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1. mhitza+(OP)[view] [source] 2025-12-05 16:04:46
47% percent of voters wanted a ~6" phone, and 12% of voters a ~7" phone.

I guess me and the remaining 41% of voters are still left wishing for 5" phones to make a comeback.

replies(4): >>dijit+tc >>lvspif+yc >>nikanj+yd >>t0bia_+Ta2
2. dijit+tc[view] [source] 2025-12-05 16:55:42
>>mhitza+(OP)
Supply chain has left us.

Since there's no new development happening with small phones, we'd have to settle for "older spec" screens (IE, new stock iPhone 5 screens, with none of the colour accuracy, frame-rate etc improvements from the last 10 years).

People don't like "old spec", so they'd probably not buy those devices.

If you're a small player, then you're downstream of the supply chain, you don't make the rules.

Chicken and Egg problem.

Ironically people think there's no market for small phones due to apple making a "small phone" which had a larger screen size than an iPhone 6.. which was when phones started getting too big for me, and many people I spoke to.

So, you make a small phone that isn't actually small, it sells like poop so you presume that people don't want small phones..

replies(4): >>sho_hn+Oc >>SoftTa+Id >>jeffbe+4e >>nialv7+P31
3. lvspif+yc[view] [source] 2025-12-05 16:55:55
>>mhitza+(OP)
What about those of us that were expecting an earpiece and glasses with AR for calling by now?
replies(1): >>dijit+ve
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4. sho_hn+Oc[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 16:57:13
>>dijit+tc
Re us/we, you're not associated with Jolla, right? For clarity.
replies(1): >>dijit+fd
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5. dijit+fd[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 16:59:01
>>sho_hn+Oc
To clarify: no.

Though I suspect I worked with many staff members at Nokia. Their former CTO was my boss.

6. nikanj+yd[view] [source] 2025-12-05 16:59:57
>>mhitza+(OP)
Every now and then some phone manufacturer mistakes online sentiment for actual demand and gets burned making a mini phone that won’t sell
replies(5): >>Telane+xf >>maelit+Gj >>nebula+sm >>thesui+3q >>boznz+dr
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7. SoftTa+Id[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:00:30
>>dijit+tc
> colour accuracy, frame-rate

Absolutely irrelevant for what I do with a phone, and I'd wager that 90% of users would not notice the difference.

replies(4): >>dijit+5e >>crossr+Hj >>thesui+Eo >>dogma1+qq
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8. jeffbe+4e[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:02:14
>>dijit+tc
You know what, that is exactly what Lenovo executives were telling their customers right up until the moment that Apple released Retina devices. Lenovo swore in a blog post that because of the overall panel market it was quite impossible to put an IPS display in a laptop, then a few days later Apple released a 221 DPI 15" IPS MacBook Pro.
replies(1): >>dijit+ee
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9. dijit+5e[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:02:30
>>SoftTa+Id
Are you really telling me that people wouldn't look at the spec-sheet and state (loudly) that they won't buy a phone because "in 2025 it doesn't even have 120fps"?

I don't believe you if that's the case.

replies(2): >>rob74+5f >>SoftTa+ih
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10. dijit+ee[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:02:59
>>jeffbe+4e
Apple definitely has the grunt I'm talking about to push the supply chain to change.
replies(1): >>MBCook+BQ1
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11. dijit+ve[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:04:01
>>lvspif+yc
FYI, if you have an Apple Watch with LTE you can take facetime calls with it using your Airpods.

Feels kinda weird, definitely works.

(same for music)

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12. rob74+5f[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:06:14
>>dijit+5e
I'm not the OP, but if you ask me, I'll tell you that I think most phone users out there don't even know what a fps is, let alone how many fps their smartphone has...
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13. Telane+xf[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:07:46
>>nikanj+yd
What 5-ish inch screen phone has even been released within the past 5 years? The only ones I can think of are the Unihertz phones, and those don't get a single update after getting shoved out the door, not to mention that they're probably full of Chinese backdoors. I'd buy that exact phone in a heartbeat if it didn't have those problems, and all the other ones I've seen have similar dealbreakers.
replies(3): >>hxtk+Xh >>clucki+Yh >>seba_d+pS
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14. SoftTa+ih[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:15:38
>>dijit+5e
I've never looked at the spec sheet when I bought a phone.
replies(1): >>dijit+3k
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15. hxtk+Xh[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:17:56
>>Telane+xf
iPhone had the 12 and 13 mini, but they didn't sell, so there was no iPhone 14 mini and hasn't been one since. That was a 5.4" display.
replies(3): >>maelit+Bj >>Wistar+jl >>Telane+ko
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16. clucki+Yh[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:17:58
>>Telane+xf
iPhone SE 3 was released in 2022
replies(1): >>Telane+Co
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17. maelit+Bj[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:24:44
>>hxtk+Xh
> but they didn't sell

