Why can't we go back to small phones?

I'm bitterly clinging to my iPhone 13 mini, because I suspect it's the last phone I'll ever actively enjoy. I went along with bigger phones when that became the trend and decided I didn't like them, and the mini line was such a relief to go back to. Once it's no longer tenable, I'll probably just buy a series of "the least bad used phone I can find" because I know I'll be mildly frustrated every time I use it.
- Dat size and dat lightning port 👌🏿

the obvious answer is that people weren’t buying them enough and that capitalistic markets will not support niche products that serve smaller demographics unless they can either financially justify themselves or earn some kind of government subsidy to sustain the effort (eg for a medical device and even then it’s shaky)
There are thousands of cool things that have died because they weren’t financially viable. That is what it is, but what’s more frustrating is that the technology behind these items and ideas is then almost always kept under lock and key forever, lost to the ages, because of the sliver of hope that some portion of it may somehow become a part of some new project. Instead of sharing the information to allow for collaboration and building on what was already established, any future projects need to now start from scratch. Otherwise they may infringe on the creators ability to secure earning potential you see, and that justifies drastically slowing the development of human progress in all fields by obfuscating research everywhere
- Something tells me the companies sabotaged the smaller phones so they can charge more for the giant "pro" devices.
  I opted for the smaller pixel 9pro last year because i didn't have to compromise (it has the same specs as 9pro xl). My previous phone was 7 pro, it was the bigger model and if i went for the smaller 7 model, I'd have to forego the telephone camera.
  I really like the smaller 9pro over my previous 7pro phablet. The size ia more manageable, although it's probably still larger than the early smartphones, but since we moved to touchscreena, larger screens are necessary for typing. The larger size also houses bigger battery necessary to power the display whose resolution has gone way up over the years.
  
  There is a large degree of this, at least with some manufacturers. the iphone se referenced being a great example. If you’re a tech dork that wants fancy features you will overlook the se 100% of the time because even if you value a small phone many (basically all) of the bells and whistles on flagship models are gone as the se was based on the low end models from 1-3 generations back. No face id, no 5g, no magsafe, etc
  Even for casual users: if you valued photography the se had the absolute worst camera of all the iphones. It was slow, it had less storage (64 gb minimum vs 128gb in the iphone 13 and newer), noticeably worse battery life, etc.
- My favourite example is Concorde, which remained profitable throughout its service life but was cancelled because bigger profits can be made with slower planes.
  Patents expire after 10 years so technology being locked away isn't the biggest concern. The bigger problem is the dismantling of supply chains and loss of skills and experience when the workforce moves on.
  
  Concorde was cancelled because one crash instantly turned it into the least safe plane statistically, and demand was dropping.

The fact that I was interested in the Zenfone 10 because it was small is kinda crazy. It's 5.92"... We're lost. I was looking to replace my "small" Pixel 4a which was 5.8".
I really wouldn't mind a phone between 5/5.5. But that wouldn't sell. That's why they disappeared.
If people are offered a 5.5 VS a 5.7, they'll choose the 5.7. Between a 5.7 and a 5.9, they'll choose the 5.9... That's how we got here. Just sales numbers.
- And yet they seem to know that ~7" is the limit, so they've been inching (get it?) towards it.. 6, 6.4, 6.5, 6.65.. "bigger number better", but asimptotically :D

Forget small phones... I want bigger phones! Why do we keep making phones that appear to be made to appease people with small pockets‽
Bigger screens are better! Give me a great big tri-fold phone with a week-long battery (as long as it's under 10lbs it won't be a problem!). Actually, fuck that: Where are our backpack phones? We used to have them in WW2 and now we have the technology to make them even better!
I want the power to unfurl my monster phone to turn it into a portable 3-monitor gaming rig. Make it run regular Linux too so I can actually automate things and decide where I want to store my stuff (not in Google or Apple's clouds!).
- Now that's a phone
  
  Perfection.
- For now, trifold are a gimmick, the screens break and the hinges get full of dust.
  It's yet to be seen whether a trifold can be made into a similar folded size as a non-fold phone with similar capabilities, but even then... the resulting unfolded phone would need to be about 1/3rd the thickness of a normal phone, which is a lot to ask; by the time the technology is there, normal phones will be 1/3rd thinner too, so a trifold will again seem "clunky".
  Backpack phones, is what we call "laptops" nowadays, some come with 2 extra monitors, or you can add them as an accessory.
  Android phones can run regular Linux via Termux, and starting with Android 16 they'll come with a regular Linux VM with GPU acceleration support.

