13 Best Small Smartphones Available Today

In terms of the best small smartphones available in the market today, the iPhone SE (2020) without a doubt is high on the list. This is because it is one of the few small smartphones that comes with flagship-grade features, including wireless charging based on the Qi standard.

Best Small Smartphone

 

 

1. Samsung Galaxy S10e

The Samsung Galaxy S10e was launched as a cheaper alternative to the flagship Galaxy S10 in 2019. The S10e is an excellent device in every right, and also ideal for one-handed use. It has a 5.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with a resolution of 2280 x 1080. The phone is also IP68 certified water and dust resistant, making it an excellent phone all-around. The Samsung Galaxy S10e comes with 128GB of internal storage which can be expanded via microSD while there’s 6GB of RAM to handle apps and multitasking with ease.

This phone runs on the Exynos 9820 chipset and not the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 like the standard variant. However, it runs just as smoothly and offers excellent performance overall. The Galaxy S10e has a 16MP + 12MP dual-camera setup on the back while there’s a 10MP single camera on the front, capturing some of the best images you’ll see from a small phone.

The company is offering a 3,100 mAh battery with the device which is aided by 15W fast wired charging support. The phone launched with Android 9.0 Pie though Samsung has now started rolling out the Android 10 update for the phone. In terms of best small phones, the Samsung Galaxy S10e certainly ticks all the right boxes.1

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2. Apple iPhone SE (2020)

Undeniably one of the best small phones available in the market today, the iPhone SE was refreshed for 2020 with a handful of upgrades. For starters, it comes with wireless charging by default, something that we don’t find on phones in this price range. The iPhone SE also offers the perfect size for a smartphone display with a 4.7-inch Retina IPS LCD panel accompanied by the Apple A13 Bionic processor, and 3GB of RAM.

Customers can choose between 64, 128, and 256GB storage variants. In the camera department, the iPhone SE has a 12MP single camera on the back, and a 7MP front camera. One of the biggest changes to the camera here is with regard to the software with the iPhone SE getting access to photo modes like Portrait Mode on both front and rear cameras.

 

The iPhone SE 2020 comes with iOS 13 out of the box. The phone has a miserly 1,821 mAh battery, though the battery performance is pretty much on par with most modern-day smartphones thanks to extensive software tweaking. Taking these factors into account, it’s safe to say that this is one of the best small phone currently available.

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3. Google Pixel 4

Much like the Apple flagship we discussed above, the Google Pixel 4 is one of the best small phones for those who prefer an Android smartphone. It runs Android 10 out of the box and will continue to receive updates before any other flagship considering its position among the Android smartphone hierarchy. The Pixel 4 has a 5.7-inch P-OLED screen carrying a resolution of 2280 x 1080. However, it is still marginally bigger than the 5.8 inch iPhone 11 Pro.

The camera credentials of the Pixel 4 are also worth looking into. Google has crammed dual cameras on the back consisting of a 12.2MP sensor and a 16MP primary camera. The front has an 8MP camera for selfies alongside a TOF 3D sensor for user authentication via facial recognition, though the setup is not particularly the best.

The Pixel 4 is available in 64 and 128GB storage variants, though they are non-expandable. There’s 6GB of RAM on both models, though. The Google Pixel 4 has a moderate 2,800 mAh battery though the battery saving features are expected to prolong battery life significantly.

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4. Apple iPhone 11 Pro

Though the iPhone 11 Pro is a flagship smartphone, it packs a 5.8-inch display branded as Super Retina XDR OLED, making it perfect among the best small phones currently available. On the plus side, customers also get access to a multitude of features that you can’t find on other small phones today. The camera, in particular, deserves specific praise on the iPhone 11 Pro, with Apple using a new triple camera setup consisting of three 12MP sensors on the back while the front has a 12MP camera for FaceTime.

The iPhone 11 Pro runs on the Apple A13 Bionic SoC, which is the best Apple CPU currently available on iPhones. Further, there’s 4GB of RAM, and storage options including 64, 256, and 512GB. As is the norm with iPhones, the iPhone 11 Pro lacks storage expansion.

