this post was submitted on 21 Oct 2023
119 points (92.8% liked)

Android

17681 readers
49 users here now

The new home of /r/Android on Lemmy and the Fediverse!

Android news, reviews, tips, and discussions about rooting, tutorials, and apps.

🔗Universal Link: !android@lemdro.id


💡Content Philosophy:

Content which benefits the community (news, rumours, and discussions) is generally allowed and is valued over content which benefits only the individual (technical questions, help buying/selling, rants, self-promotion, etc.) which will be removed if it's in violation of the rules.


Support, technical, or app related questions belong in: !askandroid@lemdro.id

For fresh communities, lemmy apps, and instance updates: !lemdroid@lemdro.id

💬Matrix Chat

💬Telegram channels / chats

📰Our communities below


Rules

  1. Stay on topic: All posts should be related to the Android OS or ecosystem.

  2. No support questions, recommendation requests, rants, or bug reports: Posts must benefit the community rather than the individual. Please post to !askandroid@lemdro.id.

  3. Describe images/videos, no memes: Please include a text description when sharing images or videos. Post memes to !androidmemes@lemdro.id.

  4. No self-promotion spam: Active community members can post their apps if they answer any questions in the comments. Please do not post links to your own website, YouTube, blog content, or communities.

  5. No reposts or rehosted content: Share only the original source of an article, unless it's not available in English or requires logging in (like Twitter). Avoid reposting the same topic from other sources.

  6. No editorializing titles: You can add the author or website's name if helpful, but keep article titles unchanged.

  7. No piracy or unverified APKs: Do not share links or direct people to pirated content or unverified APKs, which may contain malicious code.

  8. No unauthorized polls, bots, or giveaways: Do not create polls, use bots, or organize giveaways without first contacting mods for approval.

  9. No offensive or low-effort content: Don't post offensive or unhelpful content. Keep it civil and friendly!

  10. No affiliate links: Posting affiliate links is not allowed.

Quick Links

Our Communities

Lemmy App List

Chat and More


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] DynamoSunshirtSandals@possumpat.io 23 points 1 year ago (9 children)

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.

[–] harry315@feddit.de 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Funnily enough, I'm 100 % in the same situation like you. Same switching back and forth between the same two devices. Same lack of options afterwards. I'm so out of options I'm even looking into a weird chinese/Hong Kong device named Unihertz Jelly Star. I'm not sure about the screen size though. 3" is a whole inch smaller than an iPhone SE 2016. That's damn small, even to my standards

[–] phanto@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 year ago

I had a Jelly 2, which came before the Jelly Star. It was pretty dang small. I would have been happier with it if the dang thing didn't drop wifi and Bluetooth every five minutes. If the Jelly Star has the same antenna, I'd steer clear!

I believe there is a phone called the Retro, which is an old Razor style flip phone, but it only has the screen on the top, and is quite small, and relatively cheap. Not sure about availability though.

I've looked at the Unihertz phones quite a bit, but the cell bands and camera have stopped me so far. Your Lemmy instance implies that you're in the EU, so you should give it a shot if you can stomach the crappy camera. I'm afraid no Unihertz phone has IMS or voLTE support in the USA, so it's an open question if you'll even be able to use them at all on our networks in a year or two :(

load more comments (6 replies)