The average size of smartphones seems to be increasing by the year, yet there's still very much a market for smaller handsets.
Whether because you want something you can use with one hand, you have small hands, or you just want a phone you can reliably fit in any bag or pocket, there are a lot of advantages to compact phones. Yet with the trend being for larger phones, the selection of decent compact ones isn't as vast as it once was, which can make finding one harder than it used to be - but we've still managed to dig up some top options.
Of course, the growing size of handsets means that what’s considered small has changed too. For the purposes of this list we’re including phones of 5.8 inches and below – but we’re also taking account of physical sizes, since with shrinking bezels you’ll often find a big screen in a surprisingly small package. And while 5.8 inches is the top end, we’ve still made sure to include some really tiny handsets.
Our list includes everything from the truly tiny iPhone SE, to the flagship Pixel 4, iPhone 11 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S10e, among many other phones. Here then are the best compact smartphones available as of December 2019.
4-inch display and 123 x 58 x 7.6mm
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 high-end phone, but at launch it was very close to one, with the same Apple A9 processor and 2GB of RAM as the iPhone 6S. That gives it fast performance. It's a couple of steps behind the iPhone 8, but then most phones 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 13, which is the latest and greatest version of iOS. All in all, it’s still a surprisingly good phone and a lot cheaper than its larger siblings.
4.6-inch display and 129 x 65 x 9.3mm
This compact Sony handset improves on the Sony Xperia X Compact in almost every way. It’s moderately 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 were once high-end specs, and they’re not far off now, but they’re also not the only impressive 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 phone of this calibre, but in line with most other compact handsets, and not much of an issue given the small size.
5.8-inch display and 147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5mm
The Galaxy S9 launched as a true flagship in 2018, and while the Galaxy S10 has it beat, the S9 is still a seriously impressive phone, and one that at 5.8 inches can just about be considered compact – especially as the bezels are quite small.
This has a 5.8-inch 1440 x 2960 screen and as well as being sharp it’s just all-round one of the best you’ll find on a phone, even in 2019.
The Galaxy S9 also has a powerful Exynos 9810 chipset, 4GB of RAM, water resistance, and a 12MP variable aperture camera, giving you far more versatility than you’d expect from a single lens.
You also get stereo speakers, a premium build, lots of storage (plus a microSD card slot), and both a fingerprint scanner and an iris scanner.
5-inch display and 135 x 65 x 12.1mm
This is Sony’s latest small flagship and it really is something special. For one thing, it sports a newer design that’s far more modern than previous Sony handsets, as it includes a curvy body with very little bezel around the screen.
And speaking of the screen, it’s sharp at 1080 x 2160, leading to a pixel density of 483 pixels per inch. That’s far higher than most compact phones, yet at 5.0 inches this is undeniably small and has a trendy 18:9 aspect ratio.
The Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact is also dust and water resistant, and it’s very powerful, thanks to an octa-core Snapdragon 845 chipset and 4GB of RAM – the same sort of specs as you’ll find in many 2018 flagships.
There’s a hefty 64GB of storage squeezed into its small shell, along with a microSD card slot, and the phone has a good 19MP camera capable of shooting 4K HDR video.
The Xperia XZ2 Compact also sports stereo speakers, a fingerprint scanner, and decent battery life from its 2,870mAh cell, all of which comes together to make this a true compact flagship.
This might be Sony's last compact flagship for a while too, as the company seems to have fully embraced larger screens, such as those on the Sony Xperia 1 and Sony Xperia 5.
5.5-inch display and 145.6 x 68.2 x 7.9mm
The Google Pixel 3 is larger than some on this list, coming in as it does at 5.5 inches. A few years ago that would have been considered quite large, but with most phones now starting at around 5.8 inches and rising from there it’s now decidedly compact.
It has a sharp 1080 x 2160 OLED screen, a brilliant 12.2MP camera and loads of power, with a Snapdragon 845 chipset and 4GB of RAM under the hood.
It’s also IP68 certified, so it’s dust proof and water resistant to depths of 1.5 metres for 30 minutes.
The real reason to buy this though other than its size is that being a Google phone it delivers Android as intended and gets day one software updates to new versions, where most phones are left waiting for months.
4.7-inch display and 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3mm
The iPhone 8 isn’t Apple’s best phone, but the better phones are also bigger, and the iPhone 8 is both tiny and great.
There are a lot of reasons for that, from its stylish metal and glass build (that’s also water resistant) to its super-powered A11 Bionic processor, great quality 12MP camera and masses of storage.
The iPhone 8 also has a high-quality screen. It’s just 4.7 inches, but it’s sharp at 750 x 1334 and sports all sorts of high-end tech, like 3D Touch, which lets it detect different levels of pressure, and True Tone, which automatically adjusts the white balance to best suit the environment.
