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iPhone 5 or earlier Holding my 5S makes me miss this size

BootLoxes

BootLoxes

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 15, 2019
750
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I currently have a 7 and I hate that I cannot move my thumb across the entire screen like I can with the 5s. Sometimes with the 7 I have to use two hands to reach unlike the 5s. I want to upgrade phones but the XR is very big and the XS is still very big and expensive.

I really wish they would bring back this screen size. Or at least make a smaller XR alternative similar to the XS. I feel like I am stuck when it comes to updating my phone.
 
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BootLoxes said:
I currently have a 7 and I hate that I cannot move my thumb across the entire screen like I can with the 5s. Sometimes with the 7 I have to use two hands to reach unlike the 5s. I want to upgrade phones but the XR is very big and the XS is still very big and expensive.

I really wish they would bring back this screen size. Or at least make a smaller XR alternative similar to the XS. I feel like I am stuck when it comes to updating my phone.
Click to expand...

They need to stuff iPhone 8 internals in to a iPhone 5S body, then call it a iPhone XE

I owned a SE for like 3 years. It was time to move on. I am pretty happy with the size my iPhone 7. It is just slightly larger. I just recently bought the current iPhone 7 that I have now. And I have a 8 and 8+ that will be here Tuesday.

Everyone wants bigger and better.
 
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tps3443 said:
They need to stuff iPhone 8 internals in to a iPhone 5S body, then call it a iPhone XE

I owned a SE for like 3 years. It was time to move on. I am pretty happy with the size my iPhone 7. It is just slightly larger. I just recently bought the current iPhone 7 that I have now. And I have a 8 and 8+ that will be here Tuesday.

Everyone wants bigger and better.
Click to expand...

Would love this!

I love my SE because like the OP, I can get my thumb to the top of the screen while holding it securely/comfortably.
 
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Same. I upgraded to the 8 last year and it still feels unpleasantly large in my hand. I'm always having to shift it around or stretch to reach something.

I still have my previous SE which I use for music streaming and a few other things, and it's just a perfect size and shape.

I am lukewarm on upgrading my iPhone 8 to any of the current options, but I'd drop it in a heartbeat if an SE-sized iPhone with modern(ish) specs came out. Thing is, they could even achieve something like the screen size of the 6/7/8 series if they made the screen closer to the edges of the device.
 
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tps3443 said:
They need to stuff iPhone 8 internals in to a iPhone 5S body, then call it a iPhone XE

I owned a SE for like 3 years. It was time to move on. I am pretty happy with the size my iPhone 7. It is just slightly larger. I just recently bought the current iPhone 7 that I have now. And I have a 8 and 8+ that will be here Tuesday.

Everyone wants bigger and better.
Click to expand...

I would buy it very quickly since I am eyeing the 8 currently since I like the home button and it should be cheaper after the new phones come out.
 
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BootLoxes said:
I currently have a 7 and I hate that I cannot move my thumb across the entire screen like I can with the 5s. Sometimes with the 7 I have to use two hands to reach unlike the 5s. I want to upgrade phones but the XR is very big and the XS is still very big and expensive.

I really wish they would bring back this screen size. Or at least make a smaller XR alternative similar to the XS. I feel like I am stuck when it comes to updating my phone.
Click to expand...

Here comes to a point where everything in the internet, apps are designed for bigger screen in mind. For example, same games are designed for large screen phones, if you run it on iPhone SE screen, all the controls are just too cramped.

I can honestly no longer able to enjoying using iPhone SE, everything is just to small and too cramped. To much scrolling up and down. And I can’t honestly type on iPhone SE, the keyboard is just too small to type. I feel iPhone 7 size is bar minimum for me, at least.
 
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LovingTeddy said:
Here comes to a point where everything in the internet, apps are designed for bigger screen in mind. For example, same games are designed for large screen phones, if you run it on iPhone SE screen, all the controls are just too cramped.

I can honestly no longer able to enjoying using iPhone SE, everything is just to small and too cramped. To much scrolling up and down. And I can’t honestly type on iPhone SE, the keyboard is just too small to type. I feel iPhone 7 size is bar minimum for me, at least.
Click to expand...

I agree. The music app is cramped up. I jailbroke it and applied the iPhone 6/7/8 resolution and everything looks so much better.
 
tps3443 said:
They need to stuff iPhone 8 internals in to a iPhone 5S body, then call it a iPhone XE

I owned a SE for like 3 years. It was time to move on. I am pretty happy with the size my iPhone 7. It is just slightly larger. I just recently bought the current iPhone 7 that I have now. And I have a 8 and 8+ that will be here Tuesday.

