Despite most evidence to the contrary, smartphones aren’t just getting bigger, some are getting smaller
The smartphone market is constantly expanding and evolving. Nowadays simply talking on our phones is not enough, because for a large part of our day we’re taking with us a real digital assistant ready to meet our every need. From checking stock trends to logging into our bank account and even experiencing the thrill of playing book of ra online uk, the list of things we can do could goes on, almost indefinitely.
We mentioned a huge market, which is growing but at the same time partially entering a saturation phase. That’s why companies are aiming to diversify the product they offer even more. The latest trends are therefore focusing on both micro and macro aspects of these products.
Recently, the category of “smartphones with giant displays” has seen the appearance, in rapid succession, of Apple’s Xs Max, along with both Huawei’s Mate 20 Pro and Google’s Pixel 3Xl on the Android front. These all come with screens larger than six inches, for those who want a wide view without sacrificing the sheer portability of a phone compared to a cumbersome tablet.
On the other hand, there are small devices like the Palm (3.3-inch screen) or the more recent KY-O1L, which is actually the thinnest smartphone in the world. It’s not often you come across a phone as thin as a credit card, but this is the challenge of the Japanese company Kyocera, which defines this model as a card-phone to highlight its dimensions, which are really reduced to the bone.
Being only 5.3 mm thick, the KY-O1L can be in the pockets of the wallet where people normally keep credit cards. A true miniature telephone, its weight is only 47 grams, while its display size is merely 2.8 inches. Powering the system is a small 380 mAh battery, one-tenth the size of those found in other smartphones. For obvious reasons of limited autonomy, the screen is in black and white and, to maintain low consumption, the manufacturer has chosen an electronic ink display like the ones found in many e-book readers on the market.
Its storage space is also rather limited: it does not feature a camera; it does not have an app store; and, all things considered, it has the same functions as a traditional cell phone from the past. It can make calls, it has a rudimentary browser, a calendar, and an alarm. However, it can also send emails and do calculations with its calculator.
KY-O1L is the ideal “emergency” mobile phone to carry with you in case you really need it. Alternatively, you could use it as a mini-phone when you want to limit the space taken up by your normal smartphone. Finally, we can see it as an anti-distraction phone: it allows us to be reachable but does not allow you to use apps or social networks; we can say it’s perfect for those moments when we want to absolutely devote time to ourselves. However, at the moment it is only available in Japan for the price of 32,000 yen, roughly $285.
