"Compact by todays modern standards" - that's what exactly are these compact-ish phones of today. Of course they are not really compact... Duh! But can't you guys read the text and meaning behind?

By todays modern standards. That's the key. 

But what does it mean? If we go back to 2012. we had 3.5" screens considered as a compact phone because that was the smallest screen size back then. 10 years later and the smallest devices are around 146mm of height and 70mm of width with around 6" screen size. So, even you're kinda right for saying that S22 or S23 are "normal" size phones they can be consider as compacts "by today modern standards" as they are indeed the most compact phones on the market right now. In fact there is no smaller phone then Galaxy S22/23's on the market right now. Times are changing and so we must change our standards too. Smaller phones won't come back because people are not using their phones for basics any more, they want everything and with such a small body with bad heat dissipation they expect for battery to be good. It can't be that good as on bigger device so that's why people will likely choose bigger than a smaller device. Some people are not even using a pc or laptop. They do everything on a phone, so that's why they need a bigger display with bigger battery. Battery and heat are issues number 1 with smaller phones, that's the main reason we don't see them any more.

Just my two cents.
Cheers!

Quote from: kek on February 28, 2023, 17:08:49Ridiculous claim when not long ago we had something like the S10e, the Zenfone 8/9, iPhone mini, etc.

Hate to break it, but even the Zenfone 9 is about the same size as the Xperia 5 IV, when considering surface area. iPhone 13 mini was indeed truly compact. Just as narrow at the 5 IV but also much shorter. It was unfortunately the last of its kind.

Quote from: jrharbort on February 28, 2023, 16:11:24It's not 'sort of compact', it IS compact my modern smartphone standards. There's more than just diagonal, there's the aspect ratio to consider.

The Galaxy S22 of the same generation is considered compact, and its body measures 10,307mm² with it's 19.5:9 ratio screen. The Xperia 5 IV body, with 21:9 screen and its bezels, is 10,452mm². That's a negligible difference. One is shorter but wider, the other is slimmer but taller. Overall size is still about the same.

6" is the new compact, 4.5" phones aren't coming back.

Ridiculous claim when not long ago we had something like the S10e, the Zenfone 8/9, iPhone mini, etc.

The S22 is not compact. It's "normal" sized. It's the grand child of the size lineup strategy Samsung started way back with the S6 (S6/S7/S8/S9/S10, etc).

It's there because it's the cost-value entry point flagship. Plus models are for those who want bigger screen, and Ultra is for those with money burning on their pocket.

And if you think I'm making stuff up, just look at other companies' lineup:

Apple: iPhone 13/13 Pro measure the same and are close to the size of the S22 and are thereof "normal" sized models.
LG (RIP): G7/G8 were just a bit bigger than the S22 @ ~152mm of height, with more or less the same width. V50/60 were meant to compete with bigger models in features and screen size.
Huawei: They followed Samsung's strategy of having two flagships, one being "normal" and the other being "bigger".
Google: Same thing, one "normal" sized and the other bigger one. Special mention to the Pixel 4a for being smaller than average, almost at S10e levels.

These are just some examples, I wont dive into Xiaomi or any BBK lineup because its a mess and difficult to make things out of it. They just pop models whenever they feel like it.

I love the Xperia phones. The only reason I don't keep them is because they don't have the camera smarts of the competitors, which means worse performance in high contrast and low light situations.

It's not 'sort of compact', it IS compact my modern smartphone standards. There's more than just diagonal, there's the aspect ratio to consider.

The Galaxy S22 of the same generation is considered compact, and its body measures 10,307mm² with it's 19.5:9 ratio screen. The Xperia 5 IV body, with 21:9 screen and its bezels, is 10,452mm². That's a negligible difference. One is shorter but wider, the other is slimmer but taller. Overall size is still about the same.

6" is the new compact, 4.5" phones aren't coming back.