The ASUS Zenfone 10 claims to be a pint-sized flagship, but the truth is there have been no truly small and powerful phones in 2023.

Manufacturers don’t make displays under 6 inches available for purchase, with special cases (such as the iPhone Mini) being made under exclusive contracts. The best lead they have so far is to try to use displays designed for the front part of a foldable phone, but they’re yet to strike an agreement.

TIL that display manufacturers are also part of the reason why we aren’t getting small phones and why it’s probably even harder for manufacturers like Fairphone to make them.

  • Socsa@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    178·
    11 months ago

    It’s not really that complicated, people expect high end phones to have all day battery, which is hard to do with a small phone.

    • falkerie71@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      192·
      11 months ago

      If only high end smartphone chips focus more on efficiency rather than performance, which for most people is already powerful enough for day to day use.

    • DudeDudenson@lemmings.worldEnglish
      161·
      11 months ago

      It would stand to reason that a smaller screen would lend to less power draw both for the screen’s power usage and being able to use a lower resolution keeping the CPU draw lower too

    • blackbarn@lemm.eeEnglish
      12·
      11 months ago

      My zenphone is small and has good battery life. Wish more would shoot for this type of form factor

      • applejacks@lemmy.worldEnglish
        91·
        11 months ago

        the sad reality is many people will say they want a small phone like this, but then not buy it for some reason or another, then they sell less, and so companies abandon making them.

        I am a very happy owner of a ZF10 too, lovely device.

        • CmdrShepard@lemmy.oneEnglish
          2·
          11 months ago

          “Won’t buy it for one reason or another” meaning the manufacturer intentionally builds the device so shittily that the feature you want is drowned out by 15 year old hardware and high prices. I’ve seen it happen a hundred times already.

          I really hate this argument since it implies every phone is a 1:1 copy of the next and the only difference is the headphone jack, or SD card slot, or removable battery and “see! nobody wants this one feature anymore because ObscurePhone 22 had it and nobody bought it!” Never mind the fact that ObscurePhone 22 was built by child slaves using secondhand parts from old recycled Gateway computers, the screen is CRT, and they cost $5000 each, but yeah, “nobody bought it because people hate headphone jacks now.”