Best small phones 2024: compact yet powerful mini mobiles

I've been testing and reviewing mobile phones for over two decades now – since small phones really were small phones (the first iPhone in 2007 had a now-considered-tiny 3.5-inch display) so I know what I'm talking about when it comes to the best small phones of 2024 – and there are 6 top picks in this round-up.

There are plenty of good reasons to want a small phone too: maybe space is at a premium in your pocket or your bag, or maybe you want to be able to use your smartphone with one hand rather than two. What's more, just because these phones are smaller than their rivals doesn't necessarily mean their specifications are necessarily inferior – and sometimes they can be cheaper too.

What counts as 'small' has changed over time as phones in general have gotten bigger (when will it end?). Here we've set a maximum 6.1-inch screen size for our best small phones guide – not exactly tiny, but relatively small compared with some of the monsters on the market. I've also stuck to prices below that of high-end and larger flagships.

If you've decided that bigger is better for you, then we also have in-depth guides to the best phones of any size, and for specific types of devices: the best Android phones, and the best Samsung phones can give you specific buying advice too.

This being December, meanwhile, anyone on the lookout for a good festive deal on a smaller phone, or just some carefully curated gift guides to help you shop around should head to the T3 Christmas hub. It's home to all of our best season content.

T3's top picks

The best small phones 2024

Best small phone for most people

In our Google Pixel 8a review, giving the phone a full 5 stars out of 5, we called it "the affordable phone to beat" – and it's also the small phone to beat in this list. With its 6.1-inch screen and very reasonable price point, not to mention lots of fun Google AI tricks on board, it's a compact handset that's going to appeal to a lot of people.

As our in-depth review explains, "with big improvements over its Pixel 7a predecessor, this entry-level Pixel is a Samsung-beater that's got a great (albeit small) display, impressive software, AI features that do the business, and super cameras."

It's a nicely designed handset, it has the same chipset inside it as the Google Pixel 8 Pro, and the software improvements keep on coming too – with Android 15, for example. While there are newer Pixel phones now available, this offers plenty of bang for your buck – and sticks to that 6.1-inch display limit.

Best small foldable phone

The main 6.7-inch main display of the Galaxy Z Flip 6 isn't exactly compact, but the 3.4-inch cover display certainly is – and using that metric it's the smallest phone on this list. Fair enough, you can't do all that much with the cover display, but you can take care of a few essentials without opening up the main display.

You are still going to have to pay a premium for a foldable phone, but the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is certainly worth it, and it's versatility comes in handy in a whole range of ways. You can take perfectly framed selfie shots using the cover display when the smartphone is closed shut, for example.

Read through our Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review, and you'll see we described it as "one of the best clamshell foldables to use – largely thanks to the feel of this design's hinge, which isn't to be overlooked". Compared to the Galaxy Z Flip 5, it offers a brighter screen, bigger battery, and improved cameras.

Best premium small phone

With a 6.2-inch screen, the Galaxy S24 is pushing the definition of small, but it's noticeably more compact than the 6.7-inch Galaxy S24 Plus and the 6.8-inch Galaxy S24 Ultra. If you want a Samsung flagship phone that's not going to be too unwieldy, then this could be the ideal choice.

Our Samsung Galaxy S24 review tells you all you need to know about this handset, and we concluded that it was "the obvious go-to option for those seeking a flagship Android handset that just happens to be smaller in scale" – making it perfect for this particular buying guide.

The Galaxy S24 is evidence that you don't need to compromise on specs and performance just because you're using a smaller phone – the Galaxy S24 is as powerful as they come (and is packed with AI features as well), while still just about qualifying as a compact phone.

Best budget small phone

If you're looking to pay as little as possible, then the iPhone 13 mini might be the best small phone for you. It has a screen size of a mere 5.4-inches, but thanks to the notch and lack of bezels, it's actually physically smaller overall than the Apple iPhone SE further down this list.

Going with the iPhone 13 mini also nets you 5G, a dual-lens rear camera, faster wireless charging, and a higher-resolution OLED display. It's also, perhaps surprisingly, the last of its kind: there was no iPhone 14, 15, or 16 mini, so if you want Apple and you want small, this is ideal.

Aside from the size considerations, this is everything that you would expect from an Apple iPhone, despite the low price: great build quality and software, and a whole host of apps to get familiar with. It's perfectly capable of running iOS 18 too, though without Apple Intelligence.

