• magic_lobster_party@kbin.social
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      10 months ago

      The options on Android aren’t much better, unless you go for some obscure manufacturer who won’t support the phone with updates 1 year after its life cycle.

      Apple was for a while the only remaining flagship manufacturer who actually provided mini models. Ironic, because Android is supposed to be the alternative providing more options.

      • 3laws@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        Moto is still kicking, Samsung has small models too, Asus is going alright, Sony at least the are skinny.

        • magic_lobster_party@kbin.social
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          10 months ago

          I haven’t seen any phone offered by these manufacturers that is as small as iPhone 13 mini. At best they’re just marginally smaller than iPhone 15.

          There is no good alternative anymore if you’re looking for a truly small phone.

      • HughJanus@lemmy.ml
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        10 months ago

        The options on Android aren’t much better

        Literally every one of them is better, because none of them are running iOS. That’s my subjective opinion.

        unless you go for some obscure manufacturer who won’t support the phone with updates 1 year after its life cycle.

        Samsung and Google both support devices for 5 years now. Doesn’t matter how long Apple “supports” the software because they don’t support the hardware.

        • magic_lobster_party@kbin.social
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          10 months ago

          I’m talking about small phones. iPhone 13 mini was the last decent option when it came to small phones. Neither Google or Samsung make phones that small. The smallest phones they make are same size as a regular iPhone 13.

          Now there’s only a few “obscure” manufacturers left who make small phones. “Obscure” manufacturers usually lack long term support on both the software and the hardware side to be a decent option.

    • aksdb@feddit.de
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      10 months ago

      As if there are equivalent and small phones with Android.

    • pavnilschanda@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      I find that to be a good option. Unfortunately, given my current needs, the Apple Watch is the best device to meet them, so I’m stuck with the iPhone. And yes, I’ve researched the Galaxy Watch, too, but app integration and health measurements are considered lackluster compared to the AW.

      • KptnAutismus@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        that’s always the problem with android based stuff. good software is the one thing they can’t do.

  • FireWire400@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    It’s probably not gonna happen but maybe they’ll fill that gap with the next iPhone SE

    • xts@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Sadly I think the latest rumours were that they’d use the Xr/11 chassis for the new SE. hopefully not because if they use the 12/13 mini… oh boy it’d be great

      • FireWire400@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        That would be unfortunate, I always saw the SE as not only the cheapest but also the smallest model but I guess it’s really just a way for them to use up old parts?

        • Earthwormjim91@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Yeah that’s exactly what it is and why it’s cheap. They have a bunch of leftover or recycled chassis that they can shove new guts into and sell for cheaper.

    • appel@lemmy.ml
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      10 months ago

      I’m hoping against hope that Google copies Apple and turns the Pixel 5 into a mold for the Google version of Pixel SE. I know it’s not happening, but that phone is close to perfect for me, it’s still my daily driver. Just give me a P5 SE with updated guts every two or three years.

    • Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Thing is, very few people bought the small phone. The community that wants them is very vocal, but they don’t show up in big numbers at the cash register.

  • pavnilschanda@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    As someone with tiny hands and tiny fingers, I’ve been thinking long and hard about this and in the future, when my 13 mini lets out its last breath, I’ll probably just go with a regular-sized iPhone and use Voice Control to swipe right and “go back” when I use it one-handed, since reachability doesn’t address how I struggle to reach the far end of the screen with one-hand (I even have to struggle a bit with the mini). Sucks that I’ll have to use voice control as a workaround, but I mostly bought an iPhone for the Apple Watch anyway.

    • PreviouslyAmused@lemmy.ml
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      10 months ago

      The solution that I have been bouncing around is to get the watch for quick use, and then a larger phone to act more as a tablet. Of course this requires me to have multiple devices, which is annoying. But here we are.

    • butitsnotme@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      In Settings -> Accessibility-> Touch -> Assistive Touch you can configure a small button the floats on the screen (you can move it around), providing access to all sort of gestures and functions one handed.

      • pavnilschanda@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        Tried that but none of the gestures include “go back” nor “swipe right” (the closest thing is “scroll right”). Even used a custom gesture as well and that didn’t work.

    • Kaliax@lemmy.sdf.org
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      10 months ago

      Run a Pop Socket on your phone and buy a couple of these:

      PopSockets Flexible Phone Mount & Stand, Phone Tripod Mount, Universal Device Mount - Black https://a.co/d/0aYtsed

      It makes an S22U so much more ergonomic for smaller hands. YMMV.

    • c10l@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      I considered getting a Mini a couple years ago. I tried one. It was not small enough for the reasons you describe. I have a regular sized iPhone for that reason.

      I’ve long said the mini flopped not because people don’t want small phones, but rather because it wasn’t small enough to be worth the tradeoff of a smaller screen.

      • PreviouslyAmused@lemmy.ml
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        10 months ago

        was just doing the math yesterday to see when I was going to have to get rid of mine. I get it, I just wish they would have kept it going

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    10 months ago

    I’d been using an iPod Touch 4G thru 7G, for my everything pocket computer. Apple killed the iPod Touch, so I migrated to iPhone 13 mini just over a year ago. Sorry folx, they prolly killed the 13 mini cuz of me. Any other Apple products you’d like me to latch onto, so Apple will kill it? :-(

    • BertramDitore@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Lol I feel like this happens to me too. You like the fit of that T-shirt? Discontinued. You like the shape of those eyeglasses? Discontinued. You want a new car that starts up without 5,000 microchips? Haha too bad. You like buying phones that you can’t use without physically hurting your hands? Cool, enjoy the new 16 inch iPhone, it’s the smallest available. You’ll never leave it in your pocket or bag, because it doesn’t fit in either one. Oh and you need a speaker adapter to hear things without earbuds. That’ll be $2,500.

