Why are android phones so massive these days?

[Jimski]

My phone (from 2016) is starting to get old, and while I definitely have no plans to replace it yet, I did do some idle searching on more recent phones to see what its nearest equivalent is. My phone has a 5" screen and I like it that way. Nice and compact, and if I want to do anything that needs a larger screen I'll use a desktop (I'd do that whatever my phone display size - it's just easier).

But if I search for phones now, it's basically impossible to find any android phone with smaller than 6" screen, and even that is rare. What is going on with phone sizes? Are they merging phones with tablets or something? (Many old tablets were 7 or 8")

I think iphones are different (they go smaller), but I'd never spend that much on a phone.

[ursus arctos]

Tabletisation has been going on for a while, driven in large part by mobile phones becoming a/the prime delivery mechanism for video and perceived demand for better/multiple cameras.

But you are right. "Small" in Android is now 5.8 or 5.9 inches. Even the iPhone "Mini" is 5.4

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

I have found the same problem. I don't want a phone the size of a small tablet. I want one I can fit in the pocket of my jeans.

[Jimski]

Quite a contrast with the old days (late 90s) - phones were getting smaller, and people used to laugh at others with massive phones.

[ursus arctos]

Well, that is a significant part of how manufactured product replacement cycles work

[Jimski]

And now they build in obsolescence by not continuing software updates for more than a few years, meaning your phone gets less and less secure.

[ursus arctos]

Well, yes

The ultimate goal is "hardware as service"

[Jimski]

Yeah, the world moves steadily down a path to a fully rentier economy, where nobody actually owns anything tangible except for a few big companies, who then rent it out to everyone else.

(Anyway, I've moved completely off-topic now...)

[Levin]

The pixel was pretty much the only phone that met my requirements late last year, one of which was that it wasn't bigger than my previous phone. Despite that it's still too big to be able to reach all the screen one handed.

[hobbes]

My phones have gotten bigger as my eyesight gets worse. The idea that I could once play Angry Birds on an iPhone 4s is laughable to me now.

[3 Colours Red]

My first smartphone had a 3" screen - a Samsung Galaxy Y in 2011.

With hindsight, I don't know how I managed to use it - the keyboard was an exercise in frustration, you couldn't see what was going on if you were watching a video or playing a game and trying to read text? Forget it.

[DCI Harry Batt]

I need a new phone, and I'd like one slightly smaller, but they don't exist. So much so that I've even half considered semi-seriously one of the new-fangled flips.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Pixel 4a is worth looking at (5.8").

[WOM]

Am I the only one who has zero confidence that those folding screens are going to work properly for more than a few months? I just don't see how they'll last.

[DCI Harry Batt]

Oh of course they won't work. But, you know, new gadget, so...

[Nocturnal Submission]

Am I the only one who has zero confidence that those folding screens are going to work properly for more than a few months? I just don't see how they'll last.

No, I'm also not confident about the longevity of bendable electronics.

[Ginger Yellow]

They went somewhat small, at least for an ostensible flagship phone, for the Pixel 5 - a six inch screen. I find that's pretty much the perfect size for me. But they've gone back up for the 5a and the 6 line. You can usually find a small Android phone if you really want, but not in the flagship ranges any more.

[Sporting]

What makes the flagship ranges better?

[ad hoc]

Am I the only one who has zero confidence that those folding screens are going to work properly for more than a few months? I just don't see how they'll last.

Nah, me too. (But having said that when the first phones with touch screens appeared I assumed they'd have no lifespan either)

[DCI Harry Batt]

What makes the flagship ranges better?

All sorts of features and capabilities no-one uses. That's what sells them to me, anyway.

[Sheep]

What makes the flagship ranges better?

An increased likelihood that your phone will receive (security) updates for a longer period of time.

Nothing is certain, however.

[WOM]

Do the screen actually bend? Or is it some jiggery-pokery with a hinge or two screens that just abutt really close or something?

[Stumpy Pepys]

What makes the flagship ranges better?

With regard to Pixel phones? Stock Android, regular updates and better image processing.

[Sporting]

I just want a phone I can use for calls, messages, photos for memories and a reasonable internet connection.

[Stumpy Pepys]

I just want a phone I can use for calls, messages, photos for memories and a reasonable internet connection.

I've generally always bought Moto Gs, which are very good value.