[fish1050]

This is a very interesting turn of events. The smartphone makers really are losing losing the plot. I guess it's the nature of the beast when you already have a mature product in a very saturated market. I was an android user for the longest time but this time last year, I made the regretfully unavoidable decision to switch from android back to the dreaded half-eaten fruit (iPhone SE) purely for it's size because I want to be able to sit straight without having to empty out my pockets of the most valuable things I carry, or be stuck with 'my first smartphone'. I'm 167cm and 59kg so there isn't a lot of 'real estate' for EDC. Being able to use a phone one-handed isn't too much to ask, is it?

Getting this iPhone took me back to 2007 when I got my iPod 5.5G and had to grudgingly learn to circumvent Apple's convoluted ox-faeces to do some really basic stuff - like transfer music from iPod to computer ***. Nothing seemed has changed over 10 years later. I'm forced to (first convert, then) listen to AAC wired or bluetooth, no AptX or LDAC, no native FLAC support but most of all, I hate being forced into using iTunes with a passion matched only by the darkest souls. I would never have bought an iPhone if it wasn't for it's outdated design.

If only there was a decent android phone about the size and weight of an M3s, I could be unshackled from this malustic hell (yes, I just made up a word).

Is Blackberry still around? I seem to recall them being pretty pocket friendly if nothing else?

I think what has happened with smartphones is they have run out ideas for new features. So to get people to keep buying new phones they made the batteries non-replaceable. When that wasn't enough they took away the headphone jack to get people to buy wireless headphones. Now some people are angry about both developments and are holding onto their old phones as long as they can. My smartphone is 3 years old and I am dreading the day I need to get a new one. I am seriously thinking about just getting a basic cellphone that does talk and text and not getting another smartphone. I have a tablet and a laptop so do I really have to have a smartphone? Just getting fed up with all this nonsense with smartphones.

 

[salla45]

Is Blackberry still around? I seem to recall them being pretty pocket friendly if nothing else?

I think what has happened with smartphones is they have run out ideas for new features. So to get people to keep buying new phones they made the batteries non-replaceable. When that wasn't enough they took away the headphone jack to get people to buy wireless headphones. Now some people are angry about both developments and are holding onto their old phones as long as they can. My smartphone is 3 years old and I am dreading the day I need to get a new one. I am seriously thinking about just getting a basic cellphone that does talk and text and not getting another smartphone. I have a tablet and a laptop so do I really have to have a smartphone? Just getting fed up with all this nonsense with smartphones.

Ive got myself an LG V30 just for the heck of it. It's a great device, a sort of phone/dap hybrid. As long as innovators like LG are around we'll be ok! And great little flexible daps like the M0 to LDAC bluetooth to with the likes of samsung S8, 9 or whatever, really help our cause too. I think that caters for the fruit lover brigade too? Are they LDAC or APTX enabled?

 

[paddler57]

This is a very interesting turn of events. The smartphone makers really are losing losing the plot. I guess it's the nature of the beast when you already have a mature product in a very saturated market. I was an android user for the longest time but this time last year, I made the regretfully unavoidable decision to switch from android back to the dreaded half-eaten fruit (iPhone SE) purely for it's size because I want to be able to sit straight without having to empty out my pockets of the most valuable things I carry, or be stuck with 'my first smartphone'. I'm 167cm and 59kg so there isn't a lot of 'real estate' for EDC. Being able to use a phone one-handed isn't too much to ask, is it?

Getting this iPhone took me back to 2007 when I got my iPod 5.5G and had to grudgingly learn to circumvent Apple's convoluted ox-faeces to do some really basic stuff - like transfer music from iPod to computer ***. Nothing seemed has changed over 10 years later. I'm forced to (first convert, then) listen to AAC wired or bluetooth, no AptX or LDAC, no native FLAC support but most of all, I hate being forced into using iTunes with a passion matched only by the darkest souls. I would never have bought an iPhone if it wasn't for it's outdated design.

If only there was a decent android phone about the size and weight of an M3s, I could be unshackled from this malustic hell (yes, I just made up a word).

Sony Xz2 Compact
Samsung S8, S9, and upcoming S10 Lite
LG G6, G7 (q7+ is a nice mid grade phone)
Pixel 2, 3

Just to name a few.

