Are we missing or needing "mid size" phones?

[Tig Bitties]

Reading the iPhone 12 Pro Max reviews today, the one common thing said, was it's a massive large phone with a 6.7" display. Same with the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, it's a very big phone with a 6.9" screen. Even the OnePlus 8 Pro reviews said, be prepared, the 8 Pro an it's 6.8" display is a bigger phone than you'd expect.

But then these "regular" sized phones, like the Pixel 5 with a 6" screen, and the iPhone 12 Pro with a 6.1" display, they seem rather small to me. The Pixel 5 size feels tiny to me, almost too small. And the iPhone 12 Pro from what I tested, also felt small in the hand.

I'm starting to think we need a middle size to be the best size, at least in my opinion. So if the 12 Pro Max is gigantic and too large, but the regular 12 Pro too small, what's the middle ground, a 6.4" screen size? Even for me, I have the Pixel 4 XL, it's 6.3" screen size, but with the large forehead it's more like a 6.5" phone, but to me, my 4 XL is borderline the biggest overall dimensions I want of a phone, I do not want anything larger. But I also picked up the Pixel 5, and have to say it's too small, the 6" compact bezeless display is too shrunk down for me, I like something bigger, but maybe not Pixel 4 XL bigger.

So are we in need of "mid size" phones, in that 6.3" to 6.5" screen size? Where 6.9" is just way too large, and 6" is too tiny.

 

[ian87w]

Around 6.5" seems to be the sweet spot, that majority of mid to low Android handsets are around that size (from the cheap Redmi 9 to the popular Galaxy A51, 6.5")

As for Apple, I'd actually prefer them doing an iPhone 12 Max. There are probably many people who want larger screen, but don't necessarily need / want the pro features/pro prices. Apple should trickle down the Max sizes, just like the older Plus phones.

 

[Tig Bitties]

The issue with these smaller phones though, is companies try to keep them thin and light, meaning small battery too. How bout give me a small screen bezeless phone, but make it thick with like 4,500mAh battery. Actually Google did right with the Pixel 5, it's a very compact small footprint phone with a 6" almost no bezel display, but they put in a large 4,100mAh battery, and it also has a more efficient budget processor as well, giving this tiny Pixel tremendous great battery life.

It seems the 6.1" iPhone 12 Pro could have used some extra thickness and a larger battery.

 

[Apple_Robert]

If people want smaller phones, they need to stop buying the phablets. Samsung and Apple et all make what sells.

 

[ian87w]

The issue with these smaller phones though, is companies try to keep them thin and light, meaning small battery too. How bout give me a small screen bezeless phone, but make it thick with like 4,500mAh battery. Actually Google did right with the Pixel 5, it's a very compact small footprint phone with a 6" almost no bezel display, but they put in a large 4,100mAh battery, and it also has a more efficient budget processor as well, giving this tiny Pixel tremendous great battery life.

It seems the 6.1" iPhone 12 Pro could have used some extra thickness and a larger battery.

For weight, maybe Apple should embrace plastic again. Plastic is durable and light. I am actually glad that many Android OEMs are using plastic again. It allows phones with big batteries, but not as heavy. Plastic with the right method can feel premium (eg. Note 20).

Galaxy A71 is physically larger and has larger 4500mAh battery vs the iPhone 12 Pro, yet it is much lighter (179g vs 189g). Sometimes plastic can be a good thing.

 

[Vegastouch]

The reason some of these phones are getting so big is the fast charge capability. Getting up to 33 watts and higher makes the battery needing to be wider to have a bigger divider between the poles in the battery and with bigger battery's such as 4000 MaH and up, they also need to be bigger(taller) because to have a good ratio width and height of the phone.
My Pixel 4a has a 18 wat charger and its very fast and fast enough really. My phone charges real fast though it is a 3180 battery. Still much faster than my GS9 was at 3000.

This explains it some here from the beginning to 1 minute and 15 or so seconds. Keep watching for more interesting info.

 

[Vegastouch]

If people want smaller phones, they need to stop buying the phablets. Samsung and Apple et all make what sells.

I did and dont have either one of those.

 

[Lava Lamp Freak]

This is such a difficult conversation because everyone has different preferences and different hands. It is very subjective! I agree that there needs to be more options.

