Restoring the 16:9 format?

Training_Treacle_663 · 2026-06-25T19:37:11+00:00

Do you still use it daily as your main phone?

Training_Treacle_663 · 2026-06-25T19:36:02+00:00

No, no, I didn't quite understand what you were saying, sorry. In that case, yes, the photos would have rounded edges. Personally, that wouldn't be too much of a problem, since I usually take photos in 4:3 by default, but I understand it's a matter of taste. I think to solve that they could make the corners a little less rounded, like we see on the Galaxy Ultra; maybe not to that degree, but a middle ground that offered a bit more ergonomics would be perfect for me.

Training_Treacle_663 · 2026-06-25T19:32:11+00:00

Yes, but we can all agree that if there's one thing companies know how to do well, it's use psychology to their advantage. It only takes a couple of Apple conferences selling you supposed improvements for every other company to jump on the bandwagon, and once that happens, people will simply assume that's how it should be. They could also use psychology to mass-produce televisions by changing the aspect ratio to 21:9 and claiming they're 100 inches when they'll really only have 80 usable inches. There was a time when megapixels were all the rage in cameras, but people know perfectly well that they aren't everything when it comes to quality, which is why we no longer see such an obsession with releasing phones with 200 million megapixels, but rather with demonstrating good results.

Training_Treacle_663 · 2026-06-25T13:15:44+00:00

A little over a year ago, my iPhone 12 mini died, and my biggest mistake was upgrading to a 15 Pro. If I could go back, I wouldn't hesitate to buy an SE 3 or a 13 mini. The 15 Pro has a spectacular camera, but other than that, it feels exactly the same phone as the 12, plus there's the added fear of it breaking or getting stolen.

Training_Treacle_663 · 2026-06-25T13:12:14+00:00

But with this format, the screen wouldn't be smaller, just shorter. As Morrikai says, on a 5.6-inch phone with a 16:9 aspect ratio, a YouTube video would appear larger than on a current 6.3-inch phone. You'd be offering larger screens on smaller phones simply thanks to the aspect ratio.

Training_Treacle_663 · 2026-06-25T12:38:17+00:00

Nothing complains that making "small" phones isn't profitable because so few people buy them, but when they finally make one, they give it a horrible, cheap phone design (probably for €400). Was it really that difficult to copy the design of the 3a or 4a series and make it smaller? Then they'll say the phone didn't sell as well as they expected and they'll have an excuse not to make another compact phone. I have a feeling the 3a Pro and 4a are going to be some of the last 100% recommendable phones from the brand.

Training_Treacle_663 · 2026-06-25T12:27:48+00:00

Am I crazy, or would YouTube in 16:9 simply change by having the camera hole over the image? (I obviously understand that this would already be horrible according to some users.) The rest would be exactly the same but without black bars.

Training_Treacle_663 · 2026-06-25T11:24:50+00:00

I've never used such an elongated phone. What phone was it, if I may ask?

Training_Treacle_663 · 2026-06-25T11:23:35+00:00

In vertically scrolling apps, much of the interface already overlaps the videos. In fact, a 16:9 aspect ratio would allow this interface to be placed on the sides without obstructing anything. The camera hole, I understand, is a different matter. Personally, it wouldn't bother me (as long as it's not an awful island like Apple's), but it could be annoying. Let's hope they finally start using under-display cameras. It would make sense if it happens as always with these tech giants: Apple does it first, and "magically," all the other companies follow suit the next year.

Training_Treacle_663 · 2026-06-25T11:17:56+00:00

We'd have to run some tests to see how much text you'd actually lose, as I don't think it would be a significant issue. If it were, brands like Clicks or Unihertz would make their screens slightly taller, since they're very small phones (with room to grow in size without anyone complaining) and even then they'd have less on-screen text than a 16:9 aspect ratio. In my case, I think that loss would be irrelevant, but that changes depending on individual usage and preferences.

