I’m after a new mobile but they all seem to be getting bigger and bigger.

I’ve got a Huawei something from a few years ago but I dinked the camera and its battery is on its last legs I think.

I only really use a phone for whatsapp, Web browsing and taking snaps while I’m trail running so I don’t need a particularly powerful or large one but ideally would like a good camera on it.

Had a brief look but there are so many models these days. Never had an iPhone but the 13 mini looks appealing other than the price. Is the iphone SE Camera any good? Other option maybe Google Pixel 6a.

Happy to look at older phones if they are compact and the camera is decent.

Thanks

Difficult one. A “good” camera in an old phone won’t be anywhere near as good as that in a newer phone, regardless of how good it seemed at the time. FWIW I also miss smaller phones but gave in to buy a Pixel 6. It doesn’t take long to get used to the size. 6A would likely be my preference if I was buying now.

Samsung S22 (basic not the two posher ones) is impressively compact. It’s smaller than my old Pixel 3a.

I bought it partly for the better zoom on the camera but to be honest the wide angle setting is getting the most use.

I haven’t played with it yet but the autoframing feature looks interesting, I’m going to try propping the phone on a fence post and see how well it zooms and tracks a horse prancing around an arena, hoping it will save my arms!

I’m after a new mobile but they all seem to be getting bigger and bigger.

I don’t see my S21 as big. The Ultra and Plus models, yes, but they’re the extra big ones and as such are big. Mine is 152mm x 71mm, not sure if that counts as big for you.

EDIT that’s the exact same size as a Google Pixel 6a.

Is the iphone SE Camera any good?

Yep, it is plenty good enough for snaps when out and about.

Same criteria I had. I used a Sony Xperia XZ1 compact for a long time (well, about 2 years over 2 phones as I dropped one and cracked the screen). I did chunk of looking around and as I’ve said previously, there’s not much out there

Dinky phone options

I also wanted a smaller phone. Sony xperia XZ1 Compact is about the perfect size but the one I was using was just getting a bit flaky on battery and (especially) GPS. Given that I also wanted a decent camera, the only “name” phones I could find about that size were:

Google Pixel 4a (had just been withdrawn from sale when I was looking, though there is a brand new one on clssifieds right now. Also, android support life is only about 3 years after end of sale)
Samsung Galaxy S22
iPhone 13 mini (12 also available but 13 has a better camera and a much longer support life – apple will suport for 7 years following end of sale)

I ended up with iPhone 13 mini, after years of being on Android. It’s nice and the camera is noticeably beter but there are little niggles like the keyboard is HORRIBLE. Oh, and it’s blooy expensive to buy, but then it was cheaper than then Samsung S22 and as long as i keep it for a while it will work out.

The iPhone 13 mini I’ve now got is a perfect size and the photos are noticeably better than the Sony, but it ain’t cheap. Should last a good few years though I’d hope

iPhone SE here

Camera is reasonable. Pulls shots out of the bag that I don’t expect it too. Pretty much stopped taking a separate camera out on rides since I got it.

12 Mini refurb

https://www.giffgaff.com/mobile-phones/apple/iphone-12-mini-5g-refurbished/like-new

I’ve had a refurb from Giffgaff for about 4 months and it’s been great. Out of the (their) box you simply couldn’t tell. Not sure if it came with a charging cable but we have loads of those and new iPhones don’t come with 3-pin adapters or headphones anymore anyway.

spooky_b329
Full Member

Samsung S22 (basic not the two posher ones) is impressively compact. It’s smaller than my old Pixel 3a

Recently made the same change and can recommend the S22. Apart from the fingerprint sensor being a bit fussy with screen smudges, it’s great. Samsung were doing a guaranteed £200 trade-in (£150 now) for any old smartphone. I traded in an old Motorola, which would only have got £20 or so in ‘the market’, and got the full discount!

Samsung Flip 4 but will cost you.

