Mastodawn

Carol Chen Jan 20

Here's my first impression of the Jolla Phone appearance models: https://forum.sailfishos.org/t/my-first-impression-of-the-jolla-phone-appearance-models/27272

#nextgenJollaphone #Jolla #SailfishOS #JollaC2

My first impression of the Jolla Phone appearance models

Warning: this is a lengthy post. I can be quiet and reserved until you ask me to talk about something that I’m passionate about, then I can talk (write) for days. This is one of those wordy occasions. TL;DR - overall 8.5/10 for the size, weight, materials, feel in hand, ergonomics, looks, etc. (May bump it up to a 9 when weight is finalized with a functioning proto, more details below.) Just the external stuff. It’s not perfect, but I like it very much! Preface: a few of you may know me, but m...

Sailfish OS Forum

@cybette
Thanks a lot for this post! I still think it's a little bit big xD i still love the size of a N9 a lot... But you are right, all is now sized up and the web wouldn't be nice on such a small screen 😢

Carol Chen Jan 20

@scops I agree, I think it's still big, and I wish it was just a tad smaller (not 5" but 6" would be very nice). In addition to apps and web content demanding larger screens now, sourcing for parts like screen protector can also be a problem. Like I said, I was apprehensive, especially after C2, but this honestly feels good in the hand, and I was pretend-swiping left & right and it didn't threaten to fall out of my hand (caveat about the weight issue, but the matte plastic back plays a part too)

Kristoffer Lawson

@cybette @scops I agree that 6” would probably be the sweet spot. I carry an iPhone 13 Mini, which is great, but wouldn’t mind slightly bigger as well.

Carol Chen Jan 21

yeah even apple discontinued the iPhone mini line.

I really liked the Asus Zenfone 8-10 "compact flagships" at 5.9". Too bad they gave that up and went super big 6.78" for Zenfone 11.

Is it really a lack of demand? So many people I've talked to (both online and in person) seem to prefer smaller phones 🤷

Kristoffer Lawson Jan 22

@cybette @scops just for the record, I’m fine with the iPhone 13 mini size. But I’d also be OK with something slightly bigger. But Apple’s latest phones tend to all be too big for my tastes. When I got the Mini I tried a 13 Pro and it didn’t neatly fit my pocket and use was awkward. Current batch are even bigger.

Kristoffer Lawson Jan 22

@cybette @scops I think part of the reason is that the smaller phones are always presented as ‘crappier’ versions of another phone. Rather than a neat, cool device of its own. Which could even have a slightly different UI made possible by one hand use and more compact size.

Carol Chen Jan 22

yeah possibly. also bigger devices are called "Max", "Pro", or "Plus" implying they are better, so even the base models can seem inferior, which makes the "mini" and "compact" versions even more unattractive (perception).

Naming is hard, but this kind of bias can probably be avoided. Then again most companies probably want to be able to command a higher price with monikers like "Pro", instead of a boring iPhone 13 155mm vs iPhone 13 137mm 😆

Kristoffer Lawson Jan 22

@cybette @scops yeah, consider if the names were:

iPhone 13 Sleek or iPhone 13 Fit
and
iPhone 13 Fat

Carol Chen Jan 22

@Setok @scops hahha good one! I'll be going for the Sleek for sure!

Kristoffer Lawson Jan 22

@cybette @scops honestly, if Apple came out with iPhone 17 Sleek right now, I might even be tempted to pay a bit more than for the iPhone 17 Regular. Just sounds cooler :) Could do all kinds of nice branding around. And special Sleek versions of apps.

Of course there is the Air, but that is a lot more expensive and also kind of optimises the wrong thing (I don't personally need more thinness! It's actually bigger than the regular).

@Setok @cybette @scops
Smaller phones means less space to fit components. Smaller battery means either shorter usage time or lower-power components. Both result in a more "crappier" phone. Then there's the thermal dissipation issue. Smaller volumetric space heats faster and smaller surface area, which gets covered relatively more by user's hands, dissipates it slower. This means the phone needs to run slower, hence "crappier".

@Setok @cybette @scops
I used to own the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact - absolutely lovely 4.6" screen. It had the same specifications as the non-compact model: same CPU, same clock frequency, same RAM, just smaller.
Unfortunately it frequently suffered from overheating. So much so that if you put it screen-downs on a table, it couldn't cool itself enough, causing the screen to crack. This happened to my Z5 Compact and it wasn't even charging at the time.

Kristoffer Lawson Jan 22

@karttu @cybette @scops I realise those matters, but we are talking more about how the device is positioned and marketed, rather than specific technical specs.

Though in terms of those specs, the 13 Mini had all the specs I needed at that time. It's still mostly up to the job, actually, though battery is showing its age.

Tero Ykspetäjä Jan 22

@Setok @cybette @scops Air is taller and wider, but IMO is an exceptional piece of design and engineering, in how it actually feels smaller in your hand and, deceptively, much lighter than it actually is.

Weirdly, Apple seems to do almost no marketing for it, so I guess we’ll never know if that type of a phone actually had an audience.

Riku Voipio Jan 22

@cybette @Setok @scops The problem is all the Mobile makers do market research, figure out the most popular mobile phones size, and then proceed to target just the biggest market.

@suihkulokki @cybette @Setok the question is, why people want such big slaps... b/c for example even men have problems with their pockets and such sizes above 6". And women pockets are smaller.
My theory is, that many people only have one device and a small display ist nice if you make for example your whole shopping, paper work,... on it.

Carol Chen Jan 23

@scops @suihkulokki @Setok

there was a period of time in the early 2000s when phone sizes were trending small, as compact and lightweight as possible. that was when the original Razrs were popular. There was also the Nokia lipstick phone, but it didn't look very usable (I didn't own one). Still, they were cool! 😎 And marketed as such.

Since 2010 it has only gotten bigger, and everything is a slab. It's true that nowadays we do way more stuff on the phone than before, so the bigger size helps.

Carol Chen Jan 23

@scops @suihkulokki @Setok

i'd like to see manufacturers experiment with form factors more. Flip phones have great potential to be compact & still offer functional screen space when you flip it open. The new Clicks Communicator looks amazing with 4" display + physical keyboard (usually the virtual kb takes up half the screen anyway)

the market also needs to respond, otherwise those will go away like the mini. I aim to get a non-slab phone, maybe one of the above, when I refresh my work phone.