What do you call "didn't sell" ? In numbers.

replies(1): >>nebula+Gm
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18. maelit+Gj[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:25:10
>>nikanj+yd
Small phones are also way less addictive. It's not in the interest of the mobile ecosystem.
replies(1): >>nebula+2o
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19. crossr+Hj[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:25:20
>>SoftTa+Id
I had iPhone 12 Mini and then 14 and now 17. I can't practically tell the difference except for battery life, weight, and size.
replies(1): >>burnin+Du
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20. dijit+3k[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:27:20
>>SoftTa+ih
yet, every time there’s a “niche” product that people asked for on HN the first comment is almost always about specifications being out of date
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21. Wistar+jl[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:32:44
>>hxtk+Xh
I cherish my iPhone 12 Mini and treat it with great care as it is the form factor I want and I want it to last as long as possible.
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22. nebula+sm[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:38:41
>>nikanj+yd
Yeah...like Apple: https://www.macrumors.com/2022/04/21/iphone-13-mini-unpopula...

As someone holding onto their iPhone mini 13 for dear life, I hope they will release a one off in a few years once support for the 13 mini ends.

replies(1): >>Lord-J+Jp
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23. nebula+Gm[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:39:56
>>maelit+Bj
How about 3% of sales: https://www.macrumors.com/2022/04/21/iphone-13-mini-unpopula...
replies(2): >>MBCook+LQ1 >>maelit+Rl2
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24. nebula+2o[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:45:27
>>maelit+Gj
How do you assess that? I'd imagine it would be more along the lines of is the phone frictionless to use?

This is just an anecdote but I owned every Google Nexus phone they made up to Nexus 5. A series of bugs caused priceless videos to get ruined and I decided to try iPhone after that. I didn't realize just how much I unconsciously hated using the Nexus phone and that contributed to me not actually adopting smartphone software until I got the iPhone. When the phone and the OS were a burden it led to the phone being avoided. I dont know which was better. I appreciate the battery life, camera and general stability but I hate the new addictions to social media it has caused.

replies(1): >>maelit+Jl2
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25. Telane+ko[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:46:51
>>hxtk+Xh
I skipped that one because my SE 2 was less than a year old and I didn't want to go up a size.
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26. Telane+Co[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:48:04
>>clucki+Yh
Very fair. I skipped it because my SE 2 was still going strong when that came out, which I kind of regret now, since I can't get a new SE 3 anymore.
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27. thesui+Eo[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:48:11
>>SoftTa+Id
90% wouldn't notice, but of those 90%, 5% compared specs and got the phone with better color accuracy "just in case," and 95% just went to their local retailer and either bought the newest phone or the cheapest phone.
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28. Lord-J+Jp[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:52:12
>>nebula+sm
Yeah I feel like putting it closer to the SE lifecycle is must be a better decision than fully axing the mini lineup. If we get a mini 13, then a mini 19 or 20? I can live with that.
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29. thesui+3q[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:54:15
>>nikanj+yd
I've been IT operations for years, and when I order laptops I sometimes do a little experiment. If I ask people if they want a 15.6" laptop or a 13" laptop, they always say 15.6. If I don't give them a choice and just start buying 13" laptops, everybody tells me how much they love the smaller laptop, and people still on the 15.6" models start looking around asking when they can get the smaller one.

People don't know what they want unless you give it to them.

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30. dogma1+qq[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:55:59
>>SoftTa+Id
Variable frame rate screens aren’t just for making the phone feel snappier but are also needed for the battery to last longer.

If your production volume isn’t high enough to justify a custom screen to be cut you are stuck with what is available on the market.

And even if 5” screens are available now in the form of NOS or upcycled refurbs that may not be the case 2 or 3 not to mention 5+ years down the line.

So you have to go with what not only is available today but with what is still likely to be available throughout the expected usable lifetime of your product.

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31. boznz+dr[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 17:59:01
>>nikanj+yd
Only Apple would consider selling millions, but not tens of millions a failure.
replies(1): >>MBCook+HQ1
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32. burnin+Du[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 18:15:26
>>crossr+Hj
It will be pretty imperceivable when you stay within the same ecosystem. If you went from your 17 and then went to a mid tier phone like a Samsung A71, you would notice a difference.

