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Jared G.K.

macrumors regular
Jul 23, 2023
123
160
I’m quite serious. OP compared the two phones in regard to his feelings right now.

Regardless, you are attempting to sandbag the comparison. The 8 had a 4.7” screen vershs a 5.5” screen for the 8 Plus. The 15 already eclipses both with a 6.1” screen, and the 6.7” on the Plus is icing on the cake.

Further, battery life on the 8 was 13 hours for video playback whereas it is 20 hours on the 16. Big difference.

To quote the old phrase: “lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
I don't sandbag anything, nor do I lie as insinuated by you (what would be my intention)?
Your arguments lead nowhere.
You repeat that 6 years old phones are inferior compared to current ones.
Yes, and? In which way does that have anything to do with the topic of the thread?
I wholeheartedly disagree with your assessment.

to make it clearer for you:

let's look back to the 13 series, just to make the case. Would you compare the 8 series with the 13 mini? It is way smaller, lighter, thinner....but is superior in every thinkable way. Would that be a fair comparison?
Or would you compare it to the 13 Pro ?
 

janeauburn

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 22, 2015
1,298
2,206
My exact same sentiment. Went back to using my 8+ for a short period of time while my 13 pro max was getting a battery replacement in the Apple Store and it struck me how much I missed the thinner form factor and the curved edges which made it so pleasant to hold in the hand without needing a case.

Granted, I know the current batch of iPhones are thicker to accommodate a bigger battery and I love not having to worry about running out of juice before the day is over, but man, I use Apple products precisely because I am willing to give up a bit of utility in exchange for a nicer "feel" of the device.

Right. It’s possible for Apple to make a thin phone that slips into a pocket without weighing you down, but then they would have to go easy on iOS and scale back features designed to separate you from even more of your money.

People are blinded by the fact that the requirement for big batteries is really a result of Apple piling on a bunch of bloat that has little to do with usability and everything to do with profitability.

You don’t think Apple could make a phone that is so small and light that you forget it’s in your pocket and lasts several days on a single charge with today’s batteries? Nonsense.

It’s the marketing machine that has blinded people to the fact that Apple has created the problem and that the only solution is a phone that’s too fat, too large, and too heavy.

You’ve all heard of the frog in the frying pan, right? The heat gets turned up so slowly that the frog doesn’t realize what has happened until it’s too late. That’s a good analogy for the modern Apple iPhone consumer.
 
Last edited:

geta

macrumors 68000
May 18, 2010
1,529
1,268
The Moon
Right. It’s possible for Apple to make a thin phone that slips into a pocket without weighing you down, but then they would have to go easy on iOS and scale back features designed to separate you from even more of your money.

Or just making (again) small size phones without camera bump as part of their lineup.

Sure they will have to “sacrifice” battery life and it wont have the latest camera module, but at least it will be comfortable to use one handed and carrying around.
 

Splitrail

macrumors 6502a
Dec 26, 2021
900
1,101
Or just making (again) small size phones without camera bump as part of their lineup.

Sure they will have to “sacrifice” battery life and it wont have the latest camera module, but at least it will be comfortable to use one handed and carrying around.
Yes, and if there was enough demand for such a phone, Apple would offer it.
As yet, there's not.
 
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Splitrail

macrumors 6502a
Dec 26, 2021
900
1,101
It's understandable that many are disappointed that they can't have exactly what they want in a phone, and this is a great place to discuss this topic, but I wonder how many address these points directly to Apple in such a way that might convince then that it would be worthwhile to produce such a product.
 
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john123

macrumors 68030
Jul 20, 2001
2,592
1,597
I don't sandbag anything, nor do I lie as insinuated by you (what would be my intention)?
Your arguments lead nowhere.
You repeat that 6 years old phones are inferior compared to current ones.
Yes, and? In which way does that have anything to do with the topic of the thread?
I wholeheartedly disagree with your assessment.

to make it clearer for you:

let's look back to the 13 series, just to make the case. Would you compare the 8 series with the 13 mini? It is way smaller, lighter, thinner....but is superior in every thinkable way. Would that be a fair comparison?
Or would you compare it to the 13 Pro ?
I wouldn’t compare, period, because you can’t. Attempting to do so is as silly as apples and oranges.
 

d3lph1c

macrumors newbie
Aug 29, 2023
5
3
Picked up the 8 Plus after using the 15 series for a while, and it hit me: the older phones are so much easier to hold and carry because they’re thinner.

