Hate large phones

[mtnbkr]

Why are they getting bigger?  Don't people carry them around?  Between keys, knife, (sometimes) a gun, and a phone, I'm starting to feel like batman.  My current work phone, a Lumia 640, has a 5" screen and the default new phone for my company is an even larger model (XL version of 640).  I'm on the verge of needing a man purse.

Why can't we get more phones like the Motorola Droid Mini: http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_droid_mini-5603.php
I have this for my personal phone.  It has impressive hardware specs and is an ideal size.  The only drawback is a lack of expansion slots for storage.  I don't carry it much because I forward my personal calls to my work phone, but it does carry nicely.

I found this the other day: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013788R24/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=JDAHAJBKPF4M&coliid=I24AD3PL68IP6C&th=1
It's quite small and limited, but would ride nicely in a pocket. 

So, what else is out there for GSM (AT&T) in the 3.5"-4.5" range, not Apple, and reasonably useful. 

Chris

[Andiron]

Agreed with you,  I miss having a dumb flip phone for how rugged and portable they were.  Don't think I could go back now,  having a pocket sized computer is just so handy.

We had Droid Minis at work a few years back.  The size was good, but the battery life was atrocious. 

Can't offer you a good alternative,  the only smallish newer phone I know of is the Apple one.

[roo_ster]

Bigger is better for my use.

Youll get my triply ginormous samsung note 3 from my cold dead fingers.  Not only is it a "phablet" format, i have had it in an otterbox since day one.  The otterbox essentially triples the thickness.

It fits all my back pockets and cargo pockets in jeans, khakis, or work pants.  Not sure what the grief is, frankly.

[zahc]

I think my S4 is about the perfect size.

I don't have any gripes about the size choices that are available. My gripe is that we have no choices in form factor whatsoever except for iPhone clones. The BlackBerry-style, clamshell, and slider formats just up and died. I would kill for a phone the size of my S4, but with a slider or clamshell keyboard. Years of engineering have reduced smartphone thickness to ridiculous levels, while removing features and not increasing battery capacity. If they would have been too fat with a physical keyboard before, they should be doable in a thickness no thicker than how most phones end up being anyway once people put them in a case that is required so you can actually grab it.

my perfect phone is the size of an S4 or maybe even iPhone 4, with SD slot, slider keyboard, USB-C/OTG, and swappable batteries with a small onboard battery so batteries can be changed without rebooting. Oh, and basical functionality like the headphone jack intact.

[mtnbkr]

Bigger is better for my use.

Youll get my triply ginormous samsung note 3 from my cold dead fingers.  Not only is it a "phablet" format, i have had it in an otterbox since day one.  The otterbox essentially triples the thickness.

It fits all my back pockets and cargo pockets in jeans, khakis, or work pants.  Not sure what the grief is, frankly.

I don't want to take your phone from you, I want the option for a smaller model for myself. It's not a zero sum game where my smaller phone replaces your phablet.

I never said it didn't fit my pockets.  My specific complaint was that the size of the phone combined withe other stuff I carry results in very full pockets.  I don't like relying on back pockets for my phones because an uncased phone is vulnerable to being damaged by sitting on it and a cased phone is too bulky (try to avoid thick wallets too).  Cargo pockets work if I'm wearing cargo pants, but that isn't a daily occurrence.  The problem is worse when I'm wearing a suit or "smart business casual" (ie suit without the tie and jacket), though the gun isn't present at those times.

Chris

[MillCreek]

For many years, I have been carrying around the smartphones in a Nite Ize cargo case.  It holds the phone, a pen and a Leatherman tool.  I just ordered a new Nite Ize double wide to fit the new ZTE Axon 7 inbound.  And I was also surprised at how difficult it is to find a smaller phone; I briefly considered the Axon 7 mini, but it was not that much smaller and had lower specs.

[HankB]

Agreed with you,  I miss having a dumb flip phone for how rugged and portable they were. 

