Sunday Debate: Do we still need compact flagships?

25 March 2018
Yordan and Chip discuss whether compact flagships make sense.

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  • S
  • Sin
  • 0Rf
  • 02 Mar 2023

Yeah of course

Compact phone at size 4-inch - 5-inch are needed

If you want a smartphone you want it too fit in you're packets and be portable

Not every wants a 7-inch call tablet sized phone
That's too big too carry around

    • C
    • CompactLover
    • bJb
    • 13 Jun 2019

    my personal preference is :-
    [Premium tier]
    65mm X 130mm X 7.6mm
    flagship chipset
    5.8" 1080p HDR10
    3400maH
    6+128 combo as base

    [Lower premium]
    65mm X 130mm X 7.6mm
    sd 7xx equivalent
    700s chipset
    5.5" 1080p
    3400maH
    6+64 combo as base

    [Midranger]
    65mm X 130mm X 7.6mm
    sd 675 or equivalent
    5.5" 1080p
    3200maH
    4+64 combo as base

    camera is subjective. im not camera-guy so i will leave camera preference to the debate

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • LXP
      • 31 Dec 2018

      I've always used compact phones, in the end a phone is meant to be used to make/receive calls and the term smart is in the sense of using apps on it as an added bonus. I was completely happy using a Nokia N8 with its 3.5" screen and using T9 keyboard it was simply a pleasure to use one handed and no bulge in my jeans. Then moved on to a Nokia 603 since it had more RAM, then collected a Nokia 808 Pureview with its delightful 41MP camera and very good sensor. Unfortunately Symbian was a OS with no interest in developing it further, a very good OS that was not a hog in terms of hardware resources. Reluctantly moved to Android using a S4 Mini with battery woes, then found the Xperia Z Compact line and went with the Z3C, and now rocking a X Compact. I think the XZ1 Compact is the last "Compact" phone we will ever see, since the XZ2 Compact is more taller compared to their predecessor. I don't need a big smartphone to view videos or movies, that's what tablets or PCs are made for, please manufacturers listen to the people and keep producing devices measuring less than 13cm vertically.

        • R
        • Rammy
        • vGS
        • 01 Oct 2018

        Wow! I think CHIP has gone mad. Ok you like huge phones but that does not mean everybody does. Some people like smaller and manageable phones like the iphone se. people deserve variety and choice. why cant small phones have great specs? but chip or chip.... you have gone insane.

          • D
          • AnonD-748351
          • 6QQ
          • 09 Apr 2018

          I am in for slightly bigger and very slightly bulkier phones. Too slim gives a feeling of fragile gadget which shouldn't be the case with flagship. While most phones got UI tweaks to be operable by one-hand, having a larger screen size helps kicking out 7'inch tab and aids gaming/drawing experience on phone.

            I really don't get this trend of having huge phones that are impossible to use with one hand, too big to put it in your pocket (especially if you are on vacations or going out at night) and this crazy battle of body/screen size ratio. The perfect phone for me would be a 5" display with a reasonable screen to body ratio (to be as small as possible), having a front fingerprint scanner (or under the glass) and with a midrange processor because of the performance to battery life ratio. Why can't people wait 1 second more in a phone with the SD660 instead of the twice-as-pricey SD835 or 845, knowing that you will have a much better battery life? Why do people care so much about gaming if the resolution is so high that you can't tell the difference between a midrange gpu and the best in the market? Isn't gaming on smartphones a way to kill time, instead of proper gaming? If you're a real gamer, you won't play on such a tiny screen that you'll destroy your eyes in a couple of years, and your back, neck...
            Why do smartphones have to be the best in everything, in gaming, photography, filming, watching movies... Aren't they only a mobile alternative to the real deal?
            I want to change my 3yr old Xiaomi Mi4c and I can't find a proper phone because all of them are expensive as hell and too big to carry around, especially if you live in a sunny country and you like to use shorts and a t-shirt most of the time. 5" is more than enough for a device that is supposed to be compact and not only portable. I hate to have a damn brick in my pocket, it is so annoying...

