I know I have small hands but c’mon. Flagship phones these days are strait up small tablets, not even what we’d have called on phablets 15 years ago.
I know it’s what people buy, but I’m still sad that if I want a phone that small then I have to deal with camera and display a couple gens old
The pixel 9 pro is smaller than my pixel 6. And i hope they continue making smaller pro phones, and an xl variant cus i want to buy a smaller pixel when i need to buy a new one
I am happy with the size of my iPhone 16 and pretty sure there are other brands that don’t have these massive phones as tablets.
If I didn’t need the flexibility my Android (Lineage) gives me, the iPhone 13 mini is one phone that’s actually a nice size.
And my Samsung S10e - just it’s out of date for firmware updates.
Though I’d actually prefer something smaller and use my phone for less.
Hey at least it doesn’t have 3566 tonnes displacement
I just want a keyboard or a modern take on the Sidekick design.
The problem is they took it too far.
Plus, the larger phones do actually fit in my hands, so…
I have the opposite viewpoint. I miss big phones that were actually big, and not just really tall.
I miss my Nexus 6.
That is my exact complaint. The phones are too tall! I am ok with it being wider, but the height is insanity. The whole balance of the phone is awkward and I would be ok with more of the weight on the bottom instead of the middle of a tall ass phone.
The problem is any wider makes it so that it requires two hand to use comfortably for a lot of people. My S22 ultra is just barely comfortable in a case because of the rounded edges, I have tried to see what the S24s felt like and just the flat edges make it so that I can not use it one handed at all.
They used to have a whole variety.
Now top-end phones are all almost the same dimensions
I remember when I was picked on at work for how big my Note 3 was. They used to call it “my insecurity”. Now it’s basically smaller than the smallest standard size.
The Note 3 did look ridiculously large back then. Kind of insane.
I wish I could get a flagship phone with a swappable battery, headphone jack, SD slot and allow my apps to interface with each other’s files when I want without having to fuck around with permission bullshit… I don’t care if it’s the size of a dinner plate
Just get a USB-c dongle and let that sit on your headphones. These days nearly everything has USB-c anyway and the sound is way better. The last phones I had with the USB-c jack (RedMi Note 13 Pro and iPhone 4 before that) all sounded worse than me using a cheap DAC. Getting an expensive DAC will improve the sound even more.
Personally I say that most would need to get a NAS before they need a SD card or you need to get a dedicated Camera or MP4 player if your pictures or music exceed the 500GB max and streaming isn;t an option using a NAS.
The rest of your points are valid.
Personally I say that most would need to get a NAS before they need a SD card or you need to get a dedicated Camera or MP4 player if your pictures or music exceed the 500GB max and streaming isn;t an option using a NAS.
Yeah spending 100s of dollars on whole other devices you have to carry around instead of like 10 for an SD card makes a ton of sense.
Yeah man cause a SD card that sits in your phone also works as a backup solution.
It’s not a backup. Neither is a camera or MP4 player (which also can’t play games or display books/comics, so I’d be up to 4 devices to have all my media covered). It’s a way of keeping my media available while I am on the go with or without a internet connection. It’s by far the simplest solution and allows me to do everything on my phone.
A MP4 player can play games or display books/comics. The once from FiO basically are Android devices from which you cannot call (or maybe with an internet connection you can).
Being on the go without an internet connection is getting rarer and rarer anyway so that is less of an issue for most.
Truth of it all is that most people want tinner phones and/or wireless earbuds/headsets and the people who do not are for a big part audiophiles who want better audio quality than a phone is going to offer. So there is only a relatively small section of users who prefer the audio jack.
I used to want one and a SD card and a good 3mm jack as well, but it just doesn’t exist. So I switched to using a NAS (a raspberry Pi can get your pretty far), plus an iPod or Spotify with dongles or just wireless.
I don’t know of any with swappable batteries anymore. The HTC U24 and U23 series both have headphone jack and MicroSD slot. There are a few others.
Fairphone might be somewhat closer for what you want
FP5 doesn’t have a 3.5mm jack 😔
An external DAC is better anyway, just put that on your headphones.
Having to use a USB hub to use my earphones while i’m charging my phone is not my idea of a pleasant user experience.
Yeah that is fair, but I preferred that a lot more than just using the 3mm jack on my Redmi Note 13 Pro. Man the DAC in that thing sucks.
Yeah, that’s the problem. Why only 1 phone has the options most of us want?
I hate this billionaire-controlled timeline we’re on.
Because most people don’t need a 3mm jack anymore, I prefer to use a USB-c dac anyway the sound is better.
And I offload the data to a NAS anyway so the storage is irrelevant anyway.
Most people don’t care and if there’s no microSD slot, you can sell more expensive phones via overpriced internal storage. No 3.5mm jack, but we’ve got these wireless buds you could try. Would be stupid for companies to put these things back unfortunately.
HMD Skyline and Fusion also
Edit: Skyline doesn’t have headphone jack
No headphone jack on those unless I missed something.
Looks like Skyline doesn’t have one but Fusion does
App restrictions can be disabled in developer options.
