to dissipate heat.
Making things smaller is harder and more expensive, but people who want small phones don’t want to pay more than large phones.
Xanza@lemm.ee 1 year ago
How many times is this going to be regurgitated?
OP is an iPhone user. They’re very used to their tiny phones and they love them and simply can’t understand why everyone wants a large phone.
kilgore_trout@feddit.it 1 year ago
It’s a blind take. If iPhone 16 Pro Max sold less than iPhoneSE, then they would still sell the latter.
But there is no comparison.
BradleyUffner@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I like big phones (and I can not lie)
loweffortname@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 year ago
My brother despises bug phones and cannot tell the truth…
sommerset@thelemmy.club 1 year ago
I don’t want a small phone
TheWilliamist@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Galaxy Xcover series.
IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
3.5 jack is easy, most budget phones have them (along with a MicroSD card slot)
The replaceable battery? That’s gonna be hard to find. There the obvious Fairphone, but its very costly for its specs and is only made for EU, and even if someone from the US imports it, the only US carrier allowing it is Tmobile.
Samsung Galaxy XCover series have IP67 Water resistance, headphone jack, and MicroSD card slot, and the replaceable battery, but its specs are not that good for its cost (as reported by various Reddit users).
I wouldn’t trust the water resistance tho. One drop into a puddle and the back comes off exposing the internals.
SnortsGarlicPowder@lemmy.zip 1 year ago
The xcovers backs usually stay on when you drop them and the back only really holds the battery in. The internals are protected by another layer of plastic.
As you say the specs do suck though.
tal@lemmy.today 1 year ago
3.5 jack.
They exist, but it’ll constrain your phone choices a lot.
I’d just get a USB-C-to-1/8"-TRS adapter. If you want to charge while playing, you can get one with passthrough.
Without passthrough:
or with passthrough:
Can probably just leave the thing plugged into your headphones.
sommerset@thelemmy.club 1 year ago
Yeah I get they exist, but I will lose that in a day
fishos@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Ummm we did? My pixel 9 pro is noticably smaller than my pixel 6 pro, much to my delight. Maybe stop buying the XL tablet phones and you’ll find they’re actually a reasonable size again. So many people in the comments rallying against an issue that isn’t even there. You’re just being told this is an issue. Do you even check for yourselves?
dreugeworst@lemmy.ml 1 year ago
this right here is the issue, people don’t even remember the size smartphone used to be. I’ve got a phone that’s one of the smallest available that still have decent hardware. the screen is still 6.1 inch. your example of a reasonable size is 6.3 inches.
what op and I are actually looking for is something around 5 - 5.3 inches instead, like smartphone used to be. For that size, all that is available today is no-name chinese phones with shit hardware and no support. the big brands are busy selling 6.2 inches as “compact” where it used to be considered phablet size
lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
The “small” P9P is considerably larger than the iPhone 12/13 mini, which is the size OP wants. My mother-in-law has an iPhone 13 mini and it’s very small, but nearly as fully-featured as the standard iPhone 13, which is where other manufacturers keep missing the mark.
madis@lemm.ee 1 year ago
I switched from OP 9 Pro to a Z Fold 6 to get the best of both worlds - a small, TV remote-like phone by default and a square-ish tablet for media and multitasking. Couldn’t be happier.
At the same time, I do understand people who thought the width of Samsung’s Folds is too small - my first consideration was OnePlus Open anyway, but upon actually holding it in store, I realized that Z Fold 6 is just more comfortable for me to hold closed.
icedterminal@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I work for a company that repairs these. The Flip and Fold phones have been riddled with issues since day one.
They’re literally plastic screens. Over time the crease on the screen where the hinge is will get so deep that Samsung’s required “screen protector” will no longer adhere. If you close the phone and the hinge decides to break, you can never open it a full 180 again. If you accidentally open it all the way too fast, you will literally rip the screen off the frame. The weak point is hinge which could lead to a thick black line across, or upper or lower portions malfunctioning. One day you may open the phone and it’s unresponsive to touch. Screens randomly fail all the time and either display static or nothing at all.
Samsung knows the failure rates and how they’re problematic. Any physical damage on the phone will void your warranty. If it’s the tiniest scratch, warranty void. Not kidding. I see Samsung deny them left and right. If you remove the pre-applied screen protector and replace it with your own, warranty void. They literally record how many times they’ve been dropped. If the count exceeds an acceptable value, warranty void.
In terms of outright failure across all phone brands and models, the flips and folds are #1. Behind that is the A series. But those are cheap so it’s expected.
Please purchase insurance for it if you can. It will save you at minimum $400 on a screen repair.
IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
Yea the plastic screens is why I didn’t like the “fold”/“flip” phones.
The other reason being that due to them being flagships, they also don’t have MicroSD card slots.
madis@lemm.ee 1 year ago
These are all good points and indeed I considered them. I’m curious though, how many 6nd gen foldables have you had to repair yet?
