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Small Phones are Dead and We Killed Them
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this post was submitted on 18 Mar 2024
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Android
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The S23 and S24 are solid phones at a regular size. So Samsung already do normal sized flagships. It's the mid-low range that is lacking, they are all oversized in that price range, so people don't have much choice but to buy an oversized phone.
Yeah they're regular sized, you could consider the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro as regular sized as well. I think they could probably do a smaller phone about the size of the iPhone 12/13 mini as well if they wanted to. However I'm not sure if they'll do it since the S22 is their smallest phones since the S10e and they haven't gone smaller than that unless you go all the way back to the S4 (which itself has a similar width to the S10e). I understand why they wouldn't do it because it seems the people who want an iPhone 5S to iPhone mini sized phone are extremely vocal but that doesn't seem to translate to numbers in real life.
People would probably buy smaller phones if given the correct choices, I think the iPhone 15 size is good yeah. iPhone is often a fashion statement, so people usually want the highest end they can get and manufacturers tend to put more features in their bigger more expensive models.
There's no options in the mid-range for smaller phones, most are over 6.5 inches. So people are forced into buying them, there's definitely a large market for small phones, but manufacturers force them into larger models. I suspect they are easier/cheaper to make, so that's what we get. Also bigger numbers = better right, so they'd rather crank the marketing on battery, screen etc.
I don't think they're going to be able to put the same cameras on a smaller phone, especially if you look at something like the Xiaomi 14 Ultra or the Oppo Find X7 Ultra. The sensors are massive and require a lot of space. You may be able to fit two of those sensors on a 6.1 inch phone without compromising on other things like the battery, haptics, antennae for example. They could probably fit a bigger battery by making the phone thicker but it seems like manufacturers like a uniform thickness for most of their models or somewhere thereabouts probably because it's easier to machine the frame.
Of course there's some limitations yeah, though the S24 and iPhone 15 have great cameras, more than enough for the majority of people. Most people aren't power users and won't even look at specs in-depth, just a glance at what it looks like, storage and price. Size would definitely be a factor people would consider (and already do when they can) and it's a real shame there aren't more options.
To be honest looking at the teardowns it's impressive what Apple and Samsung have managed to fit in their phones, I think the Xiamoi 14 Ultra isn't doing itself any favours with that camera placement though, seems inefficient having the modules in the middle of the phone?
I'm not a fan of the cameras on the S24 and base iPhone 15. Samsung have recycled the same cameras for three generations now, I think they can put a larger primary sensor in there.
Idk, Apple does a better job with the Pro as compared to the regular model. Google, Xiaomi and Asus managed to fit bigger batteries on the Pixel 8, Xiaomi 14 and Zenfone 10 without increasing the size too much. Here's a teardown of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. It seems like they're using space pretty efficiently in there.
Fair enough, but I think for most people the cameras are more than enough. I haven't used the iPhone ones but the Samsung ones are honestly fantastic already. It's diminishing returns past that point, like it's buying an actual camera territory.
It feels like with the cameras in the middle, they have to have smaller PCB area around them? Whereas if they are to the side, there's a larger space for a PCB. I don't know though, I think the phone is ugly anyway.
Yeah that's a fair point. I don't like the output of the primary sensor and the 3x on the S24. Feels like they oversharpen and oversaturate colours way too much. Also feel the hardware is lacking compared to the Pixel 8 and iPhone 15 Pro's sensor as they're physically bigger and don't have as much of a problem with shutter lag.
Yeah I agree, there's always room for improvement, but if having smaller phones means sacrificing on camera a bit I don't mind personally. Samsung probably should have upgraded sensors, but I guess they share the same "its good enough" sentiment I have about that. I'd trade an entire sensor for a micro SD card slot and a 3.5mm port!