Comment by quicklime | Hacker News Reader

Comment by quicklime | Hacker News Reader

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When my iPhone 5S died on me a few months ago, I bought a large Android phone to replace it. I've tracked screen-on time and noticed it ramp right up - from something like 90 minutes a day to 2 or even 3 hours now. Most of the increase is due to the fact that it's easier to use in bed before I get up in the morning, as well as before I go to sleep. So I tend to waste more time than I used to, watching YouTube or mindlessly browsing the web.

I'm going to try out the new Digital Wellbeing stuff in Android Pie, which lets me set restrictions on app use. But it feels like a smaller phone is a much better solution, as it doesn't have any compromise in terms of portability - what's the point of having a big screen if I'm just going to disable the things that it's good at?

It would be nice if Apple or Google or anyone else could commit to serving the small phone market.

Yeah, I moved from an SE to an 8+, then an XS Max. I love the new phones, but if they brought out a premium SE I'd swap to that in a second.

I don't care about the size too much, but small has the advantage of one-handed use, of fitting better in my pocket and being less likely to break.

I kind of care about the design. It's elegant-- I like the flat camera, the chamfered edges and the brick-y form (which I appreciate they brought back with the new iPad Pro).

What I care most about though is the headphone jack. This is why I still keep mine around in spite of having another phone-- to listen to music.

EDIT: The fact that it's cheaper, so I could get more memory for the same price as a bigger model also contributes to it still sticking around primarily for music, but also with some games.

That right there sounds like a solid reason for Apple to not go that route. Customers who paid over $1000 will now be spending under $500 for an Apple phone. Thats bad for business.

I agree, that's a good point in many cases. Personally, I used my SE in combination with an iPad. The bigger phones made the tablet unnecessary, I can comfortable do what I need on my phone screen now.

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