              Vegetaholic, 28 Mar 2018I agree that small size limitis media device capabilities a... moreTotally agree

                3D Memorys, 30 Mar 2018"... Other features such as the Snapdragon 845’s third-gene... more
                So, the article claims Snapdragon 845 consumes 30% lower power... But of what? Certainly of a high end power hungry processor. Still it is not in comparison to power consumption and heat generation to a midrange processor. So, then where is the point of using a pricey third-generation AI mobile platform that is desinged for highend VR application in a compact phone that is not going to use that function while I already have a sensible and economical solution by using a midrange processor. It is the same reason why it does not make sense to demand a power ecomony Intel Core M processor in a feature phone.

                  Saikot, 30 Mar 2018High end processors and rams consume more power, generates ... more"... Other features such as the Snapdragon 845’s third-generation AI mobile platform allows for elements such as scene and object recognition on the fly, while 30% lower power consumption will mean longer run time and less heating, important when used in a headset..."
                  Source:
                  https://mspoweruser.com/qualcomm-working-with-developers-to-optimize-snapdragon-845-for-mixed-reality-applications/

                    3D Memorys, 29 Mar 2018The logic of packing stronger processors and higher rams in... moreHigh end processors and rams consume more power, generates more heat and also requires larger battery size. Trying to fit them in compact bodies is against engineering commonsense.
                    It also doesn't worth to pay for a flagship today for the sake of being future proof. Because current mid range phones are more powerful than three years old flagship yet one quarter in price. While the average lifespan of a phone is 3 to 4 years why I should pay four times more to catch the time when it'd already be dead.

                      • M
                      • Mncdk
                      • 8pS
                      • 29 Mar 2018

                      I have tiny hands, but I don't want a throttled experience just because of that.

                      I want the best hardware you can fit into a sub-5 phone. I'm still using my Z5 Compact, and by the way things are shaping up, I'll have to "upgrade" to the XZ1 Compact. A small step up, but it's all there's available at the moment.

                        • R
                        • Rohit
                        • UN%
                        • 29 Mar 2018

                        A small, 130-140 cm is best phone in anyone's hand and pocket. I still love my old nokia lumia 720 size.

                          Saikot, 25 Mar 2018Definitely compact phones are more convenient for everyday ... moreThe logic of packing stronger processors and higher rams in compact phones are:
                          - less heat and less energy consumption and smaller sized.
                          - future-proof and excel on performance and stability.
                          - higher range compared to last generation and classified.

                            • C
                            • Chris
                            • e9E
                            • 28 Mar 2018

                            Simple answer: YES!

                            High performance small devices is the best thing!

                              I agree that small size limitis media device capabilities and smaller devices require architectural proofeness to fit powerful chipsets to small body. It really does not make sense own small flagship with 5 inches or smaller if you really can't use it potential

                                • E
                                • Eske Rahn
                                • s0D
                                • 28 Mar 2018

                                I just got to think of these guys that want huge cars and those that wants huge phablets.

                                Have anyone considered that they might be trying to compensate for the same thing...?

                                }:-)>

                                  • G
                                  • Gia
                                  • JhT
                                  • 28 Mar 2018

                                  Gia, 26 Mar 2018We need bezel-less compact, medium, large flagships. Aspect... morehttp://screen-size.info/

                                    • G
                                    • Gia
                                    • JhT
                                    • 28 Mar 2018

                                    100% screen-to-body ratio, "A1" screen diagonal 5.5 inches for compact, "A2" 5.7 inches for medium, "A3" 6.0 inches for large, completely bezel-less, 16:9 aspect ratio, 300 pixels per inch screen density, same battery capacity, fingerprint sensor on the back, infinity display.

                                      • W
                                      • Weiman
                                      • miZ
                                      • 27 Mar 2018

                                      I don't need a flagship, just a compact (max 140mm height) mid-range Android phone. But that seems to be too much to ask unfortunately.

                                        • D
                                        • AnonD-457355
                                        • L16
                                        • 27 Mar 2018

                                        Lets be honest here, in 2018 the word "compact" is just shorthand for "not a plus phone". And that's why we still need high spec compacts, because not everybody who wants a decent spec phone wants to have to use two hands to operate it, or cares about watching Youtube in 4K.

                                        My favourite phone is still the Lumia 920 because that was the last regular sized phone to combine high specs with an awesome camera, wireless charging and an always on screen option. Sadly after Windows phone died I had to settle for a Z3 Compact as a replacement and lose the always on screen in favour of a notification LED, now if I want to upgrade that I will be forced to ditch the wireless charging and the 3.5mm jack :(

                                        The question isn't do we still need compact flagships, the question is why does nobody except Sony still make them when there's such a huge market/demand?