Display is something I for sure started paying attention to when I was jumping back and forth between Android and Apple when I went from my OnePlus to Apple and then to Samsung noticed differences.

replies(1): >>MBCook+xQ1
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33. seba_d+pS[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 20:01:18
>>Telane+xf
If 5-ish includes 5.7", then the Librem 5 that I'm typing this on would qualify. It's still borderline too big for my tastes though.
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34. nialv7+P31[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-05 20:58:11
>>dijit+tc
> Supply chain has left us.

<rant>

Who made the decision? There are still so many of us wanting a compact phone, but the big tech companies (Google, Apple, etc.) said no, therefore we can't have it. Not only can we not have it, they also closed the door on everyone, now even if someone wants to service this section of the market, they can't. Because, yes, the supply chain has left us.

This is power - they are taking away our freedoms and anatomy. They are making decisions for us and we have absolutely no say.

</rant>

Compact phones is but one of examples. A more current example would be the rocketing DRAM price. We got do something to stop this, but I feel so powerless.

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35. MBCook+xQ1[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-06 03:07:18
>>burnin+Du
Small improvements add up.

If GP picked up that 12 again, they’d notice.

replies(1): >>plomme+xf2
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36. MBCook+BQ1[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-06 03:08:00
>>dijit+ee
And Lenovo doesn’t?
replies(1): >>dijit+w82
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37. MBCook+HQ1[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-06 03:09:16
>>boznz+dr
Right. We don’t know that Apple didn’t make money. Only that they didn’t make enough money. By whatever definition they used.
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38. MBCook+LQ1[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-06 03:09:43
>>nebula+Gm
It’s a hell of a lot of phones.
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39. dijit+w82[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-06 07:10:06
>>MBCook+BQ1
If all thinkpads did the same thing, then maybe they would.

If it was the flagship laptop (t14s or x1 carbon) then, yeah.

Otherwise, no.

Lenovo is a smaller player by far than HP or Dell, and less focused than Microsoft or Apple (commanding lower prices on average also).

The most popular thinkpad is actually the E14, which is a budget notebook. Most finance departments can’t tell the difference and its usually developers getting the good hardware, so we have a warped perspective.

replies(1): >>jeffbe+xa3
40. t0bia_+Ta2[view] [source] 2025-12-06 07:57:00
>>mhitza+(OP)
Dimensions: ~158 x 74 x 9mm

It's way too big for me. Anything above 71mm width is unconfortable to hold in one hand or pocket.

replies(1): >>Ekaros+yT2
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41. plomme+xf2[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-06 08:59:14
>>MBCook+xQ1
Wife has a 16 pro, I’m on a 13 mini. Other than her phone being way too big I don’t notice any difference.

And why should I? Reading text on the web, calling, sms’ing, listening to music or using navigation does not require “next gen” hardware. Hell, it doesn’t even require current gen hardware. It would probably work just fine on 2000s era hardware.

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42. maelit+Jl2[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-06 10:20:47
>>nebula+2o
Just evaluating my dependency. Was way lower with a small phone than with my 6 inch.

It could be assessed by a study, I have opinions until then.

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43. maelit+Rl2[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-06 10:22:42
>>nebula+Gm
In march of that year, but was higher before, no ? Anyway, that's ~ 3 million phones. It's a lot.
replies(1): >>hxtk+uS3
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44. Ekaros+yT2[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-06 15:55:14
>>t0bia_+Ta2
Currently going from 67mm to 71.2mm. And I kinda can expect pain. And that is pretty much the narrowest phone available on the market in traditional form. And I already can expect that grip won't be fully usable.
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45. jeffbe+xa3[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-06 18:13:56
>>dijit+w82
> Lenovo is a smaller player by far than HP or Dell

Wut.

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46. hxtk+uS3[view] [source] [discussion] 2025-12-07 00:27:40
>>maelit+Rl2
I'm making this distinction post-hoc, so I already know how it turned out: they ultimately decided to stop making those smaller devices. I assume that means it wasn't enough sales to be a financially viable product, and to me, selling "enough" would mean that Apple found it profitable to maintain the supply chains and assembly lines for those smaller devices and continued to invest in the product.

Arguing against myself, Apple could be discontinuing the smaller models because they did market research and found that most buyers of smaller, cheaper devices could be converted to buyers of larger, more expensive devices if those smaller devices didn't exist. Auto manufacturers are doing just that, discontinuing or enlarging smaller light trucks in favor of larger models that are subject to less regulation and therefore can be designed and manufactured more cheaply and might offer even more profit.

If Apple has or had that strategy, then my assumptions are flawed because no matter how many mini iPhones they sell, they would still want to get rid of the line as long as most of those customers could be converted to full-size iPhone customers.

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