There’s also wireless charging for the first time on an iPhone, and of course the iPhone 8 has Apple’s fast and reliable Touch ID fingerprint scanner and access to arguably the best app store there is.
5.8-inch display and 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7mm
The iPhone XS was arguably the best iPhone of 2018 and remains one of the better phones available, regardless of size. Its 5.8-inch screen means it just qualifies for this list though.
It’s a sharp, high-quality screen of course, with an 1125 x 2436 resolution, 458 pixels per inch, and HDR10 support, while the design is every bit as premium as you’d expect from Apple. It melds glass and metal, comes in at a slim 7.7mm thick, and has hardly any bezels around the display, with just a notch at the top.
The iPhone XS is also water-resistant, can outpace most Android phones when it comes to power, and has a highly capable dual-lens rear camera.
Plus, there are stereo speakers, Apple’s impressively secure and reliable Face ID for facial recognition, and, like all iPhones, you have full access to iOS, the App Store, and Siri.
5.7-inch display and 147.1 x 68.8 x 8.2mm
The Google Pixel 4 has a bigger screen than the Pixel 3 at 5.7 inches, but the overall dimensions are only negligibly larger, and this is a better phone in most ways.
Perhaps most significantly it adds a second rear camera, with a 16MP telephoto lens joining the 12.2MP main one. It’s a combination that allows for superb shots, even if you just point and shoot, showing that lots of lenses isn’t necessary for great smartphone photography.
The Google Pixel 4 also packs in a high-end Snapdragon 855 chipset, while its 1080 x 2280 screen has a 90Hz refresh rate, making interactions smoother than on most handsets. And as with the Pixel 3 is packs pure Android and will be first in line for updates.
5.8-inch display and 142.2 x 69.9 x 7.9mm
The Samsung Galaxy S10e is one of the very newest decent ‘compact’ phones you can buy. It’s right at the top end of that category, being 5.8 inches, but with minimal bezels it’s physically smaller than you might expect.
It’s the baby of the S10 range, but it still has an awful lot going for it, including a brilliant 1080 x 2280 Dynamic AMOLED screen with support for HDR10+, water resistance, a top-end Exynos 9820 chipset and upwards of 6GB of RAM.
The Samsung Galaxy S10e also has a dual-lens camera, and with one of those lenses being variable aperture it’s very versatile.
You also get fast charging, wireless charging, and even the ability to wirelessly charge other devices with it.
5.8-inch display and 144 x 71.4 x 8.1mm
The iPhone 11 Pro is – with the possible exception of the iPhone 11 Pro Max – the best iPhone you can buy, and it’s also the best compact phone – though with a 5.8-inch display it only just fits into that category.
It’s in many ways a lot like the iPhone XS, which you’ll also find in this list, but there have been some key improvements.
Chief among them is perhaps the camera, which now has an extra lens, giving you a 12MP main, a 12MP ultra-wide, and a 12MP telephoto lens to play with.
The iPhone 11 Pro also has a much longer-lasting battery, and has had a significant power boost, thanks to Apple’s newer A13 Bionic chipset. It’s not the biggest of upgrades but these along with a few other tweaks are enough to make one of the best phones on the planet even better.
As you can see, there’s a wide range of compact smartphones available, sporting different prices, strengths and operating systems. Our selections are listed below in ascending order of overall size.
|
Phone |
Dimensions (mm) |
Screen size (inches) |
|
Apple iPhone SE |
123 x 58 x 7.6 |
4.0 |
|
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact |
129 x 65 x 9.3 |
4.6 |
|
Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact |
135 x 65 x 12.1 |
5.0 |
|
Apple iPhone 8 |
138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 |
4.7 |
|
Samsung Galaxy S10e |
142.2 x 69.9 x 7.9 |
5.8 |
|
Apple iPhone XS |
143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 |
5.8 |
|
Apple iPhone 11 Pro |
144 x 71.4 x 8.1 | 5.8 |
|
Google Pixel 3 |
145.6 x 68.2 x 7.9 |
5.5 |
|
Google Pixel 4 |
147.1 x 68.8 x 8.2 | 5.7 |
|
Samsung Galaxy S9 |
147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5 |
5.8 |
In terms of how good they are though, Apple’s first entry sneaks into tenth place with the iPhone SE. After that there’s the Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact, followed by the brilliant but no longer brand-new Samsung Galaxy S9 and Xperia XZ2 Compact.
Next there’s the higher-end Google Pixel 3, the ageing iPhone 8, and the excellent iPhone XS, with the top three being the Google Pixel 4, Samsung Galaxy S10e and iPhone 11 Pro.
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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