penajmz
macrumors 68040
Agree with this. My 3 nieces have plus phones and don’t like/want smaller phones.
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Other Where is the small petite sized phone?
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Scepticalscribe
macrumors Haswell
There have been a number of threads about this very topic, - not least this thread - and there are individuals for whom (including many women) a small phone is an attractive and easy to use device, not to mention liking the form factor.
However, on Twitter, I have noticed quite a few women bemoaning the fact that their particular preferences (and needs) are not being met by Apple's current phone offerings, with the single (welcome) exception) of the iPhone SE.
DNichter
macrumors G3
Yea I get all that. There are some people who want a small phone. Apple deals in 10's of millions though. If there was a market for a small phone, they would sell one. They still might one day, just saying right now they don't seem to want to put the resources there.
ftaok
macrumors 604
Regardless of whether there are people who prefer the smaller phones, there really is no profitable market for 4" phones.
Take a look around. Who's selling a 4" phone anymore. Apple was the last one and the margins must have been ridiculously small (for Apple standards) on the $350 SE.
If they were to build an SE sized phone with the edge-to-edge OLED screen and FaceID, there would folks that would love that phone. Would they pay $1000 for it? Would they pay $900? maybe some would, but the value proposition doesn't look good since most people equate size with cost.
So if they start gimping the SE-sized Xs, then folks get upset that there's no dual camera or the battery life sucks, or whatever.
No one is selling a small flagship anymore. Apple certainly cant do it at the scale they are at. Perhaps a smaller Android manufacturer could since they do not need to sell 10s of millions of phones to be a success.
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Haha. We both said the same thing, practically.
I agree with you that at the end of the day it's a business decision. I can't help it's fueled by a dumb "bigger is better" Western perception that chucks proper one-handed utility right out the window for most. It's not only the size of the phone but the UX - the fact that the thumb has to now move all the way from the bottom to the very top of the phone.
I had an X in my possession for 10 days when it launched, the amount of shuffling I had to do for one hand use was just insane - not to mention I'm a lefty which made the upper right corner reach murder. So to that end I could see myself just getting a Max. There's no confusion there, it's a thoroughly two-handed device for those of us with smaller than average hands that doubles as a mini tablet. For now I'll hold onto my SE and hope that Apple will come out with a smaller update over the next year, doesn't have to be fancy.
BTW, I'm not calling explicitly for a X-styled SE form factor. Just something slightly smaller than the 8 that has like a 5" screen, that would be awesome and I do feel it would be a good seller at $100 less than the X. I'm hoping as the market matures and component costs come down that Apple will bring a smaller tier into the fold again.
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That would be awesome! Considering the 6/7/8 have a 4.7 inch screen, fitting a larger screen with the new designed form factor would be great. Sacrificing a little thickness wouldn't be a bad trade off either.
Scepticalscribe
macrumors Haswell
I'm not sure that market forces are the sole driver for this choice.
Fashion, and design preferences seem to be an element as well, as - to the best of my knowledge - the iPhone SE sells well in Asian markets, and price is not the only consideration there, either.
However, while I can see "where this is going", there are those (of us) who prefer a smaller and more functional aesthetic.
Let the whose preference is for larger phones make this purchase; however, do, please cater to those of us who don't.
Fashion, and design preferences seem to be an element as well, as - to the best of my knowledge - the iPhone SE sells well in Asian markets, and price is not the only consideration there, either.
However, while I can see "where this is going", there are those (of us) who prefer a smaller and more functional aesthetic.
Let the whose preference is for larger phones make this purchase; however, do, please cater to those of us who don't.
JPack
macrumors P6
The shift towards larger phones isn’t a western phenomenon. It’s a worldwide phenomenon along with Gen Z.
For Gen Z, the phone is the primary computer in their life. Apple is trying to capture this market for the lifetime income.
