I downsized my phone after years of using a large phablet – it’s a relief, but it just makes me want a new iPhone SE
My thumbs are quite thick for the size of my hands. This is admittedly bizarre to begin with, but it has a lot to do with how I’ve fared with different smartphones.
Over the past fifteen years, phones have grown in size to accommodate changing habits. Streaming on mobile devices makes it more viable 5Git makes sense that the screen sizes have been expanded to provide a much better experience. In light of my oversized thumbs, which I now use to type this sentence, you can assume that this means progress for me. But I’ve always struggled to use smartphones (my first was an iPhone 4) without annoying autocorrects or the occasional typo. On balance, though, I prefer more compact phones than the goliaths we’ve become accustomed to.
Despite forgoing the larger screen size for better video playback and error-free communications, these devices are likely to have sharper displays (higher pixels per inch), be more advanced, and much more practical (you can fit them into pockets); that’s my opinion.
But I tend to go with the flow – usually, as a technology journalist, your phone is usually what you’re reviewing at the moment. I’ve worked with all kinds of equipment, from the best iPhones to £120 plastic rectangles and everything in between – and more often than not I’ve ended up with screen sizes over 6.5 inches.
That’s why when my previous smartphone, a Oppo Find X3 Lite (and the 6.7-inch panel) reached retirement age, I thought this was the perfect time to cut back for good. So I’ve done my dutiful researchhas weighed the options and made a concrete decision. I haven’t looked back since (to a point – but I’ll get to that later).
Okay, so size matters
I then joined forces Samsung Galaxy S23. This is the perfect antidote to years of fiddling with an oversized phablet – a relatively modest high-end smartphone with a lot of love, as we discussed in our review. For me it was between that and the Samsung Galaxy S23Ultra (which admittedly was not an easy choice); Of course, these are not the latest Galaxy phones, but they went into the Ny Breaking phone cabinet as a spare, the entire Samsung Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Ultra were put into use by other Ny Breakingians.
Now that I’ve been using it for a few months, what exactly am I missing about the larger devices? Zilch. Nada. Nil.
I was very happy watch England’s journey to the European Championship final en route on this much smaller device this summer. I no longer have to let go of my phone for a split second before catching it in a risky maneuver that becomes even trickier after you’ve had a few drinks – just so I can reach the top third of my screen. I can also put my phone in my pocket without fear of it peeking out and giving pickpockets easy access. It is a huge improvement in quality of life. And my fat thumbs have also adapted well.
However, there is something that doesn’t quite add up for me.
Oh, how I would love to see a brand new iPhone SE
Not only do I feel like I could get even smaller, but I’m also having a hard time getting used to this particular brand of Android OS. It really made me realize that what I wanted all along was just a new, edge-to-edge iPhone SE that packs the power of the latest iPhone 16 into a more compact device. Despite exciting rumorsthe iPhone SE never materialized Apple’s glitzy September launch event – and the portfolio is much weaker for his absence.
My iPhone 4 was followed by the original iPhone SE (2016) – a device I considered unparalleled and undervalued for its time. It was a phenomenal smartphone that packed the latest Apple hardware into a much sleeker, more compact and better designed package than the iPhone 6. The only downsides were the slightly smaller screen – which I had no problems with.
As the form factor started to expand, this device dug in its heels – a nod from Apple to the fact that there were still plenty of customers who were still eager to reject modernity, even as it dragged its portfolio into a new direction.
The previous two versions of the iPhone SE were disappointmentsAs far as I’m concerned, given the use of the older chassis and the lack of an edge-to-edge display. There’s every chance that the iPhone SE 4 – if and when it comes out – will continue in this vein.
But I’m still hoping that – buried somewhere in a secret lab deep inside Apple’s Cupertino headquarters – there are schematics for a next-gen, edge-to-edge, pocketable iPhone SE that offers something unlike anything else. the market can now do that. Fingers crossed for what 2025 could bring for the house that Steve Jobs built.