Current phones are too thick.
Disagree. They should be thicker to provide bigger batteries and eliminate camera bump. Just make the whole thing flat and flush in the back. camera bump dumb.
 
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johnmacward

macrumors 6502
Jul 12, 2011
347
254
The problem isn't necessarily the thinness, but the screen size in my opinion. The width and mostly the height of these devices makes accessing things that are at the top pretty difficult while holding in one hand - and I have larger than average hands - the stretch that we must do, the contortion of the thumb for accessing out of reach things is the problem (and I know the "pull down" trick) - this was ironically never a problem with way older phones where the keypad was the typing device right under your thumb - they were technically better ergonomically than phones of today. By the way, no, I don't suggest a reversion to that time... I'll gladly live with the small shortcomings of smartphones for much increased functionality, but the size should be reasonable and I personally thought my iPhone 6S was ideal in terms of screen size for actual physical reach and use. I currently have a 12 and while I think its a great phone, I'm sort of surprised that Apple followed the Samsung size bandwagon and made the phones more ergonomically difficult. The millimetre or two that MIGHT be possible to shave off of today's devices and still maintain the functionality and battery life is the maximum you'll ever gain in terms of thickness / thinness and personally that won't make a huge difference to most people BUT it will reduce the battery size, one of the most important components of the device in making it functional. A dead iPhone is a useless iPhone, regardless of the thinness.
 
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johnmacward

macrumors 6502
Jul 12, 2011
347
254
Right. It’s possible for Apple to make a thin phone that slips into a pocket without weighing you down, but then they would have to go easy on iOS and scale back features designed to separate you from even more of your money.

People are blinded by the fact that the requirement for big batteries is really a result of Apple piling on a bunch of bloat that has little to do with usability and everything to do with profitability.

You don’t think Apple could make a phone that is so small and light that you forget it’s in your pocket and lasts several days on a single charge with today’s batteries? Nonsense.

It’s the marketing machine that has blinded people to the fact that Apple has created the problem and that the only solution is a phone that’s too fat, too large, and too heavy.

You’ve all heard of the frog in the frying pan, right? The heat gets turned up so slowly that the frog doesn’t realize what has happened until it’s too late. That’s a good analogy for the modern Apple iPhone consumer.
I never thought I'd end up agreeing with you but I somewhat do...

Yeah of course, if Apple cut the iOS functionality down by 60%, took out the heaviest drawers of power and simplified many things (essentially made the phone more dumb, but still functional) THEN a much thinner battery would be required that COULD potentially last days on end and part of me WOULDN'T say no to something like that.

The iPhone is too small a device to do serious work, so personally it shouldn't contain nor need to contain the equivalent functionality of a full PC if the result is that it'll function for just 2 hours while doing serious work. The VAST majority of users don't use their iPhone to their full ability so essentially we could say that 90% of its functionality is utterly wasted everyday - enormous resources go into making it "unbelievable" and "so functional" and "enabling" and its sold like that, regardless of the fact that 95% will use it just for messages, calls and browsing (social media is included in that). They can then justify charging us close to 1000€ for this utterly under utilised device - and very precious resources go into this which could be better used elsewhere for more people.

Its a bit like SUV culture, no one really needs one, the marketing and the social pressure make you buy one, all the while the planet burns and resources are enormously depleted in their creation. Once we have one we find it hard to go back, but when we didn't have one we didn't really care.

To get back to making it thinner though, the only problem I see is if you were looking for a radical thinification, for example knock 2/3mm off, I still think that the strength of the phone would suffer and would bend more easily in tight jeans pockets, accidentally sitting on it, being thrown into a bag where someone puts a heavy object that applies pressure without realising. Fundamentally its walls are what provide it with rigidity and strength and prevent it from being another iPhone 6. Probably shaving 1mm off would still be ok, but after that we'll end up with many bananas.
 

bushman4

macrumors 601
Mar 22, 2011
4,061
3,597
At this point in time it’s a thick iPhone or an iPhone with a small battery
The technology isn’t there yet
 

FeliApple

macrumors 68040
Apr 8, 2015
3,652
2,048
I think it comes down to thickness, camera, and battery.

