The smallest current vaguely mainstream phone IMO is the Asus Zenfone 10 at 146.5 x 68.1 x 9.4 mm. The iPhone 13 mini is 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.65mm.

I agree it isn't really mainstream, but Samsung has the "Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5" at 85.1 x 71.9 x 15.1 mm while folded.

Zenfone 10 is only marketed as a compact phone. In reality, it is just slightly narrower than a Samsung S23 (146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6).

yet that makes it 5.9" instead of 6.1" clever marketing gimmick to fit into the below 6" bracket

The iPhone SE 3rd generation would be the smallest mainstream phone, seeing as it’s still sold, but might not meet your definition of “current”.

At this point I’d go back to iPhone 8 form factor if it gets an upgrade, but I’m on a 12 mini and it’s not a big step up

This is the only thing on the horizon that I'm aware of: https://smallandroidphone.com/ but it's looking like vaporware at this point.

Yeah, I signed up for updates more than a year ago and haven't gotten any. Migicovsky seems more interested in Beeper than furthering this project. Which I get, an app is easier and cheaper to deploy than a phone. Still a bit disappointed, I might end up buying a Unihertz Atom XL for a reasonable screen size with bonus FRS radio built in.

Same here, I am genuinely shocked they discontinued the mini series. Will there be another version of the SE maybe?

As another person in the same boat, the problem is that people don't buy them. Like it or not, we're in the minority.

IIRC, the mini versions skimped on the camera. That’s the only reason I didn’t buy one. I preferred the small size but wanted the best camera offered.

Other than battery capacity and physical size of the phone (body and display), the Minis are identical to their non-Mini non-Pro counterparts.

I guess what this person wants are the cameras of the Ultra Max Pro Super Mega iPhone model, on the mini version. And not "just" the cameras of the standard iPhone.

Yea I agree. They tend to market the mini or smaller ones not just as smaller phones but as lower end phones. Since my order of preferences is the features and then the size, I end up never able to justify the smaller phone even though I don't need the big size.

I would be surprised if even 5% of people noticed the difference in a picture taken by a 13 mini and a 15 pro max.

Speaking of, I don't understand why camera quality is the selling point that so many people glom onto.

I get why it's useful to some. But I have to imagine we've crossed the point where "better camera" stopped being noticeable to the masses?

I take lots of pictures, and cameras are expensive. So - upgrading my phone every 3-5 years is better if the camera gets a good improvement.

Sure I get that. My focus was on this part: "But I have to imagine we've crossed the point where "better camera" stopped being noticeable to the masses?"

We haven't crossed that point, no.

Everything might look good in the camera app preview, but it's really noticeable when you go back and look at your old photos. You see a lot of things you wish were captured better. That's from just a year or two ago.

I'm sure there are people who say they don't care about their photos having room for improvement, and sometimes you want better and can't afford it, but that's not quite the same.

I can only speak for my experience with iPhones.

I went from iPhone 4 -> 7 -> 11 -> 13. I upgraded on a shorter cycle from 11 to 13 so I could pass down my 11 to my kids. In each instance, the image quality has improved tremendously.

Going from 4 to 7 was a massive jump in terms of resolution. Going from 7 to 11 was a boost in color and clarity, despite being nearly the same MP. Going from 11 to 13 was a huge improvement in night mode and shooting speeds. Also, these are non-PRO phones, as I cannot afford the PRO ones. I imagine the improvement in the PRO iPhone cameras are nicer.

Every iteration has been an improvement to me, and obviated the need for a DSLR in every day use.

Literally all my family photos are taken on a phone. I don’t own another camera. What is so hard to understand?

I am no photography expert but if you skip 3-4 generations of iPhone you are guaranteed a very substantial upgrade every time. The improvements are visible and obvious.

That's only a problem because of monopolies.

A very small minority of Americans buy pizza in Columbus, Ohio. That doesn't mean there aren't any pizza sellers there.

Pizza parlors are ubiquitous because it takes 50 cents of ingredients, 5 minutes, and an elementary school education to make one. It’s not a very relevant analogy.

There is only so much variation to the size of people’s hands. The mini makes a big battery life and visibility sacrifice to save space.

It’s not much different to the reasons why two-door sports cars have fallen out of favor. They can only do one thing well.

Phones have to do so much for the typical person, they’re not just basic communication devices, and having one that can’t do everything all day is a big compromise.

I had a 12 mini and 13 mini and I can understand why they were discontinued. I loved them at first, but the trade off ultimately doesn’t make sense. I bet you there were very few repeat customers.

I have small fingers and it was hard to type on. Looking at the screen was straining, and it would be worse if I was older or had worse eyesight. The battery life got a little better for the 13 mini but I got range anxiety and had to charge before the day ended almost every day.

People hate the short battery life, and all the high-powered parts of a premium phone (to the extent that they do take more power) are thus even worse suited to the small battery. Incidentally, I'm starting to want something with less battery; mine lasts over two days, so it seems like I should get something smaller. Problem is, from what I understand, iPhones still do slow charging in 2023.

Re:iPhone SE, the newest one was announced March 2022, a refresh from the 2020 predecessor, so I think you should consider them an active product line with slower refresh cycle fitting a lower-price device.

> iPhones still do slow charging in 2023.

I'm not sure where you got this impression, they've supported fast charging since the iPhone 8 in 2017, which could do 50% of the battery in 30 mins, with the appropriate charger. Now which fast charging spec is a different question.

Thanks, that's faster than I realized.

Technically the LTE iWatches are a <5" phone, too.

Can you use them completely independently from an Apple phone? I thought not...

Context: I'm not particularly interested in switching to Apple's phone ecosystem, but their watches seem to be superior to Android's and I am slightly interested in getting one of them.

I don't have one, but I was under the impression cellular versions of Apple Watches can be used independently from an iPhone. You can take calls, send messages, stream music, etc. miles away from a phone, as its connectivity isn't through the phone its through its own onboard cellular modem. Now, do you have to have some kind of iPhone somewhere for it to do things like route messages through iMessage? I don't know.

You can but it’s not the most ideal experience. Calling, maps, and health stuff works fine; texting is alright; other apps are going to be hit or miss, mostly miss. You also need to get the more expensive LTE version, and to have a provider that will sell you an esim for just the watch without an attached plan for a phone.

With the newer iterations, you can. I bought a series 5 used off ebay and plan to try using it independently. It's obviously not going to give you the full functionality of a full-sized phone, but if we're talking minimalist phones I don't think that's the point anyway. Maps + (very) basic texting + phone calls.

Same. I had an iPhone 5, then an SE (1st gen) and now with a 12 mini. Form factor is the key argument. If there no more "mini" form factor, I'm moving to something else.

I'm starting to think about combination smart watches + dumb phone. But I have no clue how the smart watches actually are. But smartphone seems to be targeted for people that do not use laptop/desktop that much.

>But smartphone seems to be targeted for people that do not use laptop/desktop that much.

I'm a "power user", and I want a powerful device when I'm away from my laptop/desktop. Currently using the Samsung Fold 4, and loving it.

the mini has a 5.4" screen, its not <5"

Really sad to see not being corrected after dozens of comments and upvotes. It gives me the feeling people dont actually know what they are talking about.