For me, 151 mm x 71 mm is the largest I'm comfortable with carrying and using. Also, 165 g feels perfect to me, and anything over 180 is fatiguing for me hold.

Thankfully there are flagships that meet my needs, but I'm very concerned every year about things trending even larger.

 

[ian87w]

The reason some of these phones are getting so big is the fast charge capability. Getting up to 33 watts and higher makes the battery needing to be wider to have a bigger divider between the poles in the battery and with bigger battery's such as 4000 MaH and up, they also need to be bigger(taller) because to have a good ratio width and height of the phone.
My Pixel 4a has a 18 wat charger and its very fast and fast enough really. My phone charges real fast though it is a 3180 battery. Still much faster than my GS9 was at 3000.

This explains it some here from the beginning to 1 minute and 15 or so seconds. Keep watching for more interesting info.

Ha. I mentioned how some companies can reach such fast charging by dividing the battery in two in another thread, and some people here don’t believe me. Maybe I should sport a beard and British accent.

 

[Vegastouch]

Ha. I mentioned how some companies can reach such fast charging by dividing the battery in two in another thread, and some people here don’t believe me. Maybe I should sport a beard and British accent.

Now you can show them that video

 

[nickdalzell1]

I'm mostly dead-set against these bricks that remind me of one character from Saved By the Bell.

But having just started using an LG Stylo 5, and it being 50/50 even with length and width, unlike a Galaxy Note that's as long as a remote control, or too wide like some other phones, both which are not pocket/one-handed friendly, I'm quite impressed that a 6.2" display feels more like the 4.8" on my Galaxy SIII. Having a pen makes it even more useful especially at work. It does one thing that the Note 3 failed at: writing memos without unlocking the device, just by pulling the pen out. I thought the Note 3 in 2013 did that seeing demos of 'Action Memo' but in reality, the Note 3 just used the memo to do actions, like write out a phone number and make a call, or write an email address to send a message. I wanted for years to simply remove the pen and write an actual note, and now I can.

It also has a few otherwise extinct features, like a notification LED, plastic back, headphone jack, and NO NOTCH! It also removed a few annoying Android 9 features like the clock on the wrong side, and the limit of four notification icons, and that weird WebOS style app switcher that's nowhere near as fun as the actual WebOS one was.

Unlike the AO1, which was 5.7" but too wide, and uncomfortable in my pocket, and using Android 10 "stupid user edition" (seriously, Samsung made it into a dystopian land, with forced nagware, closing apps whenever it felt like it, and a gesture system as annoying to use as the iPhone X's) that I had to give up on almost a month into using it. The LG is a really fun phone, and I haven't considered their brand since the G3. After the whole 'bootloops' thing I kinda wrote them off. At least their UX feels like classic TouchWiz. Samsung's One UI is utter garbage IMO.

Still, I do miss the good days of sliders with 4" displays, but I do have one should I want to go back. You can still find phones that size but you're not going to get a flagship. At best, they're going to be the things you see at Walmart in the Straight Talk aisle. The only way OEMs will change is if we stop caving and 'accepting' these phablet-size offerings.

 

[cuzo]

Reading the iPhone 12 Pro Max reviews today, the one common thing said, was it's a massive large phone with a 6.7" display. Same with the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, it's a very big phone with a 6.9" screen. Even the OnePlus 8 Pro reviews said, be prepared, the 8 Pro an it's 6.8" display is a bigger phone than you'd expect.

But then these "regular" sized phones, like the Pixel 5 with a 6" screen, and the iPhone 12 Pro with a 6.1" display, they seem rather small to me. The Pixel 5 size feels tiny to me, almost too small. And the iPhone 12 Pro from what I tested, also felt small in the hand.

I'm starting to think we need a middle size to be the best size, at least in my opinion. So if the 12 Pro Max is gigantic and too large, but the regular 12 Pro too small, what's the middle ground, a 6.4" screen size? Even for me, I have the Pixel 4 XL, it's 6.3" screen size, but with the large forehead it's more like a 6.5" phone, but to me, my 4 XL is borderline the biggest overall dimensions I want of a phone, I do not want anything larger. But I also picked up the Pixel 5, and have to say it's too small, the 6" compact bezeless display is too shrunk down for me, I like something bigger, but maybe not Pixel 4 XL bigger.

