Small 3G handset (no, I mean REALLY small)

**mobileFonPhile** · 05-21-2011, 06:17 AM

Am enjoying this topic because IMO most smartphones aren't particularly well-suited for pockets. I'd like to chime in with these 3 suggestions:

http://www.phonearena.com/phones/Nok...nd-Type_id4840
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/Nok...pe_id4889/size
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/Son...-a_id3771/size

The X3 Touch and Type (X3-02) is the thinnest at ~10mm, but also has sharp-looking corners on top. The C3 Touch and Type (C3-01) is thicker at 11mm (and heaviest), but has more rounded/sculpted corners and is narrower. The Naite-a (not -i) is presumedly more eco-friendly but is the thickest at ~13mm (and with the least impressive specs e.g. smaller camera, lacks Wi-Fi).

**Ian Brantford** · 05-22-2011, 01:02 AM

Excellent. Thanks. I am not sure why my earlier searches of gsmarena and phonescoop did not find these models. The C3-01 is the strongest contender on paper, but the couple of review available on newegg.ca claim that it's not very good...

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-231-_-Product

Althought the phone is inexpensive, having it flake out is a bit too much of a trade-off. Maybe other reviews will show it in a better light.

**mobileFonPhile** · 05-22-2011, 11:49 PM

Here's some links to the reviews on Amazon.com (U.S.). One link is for the 'Silver' version and the other is for the 'Warm Gray' version:

http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-Unlocked...owViewpoints=1
http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-Unlocked...owViewpoints=1

The majority of the comments appear to be positive, but there are some instances of fluky build quality especially with the touchscreen.

Among the AT&T-branded 3G HSPA phones, I'll invoke 1Newfie's earlier post that the Palm Pixi Plus comes to mind as being pocket-friendly but not necessarily wallet-friendly:

http://www.phonearena.com/phones/Pal...lus-GSM_id4521

HTH...

**fairen** · 05-25-2011, 07:14 PM

There are new mini series from SE that's about to come out, you might want to check it out

**Ian Brantford** · 05-25-2011, 10:43 PM

Originally Posted by fairen

There are new mini series from SE that's about to come out, you might want to check it out

I already checked out the X10 mini. It's far too thick at 16mm. Do you have a link for any more models that may be thinner?

**Ian Brantford** · 05-07-2012, 02:23 PM

It has been a year and I never did anything about this because no handset was a substantial improvement over my Nexus S. It's too bad, because if I had a decidedly small phone, I'd have it as my alternate to a BIG phone like the Galaxy Note.

How that the Galaxy III is soon to arrive, that might offer something useful here. It's not small overall, but it is slimmer and has nice corners that are both rounded and tapered. That might make it small enough. Possibly there will be smaller variants as well. Several handsets mentioned earlier in this thread were smaller variants of full-sized handsets. We shall see.

I did a fresh Google search for small 3G handsets and 3G watchphones. After a year's passage since the start of this thread, they are still nowhere to be found. :-(

**cmstlist** · 05-07-2012, 09:03 PM

Some of the new Sony devices are in the smaller size range. But it's true that nobody seems to want to focus on small high end devices right now.

The new HTC One V is thinner than 10 mm with a 3.7" screen and comes with ICS.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using HowardForums

**Ian Brantford** · 05-07-2012, 10:04 PM

Originally Posted by cmstlist

Some of the new Sony devices are in the smaller size range. But it's true that nobody seems to want to focus on small high end devices right now.

Hm... I see that there is the Sony Xperia U and Sony Xperia sola are marginally smaller and lighter than my Nexus S. They are still firmly in the "mid-size" range though.

The new HTC One V is thinner than 10 mm with a 3.7" screen and comes with ICS.

I should have mentioned looking that up. Yes, I looked into it as soon as it was announced. Unfortunately, it's only slightly smaller and lighter than my Nexus S as well.

Hopefully there will be updated versions of the Sony Ericsson Xperia mini and the Samsung Galaxy mini. These have screen sizes around 3". A relative of mine had the Samsung Apollo, which I believe is a name assigned here for the Galaxy mini. It was decent, but too thick and it was glitchy, especially with its GPS.

I see that there is the Galaxy Pocket that is the best match to my needs in its dimensions. It is just a little thick at 12mm, but nicely rounded. There is no North American version of it to support our 3G here. Hopefully there will be a thinner and reliable version of it based on Galaxy III technology.

**cmstlist** · 05-07-2012, 10:11 PM

Telus released the Xperia Ray this summer - 100 g, 111 x 53 x 9.4 mm with a 3.3 inch screen. It has apparently already received the ICS update (not sure if Telus customers have it yet but it's out there). It's probably equally matched with the Nexus S in terms of processing power but definitively smaller.

**Ian Brantford** · 05-08-2012, 03:17 PM

Originally Posted by cmstlist

Telus released the Xperia Ray this summer - 100 g, 111 x 53 x 9.4 mm with a 3.3 inch screen. It has apparently already received the ICS update (not sure if Telus customers have it yet but it's out there). It's probably equally matched with the Nexus S in terms of processing power but definitively smaller.

Oh! Yes, now we are talkin'. It's got nasty hard corners, but at least this indicates that they too are thinking of more compact models. It's about 1cm shorter, a bit thinner, but mainly is much lighter than the Nexus S.

The Ray has been on the market for almost a year and is still being sold by Telus at full original price (just like the Nexus S!). I might as well look for an updated model that could be announced within weeks.

Thanks!

**mobileFonPhile** · 05-09-2012, 03:50 PM

Right on cue...
Sony Mobility introduces the Xperia SX:

http://mobile.theverge.com/2012/5/9/...s-release-date

With the dual-core S4 SoC processor onboard, it sounds reasonably future-proof. Has anyone seen Sony's ICS skin? If it's reasonably lightweight, then presumably the hypothetical upgrade to Jelly Bean may be reasonably timely.

According to phonearena.com, the SX uses 800/2100 bands for UMTS, but only 2100 for LTE. Would that be compatible with the OP's carrier?

Sent from my Android using HowardForums

**cmstlist** · 05-09-2012, 09:37 PM

Those are bands for the Japanese market. They'd need to make a version for the Americas.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using HowardForums

**Ian Brantford** · 06-06-2012, 08:40 AM

Nokia has some coming out that a very close to the profile that I'm looking for with their "Asha" series. E.g. http://www.nokia.com/global/products...pecifications/ . It's a bit thick, but rounded, small and light. It's also not Android. Importantly, it's using 3G that should work in my market. My only past experience with an out-of-market phone (Samsung P300) is that, lacking field testing here, there were glitches with the network (not incompatibility, just communication defects that would never be fixed). I'll keep an eye on these models if I cannot find anything with Android. If it's got Google apps, that's probably good enough.

**Ian Brantford** · 10-04-2012, 11:12 AM

I recently picked up an LG L3 from Fido, using up my FidoDollars before porting out. It's got a 3.2" screen and a handset body that is pretty much the same as the other "not really that small" models that we discussed. So, I am glad that I did not try ordering any more expensive handset unseen. Hopefully there will be a smaller handset based on the Samsung Galaxy III announced next week:
http://www.slashgear.com/samsung-gal...week-02250137/
... and also hopefully the will be a NA version of it to work well on HSPA here.

I think that I'll stick with Android. That way any and all of my future handsets will work with things that might need tight integration, such as smartwatches (http://www.slashgear.com/google-smar...oved-03250178/)