Every user has their own preference, but nobody likes poor battery life. So I’d err on the side of heaviness rather than a small iPhone with poor battery life.

The issue is compounded by iOS updates: let’s say a user is ready to tolerate a heavy phone for good battery life. All is fine and merry, until... enough iOS updates go by. The iPhone’s battery life is obliterated by updates. Now the user has a heavy phone with pathetic battery life. All of the cons, no pros.

Small phones are rendered utterly unusable by updates, and therefore aren’t an option for long-term users with a modicum of expectation.
 
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Wagadesa

macrumors newbie
Nov 18, 2018
15
8
I prefer a bigger battery. But for me every iPhone after 11 was more uncomfortable to hold in hand because of the sharp edges. Never understood the shift back to sharp edges.
 

ToddH

macrumors 68030
Jul 5, 2010
2,650
5,277
Central Tx
I prefer a bigger battery. But for me every iPhone after 11 was more uncomfortable to hold in hand because of the sharp edges. Never understood the shift back to sharp edges.
Well if they are uncomfortable, use a case with soft curved or rounded edges. An inexpensive easy fix!. Otherwise you will get scuff marks and rough edges on it from the iPhone coming in contact with every day objects, then you’ll have sharp edges. I use my iPhone without a case sometimes while at home. Never have any of them (iPhone 12 pro max to the current 15 pro max) had sharp edges. Flat sides, yes, but never sharp.
 

Splitrail

macrumors 6502a
Dec 26, 2021
900
1,101
I can just hear the complaining when Apple builds a dumbed down phone with less features to satisfy the smaller, lighter, simpler, easier to hold and scroll phone crowd.
Which features less? This instead of that? But I want this, it's more important than that. No, it ISN'T!
🤣
😂😁:rolleyes:
 

janeauburn

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 22, 2015
1,298
2,206
I can just hear the complaining when Apple builds a dumbed down phone with less features to satisfy the smaller, lighter, simpler, easier to hold and scroll phone crowd.
Which features less? This instead of that? But I want this, it's more important than that. No, it ISN'T!
🤣
😂😁:rolleyes:

It doesn't have to be one or the other.
 
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ab2c4

macrumors 6502
Sep 21, 2013
442
386
Apple desperately needs to bring back the rounded sides. The current flat sides are terrible no matter what case I try.
 
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ab2c4

macrumors 6502
Sep 21, 2013
442
386
Well if they are uncomfortable, use a case with soft curved or rounded edges. An inexpensive easy fix!. Otherwise you will get scuff marks and rough edges on it from the iPhone coming in contact with every day objects, then you’ll have sharp edges. I use my iPhone without a case sometimes while at home. Never have any of them (iPhone 12 pro max to the current 15 pro max) had sharp edges. Flat sides, yes, but never sharp.
You have links to these cases with rounded sides? I have spent a lot of time looking and can’t find a single case that will recreate the feel of an iPhone 11 or older phone.
 

glambutnerdy

macrumors regular
Apr 2, 2020
130
145
the clouds
They are too thick for how big they are. The blocky design was amazing on the 4 or 5 series and so gorgeous. It was revolutionary in bringing touch screen phones out of their ugly unsophisticated proto-pebble design. I still like to pull out my old rose gold OGSE and admire that masterpiece.

But it’s just painful on modern day phablets for us cursed with small hands (and pockets). The whole point of the slimmer form factor as phone sizes increased was to accommodate that, but alas, not much makes sense in this world anymore… 🤷‍♀️
 

ToddH

macrumors 68030
Jul 5, 2010
2,650
5,277
Central Tx
You have links to these cases with rounded sides? I have spent a lot of time looking and can’t find a single case that will recreate the feel of an iPhone 11 or older phone.
What iPhone are you currently using? The 11?
 
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