New-ish meaning anything that has 4G. Today every phone i See is huge and annoying.
Yo, you can play with the sliders in gsmarena
https://m.gsmarena.com/search.php3?nYearMin=2024&fDisplayInchesMax=6.3&s4Gs=0&sFormFactors=1
I did some preconfiguring, but you can adjust the sliders. You can also pick the phone dimensions apart from the phone display:)
wow thanks! this is the perfect site!
Not really, and the reason is very simple. Ordinary folks don’t buy computers any more. A mobile device is all they need. So might as well get one with as big a screen as possible.
There are a handful of niche brands that make small models for weird people like us, including Cubot and Unihertz. I have one of the former, it’s tiny and works fine.
Clarification. I have a Cubot King Kong Mini. 3.5in screen or thereabouts, standard 2 cameras (i.e. as many as you need), NFC, unskinned stock Android latest version. People assume its a dumbphone although really it’s not. But I don’t use it for much, intentionally.
This probably also driving the demand for folding phones. Carry a phone, unfold it into a tablet.
I first read that as “unfold on the toilet”
I mean… You’re not wrong
same
Pretty sure 4g was widely supported starting like 15 years ago, so newish doesn’t seem the right word.
The asus zenphone 10 is a 5.9" Phone relased in july 2023.
Here’s some info:
Read this as 5’9"
My main issue with that phone is the abysmal software support. Asus promised 2 years of OS support and 4 years of security updates. So its OS updates are going to stop soon and you get 2 years of security updates if you buy the phone today.
I have a samsung s9 running android 10. Everything works, so it’s probably not a critical issue. Still, I got android 14 running with noble rom and it worked perfectly, besides banking apps.
- nice cam
- headphone jack
- removable storage
That’s it.
Removable battery too, while we’re at it! Lol
literally!
Jelly star 2
Asus zenphones are good size. I went with S23 since it was nearly exact same size as my S9 I used for 7 years. So no change.
How big we talking?
like iPod size
The only phone that has a screen that small is the Unihertz Jelly Star
this is my main reason why I don’t want to switch to a new flagship from the Google pixel 4a. It’s not supported by google anymore, but it still runs smoothly with GrapheneOS (custom ROM), and I swapped the battery for a new one from iFixit and it just works! Maybe you can consider a Google Pixel 8a, at least it’s not as huge as other flagships
In December I finally bought a phone to replace my 3a. I did it mostly for the battery life, although I did actually buy a replacement battery for the 3a and have all the necessary tools to install it. It wouldn’t be my first time replacing a cellphone battery.
I was window shopping and the Oneplus 12 became fairly discounted at the end of last year.
Honestly, the overall experience really isn’t that different than my old 3a. It’s not like newer versions of Android are adding revolutionary features these days and if you’re running a custom ROM, odds are you’re on a newer version of Android anyway.
Nice things:
- Two days worth of battery life with my usage patterns. Even with a fresh battery, my 3a wouldn’t last this long
- Something like 4x more RAM means that apps are usually in the state I left them in when I come back to them, whereas on the 3a they had usually been forced to free up resources and not all apps deal with that well
- The telephoto lens is nice to have, but none of the built in cameras are a substitute for my dedicated camera for things that are moving and/or things are far away
- The screen mounted fingerprint sensor is very convenient, but that’s a placement thing. Some people liked the 3a location, but I didn’t personally
Unless you are taxing your processor, an upgrade will be incremental. At least that was my experience.
I somewhat regret the larger phone in that it’s a bit harder to handle one handed, but most on screen keyboards have a one handed mode to deal with this. I had a pop/ring type holder on my 3a, so gripping one handed isn’t that big of a deal.
Also writing from a pixel 4a… Where you get that rom from bro? By the time I heard of the project, they didn’t have roms for the 4a on their website.
Nice, thanks for that
i got a 3a, I hate it.
Sony has their Xperia Compact series.
- Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact - 129x65x9.3mm
- Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact - 135x65x12.1mm
Sony also at least used to make phones that are more tall and narrow. For some people complaining about having to hold a wide phone night find that’s good enough.
I wasn’t aware they still made those in 2025
Edit: they don’t, got fooled by the prices chart
Ah, sorry. Turns out the one I got two years ago isn’t a Compact either. (I had Compacts previously, and didn’t want a big phone then either.)
The 10 V I got is not as big as some of the other big phones, but it is a bit bigger and significantly longer than Compact was previously. 155x68x8.3mm
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My Samsung S10e is 5.8", has most modern features (minus dumb AI), and if you prefer you might be able to find a new one still.
I’m still rocking one of these bad boys. Love the small form factor.
What OS are you running on that?
Android 12.
Same. Gotta stick with stock unfortunately because mine is also a work phone and they don’t allow rooted devices.
FairPhone ?
Fairphones are still relatively big, especially fairphone 5 ( I have 3+ and my partner 5)
I’m also holding out for a compact flagship (with a headphone jack and SD card slot) but things have been pretty bleak. Settled on the Sony Xperia 5 line. While it’s not small, it’s narrow enough to be used with one hand and checks all the other boxes.
Other models I’ve looked at were the Asus Zenfone 10, Jelly Max, and Galaxy.
Apparently oneplus is planning to launch a mini version of their latest phone.
“Mini”. With a 6.3 inch screen this is like calling Shaq small because he’s shorter than Yao Ming.
Well relatively small compared to their normal model which is unusable single handed. (Buyer remorse kicking in already)
Back in 2022 when I upgraded my phone that died of old age, I was honestly kind of shocked that I could not use modern phones one handed anymore. Idk why everyone is just ok with needing two hands to operate their phones at all time???
I have something kind of like a pop socket on the back of my phone which helps a ton though but still.
The predominant marketing and business philosophy is to build products that can be sold to the maximum number of people. (That is - undifferentiated, one size fits all products over solving specific needs). And since phones have become primary media and computer devices for most people, who want to use it all day, it makes more sense to make bigger phones with all the features and big batteries. Companies will say consumers want this kind of device because this is the only kind of device they make which is also usable (same thing with SUVs and crossovers in auto industry), but ignore other large consumer groups who want small phones, custom ROMs, interesting designs, etc etc.
