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
every time i “upgrade” my phone it gets bigger, i hate it. the perfect size was what whatever iPhone 5 was doing, i want to go back to that
Wider, longer, flatter, thinner, and harder to hold without touching shit at the edge of the screen. I miss being able to grip a phone by its buttons.
I loved my iPhone 5 more than any other device I’ve owned. Perfect size.
iPhone 5 / original SE was a good design, and a good size, but it was also the first iPhone I had to buy a case for because it was so damn light and thin it was hard to handle compared to the thicker, glass-plated 4.
iPhone 4S is still the most perfect form for a smartphone I’ve ever owned
13 mini is pretty comparable
It’s one of the best ones to come out recently, but it’s still significantly taller than the pre-iPhone 6 models
Oof this is the reason why I went with Fold. Basically when folded it takes almost the same area as an iPhone 5 albeit quite thicker. But my hand adjusted to the thickness quite nicely.
Having basically a small tablet when you unfold the phone for actual two handed use is good too.
I miss phones that experimented.
I had the Motorola backflip (that was a fun one) and had one of the first phones with a fingerprint sensor that everyone said was a gimmick, had the one with the “indestructible screen” (Motorola Z2 force iirc) that I had a lot of fun throwing around till I broke it (But not the screen! I’ll give them that lmao), had every Nexus device until the bitter end (I cursed Google for a long time when they decided Pixels was the way forward, I didn’t pick up a pixel again until the Pixel Fold 0G) and so so many others over the years.
Until one day they just stopped being cool for years, hell the Foldy phone has been the coolest innovation they’ve put out in years and we’re already back to nothing but iterations again
The box for HTC HD2 had
<---- BIG ---->as dimensions of the phone. It had a 4.3" screen that actually was huge at the time (2009), but it’s hilarious from today’s perspective.
When phones were still fun
16:9 + huge bezels. A Huawei Mate 8 (6.0") which would be tiny today is still more of a brick than a S25 Ultra with 6.8".
Notice that the dimensions in the picture are marked only for the screen proper, not including bezels.
Those were the days
I literally gasped. iPAQ510, my beloved
Skill issue
How did you get a picture of me?
Companies trying to make foldable phones happen are going the wrong way.
They are making giant phones that unfold into tablets when really they should be making small phones that unfold into something just large enough you can watch Netflix on.
You mean like this? https://www.samsung.com/us/smartphones/galaxy-z-flip6/
I think Motorola makes a much better flip phone in terms of experience overall. I also really like their software, however their track record on updates is less than stellar.
I think what I would like is a bigass flip phone that unfolds into a tablet but instead of being thick as hell because the tablet is some OLED bullshit, I just want like, a e-reader. So I can have an easy way to read a book in my pocket.
I believe foldable phone is “invented” by idiots who don’t know design and good products. Literally “if we put in advanced tech, people will buy it”, lol.
You mean like the latest Razr’s? https://www.motorola.com/us/en/family/razr.html
I miss when flagship phone were affordable and worth the cost
This is the real problem.
They do NOTHING to improve or innovate. In fact, we’ve lost most great features over the years. The headphone jack for high quality audio, the micro SD card slot for easy upgrades and migrations, the IR blasters, the replaceable batteries…
It’s a fucking joke. Peak phone tech was the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Sorry, you gotta upgrade everything every 5 years, because otherwise there’s a security vulnerability! Sorry, looks like there will be no new updates on your software, no compatibility! Surely, things have become so much more efficient in the last 5 years as a result of processing gains, and surely that will be passed onto the consumer rather than eaten up in the middle, and surely we need that increased processing power so you can run the increasingly dwindling number of social media sites that are actually relevant!
Sorry, looks like we got rid of the headphone jack because it takes up too much space and it’s too hard to make the phone water resistant! The IR blaster isn’t relevant anymore because everyone has unilaterally switched to wifi operated smart TVs! Surely! Sorry, the micro SD card slot took up too much space, we need to use that space for processing power! Same with irreplaceable batteries! Sorry, the 16:9 aspect ratio we used to have for phones isn’t available in any phone anymore, because we decided to replace the physical buttons and ugly bezels with basically unusable screen space! But we’re still gonna have a hole punched in the screen for the camera!
I dunno. Modern phones are fucking dogshit now, I hate them so much it’s unreal. Even the software is progressively getting worse year over year. Shit used to be so basically functional and it’s become so horrible.
You no longer need to have flagship phone, to have good experience though. I am rocking my Samsung Galaxy A52 and it does everything I want it to. Only current localization and direction seem to behave weirdly and not accurate when navigating using Google Maps (especially when walking) but on other apps it’s perfectly fine, so go figure, lol.
I have the opposite viewpoint. I miss big phones that were actually big, and not just really tall.
I miss my Nexus 6.
They used to have a whole variety.
Now top-end phones are all almost the same dimensions
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.
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I’ll go shittier phone before I’ll go phablet ever again. I bought a motorola razr 2023. I bought a foldable because I want the shit to fit in my pocket. It also is the only flip phone I’ve seen that hasn’t made the imbecilic decision to coat the entire front panel in glass. I don’t need a full miniature phone making my shit more fragile when it’s clamped shut. If they continue to glass panel it up on the outside of newer editions I’ll try to find a case that just covers the entire outside.
But ultimately I’m holding onto this thing as long as I possibly can.
I have no idea why everyone – including the reviewers – think people need a glass panel on the outside of a flip phone with all kinds of smart capabilities. The phone is fucking closed. If I want to use the phone I’ll open it. All I need is maybe the time.
It’s useful to take pictures. I usually turn on the outside screen so the people I’m taking picture of can pose themselves better. My kids love it too.
Sometimes I also use it for maps navigation when walking somewhere new. There’s actually lots of use cases for it, I just get a case with screen protector for it.
I got the plus version of the same phone to get the bigger screen on the back.
It wasn’t worth it, I never use that screen and it just annoys me. I wish my phone was smaller.
I miss physical keyboards that you were able to flip from the back.
Nothing has come close to the soothing tactile perfection that was the N900.
Its been 15 years. Nothing.
Omg, the N900 was the best phone I ever had.
Linux, physical keebler, keyring/lanyard hole, an active camera cover, a proper camera button, even a little built in stand!
So good.
Plus an FM transmitter!
Lol, omg!
I got the Pixel 9P for this reason. It’s actually notably smaller than the previous models.
Oh is it?? I loved my pixel 3 and when it was time for an upgrade the pixel 7 was the flagship and was way too big. I switched over to a Samsung s21 5g and it’s been a decent size, but I’m at a loss for what to do when this one inevitably dies on me. Glad to hear the newer pixels are potentially one-handable for my tiny hands.
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.
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 :/
Same here. The Google Pixel, but I think they recently eliminated the small version.
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.
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.
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)
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
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.
I know, I said as much in my post - although rereading it, it’s kinda phrased ambiguously
I bought one as recently as the iPhone 13 mini, but Apple has also discontinued their normal sized phones :(
This is why the sales of cargo pants are up.
