I'm tired with all this Big-Phone-Elitism

I’m someone with relatively small hands, plus I want my phone to be on the smaller side since I prefer to use my tablet/computer/tv to watch content. But this trend where many manufacturers tend to keep futures away from smaller phones to drive people to bigger phones is driving me crazy and really makes it hard for me to buy a new phone. I can understand not having everything like maybe a periscope lens or something else that is cost etc. but not to this level. Like take Samsung for example: S24 lacks uwb, 45w, a 1440p display, has a lower amount of ram and storage. Why? Why can’t the s24 have faster charging or uwb? Why is there no 512 version and why does it have to start with 128gb storage? Is it not a flagship? It costs 949€ in my place! Why do I have to give 200€ more to get the s24+ just to get these simple features? I don’t want a bigger phone! Google does the same! No uwb, no thermometer sensor, no telephoto lens. And don’t get me started with all the software features google is keeping for the 8 pro like they don’t have the same processor. Why? Are they cheap? No they are not. I’m just really annoyed by this cause I really don’t want such a big phone.

Ibaudia,
@Ibaudia@lemmy.world avatar

Your best bets would probably be a zenfone or a 7a right now, but I agree as a small-handed person there is a serious lack of full-feature experiences in a small form factor.

ByteMe,

Zenfone gets only 2 years of updates and 7a doesn’t officially come to my country :(

skuzz,

deleted_by_author

    •
    ByteMe,

    Firstly, iphone 15 has uwb. I think even the iphone 13 mini had. Secondly I think what Samsung did with the telephoto lens is that it went from a 10Mp 10x to a 50mp 5x. It wasn’t about ai, it was about megapixels. The end result I think is the same

    skuzz,

    Apple has different design tradeoffs, they use smaller camera modules than Samsung, at least compared to the last few Samsung models, for example. They also tend to use smaller batteries, and charge them slower, requiring less cooling components. They also design more of their components in-house than other manufacturers, allowing them more efficient use of space. Their RF also tends to be inferior to Samsung, trading antenna design for space. Apple also uses inferior cooling solutions, relying on software thermal throttling to cut down on the physical size of the device. The whole trade-off of what can be fit in that smaller space is something each manufacturer has to make per model.

    Optical zoom will always be superior to digital from the perspective of getting focused light onto a sensor, it’s just science. Digital methods will indeed continue to improve, I’ll leave most of that philosophical debate to those more passionate about camera tech, however. They’re definitely leveraging the new coprocessor to enable better image processing, in the same way Google leveraged their ML coprocessor to improve pictures out of Pixels a few generations back. Companies think software processing of images can “work around” image quality that requires physical hardware. (Look at Samsung Moongate.) It results in images that may end up being visually pleasing, but as for image quality, that’s debatable. (Zoom in on a Samsung zoomed picture of a pine tree for example, the way it tries to contrast/filter/process the branches makes them look like some 1990s Photoshop unsharp mask filter job meant for newsprint.)

    Good conversation.

    skuzz,

    Deleted the above as it was a double-post and it orphaned other comments. Whoops.

    skuzz,

    It can’t have faster charging because it lacks the space to dissipate the thermal energy to stop it from catching on fire. If it did support 45W on paper, it would still charge slower to prevent thermal runaway. The “Ultra” models have thermal cooling systems that rival laptop computers just short of active cooling fans.

    It can’t have UWB because it’s too small for the 30,000 antennae they have to jam in the phone. 4x for cellular, then GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, Wireless charging, NFC, and on and on.

    These phones, especially Samsung, jam so much technology in such a small package. We’re brushing up against the laws of physics.

    And lets not even talk about then also expecting good cellular reception when on your lower cellular bands. Take 700MHz for example, an ideal 1/2 wavelength antenna would have to be 21cm/8.2in tall, so they have to use fractional wavelengths that further degrade performance potential, again, due to physics. (While still also supporting the fractional wavelengths of 30 other bands.) The plus and ultra models at least have space to approach more usable antennae for better reception. The tiny phones (and watches) don’t really have a chance.

    Now, Google’s software feature nonsense, and the way handset manufacturers manipulate price for a few cents worth of storage increase are both downright criminal. However, the telephoto lens thing again goes back to space and reality. Telephoto cameras take up a ton of space. Look at a teardown of the S22 Ultra to see how big the camera modules are.

    That’s actually an annoying point I recently observed though. The S24 ultra has a lower resolution 10x camera than either the S22 Ultra or S23 Ultra. I think they’re trying to make up the difference with “AI” instead of real sensor/glass. Maybe it’ll get rid of the camera rattle though.

    Positronic,

    Yeah it’s actually infuriating to read some of these threads. Some of the small phone users expect Oppo Find X7 Ultra cameras with a 5000 mAh battery and headphone jack in an iPhone 5S form factor and the only argument they make is the phone can be thicker. Thickness is only one dimension, all these components need space in other dimensions too.

    aluminium,

    Agree, even though I very much prefer big phones (wouldn’t mind 7 inch screens) I still hate the artifical kneecapping of smaller devices. Its all just a trick to sucker people into spending more money.

    brax,

    I don’t mind the size, as mine often doubles as the pocket computer that it is. I just wish they’d stop wasting so much time and money with cameras. If I wanted pro pictures, I’d carry an actual camera with me.

    owenfromcanada,
    @owenfromcanada@lemmy.world avatar

    You’re not alone

    foggenbooty,

    Man made one of the pioneering smartwatches before anyone else. My pebble still had better battery life than my current feature bloated smart watch. He knows what he’s talking about.