I still use one, an LG "dumb phone" from Tracfone which was replaced - free! - earlier this year to work with Tracfone's new faster network. It works - as a phone! - no matter where I've been in CONUS, and costs me under $6 a month.

[mtnbkr]

I still use one, an LG "dumb phone" from Tracfone which was replaced - free! - earlier this year to work with Tracfone's new faster network. It works - as a phone! - no matter where I've been in CONUS, and costs me under $6 a month.

I have a cheap ($10 from Best Buy) ZTE dumbphone from AT&T GoPhone that I can swap my SIM into when I want something very small.  I don't do it often because as soon as I do, everyone starts texting me.  Responding on the little T3 keyboard drives me batty.  I mainly make the swap when I'm going biking or hunting so that I'm not risking a larger, more fragile smartphone.

Chris

[lupinus]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Perd Hapley]

Concur with mtnbkr and Andiron. The mini is the ideal size, but has a terrible (non-user-replaceable) battery, w/ no way of adding to memory.

I can't imagine stuffing a several-hundred-dollar phone in my back pocket, and sitting on it all day. I'd love to discover that that works, but I has my doubts. Phones belong in a leg pocket, like on carpenter pants, which every pair of trousers ought to have.

[zxcvbob]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mine is 2005-sized.  (LG Tribute.)  The screen is a little small for texting or doing anything else that needs a keyboard, but other than that I really like the size.  I should learn how to swipe-type on it, but I think that opens me up to Freakin' Autocorrect problems where it randomly changes words to "penis", etc. when I press Send.

[dogmush]

I don't want to take your phone from you, I want the option for a smaller model for myself. It's not a zero sum game where my smaller phone replaces your phablet.

Chris

Just like our quarterly"I'm cranky and want a truck with vinyl seats and crank windows" threads while some people might like a smaller smart phone that number is small enough that it's not worth it, or profitable for companies to make one outside of small, niche models.  Sucks but there it is.  Personally my GS7 is about perfect sized.  ~5" screen on a phone is the right compromise.  That seems to be the center of the bell curve as well, with some phablet weirdo's like rooster on one end, and some flip phone Luddites on the other. 

That said, if you hit the "phone Finder" button on that GSM site you linked, set the filters at 3.5-4.5" screen, Android or Windows, memory card slot "yes", 2000mah or better battery, and 2015 or newer there are 51 available models*.  Surely one is to your tastes.


*I figured there'd be a couple, kinda shocked to see that many. There are a LOT of phone models out there.

[HeroHog]

For me, my iPhone 6s is just fine in size. Not too big or small and does more than I need it to do.

[HeroHog]

Oh yeah, Apple, PLEASE give us a STANDARD NON PROPRIETARY Micro SD slot so we can actually transfer songs, images and God forbid, documents to our phones without a PC/Mac and iTunes!

[mtnbkr]

Just like our quarterly"I'm cranky and want a truck with vinyl seats and crank windows" threads while some people might like a smaller smart phone that number is small enough that it's not worth it, or profitable for companies to make one outside of small, niche models.  Sucks but there it is.  Personally my GS7 is about perfect sized.  ~5" screen on a phone is the right compromise.  That seems to be the center of the bell curve as well, with some phablet weirdo's like rooster on one end, and some flip phone Luddites on the other. 

That said, if you hit the "phone Finder" button on that GSM site you linked, set the filters at 3.5-4.5" screen, Android or Windows, memory card slot "yes", 2000mah or better battery, and 2015 or newer there are 51 available models*.  Surely one is to your tastes.


*I figured there'd be a couple, kinda shocked to see that many. There are a LOT of phone models out there.

I know I know.  If I only carried my phone, it wouldn't be an issue, but like most "real" men, I have "stuff".  After a while, it gets to a point where I'm gazing longingly at "European Man Purses" or being jealous of my wife and her seemingly bottomless purse.

