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> Replacing traditional speakers with piezoelectric transducers will allow devices to be much thinner. I appreciate the fact that this technology could make mo
by mpaco 3y ago
> Replacing traditional speakers with piezoelectric transducers will allow devices to be much thinner.
I appreciate the fact that this technology could make mobile devices more durable because it has less moving parts, but I don't feel going any thinner than what's currently available is desirable from an ergonomics perspective. I just don't feel as comfortable holding a phone that's 7mm thick, or less.
And I certainly don't think it's worth the risk of it folding in my pocket.
- QuadmasterXLII 3y agoI think you've hit the nail on the head with "folding in my pocket." My understanding is that the current push for thinness is about getting a folding phone into that 7mm optimum
- Izkata 3y agoMy wallet is about 25mm thick. If a folding phone is going to reduce its width/length, I think I'd want the folded thickness to be around the same as my wallet so I can stack them in my pocket without one slipping past the other. This is how I used to carry my flip-phones, which were around that thickness which closed.
- hshsnisnsi 3y agoMaking phones thinner, and hence more expensive is in some way pointless. Almost everyone gets a $20 plastic case and adds about 3-5mm to the thickness anyway. Wouldn't it be cheaper to just manufacture bulkier phones with more features like ports and which are sturdier so you don't need a case?
- networkchad 3y ago[dead]
- notamy 3y ago> Almost everyone gets a $20 plastic case and adds about 3-5mm to the thickness anyway. It’s not necessarily just about protection, it’s also about personalisation of the exterior beyond what the manufacturer provides.
- phh 3y agoNo worries there. Despite all the incredible technologies evolution we've got, smartphones are getting wider and thinner every year, to pack more and more. I think thinnest smartphones era was around 2014-2016 when thin was touted as a feature. But then thin feature phones were hype in 2004, so maybe there is a 10 years cycle of going back to thin.
- addicted 3y agoThe possibility of it being thinner simply means you can maintain the current size and increase battery size. I think phones are obviously too thin already as evidenced by the thick covers covering nearly every one of them.
- junaru 3y agoOr you could make them even thinner and accelerate sales of new devices as you inevitably bend them and its cheaper to just buy a new one.
- mulletbum 3y agoThis makes it sound like companies like Apple and Samsung are not trying to increase battery life, which is absolutely untrue.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- Tagbert 3y agoFor me the reason for the covers is not to prevent bending (a problem with too thin devices) but to prevent scrapes and cracks when the phone falls.
- Izkata 3y agoFor me it is to prevent bending and because the material on the back of my phone bothers my skin. When I did my last upgrade the box was damaged and the phone bent at about a 20 degree angle. Made me a bit nervous about how sturdy they actually are.
- enobrev 3y agoAgreed. Although I took the cover off my old Samsung (s10e) about 18 months ago in the hopes for an excuse to replace it. I've dropped it and banged it on things and other such random potential damage so many times and there's barely a dent or scratch anywhere. I'm impressed and annoyed. That said, I have very much enjoyed not having a cover. It feels so much better in the pocket and in the hand
- toastal 3y agoShaving so low was the excuse for removing the beloved 3.5 mm headphone jack ubiquitous most portable electronic devices. I’d rather folks had room for good headphones than a screen-sized speaker.
- graphe 3y agoI hated it at first but having wireless headphones is awesome. I haven’t missed my wired headphones at all since I got galaxy buds+ with 11hr per use. I tried the newer better sounding buds 2, the low battery life is atrocious (4hr). You can always use a BT repeater for headphones too, I went that route at first along with dongles and gave up. I miss it but I moved on, reluctantly.
- mulletbum 3y agoPeople like to complain, that is why this is still a complaint. There is only one situation where wired is needed: Charging and Listening at the same time. Otherwise, people can still use wired headphones all they want, especially now with USB C headphones. Even charging and listening at the same time can just be done with a splitter. The premise is just a talking point because people want to use AUX. Well I still want to use VGA, doesn't mean they should be putting them on video cards.
- wkat4242 3y agoThe thing is that Jack headphones are so ubiquitous. When you forget your plugs or the battery is dead you can just grab a wired set for 3 bucks. Forgetting doesn't help with adaptors which aren't really standardized, especially the passive ones. And the active ones are expensive.. My work phone still has a jack plug. I don't use it much but the times I do use it I'm really in need of it because I don't have anything else to use.
- graphe 3y agoI often use my Bluetooth headphones when my phone is charging, often in the next room. ;)
- 3y ago
- interpol_p 3y agoI have been using an iPhone 14 Pro. It's thick, I think I got used to it? Recently someone handed me an old Samsung Galaxy S7 to use for testing. It was a revelation: I wanted and dearly missed having a phone that thin. I really hope someone pushes for thinness again. I miss the iPhone 6 (Edit: a big part of this might be down to the weight, the squared off edges, and the enormous camera bump) Same thing with laptops. I updated from a MacBook Air M1 to a MacBook Pro 14". The 14" is fast enough to justify its bulk — but barely. Every time I pick up the Air it feels effortlessly portable, when I grab the MacBook Pro it just does not feel thin and light enough
- Synaesthesia 3y agoThat's why I like the non-pro iPhones, they're significantly lighter. I believe Apple fixed that with the Titanium 15 pro though. And yes the Galaxy S21-24 are impressively light too.
- gmuslera 3y agoThe trend of using them instead of the credit card may speak of some sort of convergence beyond functionality. And they are already foldable, so in your pocket they may count as 2x its unfolded thickness.
- mrbigbob 3y agoi agree that there is no need to make devices thinner but i think that companies themselves have finally realized that they cant make devices really any thinner without some serious compromises in thermals, battery life, or both i personally wouldn't mind shoving even more battery in the area where the speaker is or adding more heat sink especially on the higher end ones
- EGreg 3y agoWhy not? Let's make phones you can't actually see, so they can be wearable. Why hold them? The screen and sound can be simply projected into your eyes. It can be personalized for you as an immersive experience.
- russfink 3y agoJust get one tatooed on your arm.
- hardlianotion 3y agoI'd love to watch an upgrade in progress.
- causi 3y agoI miss phones with curved backs. Thinner on the sides than in the middle, I mean. They were so much more comfortable to hold than today's square slabs. https://www.tmonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/htc10sides.png https://www.tmonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/htc10side...
- hinkley 3y agoI think I still may have a scar on the top of my foot from the time I got a pressure cut from dropping the old tapered-edge iPad on my foot. Landed corner first. Thin metal, as Elon Musk is about to discover with the Cybertruck, is basically a dull knife.