The launch of the Xiaomi 12 confirms it again: smartphones will be smaller and lighter again in 2022. After being able to test the iPhone 13 mini for several months, I will now explain why I find this trend very welcome. Because I think using smaller phones is liberating and, in a way, healthier.
I still remember how I made a paper template of the Huawei Mate 20 X for a size comparison during my internship. The smartphone, which had not yet been released at the time, came with a huge 7.2-inch display and we wanted to compare that directly with other models. This trend will apparently reverse in 2022: This was shown again by the launch of the Xiaomi 12 series, which will be available with 6.28-inch displays, among other things.
Although there are still large smartphones such as the iPhone 13 Pro Max or the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, the models for the masses are gradually shrinking again in width, height and thickness. In my opinion, this is a very positive trend – but not for the reason that it is, or rather in is at hand.
Small smartphones are less present in everyday life
I’ve been using an iPhone 13 mini for several months now and I’ve sold the Pixel 6 I bought just before. Not because I prefer iOS to Android or because I want to convert NextPit readers as an Apple fanboy – but because there was one thing that bothered me about the Google phone. The phone is really massive with its 6.4-inch display, a thickness of almost 9 millimeters and its 207 grams in the additional chunky pixel case. And that’s exactly what bothered me more and more in everyday life.
Apple’s mini-iPhones have an advantage that I would never have considered a few weeks ago. / © NextPit
From one extreme to the other, I switched to the mini iPhone, which has an almost cute format. With its 5.42-inch display and thin display bezels, it not only takes up less space in my pocket, but also in my life.
Because the pixel smartphone often felt like a block on the leg in everyday life. Because it was permanently and always clearly noticeable in trouser pockets or in the jacket and dangled against my legs or my hips when walking. The small iPhone, on the other hand, is discreet enough to fade into the background until it vibrates to tell me that someone is interested in me – even if it’s just an app. It sounds stupid, but it is a proven concept in other areas of life.
Before you complain again in the comments: This text is not intended to speak against the Pixel 6 or for the iPhone 13 mini – it’s just about a trend in smartphone design.
Small mobile phones and heavy bunches of keys
The idea that size and weight has an impact on our relationship with objects is not unfounded. An example: gas stations or hotels have been using this for years. Gas station toilet keys are always tagged with a huge tag. The sole purpose of this is that people don’t forget it in their pocket after work and take it with them into the car. The heavy key is much more present, even when one is distracted by the trauma of German gas station toilets.
My Pixel 6 became a block and leg – what’s your experience? / © NextPit
The Google Pixel 6 had a similar effect on me. I was always reminded that I carry a cell phone with me. And with that came all the duties and associations that apps and social networks bring with them. According to the experience of my last few weeks, small mobile phones are forgotten more quickly in everyday life. And that’s something I absolutely have to learn again in 2022. A smartphone should help me when I need it and not the other way around.
More mindful through downsizing
Because the constant presence of smartphones can trigger a lot of stress, I found that out in my conversation with digital detox expert Dr. Daniela Otto learned. In addition, there are these hardly noticeable consequences of action that many people have trained themselves to take: notice the cell phone, pick up the cell phone, check all your favorite apps. Notice the cell phone, pick up the cell phone, check all your favorite apps – and so on and so forth. A small cell phone triggers the first step in this chain less often and so the automatic actions happen less often.
Surely that’s not the idea behind the smaller displays in newer smartphones. But in my opinion it is a side effect that should not be neglected and that I have not considered in purchasing advice so far. And somehow we have to learn to use technology in a healthy way in order to be able to cope with even more invasive developments such as smart glasses.
Do you agree with me and do you think that the size of a mobile phone is somehow reflected in its presence in everyday life? Maybe you think it’s stupid to buy a cell phone only to end up using it less often – I’m very curious to hear your opinion on this topic!