Say a fond farewell to the small smartphone

Let's take a moment this weekend to praise and fondly remember the compact smartphone.

The little iPhone SE, with the 4-inch LCD screen, is a classic of another era and seems to be the last of its breed, one we may never see again.

This week, Apple confirmed its next launch event, set for Sept. 12, where the company's next crop of iPhones are expected to be the biggest ever—6.5 inches for the top of the line premium model and 6.1 inches for a new, lower-priced, but premium model. That compares to 5.8 inches for the current iPhone X and 5.5 inches for the iPhone 8 Plus.

This megaphone trend has been playing itself out for several years now. Phones are getting larger and larger, and the folks who prefer the small models, well, to them we say that it's called progress, right?

Beyond the iPhone, the current top-of-the-line Samsung phones are 5.8, 6.2 and 6.4 inches. The best-selling phone in Asia, the Xaomi Redmi Note 5, is 6 inches as well.

Big clearly sells with the public.

But let's get real—small has its place, too. A phone such as the SE fits in your pocket snugly. It's cute. It's compact. It's cheap! Apple sells the SE for $350, compared to the largest phone in its current lineup, the iPhone X, which starts at $999.

Apple may sunset the SE with its new product launch, just as it has retired other products of the past (think classic iPod) or features we loved (high on that list is the headphone jack on iPhone and the CD/DVD drive on Mac computers).

I like a big screen as much as the next guy, but, please, I also love diversity and choice. I loved the iPod, others swore by the Blackberry. We miss them. And we'll miss the small phone, too. Please don't take it away.

©2018 USA Today
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.