Other Do you think we’ll see an iPhone the size of the 5/5S/2016 SE someday again?

[Andeddu]

I use an iPhone 12 Mini and think it’s a good size. If pigs did indeed fly, and they released a new SE in an iPhone 5 form factor, I would probably move to that. I’d love see the 2016 SE with an A15 or A14 processor and a capacitive touch button. Even if they removed the earphone jack I would still be in.

Folk use their phones for multimedia now such as YouTube, Netflix, Disney, etc… along with social media and general web-browsing. Owning a computer these days is no longer important if you have a good smart phone. I guess that’s the reason smaller form factors are dying out. Another reason may be that the iPhone SE is a budget phone whereas the Mini is considered premium as it costs only $100 less than the full sized version.

A 2016 style SE with modern components in the price region of the current SE would *possibly* sell like hot cakes.

 

[ahurst]

I’ve kept my original SE on iOS 13 and it’s very fast and fluid. It’s almost certainly a big pain, but I’m pretty sure it’s technically possible to downgrade all A7-A11 iOS devices to older firmwares thanks to the checkra1n bootloader exploit, the documentation doesn’t seem great but there do appear to be open-source tools to do it.

I’m 100% with you that the original SE is a great form factor (and one I definitely prefer to the 6/7/8 and the modern giant iPhones), though when I do eventually need to upgrade the 13 mini (or 14 mini if they make one) will do in a pinch. Not quite as easily usable with one hand, though (my partner often falls asleep while cuddling leaving only one arm free, so the larger the phone the more difficult it is to use without disturbing her).

Also, I know someone mentioned that even niche Android makers don’t make small phones anymore but that’s not quite true: the Unihertz company makes a number of phones that are iPhone 5-sized (and even smaller)! They’re not particularly well-specced, but they exist and they’re pretty cheap.

 

[Asonando]

Phones have long ceased to be used only for calls. and for everything else, a large screen is more convenient. Therefore, I think the screens will only increase.

 

[PossibleTurco]

In the past, you had to enlarge the bodies of the phones to enlarge the screens. Because of the huge bezels, both the small body and the big screen were not possible at the same time. I remember Samsung released a series called Galaxy Mega. The body of the device was extremely large and the screen was 6 inches.

However, with the frameless phone trend that started after 2017, phone bodies got smaller and the screens got bigger. For example, although the body of the iPhone X is smaller than the 8 Plus, its screen is larger. Why, because the iPhone X does not have huge screen bezels.

Now let's get to why I said this. Because making a 4" phone is meaningless with today's technology. The iPhone 12/13 Mini is almost the size of an iPhone 5S and its screen is ideal for one-handed use. What people want is a small body rather than a small screen. The iPhone Mini series was launched to respond to this demand. Making a 4-inch phone is an unnecessary step today.

 

[B_mark_R]

I think we are more likely to see a 4" apple watch than a 4" iphone!

 

[candy-sus]

Unless you want to have screen-on-time of 1 hour, then no

 

[SciFiBrony]

I mean, unless you're set on the 4" for the screen size, as far as I'm aware the 12 and 13 minis get pretty close to the iPhone 5/5s/first-generation SE as far as the footprint goes. AND starting with the iPhone 12, they even brought back the flat edges/sides from the 4/4S/5/5S/first-generation SE. The 13 mini is definitely going to be my next iPhone unless the rumors are wrong and there's a 14 mini. Gonna wait either way. If there IS a 14 mini, great! If not, the 13 mini should get a price drop!

 

[MartyvH]

The 4" ship has sailed and it was the Titanic. The 12 and 13 minis are it as far as I'm concerned. Much bigger screen but a very similar general size. The "computing" market has changed permanently and radically. For millions a smartphone is their computer except for a few specific cases and people just wanted bigger screens. But I don't know what I would do.

I have had a 12 mini since November 2020 and love the size. Plenty of screen for me, I also have an 11" iPad Pro, 24" Windows desktop and smart TV.

I would like to hand it on to my dad who also prefers compact phones and get myself a 13 mini because it will be the last mini. The only questions are at what time this year and could I possibly get a discount when production ends?? In Australia you always pay the full or close to full retail price buying from any source, including carrier plans.

After the 13 mini 5-6 years from now?

The future, always so clear to me, had become like a black highway at night.

 

[Fatebringer]

I feel as if the market for 4 inch phones would be tiny considering the sales of the 12/13 mini did not pad out well, unfortunately the demand for bigger screens has come with the demand for our phones to do more.

 

[arian71]

if Apple adapt full screen use of their phones... i mean why sell me a 6.5 inch screen when in reality feels like 5.5 inch. Remove the top and bottom bar while browsing . Then a 4 inch screen may be great

 

[Andeddu]

I’d like to see a special one-off small phone at $349.99 in the shape of an iPhone 4S with a capacitive touch button, wireless charging and equipped with an A12 or A13 chip.

You’d pay a premium and Apple would make a tidy profit but it would be the best small phone in town.

 

[Silly John Fatty]

I changed the topic title, because it’s less about the 4" screen and more about the overall dimensions of the iPhone 5/5S/SE.

 

[B_mark_R]

The poor mini sales are probably the nail in the coffin for this form factor.

 

[SactoGuy18]

Phones have long ceased to be used only for calls. and for everything else, a large screen is more convenient. Therefore, I think the screens will only increase.

That is the very reason why we may not see smaller touchscreen cellphones again in "developed" markets. Even the lower-end Samsung phones are all using 6" or larger screens nowadays.

 

[goobot]

The lack of pro mini is the reason I didn’t opt for a mini, I care about the zoom too much.

 

[kevink2]

Highly doubtful unless suddenly the market demand goes to tiny candy bar and Startac phones again. Apple brought out the Mini due to clamoring and then the expected sales appear to never have materialized (from what I've read online) as others said. It'd be nice if they'd update the SE appearance though at some point.

I've also read the belief that another purpose of the Mini was to push the price of the regular 12 up $100 by taking over the low price point So it didn't matter as much on how much the 12 Mini sold. The extra $100 on the 12 made up for it.

Admittedly, other costs were going up for the 12, such as mmWave compatible 5G