      Sent from my dying iPhone SE 2020.

  • MrCharles@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    Why? Why do they make so few small phones? We have the tech, and people like me really prefer it over the behemoths of the modern day. WHYYYYYYY?

    EDIT: That gif came out WAY bigger than I expected. Apologies to your eyes, my friends.

  • kratoz29@lemm.ee
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    10 months ago

    I can see the appeal of these little phones, but I think the batteries weren’t as good as the other counterparts… so that aspect alone made me pass them.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    10 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    That marks the end of life for arguably the best premium small phone designed for one-handed use.

    Market research has consistently shown that most users want bigger screens and batteries, which are incompatible with a smaller phone.

    Supply chain analysts and journalists with inside knowledge have generally agreed that Apple could update the iPhone SE as soon as next year—but most rumors have suggested that it would go bigger, not smaller.

    Many op-eds have been written at tech sites (including this one, by me) saying it’s important for Apple to offer a one-handed phone size, even if it’s less popular than the bigger models.

    That said, supporting an additional size adds extra supply chain and production overhead—and it may not be the most financially prudent decision for Apple if it’s confident that it can covert mini owners to join the majority and opt for larger phones instead.

    Chances are that axing the iPhone 13 mini won’t do much to hurt Apple’s earnings, but it leaves a minority of consumers without an important option, and I still think that’s bad news.


    The original article contains 382 words, the summary contains 180 words. Saved 53%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

    • aksdb@feddit.de
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      10 months ago

      Even Samsungs good update policy doesn’t beat Apple, where I can easily get 7 years worth of major versions (and still minor updates afterwards).

      • Hyperreality@kbin.social
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        10 months ago

        For my needs it works out much cheaper to buy a new android phone every few years, but it is such a waste.

        Depending on manufacturer you get up to 5 years of security updates, but the phone usually costs up to 800 euros less so it simply doesn’t make sense to buy the iphone.

        You end up throwing a perfectly good phone in a drawer, never to be used again.

        In ye olden days, it didn’t really matter that the phone was less secure. But with banking apps, you have no real choice in the matter.

        • aksdb@feddit.de
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          10 months ago

          My problem with cheap phones is, that they also degrade fairly quick. At the beginning they still feel fine but after just a few months of usage I already start to feel the micro stutters again. And I hate that. I blame Android in general for that and like that iOS’ ecosystem is typically a lot more efficient in that regard.

          • Hyperreality@kbin.social
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            10 months ago

            Never had that issue, tbh. For all their flaws and limitations, the affordable motorolas usually run a relatively stock android, so that might be it.

            • aksdb@feddit.de
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              10 months ago

              Maybe. All the Androids I had pissed me off after 2 years latest. Since there were no small Androids at the time, I took the dive and bought an iPhone 13 Mini. I’ll see if it also pisses me off after 2 years ^^ But at least what I saw from other people who have their iPhones for far longer, I am optimistic.

              CarPlay works much more fluent than Android Auto. That alone already made the switch worthwhile. Oh and having a unified backup solution via iTunes is really nice. While many Androids cannot be backed up at all unless you root them (which I don’t want).

              • dustyData@lemmy.world
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                10 months ago

                I’ve only ever used Androids, all my phones have been at least 4 or 5 years with me, I’ve also never bought a flagship model. Honestly, at first having a smart phone for so long aged pretty fast, for the speed of software and hardware upgrades was frantic. But nowadays, I’ve had my current phone for 5 years and just now I’m considering an upgrade, just because I’m bored with it and want a phone with more storage space and a nicer camera. But otherwise the phone is still solid and functional, just had a software update a few months ago. I honestly hate that most Apple fans like to compare Apple with Chinese shovelware. But there are pretty good solid Android phones if you shop around.

                • aksdb@feddit.de
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                  10 months ago

                  The only worthy ones I found were Samsung and Pixel. At least in regards to update duration. I don’t like Samsung’s customizations though. So I effectively end up with Pixel. Which would be fine… but that doesn’t solve my initial problem of wanting a “small” SmartPhone. At least not at the time I bought the iPhone Mini.

                  Since Apple buried the Mini series, this might very well mean this is not only my first, but also my last iPhone again. Time will tell.

          • krey@sh.itjust.works
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            10 months ago

            but Samsung isn’t cheap. it’s reasonably priced. cheap phones are 50€ . I use a cheap one as an alarm clock.

            • aksdb@feddit.de
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              10 months ago

              The A series from Samsung starts at €120 or so, which is pretty cheap. But also low-end specs.

    • frazorth@feddit.uk
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      10 months ago

      Unfortunately it hasn’t received a security update since March and Samsung have put it as EOL. Still a great phone but it’s not a small phone, it’s about the same size as the S23, it was just small compared to the S10 and S20 which were stupidly big.

      At this point, get an S23 or a normal iPhone if the S10e was a suitable size.

      Sent from my Galaxy S10e.