Apart from the fingerprint sensor being a bit fussy with screen smudges,

Ah mine stopped working as soon as I applied the Samsung supplied minuteone screen protector, however it’s the first phone I have with face recognition and that trump’s it anyway!

I’m heading for this same conundrum I think. My XZ1 compact is working totally fine and I love the camera but it’s a bit long in the tooth and it’s only a matter of time before it gives up the ghost in some way.

I’m resigned to not being able to get anything in a similar form factor these days so I reckon I’ll be looking at Google to see what they’ve got when time comes. Phone camera sensors and lenses are much of a muchness these days at any given price point, so it’s the processing that creates points of difference and for me Google’s image AI is the best right now.

If you’re serious about the camera being important then maybe make sure whatever you choose can spit out RAW files as well as .jpg (although of course if you want decent images without the faff of manual post processing then this isn’t an issue). This has been my only gripe with the XZ1 camera TBH.

Have a Pixel 4a and am now trading it in for a marginally bigger 6a as I got a great price for the 4a from Google. Apart from the obvious Apple Mini’s, Samsung S22 however they are twice the price.

I have a 4a which does very well, and also a spare brand new one in the classifieds…

spooky_b329
Full Member
Apart from the fingerprint sensor being a bit fussy with screen smudges,

Ah mine stopped working as soon as I applied the Samsung supplied minuteone screen protector, however it’s the first phone I have with face recognition and that trump’s it anyway!

TBF actually yeah I do have a screen protector on which likely reduces the sensitivity of the sensor. Agree, the face recognition is really good.

I’m another 13 mini user since January and happy enough.

I tried to find the least impact phone that would have a warranty where I live and it came out the best. And it happens to fit in the wallet my S7 went in so saved me buying another thing.

Pixel 4a here too and have been very pleased. Will no doubt go 6a when I’m ready. It was bigger than I thought I wanted but size has never been an issue.

Recently made the same change and can recommend the S22. Apart from the fingerprint sensor being a bit fussy with screen smudges, it’s great.

My S21 came with a screen protector applied already and the fingerprint sensor worked perfectly. However, the screen protector was just thin cellophane and scratched up quite quickly. I had a glass screen protector that claimed to work with the sensor, but it simply had a thinner circle over the sensor which was really visible, and it didn’t work very well anyway. I now have a pretty good ‘self healing’ film type (which actually is) and works perfectly with the sensor, but it’s soft and feels a bit weird at first and not as good as glass. But I got used to it in no time, and I do really like having the fingerprint reader in the screen.

Another S21 fan here – it’s noticeably smaller than the A70 it replaced, and that was one of the main reasons I got it. I did consider getting an iPhone Mini, but I’m not an iOS fan so that put me off.

@molgrips what’s the screen protector you bought?

Refurbished iPhone 12 mini from Apple £489

The camera on the se will be great as well

The main benefit of the 12 or 13 is the night mode which will do long exposures hand held and the ultra wide angle camera. The 12 and 13 are also better sealed against water

This was snapped handheld, on the move, into the setting sun. The way the iPhone 13 mini handles the dynamic range on the fly is quite impressive

@mogrim this one:

It’s TPU film which is the generic name for the soft stuff. I got some sand grains embedded in it on the beach, but I picked them off and it’s healed itself again.

I’ve just replaced an iPhone 8 with a 13 mini. The camera is really very good indeed, even noticeably better than the camera on MrsGuru’s 12 mini (which has a far better camera than on the 8).

iPhone12 mini here, happy with the camera. Perfect size. Can’t stand phones the size of a tablet, I like mine in the pocket of my jeans.

Cheers @molgrips 👍

I had the same conundrum. Ended up getting an iPhone 12 mini. My first ios phone. Camera is good, battery is pants, ios is bloody awful compared to Android 12.

In fact I’ve gone back to my Pixel 3a for daily duties, with the iPhone for work (which I use the camera mostly for).

I’m thinking of a Pixel 6a to upgrade the 3a but it is quite a lot bigger! But they’re doing a trade in scheme…