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Comment by cmrdporcupine | Hacker News Reader

I'm blown away that 5.4" is "mini".

I'd pay decent money for a 4" phone.

> I'd pay decent money for a 4" phone.

I have a 4" iPhone SE. It’s great, but the web is becoming less and less usable as designers/developpers have larger phones and forget smaller screen sizes. It’s common to have cookies/newsletter popins with a button that’s too far below the screen, and sticky menus are the hell.

It's also unfortunate that many iOS apps have totally neglected support for 4" devices and it's all too common to see apps in which the viewport is far too small due to other UI elements covering the screen (e.g. Uber and Google Maps).

Things like that are why I don't auto-update apps carte blanche. Except banking and security-related ones.

I really would like to automate backup of every version of every app I own, so that I could pick and choose which to install. It seems pretty doable with just scripting, but haven't really explored it.

Same here and still a iphone SE user. Id rather downgrade to a flipphone than get a larger phone

Also an iPhone SE user, a smaller form factor is definitely important for me. I've actually ordered a Nokia 2720 flip phone. Features might be limited but it'll be good to have as a backup and to play around on.

Google Maps has long frustrated me this way on Android, too. It's surprisingly unwilling to just let you see the map unobstructed.

Designers, developers, and users increasingly have larger devices.

The diagonal screen measurement is meaningless because of improved screen-to-body ratios. The iPhone 12 Mini is smaller than the 4.7" iPhone 6/7/8, despite having a significantly bigger screen.

Iphones always had screens that were close to the sides which is what really matters. The chin and forehead don't matter for reachability because you never had to reach them.

They don't matter for reachability but that's only one metric. They certainly matter for, say, whether or not it'll fit in your pocket.

I use Jelly, a tiny smartphone that fits the little keychain pocket of my running shortpants, I don't even feel it while running. They released a newer version of it, Jelly 2, if you're interested in small phones.

Curious, why not get a smartwatch with LTE?

I don't want to carry a phone in my arm :)

I looked and I like everything I see about it except for the mediocre camera. I want exactly what I see there, but with a premium camera and maybe a better SoC. I'm not looking for a cheap budget phone, but for that form factor and I'd pay for it. I'd have a hard time giving up my Pixel 3's camera, it'd be odd to have to start carrying around a separate camera.

Kinda reminds me of my first gen Palm Pre. Loved that phone.

In my eyes, phones actually provide mediocre quality. Even the ones Apple released today, notice how bad are the night shots they display on the website.

I have a dslr with two fixed (portrait and panorama) lenses, and night or day, every single shot is timeless. The quality won’t be outperformed by the next smartphone getting released next year. Of course, I can’t spontaneously shoot photos, need to decide when I want to actually shoot photos so I carry my camera.

Which is not a cons, even an advantage, if you’re truly looking for quality, not quantity.

I'd pay decent money for a 4 inch phone as well. I've been in the Apple ecosystem for years but decided to search for a current Android phone that's around that size, but couldn't find anything decent.

An Apple watch with LTE would likely let you make and take phone calls, optionally with airpods worn.

Or any other smartwatch with a SIM, there are plenty of options.

Sure, but why settle for anything but the best? :)

That's actually not a bad suggestion! I'd miss being able to snap the occasional photo, but I could always carry my old iPhone if I anticipate the need for that.

The iPhone 4 width was 2.31 inches.

The iPhone 12 mini's width is 2.65 inches.

It's not insanely bigger.

A third of an inch is definitely enough to affect one-handed reach/operation (ask anyone who's played typical electric vs classical guitars), but it is nice that the mini's part of the lineup, and I might even replace my trusty 5SE with the 12 mini in a year or so, depending on how much performance issues are starting to show for the SE and how annoying/easy audio and other interconnectivity is on the port-handicapped phones.

(Yes, I know, airpod/bluetooth connectivity works well for your use case. No, that doesn't mean it's not inconvenient and maybe even product-choice-driving for other people.)

Completely agree with you. I’m typing this on my trusty SE. Work gave me an XR back in February which I tried for a week, horrendous device.

While the lack of 3.5mm is a drawback, the phone looks only a few mm wider that the (2016)SE, which feels like the best I’m going to get befor they EOL the SE.

The wireless charging may be good enough to solve the clunkyness of having to have a lightning+3.5mm adapter.

(For the rest of us, the difference is 8.6 mm, or somewhere between the width of a pencil and an AAA battery).

This 5.4" phone is smaller in dimensions than the current 4.7" SE2.

My wife has an iPhone 8 plus. Back then it was huge (cue the plus). Its screen is 5.5". (but sure, it had huge borders)

My wife has the Se based on the iPhone 5 and I have the iPhone Xs Max. When I look at her phone it reminds me of looking in the viewfinder of a digital camera. She likes the size and will stick with smaller.

Try get a Nokia N700

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