If today’s palm-stretching phablets are too much for you, take a look at the top phones that fit comfortably in your hand and pocket.
Smartphones have been slowly expanding in size, and we’re now at the point in which the majority are difficult to use with just one hand. Flagships are 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(ish), good phones that fit in your hand, give you all the features you want, and cost a reasonable amount.
With that in mind, these are the best small phones we’ve tested. Why We Picked It
The iPhone 15 Pro incorporates most of the features from Apple’s flagship Pro Max into a size that’s far easier to grasp. It runs on Apple’s most advanced A17 Pro chip, offers excellent image and video quality, employs a classy titanium frame, and has a vivid screen with an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. A customizable, physical action button and USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 (both new for this generation) round out the experience.Who It’s For
If you want a high-end iPhone that fits in your pocket, the iPhone 15 Pro is the way to go. You lose out on the 5x tetraprism telephoto camera of the Pro Max and a bit of battery life, but those are worthwhile trade-offs if you want a phone that’s comfortable to use in one hand.Why We Picked It
Samsung’s Galaxy S24 packs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy processor, a speedy Snapdragon X75 modem, 8GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage into its reasonably sized frame. The phone’s 50MP main camera also takes sharp, vibrant photos, while its FHD+ panel offers 2,600 nits of peak outdoor brightness and HDR10+ support. Battery life is better than average, while wireless charging is a welcome convenience.Who It’s For
If you prefer Android to iOS, the Galaxy S24 is the best compact phone you can buy. And because Samsung commits to seven years of OS updates, you won’t have to worry about finding another small phone for a long time.Why We Picked It
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 doesn’t make you give up screen real estate in the name of practicality: It folds down to easily fit inside your pocket and expands to show a 6.7-inch display when you open it back up. An outer display is useful for everything from taking selfies to interacting with widgets, while the phone’s IPX8 rating, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 panels on the front and back, and flat-folding hinge make it sufficiently durable. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip keeps everything running smoothly.
