Looking for a smaller sized new cellphone
April 11, 2022 11:48 AM
I need to replace a very old android phone and would like to a small model that will fit in a pocket. Is the Iphone SE my best/only option?
I need to replace a very old android phone and would like a small model that will fit in a pocket. I wanted to spend around 200.00 on another Android (Samsung) but have found that all of the new phones are huge. I only need the phone to talk and text. It seems nearly every phone is now between 5.5-6 inches, which is to large for me.
I don't need/want an iphone but the $430 SE seems to be the most reasonably sized phone on the market. Is that the case or are there models of smaller androids that I have missed? I do not want to buy used/refurbished. Appreciate any thoughts.
I need to replace a very old android phone and would like a small model that will fit in a pocket. I wanted to spend around 200.00 on another Android (Samsung) but have found that all of the new phones are huge. I only need the phone to talk and text. It seems nearly every phone is now between 5.5-6 inches, which is to large for me.
I don't need/want an iphone but the $430 SE seems to be the most reasonably sized phone on the market. Is that the case or are there models of smaller androids that I have missed? I do not want to buy used/refurbished. Appreciate any thoughts.
I had a Blu Vivo 5 Mini which was very inexpensive and smaller. I liked the size but the processor was a bit slow for one app that I needed to use when I was working. Retired now. I just found their phones on Amazon, and one of their phones that is small might work for you, it's the Blue Advance L5 which has only a 4 inch screen. It's also _very_ inexpensive so this might be one of those "worth a shot" things. Remember if you don't want a phone any more you can often donate it to a non-profit like a domestic violence shelter.
posted by TimHare at 12:05 PM on April 11, 2022
posted by TimHare at 12:05 PM on April 11, 2022
I've recently gotten an i13 mini after I smashed my SE 1st gen. Loving it. It's just a tad bigger, but I always hated touch ID. Face ID has been a great upgrade.
posted by sydnius at 12:15 PM on April 11, 2022
posted by sydnius at 12:15 PM on April 11, 2022
As a counterpoint to sydnius, I hate Face ID, bought a SE (2020) after a few years of Android, and am quite happy with it.
You can take Touch ID from my cold, dead, badly-lit fingers.
posted by All Might Be Well at 12:17 PM on April 11, 2022
You can take Touch ID from my cold, dead, badly-lit fingers.
posted by All Might Be Well at 12:17 PM on April 11, 2022
The iPhone 13 Mini is actually smaller than the 8/SE. I needed a PopSocket with my 8 and I don't need one with the 13 Mini. And agree that Face ID is way better than Touch ID. I was previously all for the home button and Touch ID, but it took me very little time to get used to the new swipes and Face ID.
posted by radioamy at 12:39 PM on April 11, 2022
posted by radioamy at 12:39 PM on April 11, 2022
I just did the new-phone search. If I were looking with your criteria, I'd go with a small Motorola, they seem to be the most reliable workhorses (count me as another face-ID hater, but that's not the question here). Avoid Pixels, the 2 was great and no other version has come close. I had the 4a and I might have had a lemon but maybe the phone just sucked.
posted by Dashy at 1:12 PM on April 11, 2022
posted by Dashy at 1:12 PM on April 11, 2022
The Palm phone is the cutest thing since bread cats. It's 3.8" x 2" compared to the iPhone mini at 5.2" x 2.5". It's got pluses and negatives, but if your main criteria is size, it's worth a look.
posted by cocoagirl at 1:13 PM on April 11, 2022
posted by cocoagirl at 1:13 PM on April 11, 2022
I've been thinking about going the flip-phone route, for which I would give a serious look at the very recent Cat S22 with 4G and Android 11, or the LG Folder 2 (OS & 4G unknown). There's a pretty good lookin' Nokia option too, but it doesn't look like it has US 4G.
posted by rhizome at 1:46 PM on April 11, 2022
posted by rhizome at 1:46 PM on April 11, 2022
The 2nd Generation iPhone SE is 5.45" x 2.65"
The Samsung Galaxy s10e is 5.6" x 2.75", and has all the power/features of the s10 feature phone that was released at about the same time. It's now ~3 years old, but still receives updates and runs Android 12. I bought mine about 2 years ago because it was the smallest high-powered Android on the market, and I'm still very happy with it.
If you want to stay on Android, and want something that's still getting OS updates, that may be your only option (it was when I researched it, and there don't seem to be any newer phones that are smaller and have version 12 support). It seems that once manufacturers put the selfie-camera on the front, consumers started to want bigger screens, which is a bummer.
posted by toxic at 1:55 PM on April 11, 2022
The Samsung Galaxy s10e is 5.6" x 2.75", and has all the power/features of the s10 feature phone that was released at about the same time. It's now ~3 years old, but still receives updates and runs Android 12. I bought mine about 2 years ago because it was the smallest high-powered Android on the market, and I'm still very happy with it.
If you want to stay on Android, and want something that's still getting OS updates, that may be your only option (it was when I researched it, and there don't seem to be any newer phones that are smaller and have version 12 support). It seems that once manufacturers put the selfie-camera on the front, consumers started to want bigger screens, which is a bummer.
posted by toxic at 1:55 PM on April 11, 2022
The iPhone 12 mini is slightly thinner and lighter than the 13 mini (same height and width, 5.18" x 2.53"), and a bit cheaper because it's a year older. Both minis are bigger than the original iPhone SE but smaller than the current iPhone SE (thanks, Apple, not confusing *at all* to reuse the model name like that...). It's still available new from Apple, and will get iOS updates for years to come.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 1:30 AM on April 12, 2022
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 1:30 AM on April 12, 2022
A user above posted about avoiding Google Pixel phones, but the Pixel 5a seems to be a great small phone. It's got an amazing camera and fantastic battery life on top of being within your price range. I'd take a look at that.
posted by packfan88c at 4:01 AM on April 14, 2022
posted by packfan88c at 4:01 AM on April 14, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Rock Steady at 12:04 PM on April 11, 2022