Further, the iPhone 11 Pro has IP68 certified water and dust resistance, making it a durable and rugged small phone. If you’re looking for the best small phone that’s also packed with flagship hardware, the iPhone 11 Pro has to be on top of your list.

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5. Nokia 4.2

Launched in mid-2019, the Nokia 4.2 is an excellent phone in the best small phone segment thanks to its design that has minimal bezels around the display. Speaking of which, the phone comes with a 5.71-inch IPS LCD screen, which seems like a bit of a downgrade coming from an OLED display phone. However, the Nokia 4.2 is well known for its mid-range appeal, so it would be rather unfair to compare this with flagships.

The 4.2 runs the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 chipset accompanied by 32GB of expandable storage and 3GB of RAM. This is an Android One phone, which makes it among the first phones to receive the latest Android updates after the Google Pixel lineup. It launched with Android 9.0 Pie, though it is upgradable to Android 10.

The phone has a 13MP + 2MP camera layout on the back while the front uses an 8MP single sensor. There’s a 3,000 mAh battery underneath, which can last throughout the day thanks to stock Android features. The Nokia 4.2 also has a fingerprint scanner on the back panel.

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6. Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact

It’s not every day that we talk about Sony phones, though the company has made some of the best phones that have completely skipped the public eye. The Xperia XZ2 Compact, as the name suggests is meant to make all parts of the display accessible with a single hand. It sports a 5-inch 2160 x 1080 resolution LCD panel protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. On the back, the phone has a single 19MP camera while the front has a more moderate 5MP snapper.

The phone is only available with 64GB of storage, though it can be expanded via microSD. There’s 3GB of RAM on board as well which is accompanied by the octa-core Snapdragon 845 chipset. In terms of battery life, Sony mentions that the Xperia XZ Compact can last for up to a day using the 2,810 mAh battery. The phone also supports 18W fast charging.

This small phone launched with Android 8.0 Oreo though Sony has started rolling out the Android 10 update to the device. While it may not be on par with some of the high-end offerings, this is certainly one of the best small phones out there thanks to the 5-inch display.

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7. Samsung Galaxy A40

The Galaxy A series is one of the most recognizable mid-range smartphone series available in the market today, and the 2019 Galaxy A40 fits in perfectly well in a list of small phones. Despite sporting a relatively bigger 5.9-inch Super AMOLED screen, the Galaxy A40 has nearly no bezels, making it quite comfortable for single-handed use. The Galaxy A40 has a fingerprint sensor located on the back panel, which is easy to access thanks to the design.

The phone comes with a 16MP + 5MP rear camera setup while the front has a mammoth 25MP selfie camera. The Galaxy A40 runs on the octa-core Exynos 7904 chipset and has 4GB of RAM underneath. There’s 64GB of internal storage on this small phone which can be expanded with the help of a microSD card.

The phone launched with Android 9.0 Oreo, and Samsung has reportedly begun the Android 10 update process for the device. The phone can comfortably run all through the day thanks to the 3,100 mAh battery which is aided by 15W fast wired charging support.

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8. Unihertz Atom

This is without a doubt one of the smallest phones on this list. The Unihertz Atom has the honor of being the smallest 4G phone in the market, and it’s packed with some handy features too. The best part here is that the Atom has a 2.45-inch screen and it can run Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box despite this.

Additionally, the Atom comes with 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage (non-expandable), and an octa-core 2.0 GHz CPU. Given the size, this phone by Unihertz only comes with a single 16MP camera on the back which is complemented by the 8MP front camera on the phone. It also comes with a fingerprint scanner located on the front, while the company has managed to cram in a 3.5mm headphone jack as well.

The phone is also rated to be IP68 certified water and dust resistance, while there’s a 2,000 mAh battery that promises the best battery life. The design of the phone also has some rugged coverings, thus protecting the device at all times. The feature set here is very impressive, especially for a small phone.

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9. OUKITEL WP5

This is a rugged and durable device as you can probably tell from the design. The WP5 comes with a 5.5-inch display and is resistant to drops from up to 1.5m. The phone also comes with water-resistance packed in. One of the key highlights of this powerful small phone is the fact that it comes with a mammoth 8,000 mAh battery that can promise nearly two days of battery life, clearly the best among small phones.

