Google has given up on the compact flagship of Android

Earlier this month, Google showed off the upcoming Pixel 6 series revealing the finalized design and some technical info. We still don’t know much about the new camera setup or the new “Tensor” chipset co-developed with Samsung, but we have photos of the new design from all angles. The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro appear to be one of the most substantial updates to Google’s Pixel lineup since the first models rolled off the factory lines (HTC) in 2016, but one detail was missing. maybe not apparent: the option to buy a smaller Pixel is gone.

From the original Pixel phones in 2016 (and arguably before that, with the Nexus 5X and 6P) to last year, Google has consistently sold two flagship phones: a regular Pixel and a Pixel XL. There were still a few differences besides the screen size, like smaller batteries on non-XL devices, but they were mostly of identical hardware. If you wanted a Pixel phone, you wouldn’t lose any important functionality by going for the smaller option.

Google was one of the only Android smartphone makers to take an interest in selling small phones. The definition of what a small phone is has changed steadily over the past few years, as edge-to-edge displays have made it possible to fit larger screens into smaller bezels, but anything that has a screen size of less than 6 inches diagonal is a good place. to start. By that definition, the only small flagship phone released this year is the ZenFone 8, which has a Snapdragon 888 chipset and a 5.9-inch AMOLED display. The upcoming 6.1-inch Xperia 5 III will be close, as will the 6.2-inch Galaxy S21, but these phones are only small compared to everything else on the market right now.

The ZenFone 8 is the only flagship smartphone under 6 inches released this year (so far).

Over the years, Google has always offered smaller Pixel phones, sometimes for both flagship buyers and budget buyers. The Pixel 3 had a 5.5-inch screen (although large bezels at the top and bottom made it slightly less compact), and the Pixel 4 had a 5.7-inch screen. Google changed the model last year with the Pixel 5, which was only available in one size: 6 inches.

This year, Google returns to produce two Pixel flagship phones, but neither of them is small. The company has confirmed that the standard Pixel 6 will have a 6.4-inch display, while the Pixel 6 Pro will have a 6.7-inch display. The option to buy a Pixel that is not the size of a brick will apparently disappear with new phones, marking the end of the tradition that Google has been part of for years. There is still a chance that Google could produce future Pixel ‘A’ phones in smaller sizes, but they will be budget devices with worse internal hardware.

It’s certainly no mystery why the number of small flagship phones is dropping every year – small flagships don’t sell well. Apple bet on the idea last year with the iPhone 12 Mini, the company’s smallest phone in years that wasn’t a budget offering (like the 2020 SE), but Apple has reportedly ended it. production of the phone earlier than expected due to poor sales.

You can still buy the iPhone 12 Mini, but Apple has reportedly stopped producing it.

The lack of demand for small smartphones only seems to change if the phones are also cheaper. Apple would have had no problem selling the latest iPhone SE, which sells for $ 399 in the US, with fewer features than the flagship iPhones. Small phones probably aren’t going to be going away any time soon, but expensive small phones are on the way.

Even though the smaller flagships apparently don’t sell well, there have always been (and probably always will be) people like me who don’t want to carry massive smartphones all the time. If I want to watch movies or type long messages, I have other devices that are more capable of performing these tasks. Remember how you could reach the entire screen of most phones with your thumb? Good time.

Hoping Google decides to return to the flagship little arena at some point – perhaps with a Pixel 6 Mini. With the current extinction rate of small flagships, a potential Pixel 6 Mini or smaller Pixel 7 will have no competition.