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Smartphones have been slowly expanding in size and we’re now at the point where the majority are difficult to use with just one hand. Flagships are inevitably huge: Apple and Samsung reserve their best cameras, biggest batteries, and most capacious storage for the 3-inch-wide, hand-buster phones in their Max and Ultra models respectively. But it’s still possible to find small, good phones that fit in your hand, give you all the features you want, and generally don’t break the bank.
With that in mind, these are the best small phones we’ve tested. Whether you’re shopping for Android or Apple, we’re here to help.
Apple iPhone 13 mini
Best Small iPhone
Bottom Line:
The iPhone 13 mini is Apple’s most affordable and pocket-friendly flagship, but you’ll probably want to spend an extra $100 on the larger iPhone 13 for better battery life.
PROS
- Most powerful small smartphone
- Beautiful build
- Better battery life than iPhone 12 mini
CONS
- Shortest battery life of iPhone 13 family
Samsung Galaxy S22
Best Small Android Phone
Bottom Line:
The Samsung Galaxy S22 fits comfortably in one hand and is as powerful as its larger siblings, but its small size makes for less battery life.
PROS
- Excellent signal strength
- Premium power
- True 3x zoom camera
- High-quality build and design
Apple iPhone SE (2022)
Most Affordable Small iPhone
Bottom Line:
While it isn’t quite the revelation its predecessor was, Apple’s 2022 iPhone SE is a solid small phone that should remain relevant for years to come.
PROS
- Most affordable new iPhone
- Speedy performance
- Supports T-Mobile and Verizon mid-band 5G
- Longer battery life than the previous model
CONS
- Outdated body design
- No Night mode in camera
- Lacks support for AT&T’s 3.45GHz mid-band 5G
- Shortest battery life of any current iPhone model
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
Best Folding Phone
Bottom Line:
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 4 feels as premium as ever, and its all-important-yet-diminutive front screen keeps you focused on the world around you.
PROS
- Standout design
- Better battery life than previous model
- Excellent cellular reception
- Useful front screen
CONS
- Less-capable cameras than other premium phones
- Gaming performance throttles quickly
Unihertz Titan Pocket
Best One-Handed Keyboard
Bottom Line:
The Unihertz Titan Pocket brings back the handheld QWERTY phone with modern software and 4G connectivity.
PROS
- Unique design
- Dual-SIM and compatible with all carriers
- Good performance for the price
CONS
- Small 1:1 screen isn’t great for all apps
- Lacks some speed and coverage bands
- Terrible cameras
Nokia 225 4G
Best Inexpensive Voice Phone
Bottom Line:
The Nokia 225 4G is a perfectly basic voice phone with only rudimentary internet capabilities.
PROS
- Small and light
- Easy to use
- Syncs contacts from Android
CONS
- Lacks Wi-Fi
- Though technically unlocked, only works on T-Mobile’s network
- Lacks band 71 support
- Group texting is a mess
Unihertz Jelly 2
Best for Ending Screen Addiction
Bottom Line:
The tiny Unihertz Jelly 2 is the perfect phone if you want apps when you need them with minimal distraction.
PROS
- Smallest high-quality smartphone available
- Full-featured and broadly compatible
- IR blaster
CONS
- Poor low-light camera
- Touch keyboard is very small
- Short battery life
Buying Guide: The Best Small Phones for 2022
How Big Is Too Big?
Smartphones have increased in size, but our hands haven’t. Back when LG launched its G2 smartphone, the company said that most people can comfortably hold a phone as wide as 2.8 inches. That might be why the base size for Samsung’s flagship S phone models has hovered between 2.7 and 2.8 inches since the Galaxy S3. Apple has had a 2.65-inch-wide option since the iPhone 6. (For a while, Samsung also had a “Mini” phone line, but it was rarely for sale in the US.)
The iPhone 13 mini (left), iPhone 13 (right)
(Credit: Molly Flores)
Palm breadth tells you how wide a phone can be before it falls out of your hand; thumb length tells you how wide a screen can be to be usable in one hand. According to an old NASA study(Opens in a new window) cited by HealthLine(Opens in a new window), the average handbreadth is 3.1 inches for women and 3.5 inches for men. The Center for Construction Research and Training estimates a bit lower(Opens in a new window): 2.91 inches for women and 3.3 inches for men. A 2012 New York Magazine story cites a US Army study(Opens in a new window) that claims the average thumb length is 2.74 inches for men and 2.49 inches for women. So, that 2.8-inch phone width from LG is just a hair wider than the full reach of the average male thumb.
I’ve used the 2.8-inch-wide measure as the maximum width for phones to be eligible for this roundup. Many people might even find those phones to be a bit wide for one-hand use, but small phone beggars can’t currently be choosers.
Why Are Phones Getting Bigger?
The push toward mobile internet and video consumption originally drove the growth of phone screens. With phones becoming people’s primary windows to the internet and video streaming apps becoming hugely popular, bigger screens became more compelling than smaller ones.
The Galaxy S22 (left) is more easily pocketable than the Galaxy S22+ (middle) and the Galaxy S21 (right)
(Credit: Molly Flores)
When the physical size of hands stopped manufacturers from making phones wider, they still went taller, pushing the screen height-to-width ratio from the common 16:9 to 18:9 or 18.5:9. Sony has gone as far as 21:9, making very tall, narrow phones that beautifully display 21:9 video originally intended for wide-screen TVs. If you care about “small” only in the sense of being able to reach across your phone, one of those phones might be a good option.
People like bigger batteries, too, and the easiest way to pack in a bigger battery is to make the phone bigger. Unlike other technologies, battery capacity has been extremely resistant to technological improvement—try to get too smart at squeezing more battery into a smaller space, and you end up with an exploding Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
Finally, phone makers want to charge more. Former TCL (now Coolpad) exec Steve Cistulli once told me, “Americans buy by the square inch.” There’s a deep theme in American consumer culture that bigger is better, and is worth more: bigger cars, bigger houses, bigger TVs, and bigger phones. It’s been difficult for phone makers to convince consumers that something small is still valuable.
In 2020, there was a little bit of a reversal. Apple, Google, and Samsung all came out with smaller, less expensive (and slightly de-featured) versions of their flagship phones. In pandemic times when we were all pinching pennies, those trade-offs were more appealing than they might have been before. Some smaller, older iPhones are also still worth considering too; here’s more on which iPhone to buy.
The Unihertz Jelly 2 is so small that its touch keyboard can be a little tricky to use
(Credit: Sascha Segan)
A few companies specialize in smaller devices. Unihertz is the best of them, churning out a string of affordable, decently performing, and absolutely tiny phones that push the limits of how small a phone can get and still have a usable touch keyboard.
Recommended by Our Editors
If you’re looking for a small phone because you find big screens distracting or exhausting, small voice phones are worth considering. The Nokia 225 4G is the absolute smallest, least expensive basic phone that’s still functional. These little bar phones fit just as well in your hand now as their ancestors did in 2006.
The Future of Small Smartphones
Alas, it looks like small smartphones will remain a niche market. The iPhone 12 mini was the worst-selling device(Opens in a new window) in Apple’s iPhone 12 lineup. Apple kept the faith with the iPhone 13 mini and the new iPhone SE, but sadly, the company didn’t release an iPhone 14 mini. Asus (with the Zenfone 9), Samsung, and Sony are all keeping smaller premium devices in their lineups, however.
Still thinking big? Check out our roundups of the best phones and the best 5G smartphones.
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