FWIW, my Lumia 640 without a case is not a bad size.  But I've already busted the screen on one 640 by dropping it, so not having a case is risky. However, they're inexpensive (first one was $30, 2nd one was $60).  I can break a bunch before I hit the point most spend on the first phone. :)

I never noticed the search engine on that site.  That is useful and identified 9 candidates.  Thanks!

Chris

[HeroHog]

I know I know.  If I only carried my phone, it wouldn't be an issue, but like most "real" men, I have "stuff".  After a while, it gets to a point where I'm gazing longingly at "European Man Purses" or being jealous of my wife and her seemingly bottomless purse.

Chris

Ya get used to the ribbing after a while and if yer nasty enough, they won't call ya a sissy fer having it. I love mine!





my old bag

[mtnbkr]

I never noticed the search engine on that site.  That is useful and identified 9 candidates.  Thanks!

Well, each of the options listed were only available in Asia. :|

Chris

[mtnbkr]

Ya get used to the ribbing after a while and if yer nasty enough, they won't call ya a sissy fer having it. I love mine!

I have an ideal murse, a Maxpedition Colossus Versipack (European Man Purse!), but my daily loadout isnt enough to fill it and I don't dare keep a gun in it by default this close to DC.

Chris

[Firethorn]

Ya get used to the ribbing after a while and if yer nasty enough, they won't call ya a sissy fer having it. I love mine!

Ya know, I don't think I'd give anybody a ribbing for hauling around a "purse" when it's obvious they need to haul a lot of stuff around, much less an old guy in a wheelchair.  I'd just assume that there's probably medications and stuff in there, and that going for pants pockets isn't in the cards.

[roo_ster]

Just like our quarterly"I'm cranky and want a truck with vinyl seats and crank windows" threads while some people might like a smaller smart phone that number is small enough that it's not worth it, or profitable for companies to make one outside of small, niche models.  Sucks but there it is.  Personally my GS7 is about perfect sized.  ~5" screen on a phone is the right compromise.  That seems to be the center of the bell curve as well, with some phablet weirdo's like rooster on one end, and some flip phone Luddites on the other. 

That said, if you hit the "phone Finder" button on that GSM site you linked, set the filters at 3.5-4.5" screen, Android or Windows, memory card slot "yes", 2000mah or better battery, and 2015 or newer there are 51 available models*.  Surely one is to your tastes.


*I figured there'd be a couple, kinda shocked to see that many. There are a LOT of phone models out there.

"Phablet wierdo?"

Its a fair cop.

[freakazoid]

I know I know.  If I only carried my phone, it wouldn't be an issue, but like most "real" men, I have "stuff".  After a while, it gets to a point where I'm gazing longingly at "European Man Purses" or being jealous of my wife and her seemingly bottomless purse.

FWIW, my Lumia 640 without a case is not a bad size.  But I've already busted the screen on one 640 by dropping it, so not having a case is risky. However, they're inexpensive (first one was $30, 2nd one was $60).  I can break a bunch before I hit the point most spend on the first phone. :)

I never noticed the search engine on that site.  That is useful and identified 9 candidates.  Thanks!

Chris

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgQDAKsOh-M

[BlueStarLizzard]

*shrug* I'm probably super weird, but I'd actually like to go back to more individual dedicated devices instead of having the Smart Phone that you are supposed to use for everything. The only thing that the phone does that I don't want to carry around something different is the camera.
I'd rather have a phone that can take pictures, a tablet for when I want the internet on the go, an MP3 player and then the laptop at home. That way I can talk on the phone, while surfing the internet and listening to music without interrupting the game I'm playing on the computer. Smart Phones are not conducive to multitasking. 
But I also have a bag that I travel with and I tend to leave it in the car and only take what I absolutely need with me on me if I can (like at the store, I just carry my wallet and keys in my hand. Everything else stays in the car, including the phone) so I'm not trying to pack everything on my person at all times, either.