iPhone 5s replacement

[bbates123]

Hey guys, I'm looking for some advice... I've been a long time iPhone user, probably since the iPhone 3. Apple had me firmly in their grasp until the iPhone 6. I think the 6 is a great phone but for me it's not working out, I just can't get used to the much larger screen. I like to be able to use my phone effectively with 1 hand and with the 6 that's not working out so well. I'll probably hang onto it for another week just to make sure I'm not making a rash decision.

In the mean time, I was wondering if there were small-ish Android phones that I should be considering. I know Samsung makes the S5 mini...but that's only a little bit smaller than the iPhone 6 so I'm not sure that's the solution. Any other thoughts? I don't care about the whole IOS vs Android debate. I'm very well aware of the pluses and minuses of each platform. I'm just concerned about form factor for the moment. Thanks in advance!

 

[breadnatty08]

Welcome to the forums, bbates123!

For some smallerish devices that are still well spec'd performance wise:
Moto X (2013, it's 4.7" but much more compact)
Moto G (if the 2014 is too big, last years' is smaller)
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact (it's 4.6", maybe too big)

I'm racking my brain for anything in the 4" department that's worth recommending though. :O
Best of luck!

 

[DevoutDev]

Hey guys, I'm looking for some advice... I've been a long time iPhone user, probably since the iPhone 3. Apple had me firmly in their grasp until the iPhone 6. I think the 6 is a great phone but for me it's not working out, I just can't get used to the much larger screen. I like to be able to use my phone effectively with 1 hand and with the 6 that's not working out so well. I'll probably hang onto it for another week just to make sure I'm not making a rash decision.

In the mean time, I was wondering if there were small-ish Android phones that I should be considering. I know Samsung makes the S5 mini...but that's only a little bit smaller than the iPhone 6 so I'm not sure that's the solution. Any other thoughts? I don't care about the whole IOS vs Android debate. I'm very well aware of the pluses and minuses of each platform. I'm just concerned about form factor for the moment. Thanks in advance!

Almost all good phones out right now would be around the 4.5-5in range. To find a phone with a smaller screen you will likely need to find a phone with lower specs.

Also, what carrier are you on?

 

[Clementine_3]

The '13 Moto X is really something to consider.

I don't have big hands at all and find it very comfortable to hold/use due to the curved back and edge to edge display. I do most of my stuff with just one hand, email/texts/typing (swiping) require two but it's mostly a one-handed useable phone.

Don't rule it out because it has a 4.7" screen, handle it and see if it feels 'right' to you.

 

[bbates123]

Almost all good phones out right now would be around the 4.5-5in range. To find a phone with a smaller screen you will likely need to find a phone with lower specs.

Also, what carrier are you on?

I'm on T-Mobile

 

[bbates123]

Thanks for the ideas guys. Sounds like I either have to go with something around the iPhone 6 form factor or go with something older or lower specs. What do you think of the S5 mini?

Seems like there would be enough of a demand for smaller phones...I'm kind of surprised that nobody has gone after this market with current/updated phones. Oh well. Maybe that will change now that Apple has more or less abandoned this market.

 

[DevoutDev]

Thanks for the ideas guys. Sounds like I either have to go with something around the iPhone 6 form factor or go with something older or lower specs. What do you think of the S5 mini?

Seems like there would be enough of a demand for smaller phones...I'm kind of surprised that nobody has gone after this market with current/updated phones. Oh well. Maybe that will change now that Apple has more or less abandoned this market.

Most people go with phones around a 5in. They aren't too big, but if you like a smaller phone then yes, older or lower end. I have a 4.7in phone which I thought was huge, but I got used to it. Have you tried holding a larger phone for a while to get used to it?

 

[bjacks12]

I would hang onto that phone for another week or two just to be sure you can't adjust to the screen size, IMO.

 

[bbates123]

I would hang onto that phone for another week or two just to be sure you can't adjust to the screen size, IMO.

Yeah, that's what I was planning on doing. I think I have till Oct 8 to send the phone back.

 

[exninja]

I have a Nexus 5 which, for all intents and purposes, is 5". It's big. My previous phone was the same size as the iPhone 5. Although it is just outside of my boundary of one-handed-useable, I think the bigger and better screen makes up for it. However, 5" is definitely my limit because it sticks out of my pocket a bit when i sit down. Just wanted to add my ditto to keeping yours around for a bit more time to see if it grows on you.

