Best small phone 2024

For a while, it seemed like smartphones were just going to get bigger and bigger until we were all basically walking around with tablets, but now there are quite a few great options if you're in the market for a small phone. If you've got petite hands like me and prefer smaller phones, you'll find all of the best compact smartphones below.

We've personally tested every one of these phones ourselves and can give you the good (and bad) parts of each device on this list. Ultimately, I chose the Samsung Galaxy S24 as the best small phone for most people. This is because the S24 has one of the fastest processors you can get with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, fabulous cameras, and an excellent update policy that will keep your phone up-to-date for years to come.

Namerah Saud Fatmi

Namerah enjoys geeking out over accessories, gadgets, and all sorts of smart tech. She spends her time guzzling coffee, writing, casual gaming, and cuddling with her furry best friends.

At a glance

Best overall

While the larger Galaxy S24 Ultra steals much of the spotlight for Samsung's latest S24 generation of phones, the base Galaxy S24 is still one of the best Android phones with most of the bigger phone's best features. The Galaxy S24 looks an awful lot like the outgoing S23, but when it comes to being a small phone, it's made a few nice upgrades. First, the screen is slightly larger at 6.2 inches with no more than a millimeter in additional width. In fact, the phone is ever so slightly shorter than the previous model.

Another upgrade comes with the battery which gets a shot in the arm to take it from 3,900mAh to 4,000mAh with support for 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging. The camera system is led by the tried and true 50MP sensor with a 10MP telephoto and 12MP ultrawide camera helping out. Be careful buying an international model as some are fitted with the Exynos 2400 SoC which is a solid chip, but not as capable as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 fitted to the US model.

When it comes to carrier support, just about every carrier will activate the S24 without issue. Support for 5G on the major carriers including Verizon and AT&T's mid-band 5G is present with mmWave on the US model. Finally, Samsung is offering an impressive seven years of software updates for the S24 phones so you know your phone will be up-to-date for years to come. I am certain that there's no other small phone today that is this powerful and sleek.

Best value

Google's Pixel A-series has long been a value leader since the series was introduced. While most A-series phones have been on the smaller side, they often pair the diminutive size and price with equally diminutive specs. Like the 7a, however, the Pixel 8a can be considered a "value flagship" phone that also doubles as the best small phone you can buy.

Every time I pick the phone up and use it, I marvel at how this phone only costs $500 and yet feels so darn premium in every way. The processor inside is the same one in the more expensive Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, offering the same advanced camera features as those Pixel phones. It's also extremely comfortable to hold, with Google rounding the edges and tweaking the overall design with the 8 range. I had a tough time of it, choosing between the 8 and the 8a, but the 8a just gives so much more value for money.

In addition to the Pixel 8a hosting the joint best camera hardware on any A-series model to date alongside the previous model, the Tensor G3 processor also ensures that the photos you capture are crystal clear every time. Google has long been a master at this with features like Face Unblur technology, automatically capturing crisp faces even when there's movement.

Best foldable

If there's any one specific reason to get a foldable phone, it's to fit a bigger display in an actual pocketable form factor. That's precisely why the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is the best foldable phone for fans of smaller phones. Case in point, it might have a giant 6.7-inch display on the inside — which is anything but "small" or pocketable — but the Flip 6 folds in half when you're done with it, giving you the convenience of a small phone size and a big screen when you need it. I don't know about you, but I'm a nineties kid so the nostalgia factor of flip phones is also a big draw for me.

With the Galaxy Z Flip 6, Samsung also boosted the size of the battery, so you can expect longer battery life per charge compared to the Flip 5. The Z Flip 6 is a hair thinner when folded, but otherwise is roughly the same size as the previous model. The new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor makes everything about the phone better, including the camera experience.

Samsung has finally given the Flip 6 an official protection against solid particles, thanks to the IP48 rating. Once again, Samsung has continued to choose refinement over dramatic transformation; choose this phone and you'll be getting one of the most enjoyable and unique small phone experiences around.

Best for enthusiasts

Most small Android phones can't be called small by the same definition we had just five years ago, but the ASUS Zenfone 10 eschews that thought and delivers a true one-handed experience. This tiny phone is so good that the succeeding Zenfone 11 Ultra pales in comparison — not to mention it's far too big. I won't lie, I was a sucker for the Zenfone 9. Part of me is still mad at ASUS for revamping the Zenfone 11. Don't fix what isn't broken!

