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When I first chose a big phone it was because I was tired of looking up information on web sites that required a lot of side scrolling on a small screen. Bigger screens and higher DPI made them easier to read.
Then the sites got redesigned using newer frameworks, and now sites require even more side scrolling because of all that f*"**ing padding.
Nowadays I don’t care about the size of the phone any more, it’s all about battery life and weight.
Doesn’t increased battery life mean increased weight? Have you found anything in the sweet spot? I have a Pixel 6 Pro and I remember being shocked at how heavy it was when I got it. Definitely looking for something lighter for my next phone.
Honestly, crap like glass backs increases the weight more than a bigger battery. I have both a Pixel 4a and an 8. The 8 is barely bigger than the 4a, but 40 grams heavier.
Ugh, I hate glass backs. Slippery and can crack. Why are they a thing? I’ll have to look into the ‘a’ class of phones.
They’re a thing because of wireless charging.
Old infographic, but still relevant…
Also, as others pointed out, bigger phones almost always have better specs overall. I used to have top notch Samsung phones specifically for the camera and battery life, bc I used my phone for site surveys.
Porn is the main driver of evolution. Fact.
I miss smaller phones (<5.5") so much. Went for the smallest one with a decent price, and privacy centric aosp support, I could find.
Bigger screen and longer battery life are the main reasons for me.
For me, I actually never look at the size. There are two criteria: whether there’s a supported ROM and battery life. Everything else is tertiary.
Unfortunately, most of the phones with good battery life are big phones. Since mine is face down and just waiting for messages, a big screen doesn’t make that much of a difference since it’s not on most of the time. Only when traveling do big phones gobble up battery.
I lust for a phone that lasts me a week and has a ROM. It can be twice or even triple as thick as phones today and I wouldn’t give a fuck. Nokia and Sony Ericson made thicc phones and it never bothered me.
To me, it’s always a lack of choice first, budget constraints second. I personally despise a lot of design choices of smartphones, such as touchscreens (they’re battery drainers), lack of physical keyboard and a “make it as flimsy as possible” mentality
A Moto Droid 3 with more up-to-date insides (a midrange spec from 2018 is more than enough) would be an instant buy for me.
I currently have a Galaxy S8, I find it stupidly and needlessly big, but I got it used for cheap and I use the camera a lot, which was the main reason I bought it. Before that, I was using a Xiaomi 6X (MiA2), which was pretty much the same size as the S8, until the USB port got fucked up
There doesn’t seem to be any affordable small phones. Small phones don’t have a big market so they’re usually $500+ and have worse specs than other phones in the same price range.
i bought the smallest one in reasonable price, but its still big
I would like a small phone.
I’ve always bought the biggest phone available, starting with the HTC Evo which dropped in 2010 when I was a cellphone salesman. The extra screen real estate always worked great for gaming and reading ebooks.
Since then I’ve always found that the biggest options just work best for me. I even had the Samsung Fold last year, and finally reached a point where the weight wasn’t worth the screen real estate. I’ve since stepped down to the Samsung Flip, and it works much better for my needs.
I always find it odd that we have two groups of people on the internet. Those who type “u” to save themselves two key presses, and those who type “real estate” twice instead of “size”, 12 extra key presses
🤔
How’s the flip phone working out for you? Does it flip open to a screen big enough for you? I’ve seen reviews and reviewers are just puzzled by them it seems.
I love it. I’ve had it for a little over a month now and it works so well for my needs. It’s great to fold it open to 90 degrees when I’m on a video call so I can set it down, and likewise with YouTube videos - it does an interesting thing with the video controls that makes it easy to control media when I’m multitasking.
Size-wise the screen is perfect and I can type on it more easily than the Fold, but I have small hands so that may be a factor.
The weight is what really sold me. It feels like it weighs nothing, which has been great at the gym. The Fold in comparison was like carrying a brick and pulled down on my pocket.
I’m definitely sold on this form factor and will be sticking with it for a while. That being said, I do also have a tablet which I use for comics, ebooks, and meal planning. It came for free with my phone thru Verizon.
I have shitty eyes so a big phone is easier to use for me
I’m the gal with a Fold. I consume a lot of media, be it ebooks, manga, or just YouTube videos. My old tablet couldn’t take it anymore, and my phone was up for a change after its honorable service.
Including my eyesight going down the drain with age, it makes up the perfect phone for me.
Unknown
I guess no one reads hpl anymore.
I mainly used mine for youtube, games and emails. The larger screen just makes everything better. I have since removed 90% of what I use a phone for so screen size no longer matters. I’d rather go back to a smaller screen to save my hands the pain lol.
I’ve preferred bigger phones since I had my Nexus 6. Better for YouTube, games (ik, ik), and reading. Frankly, I like a phone as big as I can fit in my pocket. Big phones today don’t even feel as big in the hand as that one by comparison because most modern big phones are just tall - the Nexus 6 was effin WIDE.
My first smartphone was a Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. I’m a woman with all the small pockets that entails, and that phone was a great size. Sony was one of the last manufacturers making a smaller version of their flagship phone without sacrificing performance quality. I would have stuck with this line of phones if it hadn’t been discontinued. Alas.
My current phone is a OnePlus 6, a gift rather than something I chose. It’s not huge, but it is the biggest phone I have owned. And had I been choosing, I likely would not have considered this model because one of my criteria is that the phone fits comfortably in my pockets.
It was a happy surprise that the current phone actually does fit well enough (mostly). And this has shown me that I can be more flexible than I thought when it comes to phone size.
Not sure what direction I’m looking when it comes time to replace this phone. Truthfully, I’d still probably prefer something a little smaller. But in a limited market, you take what you can get.