You can. You just can't have a small iPhone. Android phones are also a mainstream product, they're just not popular with people who have thousands of dollars to blow on iPhones.
Android phones are, in fact, more popular than iPhones worldwide, and have nearly half the market in the US.
https://explodingtopics.com/blog/iphone-android-users
- Great, but small Android phones are still few and far between. The Jelly Star is a notable exception, but those devices don't seem to get much in the way of long-term support

Small phones cost the same to manufacture, have a smaller battery and less surface area to radiate the processor's heat.
So all the specs are lower, but you can't adjust the price accordingly, so they wouldn't sell.

Sony used to make compact variants of their flagship Xperia phones. Good specs. Good battery life. Good camera. Good display. Good sound. Good reception. Headphone jack. SD card slot. Unlockable bootloader, so they could be de-googled.
Sadly, the "compact" models grew slightly larger with each model year, and even a not-so-compact one hasn't been released in a while.
- Yeah I have an xperia 5 iii. It's not compact, it's just narrow (seriously hate the ultra wide phone displays). Also heavy as a brick.

The 5.5" phones were a sweet spot for me, I'd love to go back
- 5.5” with a 16:9 screen and bezels?
  The iPhone 8+ was 6.24” x 3.06” while the latest 16 pro max is 6.42” x 3.06“ almost the same footprint but much more screen real estate.

Smaller phones do have a place though. I've got a 7-year old son with Type 1 diabetes. We wears a Glucose Monitor that requires a Bluetooth connection to get a reading. He needs to carry a mobile phone for this reason, and because of his size, and the fact that he needs to carry it basically all the time, a smaller phone is best. He does not need a camera, or to browse social media.
- They don’t have a dedicated reader for that scenario? That’s the exact scenario I’d explicitly not want a phone for. Sure as a backup, but give me something small that’s the main reader.
  
  I don't think any glucose readers come with a bluetooth functionality. There's one (or a few) that does NFC. The advantage of having a mobile phone is that it can also transmit the data to the clinical team, and the parents.
  If the glucose reader came with bluetooth and a simcard slot (to share data), and a simple LCD screen to provide a simple glucose reading then I'd probably go with that. But there is nothing like that at the moment AFAIK.
  
  It’s definitely an option, maybe depending on the brand. Abbot makes readers for theirs.

I procured my (second) iPhone SE less than a year ago, although I believe it has been discontinued. I don’t need a larger or more sophisticated phone for any reason at all…not sure what my options will be after this one inevitably craps out - guess I’ll find out eventually!
Dims are 5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 - the display is 4.7 wide 👌🏻

I just need a tiny phone that still had an incredible camera array, gps, and music streaming. I think the Light Phone III is almost it but they’re not quite there yet.

I've been using fondleslabs for a long time, and based on early experience:
Nexus One - 3.7" display, too small to be practical
Galaxy Nexus - 4.6" display, better but still small
Nexus 7 - 7" display, sweet spot ✅
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 - 10.1" display, cool tablet, too huge to hold
I used to spend more time with the Nexus 7 than any other device.
Nowadays, a Galaxy A35 has a 6.6" display, which is pretty close to the "sweet spot". While I can't comfortably hold it with one hand by itself, a Magsafe case and a PopSocket, let me hold it in multiple ways (a Qi charging addon under the case, allows wireless charging while protecting the USB port, without spending four times as much on an S series).
I'm not surprised at all that flagships are converging towards 7" displays. Smaller phones are for special use cases, like some ruggedized models.

You people seem to have tiny hands.
- My thumb does not happen to be 7 inches long. Unfortunately, app designers seem to believe it is and put their hamburger menus in the top left.
  And my hand's not small. It's moderately sized, I'll have you know.
  
  The problem is reliably hitting keys on glass tty with my thumbs. I noticed I need minimum 6.7" devices for that.
- Yes, we have
  Need to compensate for something else