If they would have committed to the “small phone” thing and made it significantly smaller, it would have differentiated it from the competition and I (at least) would have bought it immediately. Instead it competed against S23, iPhone, Xiaomi, Pixel 7a with nothing to really set it apart, except for more questionable software support.
There’s a balance point somewhere between size and battery life with resolution as a catalyst. Small phone = small battery.
The Xperica Z3C achieved ridiculous things in that space (I could get 5 days normal use out of it after rooting and tweaking kernel etc).
You couldn’t do that today though. Nobody is going to buy a phone at the resolution required to pull it off, and it would be under powered to boot.
I think this is why even “small” phones like the Zenfone aren’t really even that small…they have to be big enough to fit a decent battery. Power demands have increased and you can’t fight physics.
You can fight physics tho: better batteries, more efficient LEDs on screens, lower size fab chips, more integration of components…
That being said as much as I wanted a zenphone10 I’m glad I didn’t pull the trigger, after reading they’re blocking users the ability to unlock their phones.
In almost every phone I’ve put a custom ROM, I’ve gained significant performance and battery life
I know a smaller screen would mean a smaller battery, and I am completely fine with that, since I value the ergonomics and portability more highly. My phone rarely drops below 50% as it is. Would be good to have even a single option like that on the market.
Alternatively, I wouldn’t mind it being a little thicker to compensate a reduction in face size.
Zenfone did have its 3.5mm jack and optical stabilization as relatively unique in its class (though I don’t personally know much about how well EIS does vs OIS these days).
Not only do Sony not bother to sell them in Australia, they refuse to lend any assistance to get VoLTE and VoWifi working if you do jump through the hoops to import one.
This renders them completely useless for making voice calls in Australia as of July 2024 as our 3G network will be completely shut down by then.
It’s a major fucking bummer because I would have bought the Xperia 5 IV in a heartbeat. It’s perfect.
I agree. I was pointing out that losing ZenFone doesn’t mean anything in terms of “no more one handed phones”, since it a) wasn’t one, and b) other phones still exist at the same size anyway, so it’s not the last of… whatever it is.
Ironically, for me the Galaxy Fold 5 has been easy to handle one handed because of how narrow it is. Compared to one of my old phones (Xperia Z3 Compact), the Z Fold is only a few mm wider. Compared to my most recent flagship level phone (ROG Phone 2), it’s only 13 grams heavier.
I was on the fence about getting a ZenFone. But now, with knowledge there will likely be reduced updates or development, I’m swayed away and back to pixel.
Rip another phone manufacturer trying to do something to differentiate itself in a crowded market.
I wanted to buy the Zenfone 9, but 900€ is too much for a phone in my opinion, and the price never went down despite a lot of time passing from release, so…
I’ve been watching the 9 on eBay, and it was tempting… but for the same price I could get a pixel 7a. The only loss would be the headphone jack, which I have finally come to terms with, I think!
I was really mad when they removed it but eventually got over it. It sucks. But I bought really nice Bluetooth earbuds for travelling and when I need to listen to audio at home with higher fidelity, I just connect my DAC+AMP.
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I used Zenfones for a while, every model up to the 4 I think, and they were always a bit meh. I’ve liked my Umidigi phones of recent years better.
This was a false rumor. Asus has issued a press release confirming that the Zenfone line will continue.
/thread
If they would have committed to the “small phone” thing and made it significantly smaller, it would have differentiated it from the competition and I (at least) would have bought it immediately. Instead it competed against S23, iPhone, Xiaomi, Pixel 7a with nothing to really set it apart, except for more questionable software support.
There’s a balance point somewhere between size and battery life with resolution as a catalyst. Small phone = small battery.
The Xperica Z3C achieved ridiculous things in that space (I could get 5 days normal use out of it after rooting and tweaking kernel etc).
You couldn’t do that today though. Nobody is going to buy a phone at the resolution required to pull it off, and it would be under powered to boot.
I think this is why even “small” phones like the Zenfone aren’t really even that small…they have to be big enough to fit a decent battery. Power demands have increased and you can’t fight physics.
You can fight physics tho: better batteries, more efficient LEDs on screens, lower size fab chips, more integration of components…
That being said as much as I wanted a zenphone10 I’m glad I didn’t pull the trigger, after reading they’re blocking users the ability to unlock their phones.
In almost every phone I’ve put a custom ROM, I’ve gained significant performance and battery life
I know a smaller screen would mean a smaller battery, and I am completely fine with that, since I value the ergonomics and portability more highly. My phone rarely drops below 50% as it is. Would be good to have even a single option like that on the market.
Alternatively, I wouldn’t mind it being a little thicker to compensate a reduction in face size.
Zenfone did have its 3.5mm jack and optical stabilization as relatively unique in its class (though I don’t personally know much about how well EIS does vs OIS these days).
No more Android phones that you can reasonably hold in one hand.
I would think of the Xperia series, like the Xperia 5 IV( +SD card slot + water resistant + 3.5mm jack)
Just a shame that Sony only sell them in a few countries. They’re quite difficult and expensive to get in most parts of the world.
/u/[email protected]
Not only do Sony not bother to sell them in Australia, they refuse to lend any assistance to get VoLTE and VoWifi working if you do jump through the hoops to import one.
This renders them completely useless for making voice calls in Australia as of July 2024 as our 3G network will be completely shut down by then.
It’s a major fucking bummer because I would have bought the Xperia 5 IV in a heartbeat. It’s perfect.
Damn, I didn’t know that! What a shame they pulled out of so many markets. Their phones are expensive but they sure have all the bells and whistles.
Dang, thought as big as Sony is, they’d be everywhere still. The 1 is stupid expensive, but the 10 V isn’t a bad midrange phone on paper.
Galaxy S23 is the same size though?
It sucks that Samsung is the only good phone manufacturer with a well-rounded flagship that can (mostly) be used with one hand.
that is still too damn big to comfortably use one handed
I agree. I was pointing out that losing ZenFone doesn’t mean anything in terms of “no more one handed phones”, since it a) wasn’t one, and b) other phones still exist at the same size anyway, so it’s not the last of… whatever it is.
Ah, the phone that the Galaxy S22 should’ve been.
With an optical zoom camera. Samsung is the best in the Android world.
Ironically, for me the Galaxy Fold 5 has been easy to handle one handed because of how narrow it is. Compared to one of my old phones (Xperia Z3 Compact), the Z Fold is only a few mm wider. Compared to my most recent flagship level phone (ROG Phone 2), it’s only 13 grams heavier.
I was thinking of getting one, however after they said they wont unlock the bootloader i will have to look elsewhere
Asus makes phones?
Zenfones and ROG phones.
I was on the fence about getting a ZenFone. But now, with knowledge there will likely be reduced updates or development, I’m swayed away and back to pixel.
Rip another phone manufacturer trying to do something to differentiate itself in a crowded market.
I wanted to buy the Zenfone 9, but 900€ is too much for a phone in my opinion, and the price never went down despite a lot of time passing from release, so…
I’ve been watching the 9 on eBay, and it was tempting… but for the same price I could get a pixel 7a. The only loss would be the headphone jack, which I have finally come to terms with, I think!
Putting GrapheneOS on the pixel helped me cope with no headphone jack or SD card :/
I was really mad when they removed it but eventually got over it. It sucks. But I bought really nice Bluetooth earbuds for travelling and when I need to listen to audio at home with higher fidelity, I just connect my DAC+AMP.
That’s a bummer, that was honestly one of my considered phones…