While most flagship phones are getting ever bigger there are plenty of people who'd prefer a small handset. Sadly, as popular opinion at the moment seems to be that bigger is better the smaller handsets are usually a little underpowered, but that's not always the case as there are still some great ones.
These include the super-cheap LG K3, the powerful iPhone 7 and the brand-new Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact, as well as entries from Samsung and Alcatel. Here then are the best compact smartphones available as of September 2017.
Smartphones don’t get much more basic than the Alcatel Pixi 3, but then they don’t come much cheaper either, and for the price this is a strong option if you want something truly tiny and don’t want to spend much.
Its 3.5-inch screen makes the Alcatel Pixi 3 one of the smallest smartphones around, and don’t be fooled by the low price, this really is a smartphone. It runs Android, has a 2MP main camera, a dual-core processor and 4GB of storage.
And the last of those can be improved by up to 32GB by adding a microSD card, while Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth ensure you can stay connected (and connect your phone to other devices) no matter where you are.
The Alcatel Pixi 3 also has an FM radio, which is a novelty nowadays, but while that’s a feature from the past, some aspects of the phone are very much from the present, including the ability to flip it over to mute it.
At 4.5 inches the LG K3 is a fairly compact phone, though not tiny, so you can still enjoy YouTube videos and snapshots on it.
It’s an accomplished handset too by budget standards, with a bright screen that comes in at a reasonably crisp 218 pixels per inch.
These aren’t high-end specs, but for the price there’s a premium selection, including both front and rear cameras, for all your photography needs, and you can launch the cameras fast from any screen, simply by pressing the volume key.
The K3 also runs Android Marshmallow, which is a fairly recent version of Google’s OS, and has a quad-core processor paired with 1GB of RAM, for snappy performance.
The LG K3 supports 4G too – which not all budget phones do, and NFC – which many don’t, all wrapped up in a comfortable to hold and easily pocketable shell.
The Samsung Galaxy A3 2016 is a stylish phone that looks a lot more expensive than it is, with a slim 7.3mm thick build, complete with a glass back and a metal frame.
It’s fairly compact, as its screen extends to just 4.7 inches, and that screen is a Super AMOLED display, which delivers rich, vibrant colours, while the battery life is strong too, with a 2300mAh juice pack giving it up to two days of life.
Ultimately, the Samsung Galaxy A3 is a lower mid-range phone, but it looks like a flagship and that in turn makes it one of the most stylish compact smartphones around.
Performance could be stronger, but its great battery life and colourful screen make it a good option for media fans.
Along with Apple, Sony is the one manufacturer that is still regularly making small yet high-end phones and the Xperia X Compact is one of its more recent attempts.
While this is a largely plastic phone, it has a ceramic feel that really helps it stand out, and with a 4.6-inch 720 x 1280 display its screen is both compact and sharp.
There’s a hefty amount of power here too, with a hexa-core Snapdragon 650 processor and 3GB of RAM keeping things running smoothly, and with 32GB of storage plus a microSD card slot there’s plenty of space for all your media.
Sony’s flagship 23MP camera has made its way to this smaller phone as well, while the inclusion of a fingerprint scanner adds to the high-end appeal and the 2,700mAh battery will outlast most handsets, all of which makes the Xperia X Compact a great alternative to the Galaxy A3 or an iPhone.
The iPhone SE is the first 4.0-inch iPhone in years and with specs to rival the iPhone 6S it was worth the wait.
Technically the iPhone SE isn’t a flagship phone, but it’s very close to one, with the same Apple A9 processor and 2GB of RAM as the iPhone 6S. That gives it blazing fast performance. It's a step behind the iPhone 7, but then most things are. It also has a sharp, high quality screen, at a resolution of 640 x 1136 for a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch.
Then there’s its design, which is almost identical to the iPhone 5S, complete with an aluminium shell in a two-tone colour scheme. It’s one of the most premium and stylish compact smartphones on the market.
The iPhone SE has a great camera too. There’s a 12MP snapper on the back, with a dual-LED True Tone flash and support for Live Photos and 4K video.
Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint scanner is present and correct, along with Apple Pay support and the iPhone SE runs iOS 9.3, which is the latest and greatest version of iOS. All in all, it’s a stunningly good phone and a lot cheaper than its larger siblings.
Samsung’s followed up the strong Galaxy A3 2016 with the even better Samsung Galaxy A3 2017, which is just as compact at 4.7 inches but has had a specs upgrade.
Like its predecessor, it has a 720 x 1280 Super AMOLED screen for a pixel density of 312 pixels per inch and plenty of colour, but now there’s a lot more power, with a zippy 1.6GHz octa-core Exynos 7870 processor and 2GB of RAM under the hood, putting this firmly in mid-range territory.
It has a beautiful design, with a metal frame and a gently curved glass back, much like Samsung’s flagships, and it’s IP68 certified water and dust resistant to, to a depth of 1.5 metres for up to 30 minutes. That’s a major selling point, as even many high-end phones don’t have that level of resistance.
The Galaxy A3 2017 also has a fingerprint scanner, a decent 13MP snapper, plus an 8MP one around the front and a long-lasting 2350mAh battery.
When it comes to compact phones the iPhone is king, and while the iPhone 7 has this beat, there’s surprisingly little to choose between them, and the iPhone 6S is the cheaper of the two.
It has a premium metal build, Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint scanner, lots of power and an almost class-leading 12MP camera.
You also get a compact 4.7-inch 750 x 1334 display complete with 3D Touch – so it can sense different levels of pressure.
And there’s loads of storage, with up to 128GB built in, plus, despite not being the latest iPhone it runs the latest version of iOS, namely version 10.3.
With the ever-improving Siri, hundreds of thousands of apps available and a slick interface too, this is a top tier compact phone.
Technically you can’t buy the Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact yet, but you will be able to soon, and if you’re a fan of compact phones you may well want to.
This is Sony’s latest compact flagship, improving on the Sony Xperia X Compact in almost every way. It’s seriously powerful, thanks to 4GB of RAM and an octa-core Snapdragon 835 chipset with four cores clocked at 2.45GHz and four running at 1.9GHz.
Those are top-end specs, and they’re not the only top-end aspect of the Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact. It also has a fairly premium build, with a mix of metal and glass fibre woven plastic, topped off with IP68 certification, meaning it’s water and dust resistant.
The Xperia XZ1 Compact also has a capable 19MP rear snapper along with an 8MP front-facing one, a fingerprint scanner, a big – given the size of the phone – 2,700mAh battery, 32GB of storage and a microSD card slot.
If there’s anything that slightly lets it down it’s the screen, which is compact at 4.6 inches, but comes in at 720p. That’s low for a flagship phone, but in line with other compact handsets, and not much of an issue given the small size.
The iPhone 7 should need no introduction. It’s perhaps the most well-known phone in the world and right up there with the best.
But while most of the best phones have screens that stretch well beyond 5 inches, the iPhone 7 sticks with a 4.7-inch display.
There’s little missing here. The same premium metal build as the iPhone 6S (now with added water resistance) is joined by one of Apple’s best ever screens and an almost unmatched amount of power, leaving the iPhone 7 capable of effortlessly handling any app or game.
There’s a top flight 12MP rear camera and improved 7MP front-facing one, up to a mammoth 256GB of storage, a fingerprint scanner and the wealth of apps and games you’ll find on the App Store.
This is the best iPhone money can buy, other than perhaps the iPhone 7 Plus, but that’s nowhere near as compact.
As you can see, there’s a wide range of compact smartphones available, sporting different prices, strengths and operating systems.
The Alcatel Pixi 3 is the worst to find a place in our list, but it’s also very cheap, as is the LG K3.
Next up there’s the affordable Samsung Galaxy A3 2016, then for Android flagship fans the Xperia X Compact.
Apple’s first entry sneaks into fourth place with the iPhone SE, then there’s a similarly stylish Android phone in the form of the Samsung Galaxy A3 2017, followed by the brilliant but no longer band-new iPhone 6S, then the top-end Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact and in first place the masterpiece that is the iPhone 7.
Any of these phones would serve you well if you’re after a small screen though, it all just depends on how much you want to spend and whether you want Android or iOS.
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