It's clear that with smartphone displays getting bigger, this phone doesn't have much company. That's fine for those who like big screens, but for those who prefer the comfort of one-handed use, there are few options.
Some companies focus on small devices. Unihertz is the best of them all, producing a line of affordable, well-performing, and decidedly small phones that push the limits of how small a phone can be, and still have a usable touch keyboard. The Palm Phone intends to do the same, but I'm not impressed with its performance and battery life. Unihertz Jelly 2 performs much better. Both Samsung and Sony have kept smaller high-end devices in their lineups.
When buying a small phone, you usually have to sacrifice something. Of course, screen space is part of the tradeoff. But smaller phones also have smaller batteries, sometimes less memory, and fewer camera lenses than larger, more expensive versions of the same device.
If you prioritize a compact form factor, these tradeoffs can be well worth it. Apple and Google feature prominently on our list of the best small phones because they don't eliminate the key features of more compact phones. The fact that the iPhone 13 mini packs the same punch as the iPhone 13 Pro Max speaks for itself. Or how the iPhone SE utilizes the same A15 Bionic chipset as those higher-end iPhone 13 models.
1. iPhone 13 Mini
With the iPhone 13 mini, Apple continues the tradition of small phones left by the iPhone 12 mini. This little phone is very powerful, thanks to the new A15 Bionic chip. There's nothing it can't handle while being easy to bag or use with one hand. The 5.4-inch OLED display is still sharp, with excellent colors and viewing angles.
This year, Apple kept the design the same but improved battery life — the iPhone 13 mini lasts more than 1.5 hours longer than its predecessor. The camera has also been upgraded. Both the 12MP wide-angle main camera and the 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera now feature larger sensors that let in more light. The ultra-wide now also has autofocus. But there are also new film modes and photography styles this year. The former lets you record portrait videos, shifting focus on the fly for an artistic look. Photography styles are basically live filters that you can test while aiming the camera, allowing you to capture photos that match your personal taste.
2. Asus Zenfone 9
Small phones may be rare, but Asus isn't giving up. No, the Zenfone 9 is exactly what we'd like to see in a small Android phone. It packs a lot of horsepower thanks to its Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor and 8GB or 16GB of RAM. The 5.9-inch AMOLED display is great for strong colors.
These cameras are generally pretty good for most purposes, though we did notice a warm yellowish tint in some photos in our testing. That's by no means a bad thing, just stark compared to other powerful camera phones.