Right now the smartphone market is a circus, literally. Bezel genocide, ugly notches, 20.5:9 screen ratios. Madness. A nightmare for someone who is using his phone for reading, not just watching cat videos.
I dream of a 16:9 phone without ugly notches (looking at Nokia 6.1). That would be perfect for me as I read a lot. But, it will probably never happen, I got more chance inventing time machine and travel back to 2015 and stay there forever.
It just means less scrolling, and scrolling is what people do. I challenge everyone to try a dual monitor setup with a vertical (!!) monitor. I also heard a lot of good things about vertical mouse (to combat RSI), so maybe vertical Is The Way 
As for notch, I honestly don’t even notice the front facing camera on my work smartphone (SGS20). The not perfectly aligned screen protector is more annoying. But ultimately, what I miss is easily accessible (not DIP switches like Pinephone) hardware killswitches on microphones and cameras.
I get it, few people read books on their phones, I could get away with portrait mode 5 years ago, now landscape is the only way. But I’m terribly spoiled too, well, all of us are really. I used to enjoy reading books on Motorola E398, that was 3 years before Kindle.
I’d definitely buy a smaller fairphone. In fact the size of most modern smartphones is what’s putting me off upgrading my 4 year old xcover at the moment.
As a runner in a cold climate, I can’t run with a smartphone in an armband as the cold kills the battery life. My work recently gave me an iPhone se which fits perfectly in a mini running belt, keeps me safe and in contact with my loved ones whatever the weather. I would prefer not to default to an iPhone se next time round.
I also think that people with smaller hands may find a phone of 5 or so inches easier to handle. There’s a market there just not tapped into.
See
Hello!
Just using my first post to show interest 
I’m looking into getting a new phone, and am truly torn between my desire to buy ethical, and my desire to buy practical. FP3 is just too big! I was happy back in the day phones were just 4"
As you know, there are many posts about this, but I especially liked the idea of the FP1 revival! No need for all the bells and whistles and latest processors; just a functional practical and ethical phone with support for software updates and spare parts to make it last forever would be simply amazing
Just to push a little more, here’s the tip of the iceberg of posts regarding this question (one here, another there, another one bites the bust, and that’s just on the FP forums, there’s also reddit…)
Welcome to the forum. Yes I would have been fine with a smaller phone. My old Samsung Alpha fits into the useable screen area of the FP3
Ethical (hearts) trumps as does cultivating your own food but the tools, (spades) for self cultivation are bigger and heavier than the the will of most, (clubs) Diamonds is the easy part for us first world-ers
Another vote in favour of a smaller sized FP. I was looking for a new phone since my 5-year-old Idol 3 is almost good for nothing now and I loved the idea of modularity and sustainability. I had my finger on the buy button until I saw the 158cm height. I realise that we as consumers don’t see the full picture and that Fairphone product managers have many voices to consider with limited resources (and I hear the opinion that it’s better for a small company to have only 1 product a lot on the forum), but FP’s direct competitor Shiftphone seems to run a 141cm and a 159cm versions simultaneously, so maybe in the future we will see a smaller Fairphone as well (firngers crossed because I really like better how FP handles their stuff and Shiftphone comes without NFC and with older Android. I also don’t like to keep choosing between Chinese brands with dubious practices that force you into new models every years and super expensive iPhones (writing an email or chatting doesn’t really need that much). So yeah, FP product managers, if you ever come here to read the forum, I hope you consider a smaller phone as a nieche that you can fill (small phones seem hard to find and pricier nowadays, but I know of at least 5 friends just in my small circle looking for one).
Hi @Hntried
Welcome to the forum. I agree a smaller phone would suit me but I doubt that will happen for many years. You could ask support/at/fairphone dot com what they have planned.
I agree with the calls for smaller smartphones! Generally, if one can’t hold a phone in one hand and touch one’s thumb to one’s middle-finger across the width of the phone, the phone is too wide to be held securely.
