I have the second-most-recent xperia compact. It’s a great phone. Fast, light, good camera, hardware fingerprint reader (remember them!), and I CAN REACH THE WHOLE SCREEN WITH MY THUMB.
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The rumors of a new small iPhone in March are heating up. While I don’t want an iPhone that small I know many who do and I hope this is true. There are challenges to making a phone that small with the features of the iPhone 11 but Apple is good at making small things. Even an iPhone 8 at that size would make some happy.
I have an iPhone 6 (not a 6s). Time for a new one. I prefer the iPhone 11 Pro over the 11 purely for its smaller size (similar to my 6) but with a $300 difference I will end up with the iPhone 11. Width wise it fits in my phone pockets (511 Tactical pants) but are soo tall they will stick out. OTOH paying another $300 will be less expensive than replacing all of my pants
But it isn’t Apple’s love of the large phone, it is consumer’s love of larger phones. The iPhone 6 was a huge seller due to pent up demand for a larger iPhone.
I’ve been using this format since the 5 came out. upgraded to the SE when it came out. never used a case for either one. my jeans all have this 5-shaped white outline on my right front pocket. if i ever have to get a new phone, i’ll have to upgrade all my jeans??? please apple i’ll pay whatever the price to get an SEII. Seriously. The wardrobe cost savings is well worth it.
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did i just find my long lost twin? everything you said except i refuse to give up the 5 form factor. you can increase font sizes in many apps - of course that means everybody else across the room can read the huge two lines of text messages on you screen. i also find setting the triple click to zoom helps me read that very important piece of info on my screen (like a road name in maps). give that a shot. i did the battery swap last year when it was $20, so i have a bit more time i suppose. battery swaps have gotten harder since the 4 series with all the glue and such.
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Never been into iPhones but firmly got tired of replacing my phone every two years and paying through the nose.
Samsung’s had parts that consistently failed in 18-24 months, with a regularity that makes me suspicious. II got myself a OnePlus 5 so it wouldn’t cost as much at least - and unexpectedly got a beast. 2-3 years on and its not much slower than when I got it, and the battery lasts at least a day and a half still!
Oh wow, good to know. Have been avoiding phablets for a while.
I have a 5 and 5S. I really like the form factor, and both of the features you mention are really important to me.
This issue:
… has affected my upgrade path. The workaround has been this:
https://www.iphonesavvy.com/tips/how-take-picture-one-handed/photos
… but ultimately having a cell phone fit in a normal-sized pocket is something I do need.
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That’s brilliant! I’m making something like that tonight!
Thanks! Here’s the design, if you’d like a reference 
I modified it afterward to close off the side closest to camera in the photo 'cause it was a little too easy to slide out, but be aware that that does muffle the speaker a little if you put it in with the home button facing left.
I also keep meaning to stick a minifig on the top to hold onto the charging cable so it doesn’t fall on the floor, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet, heh.
(Incidentally, props to the Photos app for finding the picture when I searched my library for “lego”.)
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Personally I have no trouble reading books on my SE, in fact it is the main thing I use it for.
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Why wear jeans? Wear a decent pair of real trousers like a grownup and you’ll have pockets large enough for any phone I’ve seen.
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At a certain age, smaller phones are easier to drop.
If you want to text or otherwise use the keyboard, hands are also an issue as one gets older.
I own many “decent” pairs of trousers, and none have a pocket big enough for the newest phones.
Oh wait, silly me…most of my trousers don’t have pockets at all. I represent the (just barely) majority of people in the world. Why can’t our life experience be considered the norm, at least occasionally?
But hey, I’d settle for functional pockets.
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Yes, I have Kindle for home, but whenever I go out, I find my SE adequate. It is not that I am against big phones, but it would be nice to have a choice—even the SE is a bit large for my jeans, the 4S was ideal. I suppose that if a phone is all you have, then a big one would be better, but I have tablets, kindles and various computers at home so I just want something to read books and emails on (and occasionally make calls).
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Perfectly content to continue using my 16 gb SE. Mine is still going strong. When I read ebooks in bed before going to sleep, I can hold it and swipe the page with one hand. Headphone jack, adequate camera, fits in my pockets, don’t want, and certainly don’t need, anything bigger or fancier. Just bought a refurbished one for our son, his first phone, for $75.
Apple! Listen to us!
Well, when you’ve got an old-school Battlestar Galactica Viper in your user icon, that does lend credence to a resemblance.
Yeah, I’ve tried most of the things to enhance the viewport a little. It does work, but the 5S at least also stumbles a bit when it comes to some websites and stuff, too. (Which I don’t get. Accessibility issues should definitely include avoiding any dependence on anything which makes a site chug on a 3GS, let alone a 5S. The modern web is terrible sometimes with those of us with older devices.)
Every time I take mine out of the Otter Box, I’m able to realize just how droppable this thing is.
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Does the SE still get security updates @beschizza? IIIRC it won’t run iOS 13.
Edit: it does run 13
I have a 6s but may switch to an iPod touch to keep that sweet sweet headphone port if thy drop 6s support in iOS 14
Thanks for the correction I’ll edit my post
Thank you! It’s good to hear feedback on the refurbished-tech sites. I was eyeballing phones on BackMarket, but I’ll give Swappa another look-see. New phones are getting way too pricey, and I don’t mind getting an older-model refurb to save money (and recycle.)
Though a new phone will have to wait until my old phone finally dies… five years and counting, so far. (Knock on wood! 
) But the smaller RAM and device memory are starting to give me grief, so I’m doing my research in advance.