The WP5 is also packing 4GB of RAM, a quad-core processor, and 32GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot. Further, the smartphone has a triple camera layout on the back consisting of a 12MP sensor and two 2MP sensors. The cameras are accompanied by four LEDs for excellent illumination in an outdoor situation or simply to capture photos in the dark. The front has a single 5MP camera for selfies.

Surprisingly, the WP5 comes with Android 10 out of the box, which is the most recent version of Android until the successor is officially revealed later this fall. Lastly, the smartphone is designed to work in both high and low weather temperatures, certainly making among the best few small phones out there.

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10. Google Pixel 3a

The Pixel 3a was launched as a cheaper alternative to the Pixel 3 in early 2019. One of the best features of this handset is that it costs significantly lesser than most flagships today, while still offering high-end hardware and software performance. The Pixel 3a comes with a 5.6-inch OLED display bearing a resolution of 2220 x 1080. It has the octa-core Snapdragon 670 chipset underneath accompanied by 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of non-expandable storage.

Despite only having a single lens 12.2MP rear camera, the Pixel 3a is capable of capturing some of the best photos and videos we’ve seen from a mid-ranger. However, not all of the camera hardware from the Pixel 3 is present on the Pixel 3a. On the front, the Pixel 3a uses an 8MP sensor.

Google stuck with a conventional rear-mounted fingerprint scanner for the Pixel 3a which is not a bad call given that this is a small phone. There’s a 3,000 mAh battery underneath as well, which promises to last a full day on a single charge. It’s also capable of 18W fast wired charging. The handset launched with Android 9.0 Pie, though is now on Android 10 since the update was sent out to Pixel phones in late 2019. Frequent software updates are one of the best aspects of owning a Pixel phone as it’s always the first to get major updates.

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11. BLU G6

Blu has produced innumerable smartphones for the American market, and the Blu G6 is perfectly tailored for the modern-day thanks to its mixtures of great hardware features and small form factor. The G6 comes with 5.7-inches of display real estate with an HD+ resolution. The phone uses a 13MP single camera on the back while the front has an 8MP camera with an LED flash of its own.

Though the phone is not completely bezel-less, it does manage to keep the size to a minimum, making it optimal for single-handed use. The back panel also houses a fingerprint scanner, while underneath there’s a 2,800 mAh battery, which also happens to be removable, unlike most other small phones we’ve discussed today.

The Blu G6 also has an octa-core processor under the hood, while Android 9.0 Pie handles the software side of things. The phone is sold with 64GB of internal storage and 3GB of RAM. Taking these factors into account. the Blu G6 is certainly among the best small phones we’ve discussed today.

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12. Ulefone Armor X7

Ulefone is a company known for packing some of the best hardware among low-cost phones. The Ulefone Armor X7 is no exception to this as the phone has a nifty 5-inch screen that makes this one of the best phones for single-handed usage. In terms of other specs, the Armor X7 comes with IP69K protection which includes protection against high-pressure water and wind.

There’s a 13MP single camera on the back while the front has a 5MP camera. The Armor X7 runs on a quad-core processor, and features 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, though there’s a microSD card slot for storage expansion. The battery life here is very impressive thanks to the 4,000 mAh battery. The phone runs Android 10 out of the box, making it among the few small-sized phones to have the honor.

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Our Take

The smartphone industry has taught us that bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better. While big smartphones have a specific purpose, they’re not often the best for one-hand usage. Keeping this in mind, we dissect some of the best small smartphones you can buy today.

You may find it hard to score a half-decent small Android handheld these days given the quick rise of phablets, though there was a time when a 4.7-inch display was considered too big. Well, there’s still demand for handsets that a user can easily slide in and out of their standard-issue trouser pocket. With this in mind, we take a look at some of the smallest smartphones available in the market today.

It is important to remember that when we refer to some of the best smaller smartphones, it’s usually a device with a display size of around or under 5.8-inches with a 5.5-inch display being the ideal size for using your phone with one hand.