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
I have large hands and I don’t like having to make the compromise of features or size. I prefer phones around 5in or a smidge under. But to have a modern camera I have an almost 7in phone. It’s really frustrating.
This is why the sales of cargo pants are up.
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I just want a keyboard or a modern take on the Sidekick design.
I went from a Pixel 6 Pro (I believe the one on the left might be a Pixel 6 Pro as well) to a Pixel 9 Pro recently and it’s just about the perfect size for a phone IMO (6.3").
Close, it’s a pixel 7 pro. Practical identical from appearance.
The 9 pro looks to be the same size as the 7a, which is still a bit bigger than I want but way more reasonable than I was expecting
With a Spigen Tough Armor case, right? Had one on my 6 Pro, too, saved it from quite a few nasty drops.
When you consider the 9 Pro’s screen to body ratio it’s pretty compact, especially for a flagship. Ten years ago a phone of its size would have maybe had a 5" screen.
Yea you have a point but also the bulge on my pants has never looked bigger
The problem is they took it too far.
Plus, the larger phones do actually fit in my hands, so…
I like how the Pixel devices, while not small, are putting the flagship features in both the “normal” size model and the XL/Plus.
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 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.
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.
I know, I said as much in my post - although rereading it, it’s kinda phrased ambiguously
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
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.
HMD Skyline and Fusion also
Edit: Skyline doesn’t have headphone jack
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.
Fairphone is also gigantic.
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.
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.
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.
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 think the real truth is most people just take whatever the phone corporations shovel down their throats without thinking too much about it as long as they have the newest model. Phones have been thin enough for years now. They’ve hit the point where they can’t make the camera as thin as the rest of the phone so it sticks out and won’t sit flat. It’s ridiculous. It’s not like they’ve replaced the features we lost with new better technology anyway. There’s no reason customer focused reason to remove those features. They did it to sell more shit and make their devices less repairable. Expecting people to carry two or more devices when one could do everything is asinine. Also my phone has a Hi-fi DAC and gives fantastic audio quality through the headphone jack.
What phone do you have then?
Apparently the market is not big enough for phone’s to really exist with all the features everybody want for an acceptable price. Otherwise more options with good sound quality and SD card slots exist. But the nature of how DAC’s works is that it is hard to fit that in a slim phone and especially if you want long battery life etc.
Maybe taking two devices is a bit stupid, but on the other hand you can also ask yourself how often you can leave your phone at home or wherever when you want to listen to music.
I would also prefer a phone that has a good DAC, has a SD card and has good working apps. So unless Apple is going to start making that again (they never will), I’ll probably stick with an iPhone and a separate audio device or wireless buds/headphone. Android is not for me and finding the correct Android is a bullshit mess. But I know of others who are interested in an Android device with a good DAC.
I miss that you can’t get them, but I also don’t miss having one.
You can literally get them. Buy used
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.
or pocket
I miss physical keyboards that you were able to flip from the back.
I don’t think smartphone keyboards became usable until Swipe typing became a thing.
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!
