Apparently, manufacturers have began to listen to consumers who’ve been asking for high-end phones in a smaller package than the current 4.7 to 5 inch screens. Most of the people appear to still want big phones and the flagships will continue to be in that size if not high, the upcoming LG Optimus G2 is said to be a 5.2 inch device.
However, over the course of last year, we saw an increasing trend of consumers showing interest in smaller devices, the Motorola Razr M was very well received and the failed HTC First had its issues, but everyone loved the size. On top of that, we’ve also seen news sites starting to get tired of the over-sized phones, every time a new screen size appears, every headline everywhere goes something in the lines of “…massive screen, is it too big?” or something like that. Of course that after a while we all get used to it, but most people don’t go for anything above 5 inch, and that depends on how much bezel the device has.
Slowly, manufacturers began to see this, and we saw some small attempts of making the smaller sized device a little better than what they used to be, as I said before, the Razr M by Motorola is a pretty good device, even if not high-end, its still a well spec’d device, Samsung launched a Galaxy S III Mini, which wasn’t what everyone was expecting to be but at least they started trying a little. Then, the Galaxy S IV came up and with it a Galaxy S IV Mini, which still is not near its big brother, but is a very decent device. We’ve also seen the leaks of the HTC One Mini for a while now which should be pretty close the the original HTC First in terms of specs, again, not the same high-end as the bigger version, but close.
Finally, we’re about to receive the Moto X which is said to be a 4.3 high-end device (don’t confuse high-end with a powerhouse) and Motorola’s design chief Jim Wicks already said that the company would release devices in “just the right size”.
Now rumors have surfaced of Sony preparing a smaller version of its upcoming camera phone Honami, which should be announced on September 4 according to VR-Zone sources. The Honami is said to have a 20 megapixel camera, although if they just made the count bigger without any other changes to the camera, it will probably be a disappointment.
The Honami Mini (not the final name of course) is going to have a camera close to the Honami and a smaller size around the 4 or 4.3 inches and on top of that, Sony is said to pack the device with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chip. If that turns out to be true, it would be the king of smaller devices by a long mark.
Could this finally be the year when we get flagships for every taste? One for those who want the big screen and a smaller version but equally spec’d for those who just want something that fits comfortably in their hands and pockets? Small devices don’t have to be mediocre and apparently OEMs are starting to realize that.