Best mid-range small phone

Our full five-star Asus Zenfone 10 review is full of praise for this pocket-sized wonder: we describe it as "a top pick for anyone who wants a great Android phone in a compact format", and the camera capabilities and the speed of this smartphone are particular highlights.

That snappy performance is largely down to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor we've got inside here – and as an added bonus, the efficiency levels of the silicon mean you get great battery life too. This is a small phone that will run and run.

The Zenfone range is designed to pack flagship specs into a smaller handset and Asus has definitely achieved that with the Zenfone 10. You can pick this handset up for a decent mid-range price, and it's fair to say you get more in every category than you might expect considering how much it costs.

Best small Apple phone

Check out our iPhone SE (2022) review for the complete rundown of what a fine phone this is: it brings with it a speedy Apple A15 Bionic chip, a well-built design, 5G connectivity, and the usual Apple polish. It also has a screen size measuring just 4.7 inches corner to corner, making it perfect for this list.

In our review we talk about this handset being "a reliable phone that should last you for a long time and that can take stunning photos from its one camera lens" – and as it's now getting on a bit, you can also pick it up for a very reasonable price.

As the saying goes, they don't make them like they used to. Apple's more recent handsets all feature significantly larger displays, which aren't going to be of interest if your main priority is the pocketability of the handset. The iPhone SE (2022) is eligible for an upgrade to the latest iOS 18 software as well.

How to choose

There are obviously a lot of variables when it comes to choosing the best small phone for you – not least the screen size, which then goes a long way to determining the overall dimensions of a handset. Be sure to look carefully at other screen specs too, including the refresh rate: a higher refresh rate means smoother visuals.

Key to a phone's performance are the processor and the amount of RAM under the hood – the faster the processor chip and the more RAM, the better. Even in the era of streaming apps, local storage is important too (not least for storing photos and videos), so again get as much of this on board as you can.

Speaking of photos and videos, pay close attention to the rear and selfie camera setups on these phones: pay attention to the megapixel ratings and sensor sizes (the bigger the better in most cases), and try and see some sample images and clips if you can (our individual reviews, linked above, should help you out here).

Battery life is always going to be important for pretty much every smartphone owner, and again this is something you can weigh up from our write-ups – a battery's capacity gives you some idea of the time you get between charges, but might not always tell the whole story. Check wired and wireless charging speeds too.

Those are all of the main specs covered, but there are quite a few other ones that are worth considering. Is dustproofing and waterproofing something you think you're going to need, for example? Look for the IP rating (IP68 is the best). You might even want to think about the colours these handsets are available in.

Then there's the perennial question of iOS or Android, of course. A lot of this is going to come down to the devices you already own, and the apps and services you've already invested in. If you've already got a house full of MacBooks and HomePods, for example, then it makes sense to go for an iPhone for your mobile.

How we test

We want to make sure that the buying advice you get from T3 is as comprehensive and as informative as possible – and to that end we've put together an in-depth how we test page for you to refer too, detailing the thorough review process we stick to. In short: we test our every piece of hardware in all the areas that matter.

When it comes to small phones, it only takes a glance at the specs sheet to figure out whether a handset does or doesn't qualify for this list. However, we then put each phone through its paces to make sure it's going to provide the performance and smooth user experience required to make it into our buying guide.

Photo and video capture quality is crucial in a phone too, and this is something else we've tested extensively on all of these handsets. We also make sure to use each phone that we review extensively for several days at least, to match the experience you're going to have of the device if you end up buying it for yourself.

That means everything from the average battery life, to the quality of the screen in a variety of conditions, can be properly assessed. Our final verdict then comes from a place of authority and expertise, so you can trust that we know what we're talking about when it comes to the best small phones currently on the market.

Reviewer panel

Mike Lowe

T3 Tech Editor Mike Lowe has been writing about small phones since the days when small really meant small in the context of mobiles. He's seen the best and the worst devices the phone makers have had to offer across the years, so he's well qualified when it comes to understanding what makes a handset stand out.

Sam Cross

There isn't much that T3 Staff Writer Sam Cross doesn't know about technology – it's part of the reason we hired him – and that detailed knowledge extends to phones of every size as well. You can be sure that when Sam reviews phones, he actually knows what he's talking about, including what the best small phones are.

Matt Bolton

Matt was the former T3 magazine editor and has a wealth of experience to draw on when it comes to reviewing tech. He now works for our sister publication TechRadar, but before he left he contributed many a thoughtful and thorough review to the T3 archives, including articles covering the best compact phones.