 

[paddler57]

Ive got myself an LG V30 just for the heck of it. It's a great device, a sort of phone/dap hybrid. As long as innovators like LG are around we'll be ok! And great little flexible daps like the M0 to LDAC bluetooth to with the likes of samsung S8, 9 or whatever, really help our cause too. I think that caters for the fruit lover brigade too? Are they LDAC or APTX enabled?

Apple has AAC. Better than SBC at least. No Aptx or LDAC. They're definitely not paying Qualcomm to use Aptx.

 

[Nolbert0]

Sony Xz2 Compact
Samsung S8, S9, and upcoming S10 Lite
LG G6, G7 (q7+ is a nice mid grade phone)
Pixel 2, 3

Just to name a few.

None of them are M3s sized. Not even iPhone SE size. Not even close! A bezel-less 4 to 4.5 inch android phone is what I want. OK, M3s might have been a bit of an exaggeration. My real gripe is what the industry currently considers a 'small phone'. But I think this is going way off-topic

edit: I've owned both xperia z3c and z5c. Super fragile screen that won't register a touch at all with the slightest crack. Repairs never bring back the full touch function so unless they address that issue, I'm staying away from xperias.

 

[salla45]

None of them are M3s sized. Not even iPhone SE size. Not even close! A bezel-less 4 to 4.5 inch android phone is what I want. OK, M3s might have been a bit of an exaggeration. My real gripe is what the industry currently considers a 'small phone'. But I think this is going way off-topic

edit: I've owned both xperia z3c and z5c. Super fragile screen that won't register a touch at all with the slightest crack. Repairs never bring back the full touch function so unless they address that issue, I'm staying away from xperias.

you're spot on, my friend. The market is chock full of me-too products its frankly embarrassing. Unbelievably "safe"; the market's ripe for all sorts of cellphone innovations. The next big thing will be foldable screens, yawn.

 

[ColdsnapBry]

None of them are M3s sized. Not even iPhone SE size. Not even close! A bezel-less 4 to 4.5 inch android phone is what I want. OK, M3s might have been a bit of an exaggeration. My real gripe is what the industry currently considers a 'small phone'. But I think this is going way off-topic

edit: I've owned both xperia z3c and z5c. Super fragile screen that won't register a touch at all with the slightest crack. Repairs never bring back the full touch function so unless they address that issue, I'm staying away from xperias.

I dropped out of smart phones in 2019. From the school of flashing custom ROMs onto my Android phone and was pretty damn involved in phone technology. The industry went down a different path over the years; no micro sd card, no removable battery, no microphone jack, constant tracking / spying. Focused on things I didn't care about / don't matter; watter proofing??? Phones made out of glass???? AI assistance???? Oh and not to mention the entry fee for a good specced cell phone is almost a grand now and for that much I can get a dumb phone, a digital audio player, and a damn good camera. I got a Punkt MP02, you can also check out the Light Phone II. It's not really a stand against tech, just more like the cell phone industry has completely lost me.

 

[salla45]

I dropped out of smart phones in 2019. From the school of flashing custom ROMs onto my Android phone and was pretty damn involved in phone technology. The industry went down a different path over the years; no micro sd card, no removable battery, no microphone jack, constant tracking / spying. Focused on things I didn't care about / don't matter; watter proofing??? Phones made out of glass???? AI assistance???? Oh and not to mention the entry fee for a good specced cell phone is almost a grand now and for that much I can get a dumb phone, a digital audio player, and a damn good camera. I got a Punkt MP02, you can also check out the Light Phone II. It's not really a stand against tech, just more like the cell phone industry has completely lost me.

On a brighter note, I always check for local bargains for phones when they arise. I got a great specced Motorolla G4 with hd screen, 5.5inch, good processor, 2gb ram, etc, great midlevel phone 100 chf, or 100 usd. There are some great android bargains to be had.

 

[paddler57]

None of them are M3s sized. Not even iPhone SE size. Not even close! A bezel-less 4 to 4.5 inch android phone is what I want. OK, M3s might have been a bit of an exaggeration. My real gripe is what the industry currently considers a 'small phone'. But I think this is going way off-topic

edit: I've owned both xperia z3c and z5c. Super fragile screen that won't register a touch at all with the slightest crack. Repairs never bring back the full touch function so unless they address that issue, I'm staying away from xperias.

