I like the feeling of holding and using a phone in one hand. I am using a Pixel 5 right now, but it feels a bit too large for me. I know nobody makes phone that small like the iPhone 4S or the Samsung S3 mini anymore, but is there at least a phone smaller than the Pixel 5? Maybe around the size of a iPhone 12/13 mini?
EDIT: There is a small Android phone project in development for anyone interested: https://smallandroidphone.com/
It’s quite crazy that S23 is considered “small” nowadays.
No, but you’re not alone in this hunt: https://smallandroidphone.com/
There’s a discord for it and everything. I’m hoping it makes it to production
Really? I thought the project was dead. I cannot find any news or update on this, let alone a whole discord server.
I got my invite by signing up on the website and they sent it via email.
I signed up just now, but there is no email. I don’t know what went wrong.
Update: I have joined the discord!
The Zenfone 9 is one of the only and best small phones on the Android side. It’s a really solid phone but do your own research to see if it is okay for your needs. If you are going to buy I would recommend waiting until June 29 when it is rumoured that the Zenfone 10 will come out so you can either get the new version or get some good deals on the Zenfone 9.
I have heard about the Zenfone 9. I think it is about the same size as my current Pixel 5, but I want a phone even smaller than that. Thanks for the heads-up about Zenfone 10 though. If it turns out Zenfone 10 will be smaller, then we’re golden.
I really hope they change their software support policy. That was a deal-breaker for a lot of potential purchasers.
Absolutely the Zenfone 9 is the best you’re gonna get
I’m loving my Asus Zenfone 9.
Great battery life
3.5mm headphone jack
Great specs
5GMy ZenFone 8 died this morning and I’m heartbroken.
Asus Zenfone have been pretty trash for me. So far i have had it repaired for 6 times. And Asus was denying that the phone was faulty and they even refused to give me back my money when i wanted to return it.
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Same. Had mine since it came out because I have fairly small hands and like holding my phone in just one. Hopefully will be able to keep it for at least 2 more years. Really hoping for longer than that because it’s going to be impossible to find something small soon.
Small phones are in a crisis right now. I’m still holding on to my Galaxy S7. If you want something newer there’s the Pixel 4a or the Asus Zenfone 9 if you have money to spend. Zenfone 10 is coming soon and so far it’s THE only small phone planned for release this year
The pixel 4a will stop receiving updates on September this year. Not a good choice fit security reasons
i upgraded from the s7 to the s22 and i think its the perfect size. really marginally larger than my s7, getting something in a similar size was important to me and it really is just right.
Isn’t battery an issue? I heard that S22 was a bit lacking on that regard
I chose the s22+ due to battery size and I hate every minute with the flat brick. It is large, battery isn’t great either. Camera is bad.
My work payed for the device but I regret buying this thing every day.
I have a calendar item for when I can order a new phone. And for 1 symbolic euro I can buy the device after 2 years and it’s not worth a single euro to me.
Glad when I can send this monster away.
Thank you for your valuable feedback. It seems so hard to find a good phone nowadays.
Ow haha sorry I went of the rails with my emotions in the reply but it sure is my personal experience. I came from the S10 which was the perfect size to me. About half a year after I got the S22+ my girlfriend got the s23 (so not the +) and I am a bit jealouse of her cause the phone is just a bit better in every aspect that I care about.
For reference my personal favorite phones have been the samsung S5 and samsung S10. Of both I have had atleast 2 versions.
No worries!
I just got a Unihertz Atom XL - it’s great at 4". It does feel a bit like a phone from 2013, back when screen sizes were like that… but honestly holding my “old” phone in my hand (which was a moto g7) feels CRAZY. I can’t get my thumb across the whole screen and my hands aren’t small. With the phone protector I had on my last phone they were about the same thickness, too.
In general, when I was doing my research, it seemed like there was a couple niche manufacturers like Unihertz that make phones that are smaller than 6" - other than that, yea the Pixel was being mentioned on “Smallest phones in 2023” lists
I have the Unihertz Jelly 2, and I love it. It fits in my front pocket (when I have pockets, bc women aren’t allowed pockets). It’s easier to forget it’s there, which makes me less likely to pull it out constantly.
That’s really nice. I backed the Jelly Star (which has the same dimensions) and can’t wait to try it out. I feel like it won’t be my main phone but still willing to give it a try.
i also have the jelly 2. it is awesome.
I miss small phones. Especially ones with a 3.5mm jack and a microSD card slot.
You may want to take a look at the Xperia 10 series then. They are not as small, but they do have 3.5 mm jack and microSD card slot.
yeah, great phone if you dont mind crap SoC for the price, crap camera, no 4K video, remote control aspect ratio and crap software updates
I think for that money I would rather buy Xiaomi 12 or deal with Pixel 6A size
I think it’s more about picking and choosing what features you want. But I totally get you on the price, that’s a big deciding factor for me.
Side note, software updates I’m not too worried about as long as there’s a decent official or unofficial ROM of LineageOS for a phone.
Sony used to seriously fuck up camera if you installed custom ROM, not sure if they abandoned this user friendly practice
I’ve considered the Sony phones in the past but they’re usually super expensive. The Moto G series used to be my go-to choice for a small-ish phone with the features I wanted but even that line of phones has grown. I ended up with a Moto One 5g Ace when I retired my Moto G6. If it’s super expensive and tiny I have a hard time justifying the price.
I’ve literally just bought a Pixel 5 because it was the smallest high-spec phone I could afford.
