Best compact phones 2024 - buyer’s guide

Last updated 19 October 2024


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  • j
  • jg
  • SfG
  • 17 May 2020

What I want from a phone - the impossible.

I'm almost 70 years old, highly tech savvy, but hate mobiles. But I have to get a new one for contact-less purchases (e.g. Google Pay). What is more, I hate carrying round something akin to a small laptop in my back pocket. The ideal size-wise would be the IPhone SE (4.7"). But they say the battery life of the IPhone SE sucks. So that's no good because when you're as old as me, you are so tired at night, you just want to get into bed as fast as possible rather than having to fuss with charging a mobile.

My current phone (LG GD510 - 2010 tech and only 10cm tall) lasts me around 6 days without charging since I virtually never use it. Great - I can forget it until my wife nags me that she couldn't contact me because my phone was dead.

So first question. If a review says "It will easily last a full day", what does that mean for someone who never uses his phone except to make one phone call a week? Will I get 2 days out of it - or maybe even 3 or 4?

Second question. What's the best phone to me go for which doesn't need charging five times a day and doesn't stick several inches out of my back pocket?

    • B
    • Buyer
    • 0vn
    • 09 May 2020

    The best of all is Xiaomi Mi 9 SE.

      • P
      • Piti
      • ndn
      • 09 May 2020

      What is the iPhone 11 Pro deltaE against DCi-P3?

        • M
        • Mukul
        • RqR
        • 09 May 2020

        Well it seems like Some aren't Curious about the Upcoming Flagship Compact Phones like:
        iPhone 12 Mini
        (Size 5.4 Inch/ Ratio 19.5:9/ Dimensions (H) 130 mm X (W) 62 mm)
        Sony Xperia 5 ii
        (Size 5.6 Inch/ Ratio 21:9/ Dimensions (Probably Around (H) 139 mm X (W) 64 mm)
        {Rumored to be the Best Compact Android of this Year & A Direct Competitor to iPhone 12}

          • J
          • Jwalker
          • 9Bj
          • 08 May 2020

          Come on, anything over 5.5 in. is not "compact." The last great compact was Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact at 4.6" now that was a good size.

            • U
            • User
            • S3c
            • 02 May 2020

            When you have a phone 60mm wide or less, then you can call it compact.

              • v
              • v
              • Je1
              • 24 Apr 2020

              Are you telling me that you can have any of these phones in any of your pockets and bend down to tie your shoes? I'd like to see that.

                RAFL, 08 Feb 2020Mi A3 is a better buy then Mi 9SE in my opinion and should ... moreSo... do you actually believe that a phone measuring 153.5 x 71.9 x 8.5 mm is Compact? Oh, the madness...

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • 0ab
                  • 19 Apr 2020

                  none of these phones are compact. compact is 5" or smaller. sadly there don't seem to be any real android compact phone offerings besides the sony xperia compact, which hasn't seen updates in a few years.

                    • T
                    • Tom
                    • nJ}
                    • 06 Apr 2020

                    rhomai, 07 Mar 2020the only true compact phone which combines small size and m... moreI totally agree with you, this is an example of how 2020 "compact" phones should be.

                      I really like my Nokia 4.2 as a compact phone,
                      it's a nice size, it came with 3 years warranty and the promise of updates. The battery life is good and it's not the end of the world if I drop and break it, I can also pronounce the phone makers name which is a bonus.
                      However a couple of caveats, the phone is not my main media viewer, I use a tablet for that and I don't access the internet or listen to music on the go. If I used it for that then it would struggle but then of course I would have chosen something else instead.

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • 8wn
                        • 14 Mar 2020

                        rhomai, 07 Mar 2020the only true compact phone which combines small size and m... morebecause it's too ugly

                          • r
                          • rhomai
                          • aw8
                          • 07 Mar 2020

                          the only true compact phone which combines small size and modern bezeless design is sharp r2 compact. i dont know why this niche is totally abandonded my major players.

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                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • DVX
                              • 26 Feb 2020

                              Anonymous, 01 Feb 2020I have small hands. I cannot hold modern phones at all, and... moreI was Redmi 4 Pro user but I smashed screen recently. It was handy and impressive for the time I bouhgt it. I need replacement but no compact phones on market right now with good battery, as it was in R4. Very dissapointed. I found long time not used Redmi 3S in drawer so I'm using this one till I will find replacement for Redmi 4 Pro. Any ideas? Samsung s10e too expensive. Mi 9 se no 3.5mm jack. Pity

                                • S
                                • Same
                                • 0Eg
                                • 26 Feb 2020

                                jaki, 14 Feb 2020Yes and the funniest thing is that mostly chinese manufactu... moreIts the same with cars. Asian market likes cars with more back room even if Asian population are generally smaller

                                  • G
                                  • GaroRobe
                                  • nb4
                                  • 26 Feb 2020

                                  So... Still nothing to change switch from my XZ1 Compact. Bummer.

                                    • w
                                    • woko
                                    • F2M
                                    • 25 Feb 2020

                                    "compact" yeah alright

                                      • F
                                      • F
                                      • D92
                                      • 17 Feb 2020

                                      RAFL, 08 Feb 2020Mi A3 is a better buy then Mi 9SE in my opinion and should ... moreThis is about compact phones

                                        • j
                                        • jaki
                                        • msw
                                        • 14 Feb 2020

                                        Yogi, 08 Feb 2020Why manufacturers completely forgot about people with small... moreYes and the funniest thing is that mostly chinese manufacturers push huge phones however asians have little hands. Why do they want unusable size phones? They are crazy!