Small Phones are Dead and We Killed Them
Marques Brownlee
8 min, 42 sec
An in-depth look at the demise of small flagship smartphones, the industry's trends towards larger phones, and the reasons behind the shift.
Summary
- The speaker discusses the rarity and eventual extinction of small flagship phones, with the last standing being the Asus Zenfone series.
- The evolution of smartphone sizes is observed, from small screens to the nearly mainstream seven-inch phones.
- The trend shows that despite occasional releases of smaller phones due to demand for compact alternatives, these models do not last long in the market.
- The Asus Zenfone 9 and its successor, the Zenfone 10, are highlighted for their flagship quality in a smaller size, but the trend did not continue with larger successors.
- The speaker discusses Apple's experience with the iPhone Mini, its poor sales despite positive reviews, and its replacement with larger models.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
A historical overview of the increase in smartphone screen sizes and the occasional introduction of smaller variants.
- The speaker recalls the transition from smaller phones to larger four, five, and six-inch screens, almost reaching seven inches.
- Manufacturers have repeatedly introduced smaller alternative phones as screens got larger, such as the Samsung Galaxy S Mini and iPhone Mini.
Chapter 3
The speaker praises the Asus Zenfone series for maintaining flagship quality in a smaller form factor.
- The Asus Zenfone 9 is celebrated for its flagship specs and won the speaker's small phone of the year award.
- The Zenfone 10 improved on the Zenfone 9's few flaws, but the trend of small flagship phones ended as the Zenfone series moved to larger sizes.
Chapter 4
An examination of Apple's venture into smaller flagship phones with the iPhone Mini series and its eventual discontinuation.
- Apple's iPhone Mini, despite positive reviews, sold poorly and was discontinued in favor of larger models.
- The iPhone Mini's failure is attributed to the lack of sufficient market demand for small phones.
Chapter 5
Analysis of the shift in market trends that influenced Asus to transition from the small Zenfone to a larger model.
- Asus' new Zenfone model is a large 6.8 inch phone, following the general trend of increasing smartphone sizes.
- The speaker speculates that the previous small Zenfone models did not sell well, leading Asus to shift focus to a larger flagship.
Chapter 6
Discussion of the enthusiast phone dilemma and its impact on the market for small flagship phones.
- Enthusiast phones, like the small Zenfone, have a passionate but small audience which does not translate into wide market success.
- The shift towards larger phones is also observed in budget models, with examples like the Pixel 7A and Nothing Phone 2a.
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