Although this thread is a month too late for me, I’m glad to have found it - I honestly felt like I was the only person in the world who didn’t want a big phone.
Its either Galaxy S21/22/23, Asus Zenfone 8/9 or Sony Xperia 10 or 5 Series. Unfortunatly it doesn’t get smaller without landing firmly in gimmick phone land (like the Unihertz Jelly)
Also if don’t mind older hardware there is the really compact Sony Xperia XZ2 compact.
Galaxy S21/22/23, Asus Zenfone 8/9 or Sony Xperia 10 or 5 Series
These are very good phones but they are not small enough for me.
The size of XZ2 compact is very nice but I hate the curved edges and back panel. I think XZ1 compact actually suits me better, but it is almost 6 years old now. I don’t think I will be able to use it for long.
It’s quite crazy that S23 is considered a small today
GSMarena’s HTC Titan review is funny in hindsight: https://www.gsmarena.com/htc_titan-review-675.php
It’s significantly smaller than the ‘small’ S23
Definitely ha ha
Nah, it works perfectly fine. Matter of fact, even the precedessor - Xperia Z5 compact can run 95% of Apps just fine due to almost all Apps still supporting Android 7. I got all 3 of them - Z5 Compact, XZ1 Compact and XZ2 Compact and all of them still hold up (my XZ1 compact however developed a quite a few dead pixels sadly).
Also from what I have seen Sony phones seem to get decent Custom ROM support - but I haven’t tried to custom ROM any of these myself.
I think the XZ1 still has two years in the tank - maybe even more with LinageOS. Its remarkably fast in my use due to the awesome Snapdragon 835, 720p and lightweight Software.
Maybe the XZ1 compact can last quite a while before it really becomes obsolete, but I don’t want to just buy an old phone just to throw my current Pixel 5 aside. I think I will keep waiting for a new small phone for now.
Sony Xperia XZ2 compact
Legendary phone. Almost 6 years old, and still goes for $500+ if you find one in new-ish condition.
Complete shame Sony discontinued it and left the 5" niche empty.
Actually, come to think of it, I think Sony has been releasing 5" phones as the Xperia Ace series. They are budget phones that are only available in Japan. I heard the spec is not very good, so I didn’t bother to get one.
The Galaxy S21/22/23 is slightly larger than the OP’s Pixel 5 however. The Zenphone 9 might be a good option as it’s around 2mm narrower - not a lot but it’d be noticeable for one handed usage.
Unfortunatly it doesn’t get smaller without landing firmly in gimmick phone land (like the Unihertz Jelly)
Imo more of a gimmick phone in this size-range has to be the Palm “companion” phone. I think it may be a little too small tbh (kinda like the Jelly), but honestly, I’d like something close-ish to either its size or the Jelly’s with better specs.
The Palm is so close for what I’d like, I think, but its gimmick as a companion device is holding it back so much.
there is Xiaomi 12 and upcoming Pixel 8, both overal better options than everything you listed
I have the Asus Zenfone 9, I love this thing
Zenfone 10 coming out end of June! Hopefully it’s still 5.9"
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I feel the pixel 6a and 7a sizes are still very reasonable, I’m using a 6a at the moment and it’s just that little bit bigger than the 5.
I also own a 7 pro which is stupidly big…
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And includes a headphone jack! Ive been loving my 9.
MKBHD’s has a great video on the phone and iirc they really only disliked the back being a strange plastic.
Biggest issue is probably the lackluster software support, you only get like two years of android updates?
Very true - I think Asus defaults to 2 years of support.
I’m hoping that there will be custom roms developed for it since it’s one of their more popular phones - but honestly if I was more privacy / security minded I wouldn’t have gotten an Asus phone at all.
cries in moto x (2013)
Also looking for a new small phone. I had the last two Xperia 5’s and they never felt premium enough to justify the price. Holding out for the Zenfone 10, Asus is pretty consistent with their Q2 releases.
The one thing I find annoying is our compact phone options (Sony & Asus) both refuse to support their devices for more than a couple years of android OS updates. (I don’t expect to see Android 14 on the sony mk3 series, and asus likely won’t support the Zenfone 9 past android 15.
and aside from that we just have the meme that is Unihertz.
OS update is less of a concern to me. If the phone is from a major company, there will be custom ROMs like the LineageOS sooner or later. It will last me a good while before becoming obsolete as long as the SOC is good enough.
Zenfones are expensive AF. Zenfone 9 for example will not get Android 15. So very pricey and bad support. Also if you are into accessories than again, avoid Asus.
Options are iPhone minis (not Android lol), S22/S23 and pixel 7a (which is larger than the Pixel 5).
If only there was a new Android phone with the size of iPhone 12/13 mini.
I’m with you 100%
I just want a small phone that easily fits in one hand, headphone jack, sdcard, the things unused to have 5 years ago but with a modern processor.
Not only expensive but Asus’ quality control, customer service and aftersales are also lacking
I’m running pixel 4a for this reason (also the support for grapheneos)
4a and 5 are pretty much the same size I thought
Possibly, 4a was just cheaper and easier to get where I live.
How is it doing so far? How long does the battery last?
My wife loves hers. Good battery life.
I have a large phone but got a frameless case and it feels as thin as if I didn’t have a case.Nice, I might get one at some point as they are pretty cheap nowadays.
I easily get a full day of use with at least ~3-5h of screen time, and 90%+ health ln the battery. Imo, the only thing it is lacking is a 90/120hz screen, else it’s fine.
Great to hear!
