Most of you would sacrifice battery capacity for a small phone

The unveiling of the iPhone 12 Mini has sparked another debate about compact smartphones, as there are relatively slim choices in the Android area. Aside from Google’s recent Pixel phones and similar devices like the Galaxy S10e, there isn’t much else to choose from.

Redmi general manager Lu Weibing also attracted attention after saying the Xiaomi brand wanted to produce a small phone, but noted that battery life would be “sacrificed a lot”. So we turned to Android Authority Readers to find out if they would be willing to make this sacrifice.

Would you sacrifice battery capacity for a smaller smartphone?

Results

We released the poll on October 19th and at the time of writing it had a total of 3,591 votes. The result was that a small majority (55.5%) of respondents were willing to give up the battery size in favor of a small phone. However, a significant number of voters (44.5%) opposed giving up battery capacity for a more compact smartphone.

So this survey suggests that Android OEMs could leave money on the table by almost exclusively offering large-screen smartphones. Hence, a manufacturer should consider spicing up a more compact version every now and then to cover all the basics.

A smaller battery doesn’t always lead to a drastically reduced lifespan, as the screen size and resolution tend to decrease even with smaller devices. In addition, brands have offered software optimizations to get more juice out of it.

However, a major problem could be battery degradation over time, as a phone with a battery that initially lasts all day may require multiple charges in a day two years later. We’re also seeing two power hungry features in 5G and high refresh rates are the order of the day, which makes battery life and capacity even more important.

Another possible option for manufacturers looking to make a small phone is to make the phone thicker and make room for the battery.

Your comments

• Zero: I won’t believe you. I’ve seen 5-inch smartphones with 4000 mAh batteries. If fat is your excuse, I wouldn’t mind.
• Christos Tsartsalis: Yes, I would like a smaller phone. I don’t mind a few millimeters of extra thickness
• Syukri Lajin: The Redmi 4 had a 4000 mAh battery in a 4.7-inch phone. It’s about the size of the iPhone 12 Mini. The only downside is that it gets thicker and heavier. But it’s an exchange of blows. I also have the Redmi 7a, which is relatively small for a 5.5-inch screen and thick bezel.
• 🇦🇺Marshall: I would be a little more concerned about the need to cut the pixel density down from a power saving perspective and also because pixels only get so small at this display quality. This was the main reason I chose Z3 over Z3 Compact years ago … the clarity of the display was day and night. On the other hand, compromises like this helped the smaller battery hold its own. There was less RAM, but they managed to keep the Z3’s SoC in the box.
• U2B drivers: A sub-5-inch display with a battery of around 3500 mAh would be great.
• Bender Rodriguez ™: A small phone (5-5.5 inches) with a larger battery (4000 mAh) is possible if you remove a triple / quadruple or more camera on the back. Just use 2 or 1 cameras. Put the fingerprints on the page and it will be a punch …
• Yohanes Niko: ALL TELEPHONES now have a camera push. Instead, make the rest of the body thicker so the camera sits flush with the body. A thicker size allows a larger battery capacity and improves ergonomics. It’s better in the hand. Be creative redmi! Be different!
• not_a_robot_44: nonsense. Xiaomi itself produced small phones but with a decent battery life 3 or 4 years ago. And now the chips are more energy efficient than they were then. Make them a little thicker if necessary. I remember the Redmi 4 Prime with a 4100 mAh battery and a decent SD625. It had great battery life. Sure, it was a bit thicker than what we’re using now (8.9mm). There was also the mi6 with a 3350 mAh battery and a still (then) top SD835. Even with a very fast chip, it had decent battery life. And it already had an 18W QC 3.0 charger.

Thank you for participating in this survey. We are very happy about the votes and comments! What do you think of these results and the topic? Sound off in the comments!