In terms of phone size, my personal favorites are still Nokia’s N8 and N9, or even the N900 (it’s girth was more than compensated for by an incredible physical sliding keyboard, dual stereo speakers, a super-accurate resistive touchscreen and FM radio transmitter).
The Fairphone 2 was OK for my hand size, but its just past the comfortable size for my wife’s hand. She still uses it, however, as we haven’t found a decent upgrade option for her—they’re mostly too large, or can’t easily run LineageOS or other privacy-respecting operating systems.
Hi guys,
since I am looking for a phone (meanwhile mine is kinda broken, have to restart regularly, camera is a bit dizzy, connection issuse a.s.o.) and I regularly drop by at this page, I am a bit sad that they do not go for a smaller version of the FP. I try to understand the economic reasons and somehow do. But…
I would really like to know, how many people are interested in a smaller smartphone. (Send a newsletter with one question to answer in the E-Mail: Would you be interested in a smaller version of the FP4? Yes/ No.)
That said, I am really hoping to find a phone at the size of Iphone mini 12 (or smaller), but not apple and cheaper. (Don’t need super specs, am no gamer nor hardcore user)
Hi Seaf and welocome to the forum
An offt want ~ a smaller phone ~ it would be nice for a number of people. However Fairphone’s aim is to create a popular product that can exploit all the Fair traded materials and better working conditions.
On that basis it’s a one phone pony with a more general appeal.
They have been getting bigger Fp4 > FP3 > FP2 > Fp1
Maybe the FP5 will get back to the FP3 size ( and weight)
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Hi all,
I’m just posting a thread here because I was wondering why would they made the Fairphone so big ?
My current phone is dying and I was looking for a new one, I have been following Fairphone since quite some time as I’m very aligned their value. But what a disapointment… why is it so big ?
For me, the size is simply a no go. I need a phone, not a mobile television.
I would have think Fairphone to be more reasonable than other competitors on the size of their screen, but on the opposite, they make it even bigger ! Why ? It’s bad for the planet and it is just following people stupidness in binch wathcing always more stupid video on tiktok & co…
Anyway… I will go find my phone some other place until it dies in 2 years and hope Fairphone by then made a smaller version of their phone, and also more aligned with their value (screen being the main power consumption source of a mobile)
Well I don’t think the planet minds. The issue Fairphone are trying to tackle is unfair use of human resources as in mining and factory workers.
This Fair trade aspect is not an easy sell, why
Given that the Fair trade is a small market, who care about that to have to spend more money on a sub optimum phone, so they are hardly going to make a small phone that serves an even smaller market.
They are being far more resonable than any other manufacturer, to those that do the real work, but just as it doesn’t suit some people is hardly unreasonable, is it 
I still don’t understand why it has to be big.
People who care about the values Fairphone stands for wouldn’t care about it’s size, if you ask me.
I also do not understand why it should be all-featured while it doesn’t run the latest Android. If you ask me, OS is way more important than the size of the screen.
Yeah, the market is full of big phones, because the big companies make lots of money selling Pro phones. Why does Fairphone have to cater to those people that are interested in those phones?
Fairphone has to stand out and a Fairphone mini (or just a regular smaller Fairphone 5) could do that. Ignore the market research, I would say.
If you want to do research, ask the current users why they keep using Fairphones. I doubt they will say that it is because of the larger screen.
/end rant
And therefore a niche product will not find manufacturer who will produce the display size for a smaller phone, as the numbers are just too small.
There are people, who like the size of the FP3, too.
Since I have big hands, the FP2 was already a bit to small but the FP3 fits perfect.
For writing I prever the one hand vertical way where I can see the text (upper half of the screen) and still can write with one thumb.
For me a FP mini (if there is only the small one instead of a normal sized one) would be bad purchase.
So, I think the FP strategy to make a phone more or less at middle size (and only one type) is the best option. Of course it´s not perfect for everyone, but I believe most people can make do with it.
Although I agree, that Fairphone can’t make phones with different sizes or against the market requirements, I don’t agree that the current line up are ‘middle size’ phones. They are huge, especially compared to others with the same screen size.