So are we in need of "mid size" phones, in that 6.3" to 6.5" screen size? Where 6.9" is just way too large, and 6" is too tiny.

s20+ is slim and kinda tall but very pocketable and doesn't feel too heavy.

 

[nickdalzell1]

Galaxy phones tend to try too hard to be longer than wide, and come off as remote control-sized. Tall being the main issue. I had an S8 for a short time and the top 1/3 of it stuck out of my pocket, and that part got so many scratches, and shattered a tempered glass screen protector corner and I found out the hard way you can't just 'peel it off' in that regard. Very painful lesson.

Samsung A-series are too wide, where it really shows wearing tight jeans. Might bring back parachute pants ala Gap Band, though!

So far my best option for larger display feeling as comfortable as smaller display are some of LG's offerings. The Stylo 5 is a 50/50 mix of wide/tall so it's not too far in one direction and works out very well. The sides are metal, but the back is plastic (I prefer plastic). So it's not heavy. The LG Journey is 5.45" display but the phone itself is no larger than a Galaxy S4. While LG hasn't been much for reliability or updates (I don't care about updates so it doesn't bother me) with the G4 and G5, along with the V10 and V20, (see bootloops) I can only hope the one I got (and actually like!) lasts a long time.

I also like some bezel, and no notch. No bezel at all you end up triggering functions by accident unless you hold your phone rather unnaturally, with two or three fingers supporting the sides.

 

[ackmondual]

I got a Pixel 4A and am mostly satisfied with it. My main gripe is the screen is too narrow for my tastes. I wish it were at least 0.2" wider As is, it makes playing certain games rather difficult (admittedly, the gesture-based navigation for the OS getting in the way is also the culprit), and certain apps unusable in landscape mode (e.g. notepad app, with the keyboard displayed). Thus far, it's not enough of a deal breaker for me to get right on getting a new phone. However, it is something I'll pay more attn to in my next phone.

 

[Zaft]

Reading the iPhone 12 Pro Max reviews today, the one common thing said, was it's a massive large phone with a 6.7" display. Same with the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, it's a very big phone with a 6.9" screen. Even the OnePlus 8 Pro reviews said, be prepared, the 8 Pro an it's 6.8" display is a bigger phone than you'd expect.

But then these "regular" sized phones, like the Pixel 5 with a 6" screen, and the iPhone 12 Pro with a 6.1" display, they seem rather small to me. The Pixel 5 size feels tiny to me, almost too small. And the iPhone 12 Pro from what I tested, also felt small in the hand.

I'm starting to think we need a middle size to be the best size, at least in my opinion. So if the 12 Pro Max is gigantic and too large, but the regular 12 Pro too small, what's the middle ground, a 6.4" screen size? Even for me, I have the Pixel 4 XL, it's 6.3" screen size, but with the large forehead it's more like a 6.5" phone, but to me, my 4 XL is borderline the biggest overall dimensions I want of a phone, I do not want anything larger. But I also picked up the Pixel 5, and have to say it's too small, the 6" compact bezeless display is too shrunk down for me, I like something bigger, but maybe not Pixel 4 XL bigger.

So are we in need of "mid size" phones, in that 6.3" to 6.5" screen size? Where 6.9" is just way too large, and 6" is too tiny.

I tried the 12 PM and returned it because it was just too big. My XS Max at 6.5 is a nice size, but even the 6.1 regular sized iPhone is fine.

 

[mdwsta4]

I have yet to try the 12 mini, but I really want to. The 12 pro, just like the X, is just a bit too large to operate comfortably one handed. If they didn't cripple the mini with worse cameras or a smaller battery, I'd probably sacrifice a little bit of screen real estate. I don't care if it's 1mm thinner. Keep it slightly thicker and give me more battery!

 

[Erehy Dobon]

Don't try the 12 mini. You will be disappointed. Just like with pretty much anything that isn't a 12 Pro.

I love my 12 mini but I have different expectations than you. More realistic? Less realistic? I choose not to answer that.

Of course, you are free to buy the 12 mini and decide for yourself within the standard 14-day evaluation period.

But based on your post here, I assume you do not possess the ability to do so.