Jhex@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I’d never want to pay 2,500 for a phone… tht’s just insane
IDKWhatUsernametoPutHereLolol@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
These days I never go for flagships. I want 1TB storage and if I choose the 1TB phones, they’d cost $1500. I could get a Samsung A-Series and have the 1TB MicroSD Card slot at around $400 for the phone + a 1TB MicroSD card at around $130, so basically a $530 phone with a 1TB storage, $1000 cheaper than a flagship. I don’t play any games anyways these days (too depressed), I don’t even need flagship specs.
madis@lemm.ee 1 year ago
I absolutely agree, luckily I got mine used for 870€.
Buffalox@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I’m guessing it’s because most women carry their phone in a bag, so the bigger phone isn’t inconvenient and has the advantage of the bigger screen.
And I suppose most men prefer the bigger screen size, and they are convenient enough in the available sizes. I use a 6.7 inch, and it fits fine in a pocket for me.
Also note that although we have way bigger screens on modern phones, the bezels are way smaller, on the first smartphones the screen was only about 50% of the front face. So a 10 year old 4 inch phone can be about as big as a new 6 inch.HipsterTenZero@dormi.zone 1 year ago
because i want to play the entire gamecube library on my phone goddamnit
Imhotep@lemmy.world 1 year ago
people spend a third of their lives on those things. And while cumbersome, a big screen simply is better for media consumption
only way I see smaller phones make a comeback is if we change our habits or if a new technology comes along
FinishingDutch@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Consumers just aren’t that interested in a product that’s visibly cheaper and worse than what everyone else is carrying. And that is what a smaller phone signals.
Phones are a status purchase; they all do basically the same things, but most people gravitate towards higher end phones because they offer all the fancy features. Flagship phones are all large, so that’s what you see in the marketing. Just like you’ll never see a car company put its cheapest base model on a car catalog cover.
A smaller phone tends to cut corners; it’s not just smaller, but also functionally worse. While the price might be appealing, the potential customer also knows that using said phone will mean a worse experience, and might even get them ridiculed because they got ‘the cheap one’.
So we can absolutely go back to small phones - we just don’t want to. Smaller, cheaper, worse products just don’t appeal to a status-conscious buyer. If phone manufacturers offered the same specs at different sizes, that might change. But any savvy tech buyer knows a smaller phone is worse than the bigger one.
Back in the pre-smartphone days, size was a thing companies could compete on since customers wanted small, light, distinctive designs in premium materials. Like the Motorola Razr V3. These days, that just doesn’t work.
chiliedogg@lemmy.world 1 year ago
People don’t buy them for the price they’ll buy bigger phones. That’s it. That’s the whole story.
They have to make the phone cost $300 less to sell in meaningful numbers. Why do that when they could just not make them at all and sell fewer models at higher prices?
ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 year ago
Phones are already too small. I use a fold because it’s the only way I can get a decent sized phone now!
kameecoding@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I mean, we are the customers, we choose, personally I went with the iphone 15 pro, because the max is just ridiculous even though I am close to 2 meters tall and have big hands.
If people bought the smaller versions when they are available I am sure phone makers would react
randon31415@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Put it on a badge and make it so when you push on it, you say who you want call and it calls them.
Also make the badge the starfleet logo.
atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
I don’t understand why so many people here keep saying that it’s too hard to make a small phone when all these companies literally make watches with 5G connections…
Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 1 year ago
This author should’ve spent digging into the iPhone 12 / 13 mini, and how it was received in Apple communities a few years ago.
That experiment really showed that the small phone demographic is passionate and vocal, but small. Those phones sold well when the small-phone-fans ran out to buy them, but the sales numbers cooled off quick.
Given that Apple is working on a lightweight 17 “air” phone, my guess is that they learned screen size is too important for too many people, but they’re going to see if they can strike a middle ground with weight / pocket fit.
Crashumbc@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Because most people want big screens?
I mean, it is simple.
saltesc@lemmy.world 1 year ago
There are small phones. There’s more small phones than big phones. And I have big thumbs so stop whinging about the minority.
Ulrich@feddit.org 1 year ago
Because people don’t buy them.
DaddleDew@lemmy.world 1 year ago
One thing that annoys me on the market at the moment is that the majority of folding phones available are like small crappy tablets that fold into a large, impractical to carry phones, and not large, very usable phones that fold into something much more compact that is easier to carry…
twinnie@feddit.uk 1 year ago
I don’t want a small phone, I just want a normal phone that I can use in one of my normal sized hands. I have an iPhone 13 Mini right now and it’s pretty ideal but I know they’ll go end of life one day and there’s nothing to replace it right now.
MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 1 year ago
No, the tiny soft-keyboard on my old Galaxy Xcover is significantly easier to type.
Petter1@lemm.ee 1 year ago
How you know a boomer wrote that 🤣
MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 1 year ago