Image courtesy of Flickr
MWC is in full swing and all the big companies are pulling out the stops on the new phones. None of this is really any surprise until I saw the assortment on “mini” phones starting to stack up. I first though to myself who wants a mini phone? Super huge capacitive screens are what we are screaming for. I have lots of questions still about why these are even being made but from what we see so far, maybe bigger isn’t always better. Of course some are not really mini at all.
The Nexus One showed us that with the introduction of the 3.7″ AMOLED display, that set a new standard on mobile displays. The HD2 has a pocket busting 4.3″ monster touchscreen, and Dell of all companies outed the mini 5 with a ridiculously huge 5″ screen. So why all the big screens? Is it because phones are now thinner, lighter, and completely take over our daily lives allowing us to stay connection to everyone and everything all the time?
Well the MWC shifted the market little taking us back to smaller, more pocket friendly phones. The best part is that they are modeled after their larger counterparts that we have come to love. Sony broke out with the pair Xperia X10 mini’s, one with a hardware keyboard and one without. Nokia could really be named as the first to make a mini phone back in late 2009 with the N97 mini. So now thankfully we have even more choices to overcome when selecting a new smartphone.
Just when you thought you had your next smartphone picked out, the market throws a different form factor all together to grab your attention. I’m not sure if its enough for me to consider a mini phone as my next wallet buster purchase, but they look nice enough to make me at least think about it. Full size or mini…..3″, 3.7″, or 4.3″….Media player, internet device, or just a nice phone with decent internet capabilities.
Sound off in the comments on your thoughts on the mini’s. Maybe these mini’s will be easier to swallow for those also willing to carry a tablet or netbook around for hardcore internet and media? Maybe some just need a great smartphone that actually fits in your pocket? Will the be justified by better prices than their bigger counterparts?
Mini Roundup
Image courtesy of Crunchgear
-3.2″ Resistive Touchcreen, Hardware QWERTY, Symbian OS
-Nothing too special hardware wise, early release compared to others, not terribly smaller than most
Image courtesy of DroidDog
Sony Xperia X10 Mini / Mini Pro
-Sony UI over Android, 5MP camera, Quad band Freq’s, Pro has Hardware QWERTY
-Need more spec info, nothing on the display or internals yet, multiple colors will be available
-4″ tall X 2.25″ wide, Capacitive screen, Sense UI, 600MHz CPU, 5MP camera, 1200mAh battery, 512Rom/384 Ram
-This is my favorite so far, Although I am biased towards the HD2. WiFi router software built-in, impressive internal specs
*Check out Judie’s full post and Press Release on the HD Mini
Image courtesy of GSMArena
LG Mini GD880
-Thin aluminum case, 5MP camera, Wifi, 7.2 HSDPA, LG’s Airsync, FM radio, 99 grams (weight)
-This phone has the ideal look for me. boxy aluminum chassis, thin, with a solid feel. I appreciate weight in a phone chassis. Engadget claims the screen to be slow and sluggish, hopefully release model has some updates. Not sure if its hitting US shores.
Image courtesy of Loopycellphones
-AT&T, Ophone (Android) OS, 3.5″ HD screen (hardly mini)
-Maybe mini to the mini 5?, thin and ergonomic, Q2 2010, Almost same size as Nexus One
Sources: Nokia, Sony Erickson, Engadget, Cnet
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