    Chickenslippers,

    I think I have normal hands for a 6ft male but I’m really enjoying the z flip 5. Small enough to fit in shirt pockets comfortably

    ByteMe,

    I just wish it was a bit wider, like 21:9

    ikidd,
    @ikidd@lemmy.world avatar

    I have big hands and I still can’t stand these 6"+ phones. They don’t fit in a pocket worth a shit and they’re fragile as hell.

    I had a Samsung S4 Mini, it was my favorite phone. Fit in a shirt pocket, I kicked that thing down ladders and on gravel, never broke the screen. Everything else bigger has had a broken screen within a year.

    ByteMe,

    I have a V30 which has a fine size but I wish I didn’t have to go bigger

    grayhaze,
    @grayhaze@lemmy.world avatar

    Kicking a phone down a ladder isn’t exactly the intended use case though, so maybe it’s just your fault that your phone screen keeps getting broken. I’ve had large phones for years, and haven’t broken a single screen.

    siipale,

    My hands aren’t particularly small either and I hate big phones. I like to use my phone with one hand most of the time so I need a small phone to hold it comfortably and to reach around the touch screen.

    I’ve noticed even few millimeters of difference in width has great impact on how comfortable the phone is to use. Gesture navigation also helps and I think it was created out of necessity for bigger phones.

    danielfgom,
    @danielfgom@lemmy.world avatar

    I agree. That’s one of the reasons I have a Sony Xperia 10. It’s has a 6" screen and is narrower than other phones making it very easy to hold and pocket.

    Sadly the OEM’s will tell you that when given the choice, customers always go for the bigger screen because they think they are getting more. Which is why we have this situation.

    Asus have the ZenFone which is smaller but even they are making a bigger 6.7" version next.

    ByteMe,

    I hope at least they will release 2 phones

    danielfgom,
    @danielfgom@lemmy.world avatar

    I hope so but I suspect it will only be the bigger one. I think they took a chance on the 6" but it didn’t sell as well as hoped so I think they are changing strategy.

    My reasoning is that the ZenFone 10 did not upgrade much compared to ZenFone 9 which means they didn’t sell enough to justify spending a lot on the 10. If it sold well they would have added more features.

    ByteMe,

    Maybe it didn’t sell well because they only give 2 years of upgrades. It’s way too few for a phone that expensive

    Zanshi,

    I was considering an ASUS when I was looking for a new phone, but it quickly fell off my list due to just that, can’t justify buying a phone that gets less than 4 years of updates when OEMs are slowly rolling out 7 year support window. Ended up getting OnePlus12, and I am very happy with it.

    Mac,

    I miss my Droid Mini so much.

    MajorHavoc,

    I’m sad that phones don’t fit my hands anymore, but I know it’s my own fault for not growing my hands at the expected rate.

    ByteMe,

    Yeah, grow some hands already! Xd

    reddig33,

    Reminds me of the auto industry insisting everyone wants an SUV or monster truck.

    ByteMe,

    We don’t? Xd

    Thorny_Insight,

    In the US many people do. Not so much outside of it. Personally I’ve wanted a truck ever since I was a kid and saw one plowing snow from our parking lot. Now I have one and I LOVE it.

    shadowSprite,

    I was cleaning out awhile ago and found my first ever smartphone, a Galaxy s3. Boy, the memories… that phone sure wasn’t perfect, but I think it’s still my favorite phone, and it was literally the perfect size for my tiny ass hands. I hate hauling a small tablet around.

    ALostInquirer,

    I hate hauling a small tablet around.

    Don’t you mean a “phablet”? 😜 If that awful name had stuck, I wonder if it might have dissuaded the device enlargement.

    Ilandar,

    The future of small phones is the flip format. I know that’s likely not what any of you want to hear, but it’s the truth. Small slates are critically endangered at this point.

    BearOfaTime,

    Sadly I think you’re right.

    TORFdot0,

    If I have to I’ll start using clamshell flip phones but they need to figure out the crease problem and durability problem. I had a Motorola razer 1st gen a few years ago that I loved except for the fact it stopped working after 6 months. The touch screen stopped working and the lcd started to turn green until the only sceeen that worked was the small outer screen.

    Ilandar,

    I have a moto razr 40 at the moment, the crease is pretty good. Depending on the angle it will show with a dark background and when the screen is off. On a lighter/white background the crease is not visible. It’s also less noticeable to the touch than any other flip smartphone. I can’t comment too much on durability since most common issues are going to show up after years, not months, but I think overall the industry is making progress with regards to hinge and display design. The current generation all fold flat now and have a different hinge structure. As I understand it flip smartphones are selling well so hopefully that means they keep working on the technology and improving it.

    ByteMe,

    I can say that I’m fine with the flip since it folds and all but guess what, it also lacks basic features. No uwb, no telephoto, no faster charging etc. at least it gets the latest SD. I hope the flip 6 will get some of these

    someguy3,

    You now have reviewers that say on foldable phones they do most of their stuff on the small screen.

    RampageDon,

    Might be different for the newer generations, but I have a fold 2 and it’s awkwardly skinny closed. I almost always use my phone open if possible.

    cm0002,

    I waited for the Pixel Fold specifically for this reason, Galaxy Folds are way too narrow and makes you want to use it unfolded which I think goes against the spirit of a foldable, to be a phone when you need a phone and a tablet when you need a tablet

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