• DynamoSunshirtSandals@possumpat.io
    ·
    11 months ago

    I'm definitely a small phone lover. I don't watch videos on my phone if I can avoid it and tend to consume text-heavy content.

    Currently bouncing between an Xperia XZ1 Compact running Lineage 17.1 and an iPhone SE 2016 (!!!) running iOS 15. I get security updates for both, but it's clear that I'll have to move to a different phone in the next year or two.

    Honestly at this point I just wish Apple would bring out an "iPhone Classic" based on the 4,5, or Mini body. Throw a headphone jack on there, a TouchID power button, and I'd pay serious money for it on launch day. I'd prefer an SD card slot, but if I know the phone will last for 3-5 years, I can pay a couple hundred extra bucks for 512GB of storage.

    I just do not get folding phones. I understand that others like them, but I've never been a tablet guy. I suppose I would consider one with an internal e-ink screen, so I could combine my e-reader and phone into a single device... but I don't think I'd enjoy using a phone that's 1.5-2x the standard thickness of modern phones (not counting those massive camera bumps!). Plus the durability issue -- I would absolutely not trust any modern folding phone to last 5+ years, and at the $1000+ price point, it damn well better last 5+ years.

    Above all else, I prefer small phones for two reasons:

    • my phone can "disappear" into my pocket, even if I'm walking, biking, running, or playing a sport
    • I can use my phone with one hand on public transit, or doing one of the above activities if I decide to listen to music during that activity

    It's really frustrating that phone companies don't bother with small phones any more. But nobody is even trying -- and never has tried -- to market a small phone that stays out of your way but helps you when you need it. Even Apple barely marketed the Mini at all (and debuted it during a global pandemic when a lot of people stopped commuting and traveling, two of the best times to have a small one-handable phone).

    I wonder how much Apple fucked up the small phone market by maintaining exclusive access to the Mini screens from Samsung, as the author mentions in this article.

  • TrudeauCastroson [he/him]
    ·
    11 months ago

    It's annoying how inconvenient it is to exercise with a phone nowadays. The armbands needed for a phone compared to an old iPod are comically large, and they're so big they bounce around.

    Smart watches aren't quite what I want, they're annoying because they're not quite phones, and you still need a phone hanging around if you're using Spotify or other apps and control the media using the watch.

    An iPhone 4 or even iPhone 5c sized phone would be perfect for me