Are Your Smartphones SFF?

[zovc]

Hey!

So, I seem to be an outlier compared to the majority of people I run into, but I am not a fan of larger smartphones.

I had a Galaxy S4 for a long time, then I upgraded to the OnePlus One. I was on the hype train up until I got the phone in. Don't get me wrong, I still think the phone was great, but carrying around a device with a 5.5" screen was super cumbersome compared to that tiny (by today's standards) Galaxy S4. Eventually I 'sidegraded' to the OnePlus X and was pretty happy with the phone. Sometimes it didn't want to cooperate with AT&T's network (I'm with Cricket, but as a subsidairy they use AT&T's infrastructure) and that was frustrating so I took a gamble and tried the Z5 Compact not long after it came out.

I've had this phone for a while now and it has a lot more quirks than I would have expected. Nothing I've tried has allowed me to use the phone as an alarm clock--part of its built-in battery saving eventually shuts pretty much everything (besides recieving calls, I think?) after a set amount of time which includes the system clock. The phone's alarm will not go off until I wake the device up (after I wake up), at which point the alarm goes off. This is with both the built-in Android clock and other clocks I've tried like SleepBot... I'm very much not a fan of how the Z5 Compact does that. I looked into custom firmware a few times, but there were pretty important things broken in CyanogenMod like being able to make phone calls and bluetooth (which are basically what I use my phone for), so that was a no-go.

What's more, the Z5 Compact has a smaller screen than the OnePlus X, but it has roughly the same volume as it. So while I expected to have a smaller brick in my pocket all the time, it's effectively the same size all while having an overall less premium-looking aesthetic. But, working more consistently with my carrier and having handed-down the OnePlus X has left me stuck with the Z5 Compact crossing my fingers some glorious small device would come out to dethrone it. I haven't checked in a while, but it didn't seem like I would be getting lucky ever, lots of cool Chinese phones come out but most of them skip out on bands that AT&T use.

...anyways, what do you folks think of smartphone sizes? Do you go as small as possible? As simple as possible?

 

[LocoMoto]

I despise phone screen sizes over 4,7" (Depends on bezel sizes and aspect ratio)

I personally am using a Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, for a 4,6" 16:9 it is pretty compact, and considering it has stereo speakers even better. I did not have much of a problem with the original Sony OS and the power saving features... nor do I still have it with the developer 5.0 version.
Can't deny that I've contemplated going back to more 3310 sized phones though.. but having a high performing pocket media and phone device has helped with improving production for me. The water resistance has been appreciated as well when riding around in massive downpours!

I could see how people like bigger phones though... mainly if they live in it

 

[zovc]

I would like to go to a smaller phone again. I've considered getting a Galaxy S4 again and trying different firmwares on it. Maybe newer versions of Android are too resource hungry, but this Z5 Compact gets pretty bogged down if I try to multitask too hard. What's most frustrating is I'll use my phone for navigation and it will get choppy and start to demand way more attention than it ever should while I'm driving.

 

[BeerNsoup]

All depends on a person's hand size imo. A big screen is great, but being able to use my phone one handed is important too. For me ~5.5" seems to be a sweet spot balancing screen size with ability to use it one handed. I'm using a G5 which I believe has a 5.3" screen. A phone with a 6" screen probably seems unwieldy to someone who is 5'2", but quite manageable to someone who is 6'7"...

I know this is a SFF forum, but I don't see people clamoring for 15" monitors . Computers small, screens big!

 

[robbee]

Rocking the Z3 Compact here as well. It's a nice phone though a bit fragile with all the glass.

What's more, the Z5 Compact has a smaller screen than the OnePlus X, but it has roughly the same volume as it.

That's only because it's thinner, though. It'll still be more uncomfortable in your pocket as it's both higher and wider.

 

[DontPeek]

I never thought I would want a huge phone. I was really happy with my S4 for a long time and it's 5" screen. Now however, I do SO much more on my phone. I browse the web, play games, watch TV, and even some productivity work. I still have an S4 actually because it served me well for so long, however now I'm looking at a OnePlus 3T mainly for the larger screen. I just do too much on my phone now. It's worth the added annoyance of a larger phone in my pocket to get a better viewing experience.

 

[Bruman]

I have the S7 Edge currently. Big, I know, but as much I like my computers SFF, I'm 6'6 so my hands just aren't made for phones smaller than 5" or so. In fact I have an Otterbox Symmetry which makes the phone even bigger and it feels perfect in my hands.

