The thing with my SE isn't the 4" display but its form factor / physical size.

If Apple would simply take the iPhone 6/s/7/8 form factor then this is indeed NOT a SE successor!

However, If they'll get the screen to body ratio and squeeze 4.7" for a similar form factor of current iPhone SE, I guess most SE owners would be happy campers.

I don't agree. With the 4.7" screen I can't reach e.g. the P key an other keys on the right side of the keyboard with my left thumb while holding the device in my left hand. I also can't, for example, focus the URL bar of a browser tab while holding the phone in a normal typing position.

I only have the one hand so don't try to give me advice about how to hold the thing.

Have you seen the option to push the keyboard over to one side? Hold down the keyboard switcher button (you'll need at least two keyboards enabled) and there will be an option to move it over to one side or the other. (Native OS keyboard, iOS 12, I think.)

Also, the "reachability" feature is nice: double-tap (NOT click, just touch) the home button (or swipe down on the little bottom bar for iPhones lacking a home button) and the screen slides down half-way. I can reach the URL bar this way without moving my hand from typing position. (This does have to be enabled in settings.)

Side note: I've often wondered what it would be like to have only one hand to type with. What kind of a keyboard do you use? Any special software, etc.?

Too bad some people can't even reach the keyboard switcher button when holding the phone with one hand. It makes the one-hand options pointless if I need both hands just to activate it. It's now as far to the left of the screen as possible on the X (and above) and I can't reach it with my right thumb when holding the phone normally.

I used Swype keyboard on a SE and love it.

https://www.nuance.com/mobile/mobile-applications/swype/swyp...

Do the one hand gestures not work on the iPhone SE?

The ones to pull the screen down and to align the keyboard to the left or right?

Yes, the hacks that Apple added to work around the fundamental usability problems of the > 4" iPhones do work, but they don't turn them into 4" phones in all respects.

You might want to consider switching to Android which has lots of 3rd party gestures/customization options in general, including browsers with addressbar/tabbar at the bottom.

Honestly, 4.7" is probably "small enough" for more people. I had a Nexus 6 and switched to a Moto X when that died, and at 5.2", it's much better. I would prefer another inch or so smaller, but honestly a 4.7" might just be good enough to be comfortable.

That being said, I miss the days when small phones were all the rage (e.g. like in Zoolander). My phone needs to be just big enough to use GPS and basic web browsing (i.e. look up a menu for takeout), and that's about it. I don't need to watch videos or play games (in fact, not being able to is a productivity feature), I just need a simple phone. It seems the "do all the things" market is well served, but the "do only important things" isn't. I just want something in between "smart phone" and "dumb phone" that can fit nicely in my pocket and hand.

On the Android side, attempts at small, high-spec phones seem to have been abandoned. Sony had the excellent "Compact" series which now seems abandoned, and the Samsung Galaxy S9 Mini never made it to market.

Yes, I went from the Xperia Z1 Compact to the XZ Compact...and not only is it larger, but worse is every way except raw speed. It is more buggy, difficult to find a screen protector that stays on, screen often freezes, the large size makes it far less comfortable to use. I am seriously considering buying another Z1 compact even though it's years old and slower with an out-of-date Android...but the form factor and reliability was unbeatable.

Loved my Z1 compact till I learned about privacy and Google. Got an iPhone 7, similar size.

> .. out-of-date

I repurposed Z1C as in-car GPS, installing Lineage15+microG (Android 8?) on it, plus TomTom.

It's probably a PITA for Apple (and developers) to design UIs that look and work good across such a wide gamut of sizes.

Yes, but you have a handful of devices unlike android where you have hundreds or even thousands.