Thus, I continue to recommend the spunky little Zenfone 11 for small phone lovers. Even the side-mounted fingerprint sensor can be used to scroll content on the screen, enabling new ways of one-handed use that aren't often seen.

In addition to that, ASUS packed a big, huge battery inside as well as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, which is still incredibly powerful by today's standards. That means you're going to get almost the best performance from an Android phone and battery life that'll make you wonder what sort of voodoo magic ASUS worked on the phone. Two-day battery life is normal with the Zenfone 10, and that's almost hard to believe when a phone is this fast.

ASUS also packed in some truly superb cameras, plus a 3.5mm headphone jack onboard, making us wonder why other OEMs can't get their act together and include one. The Zenfone 10 is available in the U.S. and works on both the AT&T and T-Mobile networks with support for 5G, though rural coverage may be weaker than Samsung and Google phones due to supporting fewer bands.

Best AI features

The Google Pixel 9 might not seem particularly impressive over a Pixel 8 at first glance, but the changes to the design, the larger battery, and its new AI features kind of make up for the increase in price. The Pixel 9 is slimmer than the Pixel 8 and has similar dimensions as the 8a, but it is a bit heavier now at 198g. The fact that the Pixel 9 now gets a 6.3-inch display in a similarly-sized body as the 8a is a huge bonus.

Software is once again the highlight of the Pixel 9, thanks to novel and useful AI tools. The new Tensor G4 chipset allows the phone to run Gemini Nano with Multimodality for understanding text, images, and audio, and process results on-device. New GenAI tools allow you to add objects and visual elements to enhance existing images. The Pixel 9 is also guaranteed to get seven years of OS and security updates too, making it future-proof.

The ultrawide camera on the Pixel 9 finally got a boost in resolution, with a new 48MP sensor. Another area of improvement is the battery capacity, which has gone up to 4,700mAh. The Pixel 9 starts at $799, which is $100 more than what the Pixel 8 launched at.

Personally, I'd splurge on the Pixel 9 Pro over the Pixel 9 purely for the additional telephoto lens, more RAM, and better screen brightness, but that honestly doesn't justify the $200 price gap between the two. Not everyone can (or should) spend that kind of money on menial upgrades. So, if you want the best AI features on a small Android phone and a stunning design, I recommend the Google Pixel 9 for most people.

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How to choose

The market for small Android phones isn't as expansive as it used to be, but there are still plenty of choices out there if you know where to look. When it comes to our performance, the Galaxy S24 is an easy choice with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC powering it, and excellent software support from Samsung promising seven years of Android updates. Compared to the Samsung Galaxy S23, the S24 has increased its screen size and battery size without making the phone noticeably wider.

The Google Pixel 8a may not be what everyone considers "small" but it has amazing specs across the board, comes in at a price that's more than reasonable, and can still be considered small by modern phone standards. Using the Pixel 8a is pretty darn great no matter what you're doing, often punching above what you'd expect from a phone this cheap. If you want a more premium experience in a similar form factor, the Pixel 9 checks all the boxes. It's better than the 8a in pretty much every way, but comes at a big bump in price.

If you need a phone that's truly designed for one-handed use, then look no further than the Zenfone 10. ASUS somehow managed to deliver high-end hardware, great cameras, and a large battery into this small phone, and it is a truly standout package that can't even be beaten by its own newer iteration. It would be a bit higher on the list with better support for U.S. carriers like Verizon, and more retailer availability.

How we test

Phones are obviously our bread-and-butter here at Android Central, so we take testing extremely seriously. We start by approaching phones with a consumer's mindset, namely because we are consumers first and foremost, in addition to Android enthusiasts with decades of collective experience under our belts.

In addition to benchmark programs and lab tests, we get hands-on to run phones through regular use-case scenarios, such as night photography and vigorous mobile gaming sessions. We'll run multiple performance-intensive apps at the same time to see at which point a phone will overheat or lose battery life, and we'll drain the battery of a phone to zero to test recharging speeds. 

Our methods also include testing connectivity, so we'll go in and monitor Wi-Fi and 5G speeds to see if each device is meeting the manufacturer's claims. We'll also check Bluetooth connectivity speeds and range to ensure that your device will quickly connect to your favorite accessories at a reasonable distance. 

Once we've gone through all of our testing protocols, we'll assign the device a score based on an aggregate of our metrics. Needless to say, if a phone has four or more stars, you can rest easy knowing it'll be a great device that should last you for years to come. If you want to learn more, check out our guide to Android Central's testing and review policies. 

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