What niche phone features would appeal to you?

I went through my late teens as the initial smart phone boom was happening. I had a Motorola q that could get TV channels and had a keyboard. I had the enV that flipped open. And many androids/blackberries that I loved for their unique form factor and functionality.

I have never balked at spending money on a phone and for a long time i felt locked into generic flagship devices. With the debut of folding screens I feel like my appetite for unique devices rekindled. I think the power of android lies in its diversity of implementation.

So what features and functionalities would you choose over the next flagship release?

kippidashira,
@kippidashira@kbin.social avatar

Ability to use the screen as a display through the USB port so I can debug a lot of my systems at home without needing to carry a monitor around.

geolaw,

I want a phone small enough to fit in my pocket with the pocket flap buttoned shut

dutchkimble,

Max 4 inch screen, IR blaster, physical keyboard with speed dial settings for buttons, form factor like the Xperia x10 mini pro, headphone jack, cameraless, LED with customisable lights for different notifications, bonus - built in projector, satellite phone capability,

NicoCharrua,
@NicoCharrua@lemmy.ca avatar

Out of curiosity, why would you want a phone with no cameras?

And do phones with built in projectors exist? That sounds amazing, even if I would almost never use it

dutchkimble,

I never really use the camera for anything meaningful, and prefer video call on the laptop.

Don't think projector phones exist, just a wishlist for something cool!

harry315,

Afaik there used to be a smartphone with an inbuilt (shitty) projector. You could show off pics and video clips from a distance of around 30 cm (that's around 1.3 medium sized standard bananas in imperial units). It was only enjoyable in a dark room, but nevertheless, the tech existed 10 years ago. I think it was called the something-bee-something-phone.

AbsurdityAccelerator,

I want a Galaxy Fold style phone, but the external screen is eInk. Have it set to always show the book I am reading. This will let me read in bite sized pieces.

breakerfall,

Modular everything. I really wanted Project Ara to come to market.

CoderKat,
@CoderKat@kbin.social avatar

I know some phones had already did this, but I always liked the idea of support for using your phone as a TV remote. The phone has replaced so many pieces of hardware that it feels silly that TV remotes haven't been replaced yet.

I also specifically wish Chrome supported extensions on mobile. Firefox does it. Why can't the biggest browser do it?

Lodespawn,

@CoderKat I'm pretty sure there are apps that let you do this. In my experience they tend to be buggy and slower than the dedicated hardware.

@Rdan33l

Liontigerwings,

Through wifi. They used to have IR blasters that work just like the real remote

SilentStorms,
@SilentStorms@lemmy.fmhy.ml avatar

I miss the innovation of early 2010s phones. Using the IR blaster to mess around with bar TVs was a ton of fun. Not to mention headphone jacks, SD card slots, and removable batteries.

I wish Firefox mobile supported desktop extensions. I know its doable with Nightly builds, but that’s a pain to set up.

riskable,
@riskable@kbin.social avatar

OMG great question! I want:

  • Laser range finder/"tape" measure
  • Thermal camera
  • Air quality sensor
  • Radiation detector/Geiger counter
  • Multimeter capabilities
  • IR LED (so I can use it as a remote)
  • Ultrasound capabilities
  • Peltier so I can put a drink on my phone to chill it down 👍

An unlocked bootloader and a normal Linux distribution where I have root!

polaroid,
@polaroid@kbin.social avatar

HEADPHONE JACK.

GIVE ME THE GOD DAMN HEADPHONE JACK BACK

DoucheAsaurus,
@DoucheAsaurus@kbin.social avatar

Ironically enough the headphone jack is more common on cheaper phones. Honestly though the mid grade phones are so good now that I can't see myself buying a flagship device unless there's some incentive.

zephyr,

Hit the road, bc Jack won't come back home no more

Jojo-Mcfrost572,
@Jojo-Mcfrost572@kbin.social avatar

Phone upgrades.
Battery.. Non lithuim. Flexible and new. []
Flexible screen. Wrist strap or just flexible. []
Fitness/health capabilities. []
Usb 3.1 reversible.. Proper specs [x]
Wireless charging. Using new WiFi microwave to charge phone without mat. Wattup []
Better nfc/Google pay [x]
Smaller screen oled,s than 5.5 []
Better speakers none conduction or ceramic
Encryption []
Bezelless. Screen to screen hole cut out. 2018 []
Solar panel in screen. Sapphire glass. Smudge and germ

This list was created a few years ago.

Some things have been implemented but not all.

HidingCat,

Really would love a dedicated camera button that acts as a soft shutter release. Or a button in that position that's programmable.

j4k3,
@j4k3@lemmy.world avatar

I’d like a phone with no camera facing me, and physical hardware switches to completely disable the mic, camera, battery, and entire modem. Not some software interrupt and lock. I mean, the switch is circuit ground for these circuit blocks. When I select OFF, it means real world “this thing does not exist any more ever” until I turn it back on.

It would be interesting to have a modular rear camera with a removable lens, removable IR filter, along with public documentation and the full API for the sensor. This would open up an enormous range of applications. I would mostly mess with astrophotography more.

WaDef7,

The modular rear camera idea makes a lot of sense when you consider that camera bumps have become an industry standard.

001100010010,
@001100010010@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

physical hardware switches to completely disable the mic, camera, battery, and entire modem

There is one, the Librem 5.

Warning: Usability is not great last I heard. Runs on a linux distro so no android apps.

Edit: nvm don’t bother checking it. They just raised the price to $1299 and it’s 32 gb storage with 3gb ram. I mean at this point, just get a google pixel and slap on graphene os.

lemmy,

I miss my keyboards

Zebov,

Apparently most of my requirements/desires fit this. I require an unlocked bootloader, because I need root to not throw my phone through a window. An amazing camera would be needed as well.

I REALLY, REALLY would like a removable battery, IR blaster, small form function, a headphone jack, and a rear fingerprint reader.

SpraynardKruger,

I miss the IR blaster on my Galaxy S4. I remember when I finally upgraded to the S8, I was using it for several months before realizing it was gone. I tried to change the channel on the TV at work only to find out that they removed that feature from their Galaxy line pretty much right after the S4. Needless to say, I was disappointed, but it makes sense to remove a super niche feature from their mass-marketed device line.

Astigma,
@Astigma@feddit.uk avatar

I miss the IR blaster. Being able to control my TV and other set-top boxes was amazing. Now that functionality has been replaced by each manufacturer having their own control app that needs an internet connection and all your information. Bring back the IR blaster!

ElectroVagrant,

I was looking into smaller form factor phones awhile back, and an interesting feature I noticed some of them had was a programmable button.

I don’t know that programmable buttons on phones are that niche, but it’s certainly not common either so far as I’m aware, so this super simple feature would be wicked imo. I’d also really like if more phones just stole Motorola’s gesture interactions (e.g. quick twist for camera, firm double-shake for flashlight, etc.).

Also, uh…Speaking of small form factor phones, I don’t know if that counts as a feature, but it’s one detail I’d like to see come back, or flip phones with separate screens (clunky, sure, but better than the screen eventually creasing imo).

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