I booted up my Galaxy S21 FE lately and was greeted with an Android 16 replace notification. It’s a great feeling to see years-old telephones get the most recent updates, and to see manufacturers really dwelling as much as their replace guarantees.
After putting in the replace, I ended up utilizing the cellphone excess of I anticipated. And that’s not simply because Android 16 transforms the expertise, however as a result of it jogged my memory how good the cellphone’s type issue nonetheless is.
The Galaxy S21 FE was by no means a flagship. It was a stable mid-range cellphone with a good show and digicam, weighed down by a battery that lasts barely 4 to 5 hours on a single cost.
Again when it launched, that was a trade-off you needed to settle for. A smaller cellphone meant a smaller battery, however even with these compromises, utilizing it in the present day feels surprisingly snug.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
By in the present day’s requirements, the S21 FE is already on the smaller facet, with its 6.4-inch show. 5 years in the past, that wouldn’t have counted as compact in any respect. Again then, most manufacturers had at the least one cellphone hovering round 5 to five-and-a-half inches.
Apple, Google, Samsung – everybody performed in that area, however in the present day, telephones underneath six inches have all however disappeared, particularly within the flagship class.
The trade thinks small telephones aren’t price making
Sooner or later, the trade collectively determined that small telephones weren’t price making. Executives I’ve spoken to usually say there merely isn’t sufficient demand to justify them and, on paper, that argument holds up. However lack of demand isn’t the identical as no demand. Surveys constantly present {that a} significant chunk of patrons nonetheless need genuinely small telephones.
The trade assumes everybody desires the identical set of maxed-out options
Lots of them are even keen to compromise on digicam high quality, uncooked efficiency, and typically even battery life if it means getting a cellphone that’s simpler to make use of with one hand, matches correctly in a pocket, and doesn’t really feel like a slab.
The difficulty isn’t that small telephones are undesirable. It’s that the trade assumes everybody desires the identical set of maxed-out options. Small telephones are additionally dangerous enterprise as a result of they break economies of scale. Show makers optimize manufacturing round a handful of panel sizes, and proper now that candy spot sits firmly above 6.5 inches.
If an OEM (unique tools producer) desires to construct a small cellphone, it has to step exterior that consolation zone, which implies prices rise shortly.
A smaller cellphone additionally wants customized elements, tighter inside layouts, and extra R&D effort, all for a product that’s nearly assured to promote in decrease volumes.
Foundry
Even Apple bumped into this wall. The iPhone 13 Mini didn’t promote effectively sufficient to justify protecting the road alive, regardless of being cheaper and extensively praised by the individuals who purchased it. If Apple couldn’t make a small cellphone work at scale, it’s straightforward to see why Android manufacturers don’t trouble attempting.
Battery life has lengthy been the simplest excuse. A smaller cellphone meant a smaller battery, finish of debate. That logic made sense just a few years in the past, but it surely makes much less sense in the present day.
Battery expertise has quietly moved ahead, even when cellphone sizes haven’t. Silicon-carbon batteries on telephones just like the OnePlus 15 have already proven you could pack extra capability into smaller areas.
If folks had been keen to reside with weaker battery life earlier than, there’s even much less cause to not experiment now.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
That’s what makes utilizing the S21 FE on Android 16 so irritating and so satisfying on the similar time. The {hardware} is nothing particular by 2026 requirements, and the battery continues to be dangerous (even worse now). And but, the expertise feels nice as a result of the cellphone is simple to deal with. One-handed use feels pure, and I don’t must preserve adjusting my grip.
If a price range cellphone like this will nonetheless be enjoyable years later, purely due to its dimension and up to date software program, it’s exhausting to not think about how good a real compact flagship can be in the present day.
A cellphone round six inches, with a top-tier chip, a correct digicam system, and fashionable battery tech, would immediately stand out, and never simply as a distinct segment curiosity, however as a genuinely wonderful choice for lots of people.