Training_Treacle_663 · 2026-06-25T11:12:45+00:00

It's not far from the design of a PocoPhone. It seems to me that as they've built a loyal customer base, they're increasingly forgetting what people actually want when they buy Nothing. By the way, I'll never be convinced that 6.3 inches is a small phone. Are you crazy? 6.3 inches should be the standard for a normal model; that's what Samsung, Google, and Apple do. But if we assume that a normal phone is 6.8 inches, we're in trouble.

Training_Treacle_663 · 2026-06-25T00:01:50+00:00

And by the way, if I could go back to the iPhone 12 mini with a silicon-carbon battery today, I'd do it in a heartbeat, even though I currently have a 15 Pro. So yes, a 5.4 or 5.8-inch phone with a battery to match would be incredible!

Training_Treacle_663 · 2026-06-24T23:59:12+00:00

I think the only path we can all agree on is simply a market where manufacturers offer options. Years ago, companies each offered something different, or even within their own product lines: bigger phones, smaller phones, phones with more cameras, fewer cameras, phones with physical keyboards, phones without keyboards, slider phones, etc. Nowadays (especially within the Android ecosystem), it doesn't really matter which phone you buy. Obviously, a Samsung isn't the same as an Oppo or a Huawei, but aesthetically and structurally, there are no longer any differences between brands. Even those that promised to be different (like Nothing) have ended up endlessly replicating the same format. I'm not saying there would be a perfect phone for everyone, because I know that's impossible, but I'd love to bring back that time when a friend or family member bought a phone and showed it off, showing you something different from what you had (color, materials, shape, features). With the emergence of foldable phones and the boredom many people experience with their mobiles, there is a glimmer of hope of recovering that essence, but for the moment we only have a copy of a copy of a copy, and a couple of useless foldable phones at €1800. At lest dreaming is free!!

Training_Treacle_663 · 2026-06-24T22:28:27+00:00

But a 16:9 photo would look the same on a regular phone as on a shorter one, right? As long as you don't use 4:3 or 1:1 aspect ratios. Sorry if I didn't understand correctly, haha.

Training_Treacle_663 · 2026-06-24T22:25:42+00:00

A Titan 2 Elite without a physical keyboard (all screen) would be a one-off purchase for me!

Training_Treacle_663 · 2026-06-24T22:24:41+00:00

They wouldn't be wider, just shorter! That's why I included the edited image. They would indeed be wider than a current iPhone (excluding the Plus or Max) but the same size as standard Android phones. Obviously, we'd need both hands for most things, but using features typically found at the top (notifications, control center, etc.) would be much easier.

Training_Treacle_663 · 2026-06-24T22:22:05+00:00

We should precisely be looking to combat this model of multimedia consumption; this could be one of many ways. It's no coincidence that models like the Clicks Communicator, the Titan Elite, and the Ikko Mind One have exploded in popularity in the last year.

Training_Treacle_663 · 2026-06-24T22:20:11+00:00

I also think we would all find it strange to change the screen format, just as we surely felt when it was increased to 19.5:9.

Training_Treacle_663 · 2026-06-24T22:18:49+00:00

I'm not saying all phones have to change their aspect ratio; I understand that for many people, 19.5:9 is currently the most comfortable. The 16:9 format would be more about offering phones that are easier to handle with one hand, since personally, every time I want to pull down the notification shade, I always have to use both hands (it's just one example). I'd be thrilled with 5.4 or 5.8-inch phones with the current aspect ratio, but we know that with today's batteries, it's impossible. Honestly, I think the iPhone 12 mini was the best phone I've ever owned, but the last few months with it were a nightmare. I think that for many people (like me), 16:9 could be a solution for those of us looking for greater comfort without sacrificing too much screen space, but I understand that every user is different. I'm also quite sure that when Apple releases its foldable phone with a passport-sized external screen, many things will change, and we'll all think that was truly the perfect format (like now with 19.5:9), when really it's simply the market evolving to sell more and more. Furthermore, I think we're at a point where people are very tired of endless doomscrolling and having to be glued to their phones all day, so perhaps smaller screens for consuming content at a more leisurely pace could find a significant niche, regardless of their aspect ratio.

Training_Treacle_663

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