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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 death of small phones is why I'm so committed to my flip 4. The space it takes up in my pocket or bag is so much less than any "regular" phone.
Pocket space is only half the problem. The other half is one-handed use and the flip is huge when opened.
This is true, and honestly my biggest gripe with the phone. I don't wear small mitts, and I can only comfortably reach 3/4 of the way up the phone. This is exacerbated by the fact that phone application design is in a very top-centric stage right now. I wonder if there's a way I could extend the android nav bar to take up the top 1/4 of the screen...
On Samsung devices there is an accessibility setting that gives a smaller one-hand screen when swiping down from the bottom bar. But that just feels like a waste of space when you could just have a smaller screen.
That's available on Pixels as well - I use it a lot even on my smaller 4a. Very handy in a pinch!
I know it's not everyones cup of tea but..
I ended up buying a Pixel Fold for the Fold aspect. There's an added benefit that it's really short when folded so I can reach the entire screen one handed. It's heavier and thicker than a slate phone, but I actually enjoy the folded experience way better than other phones.
Why do people need to use their phone with one hand?
Because it's something you use a lot for small things throughout the day. When you need to quickly answer a message or look at a map you shouldn't need to stop and place down everything you're holding.
I don't know, those things aren't a problem for me. I can use maps and type one handed if I need to and I use my phone as much as the next guy. I just don't find I really need to very often, very rarely in fact.
I know my way of doing things isn't always standard, are there other reasons people have?
This is probably very subjective. I'd say I use my phone one-handed about 7/10 times and I'd do it more if I could. Actually I do most things one-handed when possible but I have small hands so phones are becoming an issue. There isn't a specific reason, it's just more convenient.
Yeah it is subjective but when I see complaints about big phones, or rather the lack of small ones, using it one handed seems to be a regular thing.
I've been thinking about this and I used both hands with all my phones back to the old Nokia feature phone days, and the first smart phone I had was less than 3.5 inches.
Despite my fairly large hands that have no problem shifting the phone around in one, I just don't. And it's because of accuracy, or lack of it. I can miss my intended target quite easily, even with two hands. The bigger the screen, the less accurate I have to be. That's a really big thing for me. I even used the Nokias with bigger buttons.
This is starting to make sense! If I had smaller fingers that were also more accurate, I would probably want to use a phone one handed as well.
I think this has explained it for me and I'm glad I asked. Now I can appreciate the perspective of the complaint and that's something I like, seeing things from a place different to my own.
Yes, use my phone one handed. Was that not clear?
To me that's the exact and only purpose of a phone: for it to be a handheld portable computer. For that purpose I should be able to use it with one hand
To me that doesn't really compute. I like to see a lot of information on my screen and my eyes aren't as young as they were. My hands aren't small and neither are my pockets, but I use two hands most of the time.
I guess we're all different and if your phone is too big and it's getting more difficult to find the small phone you want, then I can certainly understand why it's a problem for some.
I don't really like looking at curved screens but I do really like using gestures for navigating. Flat screens aren't as easy to do that with especially as I like to use a case. Horses for courses, eh?
I do too, but glasses help a lot. In my use case 5" is plenty, though not with default settings: global UI size was tweaked so everything is smaller, and more fits on screen.
Neither do I, and I'm doing everything I can to avoid those phones. No feature can balance that huge con.
Hmm, interesting. I'm using gestures too, some more than others, and with a flat screen it's fine for me.
Yes, with reading glasses and everything bigger!
My requirements out way that con by a large degree. It's not ideal but there's no perfect phone.
With a case? I have to use a work phone with a flat screen and a case. I set the gestures the same as my own phone for muscle memory and it's often annoyingly bad.
These things are all subjective, we just have different needs. As I've said elsewhere, I asked the question because I did not know what reasons people had for wanting a small phone. I've had plenty of good answers now, including yours, and I'm glad I now have a better understanding of the needs for small phones.
True that I don't use a case. It has fallen apart years ago and didn't bother to get a new one. I was using gestures while I had the case, too, but I don't remember how was it it usability.