DNichter
macrumors G3
Well I don't know if I consider it a perception. Larger phones are what sells today. That's what the majority of people want.
macduke
macrumors G5
I showed my wife the iPhone XR last night and she actually told me she is pissed off at Apple. She wants an SE 2. She ranted about how she doesn't want to have to two hand a phone and how her SE barely fits in her pocket as-is. She reminded me about how upset she was when they made the iPhone 5 taller because it stuck up out of her pocket. Where do you women here buy jeans that can fit an iPhone Plus much less an XS or XR? And do you also have an Apple Watch so you don't have to actually pull out your giant phone all the time? I'm a little above average sized guy and the iPhone 6 Plus was too much for me to handle. My thumbs ended up hurting so much and it was pretty bulky in my loose fitting jeans.
JPack
macrumors P6
Small phones don’t sell well in Asia. The SE doesn’t sell except to price sensitive consumers.
Look at the lineup from Huawei. The smallest phone carries a 5” display. Same for Xiaomi/Redmi.
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Mine doesn’t wear jeans. She wears skirts or fitting pants. They never have pockets. Everything goes inside her handbag. I doubt most women in the world wear jeans.
I said it's fueled by a bigger is better perception, not that the actual market studies/sales figures are a perception.
ucfgrad93
macrumors Core
I just made the transition from a 6 plus to an 8. I'm liking the smaller size, but miss the battery life of the plus.
Falhófnir
macrumors 603
I guess to fit everything in on a smaller phone they’d have to add a negative headphone jack to increase internal space 😛 realistically the 4.7” phones are probably about as good as you’re going to get going forward. Big screens are popular which is why iPhones have been trending upwards in size.
DNichter
macrumors G3
Yea I get that, and most people find that bigger is better. That's part of the reason they sell better. It would ultimately be interesting to see if they released a top end iPhone at the SE size, if it would sell. It might, but it would be really hard for Apple to create a top of the line phone at this size. Either way, just dealing with realities here. Apple doesn't feel there is a market for small phones right now.
Scepticalscribe
macrumors Haswell
Most of my friends do.
Personally, for casual, (or smart casual), I wear chino style trousers, (khakis, although usual in dark colours); they tend to be comfortable and have large pockets.
For work this part year, I had a horror of a large Samsung phone; that spent most of its time in my briefcase, or occasionally, sitting on my desk. This is because it was too big to carry comfortably, wouldn't fit in a jacket or trousers pocket, and so much of the time, it sat in my briefcase, where it often went unanswered.
rui no onna
Contributor
Apple has the cellular Apple Watch to sell you along with that huge phone. 😛
I hope you are right, and I also hope Apple will do the same with iPad. They do the same with MacBook already, they have premium laptops in 12", 13" and 15", and will release and entry level model later this year.
iPhone X in 5", 5.8", 6.5"
iPhone in 6"
iPad Pro in 9", 11", 13"
iPad in 10"
sonicrobby
macrumors 68030
Id pay $999 for an iPhone Xs style phone in an SE form factor. I love my X because of the edge to edge screen, but I much did prefer the SE size.
Justanotherfanboy
Suspended
You are not the first who suggests this, I wonder if you all have LTE available wherever you go? I know we’re behind in Germany where there’s many places where you’d be lucky to get 3G even.
DNichter
macrumors G3
I think it would be too hard for Apple to produce a premium phone in this size. The battery, the features, the SOC, everything would need to be compromised somehow. Tiny tech is tough.
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What do you expect for a cost considering it would be harder to make than the current X Max. You would be okay with a $1199 price tag on premium phone of this size?
rui no onna
Contributor
Why would that matter in the above context (answering calls and messages when the iPhone is inside a briefcase)? I assume if one does not have signal on their Apple Watch, they probably wouldn't have service on the iPhone either so lack of coverage becomes a moot point.
Right, they don’t have to charge less for a 5" size model. Component costs might be marginally lesser, but designing and building a compact phone is more difficult.