We’re here to rank the best small phones that are on the market right now. These aren’t all Android phones – though mostly, they are. And these are all flagship phones. None of these are budget phones, one is a mid-ranger in the Pixel 6a, but it’s more of a flagship since it’s the same processor as the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro.
Best Small Phones To Buy
So how did we pick these phones to include in our best small phones list? It was pretty easy. We basically picked all of the phones that are flagship or almost flagship phones, that are under 6.2-inches. Now, for some, that’s still too big. But that seems to be the line between a “small” phone and the larger screen phones. This list is also heavily based in the US. So while there might be some other small phones from Xiaomi, Huawei and others, those are not available in the US and thus not on this list.
Google Pixel 6a
The Google Pixel 6a is the cheapest phone on this list, and that’s because it’s not truly a flagship. Even though it has a lot of flagship features. The Pixel 6a sports a 6.1-inch FHD+ 60Hz display, powered by Google’s Tensor chipset, 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage on-board. It also has a 4410mAh capacity battery inside, which does keep it going all-day long and then some. It also has as 12-megapixel main sensor and a 12-megapixel ultrawide on the back. Making it very similar to the Pixel 6 (which is a flagship) and why we have it on our list. Google cut a few corners here to keep it under $450, but they are okay corners to cut. Yeah there’s no high-refresh rate here, but neither does the $899 iPhone 14 Plus.
Samsung Galaxy S22
If you are looking for a small phone that is a true flagship, and will get updates for at least three years, look no further than the Galaxy S22. Which it is actually rather surprising that Samsung has a phone on this list. Since they were the ones to really pioneer the larger displays. The Galaxy S22 has a 6.2-inch FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED display here, it’s powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It also comes in a slew of colors as you can see above. Samsung has packed a 3700mAh capacity battery inside. There’s also three cameras on the back. That includes a 50-megapixel main sensor, 10-megapixel telephoto and 12-megapixel ultrawide.
ASUS Zenfone 9
The Zenfone 9 is the smallest phone on this list, and comes in with a 5.9-inch display. It’s actually pretty incredible everything that ASUS packed into this phone. It’s a 5.9-inch FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED display. That also has the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor inside, with 8GB or 16GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage on-board. That’s powered by a 4300mAh capacity battery. ASUS also packed in a 50-megapixel main sensor, with a 12-megapixel ultrawide here. So as long as you are okay without a telephoto camera, then this is a really good option for a new small phone. Don’t be worried about the battery life here, as we found in our review, this thing lasts a very long time.
Sony Xperia 5 IV
The Sony Xperia 5 IV is not yet openly available at the time of writing this. It’s up for pre-order and will release on October 29, 2022. But it’s the newest “compact” phone from Sony. That’s not a surprise, since Sony really pioneered the “Compact” phones, despite not really selling many phones period. Sony’s Xperia 5 IV has a larger screen than the Zenfone 9, and is just a tad taller. But it has a 6.1-inch FHD+ 120Hz OLED display. It’s powered by the slightly older Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage on-board. There’s also a 5000mAh capacity battery inside that will keep it running all day long.
Apple iPhone 14
Price: $799Released: September 2022Where to buy: Apple
We wish we could have added the iPhone 14 Mini to this list, but it doesn’t exist. After disappointing sales on the 12 Mini and 13 Mini, Apple decided to ditch it this year and do an iPhone 14 Plus. Luckily, the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro still fit our standards for this list, coming in at 6.1-inch displays. But we’re only listing the iPhone 14 here. Many will complain that it looks a lot like the iPhone 13, and that’s fine. Apple knows you won’t upgrade every year. Their phones are more about having something new when you need a new phone. The iPhone 14 has a 6.1-inch 1170×2532 resolution display. With the Apple A15 Bionic processor inside, 6GB of RAM and 128GB (or 256GB, 512GB) of storage. It also has a pretty small 3279mAh battery inside. Don’t let that deter you though, as Apple has optimized everything in the iPhone so these smaller batteries actually last a really long time. And that’s always great to see. This phone will also likely get at least six years of updates. Apple just killed off support in iOS 16 for the iPhone 6S and 7, which were released 7 and 6 years ago respectively. Which is impressive. Apple iPhone 14 - Apple.com
