Adam Kos If you look at the most vocal comments across the internet, you'll find that there's actually a large group of people who would appreciate manufacturers focusing on small phones as well. At the same time, the trend is completely opposite, increasing as much as possible. But maybe there is still a little hope.
There are really few small smartphones on the market, and actually even 6,1" iPhones are quite unique. For example, Samsung only offers the Galaxy S23 in this size, when all other models are larger, even in its middle and low-end class. It is no different with other manufacturers. Why? Because it's one thing to scream on the Internet and another to buy.
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We know this precisely with regard to the failure of the iPhone mini. When it came to the market, it was a big hit because of how Apple thinks about all users and offers devices in a wide range of sizes. But no one wanted the "mini", so it only took two years for Apple to see through and cut it. Instead, he logically came up with the iPhone 14 Plus, i.e. the exact opposite. It's not a bed of roses either, but it has more potential. Despite the fact that we think how small phones we want, we keep buying bigger and bigger ones.
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If you're after a truly small-sized smartphone, this is practically your last chance to go for the iPhone 12 or 13 mini, as it seems unlikely that Apple will ever follow up on this duo of models. But if you don't mind migrating between systems, one rather famous name - Pebble - may soon enter the Android phone segment.
Lots of obstacles with implementation
It's not the company itself, but rather its founder Eric Migicovsky, whose team is said to be working on a really small Android smartphone. He had a poll done on Discord, which gave him clear feedback that people wanted small phones. It is not his first initiative, he already wrote and sent a petition with more than 38 thousand signatures to various manufacturers last year to finally focus on smaller phones as well.
Pebble watch
This is how the Small Android Phone project was born, which tries to invent a phone that would have a 5,4" display and an unmistakable design of its cameras. The problem is that no one makes such small displays anymore, only Apple for its iPhone mini, whose production will soon be definitively stopped. Then there is the question of price. Once the design and technology are ready, a crowdfunding campaign will certainly be launched.
But the estimated price of the device, which is said to be worth 850 dollars (approx. 18 CZK), is really excessive (backers would, of course, want it lower). In addition, ideally around 500 million dollars should be raised for implementation. The whole project is thus doomed, both with regard to the idea, which probably not many people will stand for, and precisely because of the price, which no one will want to pay. At the same time, they had a good footing in Pebble to be a successful brand.
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Pebble's inglorious end
The Pebble smart watch saw the light of day long before the Apple Watch, namely in 2012, and it was a very functional device. Personally, I also had them on my hand for a while and it looked like the dawn of smart wearables, which was then taken over by the Apple Watch. Even then, Pebble's first watch was funded through Kickstarter and enjoyed relative success. It was worse with the next generations. It was the Apple Watch that was responsible for the death of the brand, which was bought by Fitbit at the end of 2016 for $23 million.
I would easily pay more for a small but high-end iPhone than for a "Plus Pro", because I no longer need another "iPad mini" for my iPad, but a normal mobile phone. I think that if AirPods could be directly connected to the AWatch, the iPhone would soon become useless
It fascinates me how specific my social bubble seems to be - I have many more iPhone minis in my immediate vicinity than others.
Now, when I was on the ski mountaineering course, 10 out of 9 people had an iPhone and of those 4 or 5 were minis. Everyone, including me, considers it an ideal phone, because it does not have many compromises in a compact body...
Those of us who work manually and need a small phone at a favorable price and reasonable quality are not thought of. There used to be, for example, the Samsung A3. I have it until now. I'm looking at 13 minis, but the price is crazy. I would rather buy my daughter a new bicycle for NOK 20.