Everyone wants bigger and better.
Click to expand...

me too i had an SE before for a year and the screen finally became too small for me the keyboard took half of the screen and for browsing was being quite uncomfortable now i’m with iphone 7 this is my perfect size i wouldn’t go back to a smaller screen
 
I just sold my XR as I’ve just recently bought a brand new 128GB SE to replace the 32GB SE I’d been using for a month while the XR sat in a drawer, untouched. I miss the battery life, but otherwise that’s it.

The people wanting a modern smaller device get shot down in the end on forums like these, but I still think there’s a strong market for them.

Will take a lot for a new iPhone to make me get rid of this SE now, it’s good for at least another year of software support and probably a further year after that, iOS 13 runs great on it, and brings loads of new useful software features to make it seem like a new device, but even if it isn’t supported beyond iOS 13 it’s a device that will last for many years still and hopefully by then, Apple will realise that not everyone wants bigger, granted most do, but not all.

A full screen SE or even bezels like are on the XR with a larger battery and better battery technology would have me spending whatever it cost.
 
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This phone is actually something I would sell my iPhone X for... as long as battery life is better than what I see now with the X.
 
I had an iPhone 8+ when they were released - sold it and went back to my iPhone 7. The 8+ was the second plus sized phone I tried out - after swearing I would never get another one after having the 6S+. It is not that the plus sized phones are too big - its just that they are not as convenient to carry and use.

I have an old iPhone 5S case sitting on my desk that I keep some coins, paper clips, etc. in. I keep picking it up and remember what my 5S was like and wishing I had a phone of that size again.

My son was in need of a phone, so I told him I would give him my iPhone 7 (which is practically brand new after Apple botched up a battery replacement and gave me a new phone to replace my old one). I decided to order a new iPhone SE 128GB for now, and I am really looking forward to seeing the 5.4 inch phone in 2020.

I don't mind waiting another year, as the iPhone SE is still a fantastic phone that performs really well on iOS 13. The 5.4 inch phone that will be similar in size to the SE will be the first iPhone in a long time that I will really be excited about.
 
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Small phones are really comfortable, I wonder how much of a fringe case they are, taking into account Apple has neither updated the SE, nor introduced an SE-like phone with the X's design.
I'm using an iPhone 5c as a second phone, alongside my Xr, and I really like it. My only issue with it is that it has 8GB, and that it was updated to iOS 9 (not by me), so it is a little slower than I would like (I don't update any iOS device, so I'm used to them being really fast. I still think it is usable). Other than that, the device is great.
Battery life is a little poor but that's to be expected. I used a 5s on iOS 8 and its battery life wasn't a whole lot better than the 5c, although for my use case it's good enough.
 
FeliApple said:
Small phones are really comfortable, I wonder how much of a fringe case they are, taking into account Apple has neither updated the SE, nor introduced an SE-like phone with the X's design.
I'm using an iPhone 5c as a second phone, alongside my Xr, and I really like it. My only issue with it is that it has 8GB, and that it was updated to iOS 9 (not by me), so it is a little slower than I would like (I don't update any iOS device, so I'm used to them being really fast. I still think it is usable). Other than that, the device is great.
Battery life is a little poor but that's to be expected. I used a 5s on iOS 8 and its battery life wasn't a whole lot better than the 5c, although for my use case it's good enough.
Click to expand...

They are very much fringe use cases.

The women in my (extended) family all have Plus-sized iPhones. Which is larger than the XRs and XSs Dad and I have.

A few weeks ago I had some time to kill at the mall and took a look at current mid-range Android phones - literally none of them had screens smaller than 5.5 inches. Hell most of them were the size of a XS Max.
 
My 6S is definitely not as easy to use one-handed as the 5S was. However, I don't miss the sharp boxy design of that gen. I much prefer the more rounded feel of the newer phones. The 3G/3GS is still the most comfortable to use, I honestly would buy a version of the 3G with modern specs.

I would definitely not like to use a Plus sized iPhone every day. The 4.7 is stretching my thumb enough.
 
MadCar said:
A 5.4" could go down very well with a LOT of people. Apple need a true edge to edge screen in a small form factor and it will fly of the shelves.
Click to expand...

It will with the right price point. I suspect that if Apple can retain the price point sustainable for a 5.4 inch iPhone, it will do very well. Now, the SE was a really good example of what Apple executed perfectly, not just bringing back the four-inch iPhone, but they kept the price point relatively affordable for most markets starting at $399.
 
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They just updated the iPod touch with the A10 processor, so why not release an updated SE with one? And some other hardware upgrades as well?

I love my SE, I hate the bigger phones. The big screens are nice, but they are a PITA to carry and hold.

Oh well, guess I'll be on my SE until that mythical 5.4 phone appears. And even then I'm not sure I'll buy it.
 
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I’m using my 8 instead of my XS Max due to shoulder pain, easier to use one handed. I sure miss the smaller size.
 
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