As another anecdote, I've had Android user friends borrow my phone and comment on how nice it is. But nobody's made a good 4" phone on that side of the market in a very long time.
Smaller and cheaper Androids are generally terrible, the SE was a great performing phone in a small case. Which made it a good option for buying for the kids and those who don't want to spend absurd amounts.
My anecdote is I wanted to get off Android, and I've owned a couple of phablets and loathed them, so the SE seemed the only viable option.
Completely agree.
Most of the smaller Android phones are in the value band so the specs leave a lot to be desired. I'm still switching between my Lumia 950 (5.2) and my OnePlus 2 (5.5). The OnePlus even at 5.5 feels like a bulky brick phone compared to the Lumia.
I've been on the hunt for a smaller Android, but have yet to find a smaller form factor with decent specs that beats my Lumia.
i'd much rather have a 4" phone if it was ... 50-80g lighter. but if thats not possible, i'd rather stick with the bigger screen
btw, the 4" and 5.5" are often around the same size if you include the whole phone. there was just so much spacing around the display earlier
https://amp.businessinsider.com/images/59dcdd8c6d80adae008b5...
and if you're comparing the old ~4" phones, they're often very similar in size to the current 5.5" phones, as the chin is often gone (fingerprint sensor is often in the back)
Good:
- Speed-wise it is a huge upgrade. Everything is instant. The memory management is superb. I can open an app one day then come back to it a week later and have it sitting right where I left it.
- Build quality is great. Plastic back, so no case required -- that was one thing I also loved about my Lumia 950.
- Battery life is easily 2-3x that of my 950. On top of that it also charges faster.
- It has a great display, significantly brighter than the Lumia 950 display.
- The display does not scratch easily, unlike my Lumia 950, which required a screen protector or else it accumulates numerous fine scratches rapidly. This phone lives in my pockets without protection for 2 months and has acquired zero scratches.
- Developer-friendly, with monthly updates. They even have complete AOSP device trees on Github, with detailed instructions on their developer's website to go with. Other than Google, who else even does that? I was impressed.
Bad:
- The 720p display is noticeably pixely. Also not as easy on the eyes as an OLED display.
- There is no chance you'll find a good glass screen protector for this, thanks to how the display curves just a little bit into the sides.
- It has hard metal corners. This is not a phone that curls up comfy in your hand.
- The speakers are crap. Stereo front-facing speakers, yay! No, hush that, the speakers are crap. Even at their loudest I miss notifications. That was not something that happened with my 950, which was crazy loud.
- The camera is inferior to the Lumia 950's camera in almost every situation other than handheld in low light. I was comparing the 950's camera to a Pixel 2 before I bought this XZ1 Compact, and it held its own against that as well, with its greater resolution offering a big advantage -- except handheld in low light. The camera on the 950 is something special. Also: no RAW on the XZ1 Compact. No RAW on any Sony phone, pretty sure. The XZ1 Compact's camera isn't bad, its pretty good, actually, it's just not superb like the 950 or Pixel 2. The noise reduction applied to its JPEGs is too harsh, that's its biggest problem. Not a camera you'll want to make prints from.
For a small Android, I don't think there's really any other choice than Sony compacts. The nearest competitor [in the US] would be a Pixel 2, which is much larger.
All-in-all, the only major things I miss about the 950 is its camera and its super loud and clear speaker.
I'm going to hold off getting it now, so thanks for saving me some future pain, I appreciate it!
Seriously, if the watch had a camera, I would leave my phone at home.