I would categorize that as having to fuck around with permission bullshit but thank you for the suggestion.
Also make it durable. Thicker. Heavier. I’m going to slap a case on it otherwise
The Oppo X8 (non-Pro) is probably the smallest flagship with a top level chip and good camera currently made but it is only available in a few markets.
4in phones had poop batteries, but 6in is too big.
A big bright screen uses more battery. They could make the phone slightly thicker to accommodate a bigger battery.
Still, a 5in oled phone in dark mode is reasonable. LCD eats power like mad.
I agree. 5 in is The Sweet spot
I miss my Droid Mini.
I mean, i still have it. It’s just nigh worthless.I’m still rocking a galaxy s8 and I love it. Only problem is many of the apps are dropping support and I cant update the os.
Really not looking forward to a new phone but itll have to happen soon
What, Flagship? There’s no small phones anymore.
https://lemmy.world/c/compactphones - the activity here reflects this x_x
iPhone SE is small. I have been buying them when coming out, they have been fantastic. If you want android, not sure what’s out there.
Same here. The Google Pixel, but I think they recently eliminated the small version.
The next one will likely be big. They also discontinued the Mini which was an awesome phone.
Yea unfortunately it could go up in size. We will see shortly
The 3rd gen SE is 4.7 inches, the new one is rumored to be 6.06 and shaped like iPhone 14. MacRumors often gets these things right, too.
That’s too bad. The old se series was great
Yeah. I’d settle for a 17 mini, but I doubt we’re getting one of those either, given that there was no 14, 15 or 16 mini :/
Man I loved the 2016 one. Got the 2020 one when that broke and that was already too big for me. I have chronic tendonitis, stretching like that is painful.
People simply did not buy the small phones.
I bought them until they stopped making them… My favorite phone was the Sony Xperia X Compact with a 4.6" screen. It had decent midrange specs and a great camera.
There are some niche small budget phones from China these days which beat your old Xperia. No flagships, but small (and cheap)
Asked ChatGPT for a list and got this: (the “UniHerz Jelly Max” and the “Qin3Ultra” look decent)
• Fonepia Q9 mini – Display: ~4.0 inches (540p) – Release: 2024 – Overview: A very pocketable device from a niche manufacturer, built for minimalists who value size over high‑end specs.
• Cubot KingKong mini 3 – Display: ~4.5 inches (480p) – Release: 2024 – Overview: Engineered for durability and compactness, it fits easily in one hand or a small pocket.
• Doogee S mini – Display: ~4.5 inches (480p) – Release: 2024 – Overview: A rugged mini smartphone that offers the basics in a very small chassis.
• Blackview N6000 – Display: ~4.3 inches (540p) – Release: 2024 – Overview: Known for its tough build, this phone packs essential smartphone functions into a tiny screen.
• 8849 Tank mini – Display: ~4.3 inches (520p) – Release: 2024 – Overview: Combines a robust (if no‑nonsense) design with an ultra‑compact form factor.
• Ulefone Mini 20T Pro – Display: ~4.7 inches (720p, 90Hz) – Release: 2024 – Note: This model offers a slightly larger screen and smoother performance; manufacturers in this segment are known to refresh their lines in early 2025, so a 2025 update is possible.
• Unihertz Jelly Max – Display: ~5.0 inches (720p) – Release: 2024 – Overview: Unihertz specializes in ultra‑compact designs, and while the Jelly Max launched in 2024, expect an updated version in 2025 as the brand continues to cater to fans of credit‑card‑sized smartphones.
• QIN 3 Ultra – Display: ~5.0 inches (720p) – Release: 2024 – Overview: A compact phone with modern features; there are indications that its series may see a refresh or an updated variant in 2025.
• NanoPhone – Display: ~3.5 inches tall – Release: Late 2024 (with promotional pricing and deals extending into early 2025) – Overview: Marketed for minimalists and those wanting to reduce screen time, this ultra‑mini smartphone offers 4G and Wi‑Fi in a device that can literally fit in your wallet.
But do they actually work with US carriers (VoLTE)?
This Uniherz Jelly Max claims to support Verizon and T-Mobile https://www.amazon.com/Unihertz-Jelly-Max-Smallest-Smartphone/dp/B0DFM5B5CQ
I bought one as recently as the iPhone 13 mini, but Apple has also discontinued their normal sized phones :(
I know, I said as much in my post - although rereading it, it’s kinda phrased ambiguously
I started off with iphone 7, then pixel 5, now on pixel 7a. With each phone, it got increased in size. Pixel 5 was a compromise for me. Pixel 7a feels a step too big to be pocketable.
Do you have small pockets?
Pixel 5 was the perfect size, imho.
As you add more compute per user interaction (“smart” features), you increase power consumption. To keep an 18hour discharge cycle, you have to have more battery. Since phone thickness is a negative marketing feature but increased screen size is a positive marketing feature, you end up with bigger phones.
Every time they reduce compute power consumption, feature inflation overtakes the gain and more power is needed over time. Try turning on battery saver in the morning… even with “normal” use the battery will last significantly longer due to disabling background power consumption.