99% of the time the size isn't a big deal for one hand. It is a bit of a strain to reach the top of the screen with my thumb to pull down the notification bar. The upper left corner is nearly impossible (thanks hangouts for taking away the swiping feature that brought me back to the list of recent hangouts )

 

[bjacks12]

I had a chance to try an iPhone 6 yesterday. The overall size of the device is definitely large for a 4.7" phone. Putting it face-to-face with my Nexus 4(also a 4.7"), the 6 was definitely bigger(but thinner).

So I recommend trying a first-gen Moto X or Moto G if you need a small phone.

 

[chanchan05]

Just to put some of the comments into a better description, your problem isn't the screen size, it's the phone size. The S3 for example has a screen half an inch bigger than the S2, but the size is so close it may as well be the same.

So I would suggest looking at the Moto X, S5 and M8. The S5 as well may be handled well. I'm Asian, which probably means I have smaller hands than some of you here, and yet I don't mind handling the 5inch screen one handed when I tried it at the store. iPhones tend to have overly large bezels for its size.

 

[Stuntman]

I think the 6 is a great phone but for me it's not working out, I just can't get used to the much larger screen. I like to be able to use my phone effectively with 1 hand and with the 6 that's not working out so well. I'll probably hang onto it for another week just to make sure I'm not making a rash decision.

I recommend you stick with the iPhone 6 for now. I switched from a 3.7" screen (HTC Desire Z) to a 4.8" screen (Samsung Galaxy S3) about 2 years ago. The larger phone felt huge at first. I eventually got used to the size. I think it took me a few weeks.

What phone do you currently have? If you want to stick with a smaller phone, why don't you consider the iPhone 5S? It will have dropped down in price after the iPhone 6 release. Android phones around 4" tend to have lower specs than their larger counterparts. I think only the Motorola phones with smaller screens tend to have decent specs.

 

[bbates123]

Just to put some of the comments into a better description, your problem isn't the screen size, it's the phone size. The S3 for example has a screen half an inch bigger than the S2, but the size is so close it may as well be the same.

So I would suggest looking at the Moto X, S5 and M8. The S5 as well may be handled well. I'm Asian, which probably means I have smaller hands than some of you here, and yet I don't mind handling the 5inch screen one handed when I tried it at the store. iPhones tend to have overly large bezels for its size.

Agreed. If they could have shrunk the bezels down it wouldn't be so bad.

 

[bbates123]

I recommend you stick with the iPhone 6 for now. I switched from a 3.7" screen (HTC Desire Z) to a 4.8" screen (Samsung Galaxy S3) about 2 years ago. The larger phone felt huge at first. I eventually got used to the size. I think it took me a few weeks.

What phone do you currently have? If you want to stick with a smaller phone, why don't you consider the iPhone 5S? It will have dropped down in price after the iPhone 6 release. Android phones around 4" tend to have lower specs than their larger counterparts. I think only the Motorola phones with smaller screens tend to have decent specs.

I'm coming from the iPhone 5s. I'll try it for another week or so and if it doesn't work out I guess I'll just go back to my 5s till I figure out what to do.

 

[dene92]

You don't need to change a phone, 5s is still a beast!

 

[trophynuts]

see this frustrates me. 3 years ago when a phone was 4.3 it was considered normal size or in some cases referred to as large...now phones of the same size are classified as mini. It's also frustrating that OEM's put lower specs in the "mini" variants...although that brings up the other topic of spec wars which is another topic for another thread.


Good luck finding what you want OP.

 

[bjacks12]

The OEMs put their specs(read $$$) where the $$$ is. I'd say the majority are fine with a bigger phone, and the OEMs don't feel like there's a big enough user base for a small android device, so they don't spend a lot of money on them. Maybe there is, but the OEM's don't seem to think so.

 

[Stuntman]

I'm coming from the iPhone 5s. I'll try it for another week or so and if it doesn't work out I guess I'll just go back to my 5s till I figure out what to do.

The 5S is still a good phone and should still run well even compared to the 6. Is there anything in particular you really need that the 6 has, but the 5S doesn't (other than being newer)? If you can tell us what you want that the 5S doesn't do well enough, perhaps the members here can offer some recommendations more suited to you.

 

[bjacks12]

The 5S is still a good phone and should still run well even compared to the 6. Is there anything in particular you really need that the 6 has, but the 5S doesn't (other than being newer)? If you can tell us what you want that the 5S doesn't do well enough, perhaps the members here can offer some recommendations more suited to you.

Good advice. Sometimes, even when the newest phone is better than what we have, we don't necessarily need to upgrade. My Nexus 4 is already outdated by one model, but did not reduce in functionality at all when the 5 came out. I may or may not upgrade to the Nexus 6/Nexus X/NexTus or whatever the next one is based on my needs or if any specific features jump out at me.