The Sony's do come close. Screen protectors solve the issue. I don't even use a phone without one regardless of what goriila they're using. Also supports LDAC and has expandable storage for your music unlike the SE where you're stuck with AAC and and max 128gb, but rarely to people pay the apple storage tax when buying a cheap phone.

There's always the Jelly Pro which makes the SE feel like a Note 9 in comparison. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0752BYRHM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_LfFpCbE9951MV

 

[paddler57]

you're spot on, my friend. The market is chock full of me-too products its frankly embarrassing. Unbelievably "safe"; the market's ripe for all sorts of cellphone innovations. The next big thing will be foldable screens, yawn.

I'm getting my slider phone back this year. I'll get to take back my full screen while typing for the first time since my Samsung Epic about 9 years ago. I use a Note 9 now, but I actually use it. I do all my paperwork on it for work, creating ting and editing pdf's, all sorts of doc and excel work. Would be a nightmare on something the size of the SE and require me to carry a second a device. Everyone's use pattern is different which is why having choices is a good thing.

That Jelly Pro gets decent reviews though for being a full fledged LTE android phone for under $200 if tiny is your thing. Also a good way to not get lost in using your phone as anything extensive would get annoying on such a small screen.

 

[fish1050]

Apple has AAC. Better than SBC at least. No Aptx or LDAC. They're definitely not paying Qualcomm to use Aptx.

They're still selling phones so there must still be a few Apple lemmings out there that will follow Apple all the way to the grave!

 

[Nolbert0]

@paddler57 I almost went for that except the keyboard is almost useless according to almost all reviews I've read. Might be good for a backup phone tho.

@ColdsnapBry I've seriously looked at getting a feature phone with wifi hotspot to use with a tablet myself. Don't need 80% of the features with me ALL the time. Only the banana phone seems to fit this description (currently available in the UK) but that form factor is quite pocket unfriendly... Which is where this little spin-off started from?

But guys, seriously, this way off-topic. I'm kinda OK with the SE for now and I have a whole pile of DAPs at my disposal as well. It's been about a page without actually mentioning the M0. lol

 

[ColdsnapBry]

@Nolbert0 The MP02 is a dumbphone that you can teather a ipad to via bluetooth. I've used it for just that over here in New Zealand.

Anyways, sorry to de-rail thread.

 

[barondla]

Think there is a lot of market share for daps. Most electronics forecasters make the same mistake. They assume people will only buy one thing. I remember when tablets were going to replace laptops. What happened is many people bought a tablet to use for somethings and a laptop for other things. Streaming music is similar. Experts say it will take over and people won't own music. But, what a lot of people are doing is using streaming to discover new music. Then they buy what they like.

A friend works at a big box store. Says one of the things they constantly run out of is the only mp3 player they carry. She says people have their phones so full of stuff (like photos) that they can't even do updates anymore. The store's photo dept makes archive dvds to free up memory space. Besides the battery, a full phone is one of the reasons people have to buy a new smart phone. People are trying to prolong buying a new phone as long as possible. Many are even returning to flip phones.

Shanling has made the ultimate dap for carrying around. People are always going to carry a phone and don't have room for lots of other stuff in their pocket. This is has hurt the compact camera market terribly. There is always room for the M0!

 

[paddler57]

@paddler57 I almost went for that except the keyboard is almost useless according to almost all reviews I've read. Might be good for a backup phone tho.

@ColdsnapBry I've seriously looked at getting a feature phone with wifi hotspot to use with a tablet myself. Don't need 80% of the features with me ALL the time. Only the banana phone seems to fit this description (currently available in the UK) but that form factor is quite pocket unfriendly... Which is where this little spin-off started from?

But guys, seriously, this way off-topic. I'm kinda OK with the SE for now and I have a whole pile of DAPs at my disposal as well. It's been about a page without actually mentioning the M0. lol

Well the smaller you get the more unusable an on screen keyboard gets. I've had beater iPhone 5. Couldn't take typing on it.

And nothing wrong with some off topic talk. If @Shanling had their companion app going, having some phone talk would totally be related...haha