 

[zovc]

I've been quite happy with the quality of the two OnePlus phones I owned. Just make sure to double check that the phone works on all bands of your network. If it doesn't and you're in a rural part like me (or you drive through rural parts using navigation!), you might end up getting less than 3G speeds or nothing at all even though your carrier's network has some coverage there.

 

[cmyk78]

I have an iPhone 6. I've wanted to try an android phone for a while now, but the loss of apps I've paid for has kept me away.

 

[Curiosity]

I wanted to get a sub-5" phone, but the features I wanted at the price point I liked weren't possible.
So I ended up with a nextbit robin, which is nice and I like it a lot, but it's kinda big. (72mm x 149mm x 7mm)
It is pretty, though.

I really wanted a Oneplus X, but I'm on AT&T so that wasn't really an option.

 

[confusis]

I have an alcatel 6" phone. Fits nicely in my hand, and great for documents on the go, which is very handy for my day job

 

[zovc]

I have an iPhone 6. I've wanted to try an android phone for a while now, but the loss of apps I've paid for has kept me away.

Yeah, that makes sense. I'm sure it's a lot of apps and that developers aren't always responsive, but you could try asking them for .apk's if you have any form of proof of purchase. At least for the ones that are on Android. One upside is that there are tons of free apps for Android. (Don't personally know about Apple's store.)

I wanted to get a sub-5" phone, but the features I wanted at the price point I liked weren't possible.
So I ended up with a nextbit robin, which is nice and I like it a lot, but it's kinda big. (72mm x 149mm x 7mm)
It is pretty, though.

I really wanted a Oneplus X, but I'm on AT&T so that wasn't really an option.

Yeah, it seems like compromises have to be made. I found the Huawei Nova just now and it seems like a candidate for upgrading from the Z5C but I can't find either of the models that are supposed to work on AT&T's network.

I considered the nextbit robin for a long while, several times. Do you like it?

 

[TinyAudio]

I am rocking a Nokia 6210.

I do carry an iphone 6s plus in my bag for satnav and work, but it is out of reach and most importantly sight. I cannot live with the constant distraction of a smartphone.

 

[EdZ]

I have a Pixel XL in an even chunkier Lifeproof case, but it also replaces the Nexus 7 I was using for navigation/media/comms on the bike so is smaller in that regard. Anything smaller would have a screen too small to be 'glanceable'.

 

[Curiosity]

@zovc I do!
The biggest complaint I have is about the camera, it's so-so and has a hard time focusing up close.
Maybe I was spoiled by my windows phones good cameras, but I'm not sure.
it's snappy and has a Paranoid Android ROM which I'm using now and loving.

 

[Soul_Est]

My Motorola Moto E 2015 is SFF and so are the specs, unfortunately. Once I get a better job, I'm saving for a new phone.

 

[SeñorDonut]

Recently upgraded from iPhone 5C (4") to Lumia 950 (5.5") and never looking back. Like @BeerNsoup said:

Computers small, screens big!

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

I currently have a 5.5 Umi Super but previously had a xiaomi mi5 (5.2) and before that a Huawei X2 (7.0) and before that a Lumia 830 and 930 (5.0)

I found 5.5 to be the best fit for me because of typing, below 5.0 becomes very difficult for me. I hate autocorrect keyboards because anything you type that is technically related gets screwed up. That in mind I will be getting a BB keyone when the price comes down.

 

[PNP]

I've got a Note 5 and a pager now, had an S5 before (had a feature phone with slide-out keyboard before that, RAZR before that, and so on).

Typing in portrait mode is definitely much more accurate with two hands but one handed operation becomes an interesting exercise in thumb stretches. Landscape typing also has this problem.

 

[Ceros_X]

I have a Note 4. It has made it through 2 pre-deployment workups, and is chugging merrily along on deployment #2. I have a case and a screen protector and this thing doesn't miss a beat (despite 120+ degree temps, having gone through 2 screen protectors, dropping it on concrete, dropping it from 6 feet up when it is in the shower playing music, etc). If it weren't for the exploding battery I would have upgraded but even after 2 years it still meets my needs. Battery life is fine (although I've gone through 2) and it is still peppy enough. Watching movies or surfing the web is much more enjoyable on a larger screen.

I am definitively, definitely not a SFF phone fan.