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General => General Technical Chat => Topic started by: ikrase on August 03, 2018, 07:49:08 am

Title: Looking for a very small Android phone with these characteristics
Post by: ikrase on August 03, 2018, 07:49:08 am
I apologize if this isn't the best forum to post in. I did my best to do a search and didn't come up with much.


I'm looking for an Android smartphone or tablet with the following properties:

- Reasonably modern Android version


- Fully functional USB OTG

- 3 to 4 inch size.
Title: Re: Looking for a very small Android phone with these characteristics
Post by: Halcyon on August 03, 2018, 11:03:36 am
You're really limited for choice with LCDs that small and support for OTG. To find that in a modern Android device is very rare. That's not to say they don't exist, but they are probably made by some obscure Chinese manufacturer and are of dubious quality.

Probably the best of the phones which meet your specifications are the Samsung Galaxy S III Mini or the Sony Xperia Sola but both are quite old.

If you can deal with a slightly larger display, I'd recommend something like the Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact, Nokia 3 or a Samsung Galaxy J3.
Title: Re: Looking for a very small Android phone with these characteristics
Post by: ikrase on August 03, 2018, 07:16:05 pm
Unfortunately, the display physical size is essentially the figure of merit for this project.

I know there are various Android single board computers out there with plenty of USB ports. However, finding a screen is still challenging - it's hard to find a display of that size which has even VGA resolution, let alone typical smart phone DPI (though I'd be interested in any tips).
Title: Re: Looking for a very small Android phone with these characteristics
Post by: rsjsouza on August 03, 2018, 07:56:10 pm
I saw this Unihertz Atom at 2.4in at the website below, but then found out that it is a kickstarter.
https://www.androidauthority.com/best-small-android-phones-782746/amp/ (https://www.androidauthority.com/best-small-android-phones-782746/amp/)

An older flagahip phone perhaps? A Galaxy S2 is 4.3in.
Title: Re: Looking for a very small Android phone with these characteristics
Post by: ikrase on August 04, 2018, 04:27:19 am
Huh. Interesting. It looks like the Atom is actually happening -- it seems there are prototypes.

One thing I found is the Udoo ARM single board computer, plus some 3.5 inch HDMI VGA-resolution displays, which would achieve my needs -- but there is still the question as to whether it would still function reliably (and it's stuck on Android 6 which is... not great.)



As for what I'm trying to do? I'm trying to make a Seek Thermal CompactPro into a monocular-type camera. For which I need an OK-resolution, small size display to put under a loupe.