r/smallphones

I’m curious what people would recommend for a thick case for an iPhone 12 mini? I’m not looking for a heavy duty case or anything I’m just looking for a thicker case purely for hand feel.

Can a flip phone be a good substitute for a small phone? I decided to find out, so I bought a Razr Ultra. The Z flip was not an option for several reasons: less functional outer screen, glass back, Samsung skin, and worse battery life. I have a soft spot for Motorola and unique materials since the moto X, which is still my favorite phone and ideal screen size.

Having used a 5.9" screen for the past 3 years I knew that a 6.3" would not meet my expectations of a small phone. 5.9" was already too large in my opinion. I've also used a 3" Jelly 2 which I found too small. The Razr has an almost square 4" outer screen and a super tall 6.9" inner screen. Neither are ideal, but it makes an interesting compromise. The outer screen is actually pretty usable for most apps, and is actually ideal for one handed use. The center of gravity is in your palm and you dont have to balance the phone to reach the whole screen. The camera sometimes in the way, and some apps have a too cluttered UI for the outer screen to work well, but those are far from common. Some apps require turning the screen, which blocks out the cameras giving you a roughly 3" 16:9 screen. This actually works better than you would think. Bottom line, I can honestly say that this is the best option for those who want a no compromise small phone. You can legitimately use it closed with a couple minor exceptions. You get an up to date OS, a nice screen, wireless charging and a high end processor and camera. There are also some unique things that you can do with the foldable form factor, but these might be considered gimmicks. I mainly just use it full folded and it works great for that.

Now there are some arbitrary limitations or pain points, which I hope Motorola addresses. First, to use apps on the outer screen you have to manually enable it for every app. This is needlessly tedious, just give us a toggle for all apps. Second, the outer screen is not able to use a custom launcher or keyboard. Lastly Google has tried to "help" in their usual unhelpful way. Gmail displays an awkward grey area around the cameras to avoid buttons being unaccessible and photos seems to have a special mode where you can't access everything on the outer screen. There should be a way to turn this off.

To sum things up, I think the experiment has gone well, and I will be sticking with the Razr. It's a unique smartphone experience that I can get excited about for the first time in many years.

I come from a 8 yo phone with 6.3 and consider it so big for me and i wanted to get something around 6 inches but i found nothing

I'm using Rakuten hand 5g, but it's uncomfortable because it's only for esim

It's exactly 5 inches and has a good grip, so I'm using it, but I don't see a small Android phone that I can move on to. Honestly, and I don't think 3 inches is something to be used seriously in these days

If not, I'm considering a ZenFone or Xperia5V by compromising up to 6 inches

Hi!

I am looking for a long lasting lightweight small phone with app support. Sold in EU (and not a brand from China). Preferably Nokia. Mainly for chat apps like WhatsApp, Signal, etc. And map apps.

The Nokia 2720 seemed interesting but it seems out of stock. Do you guys have any recommendations?

I'm looking for a smartphone that runs at least Android 12. It doesn't need to be a rugged phone, but it must have a screen size of 4 inches or smaller. Waterproof (or at least splash proof)

I would prefer a tried-and-tested model known for its long-term reliability.

It is unfortunately time for an upgrade. Double unfortunately, I have tiny hands. I already have to use a ring on the back of my current phone for stability. To my dismay, almost all new phones are GIANT. I want to be able to use my phone one handed without cramping. The features I want are;
-longer battery life
-better camera quality
-bigger storage (64gb currently)
-as small as possible while keeping modern functionality
I’m wondering if an iPhone 13 mini is still worth it in 2026, it would be 2 years newer than my current phone, but still 4 years old. I don’t want anything much bigger than that unfortunately. Does anyone have any recommendations? Or insight on whether it’d be worth getting the 13 mini still??

After being too frustrated with my XCover 6 Pro I sold it and reluctantly bought a Gigaset GX4 Pro which is better on battery account, but still massive.

A week has not passed after recieving the GX4 Pro before I came across of the Emporia brand which seems to tick so many boxes.

Has anyone had hands-on experience with the ME7? Looks good, IMO

It's so comfortable and feels like an actual phone.

I honestly believe people are addicted to their phones because they are so big.

I've pre-ordered the Lagenio Eagle Pro when it first released a month ago, and I received it last Sunday, just in time for a motorcycle camping trip this week!

I ordered it, because my Jelly 2 was running on it's last legs, and given my experiences with it overheating in an oversized motorcycle mount case, I was looking for a better solution for my daily phone and as a navigation device for my motorcycle.

So here is my first experiences.

Navigation on my motorcycle: this is the main reason I bought it, over another Jelly star, or a Titan Elite 2. The camera mount, water resistance and shock resistance, decent battery, and slightly larger screen but not too large, where what convinced me that this would be a great device for that purpose. And on first impression it seems to be solidly built indeed. The first 2 riding days and ca. 800km of my trip, it has lived up to the expectations so far.

The only issues I experience were, firstly the 1/4" camera mount screw slowly backing out at 140km/h on the German autobahn... which was entirely my own fault not screwing it in tightly enough. (Managed to stop in time to resolve that though before distaster hit 😬) It hasn't been an issue since, but I definitely recommend using the lanyard hole to attach a safety cord to be sure. And secondly the glove mode - while very effective for operation with gloves on - triggering random phantom screen touches while not touching the screen, when the charger is connected. But disabling the glove mode while charging fixes that, and I've found the screen can still be operated with my leather gloves on like that, be it a bit less reliably.

Battery life has been great, being able to navigate 500km over 6-8h straight, screen on, bluetooth coms with my helmet active, playing Spotify for at least half the time, without a charge. Fast charging is also properly fast, topping off 15% in 15 minutes.

The 4" screen has proven to be much more useful and legible for navigation, than my Jelly 2's 3" screen. So far I feel that with the right screen size scaling settings, it doesn't seem to be more problematic from an addictive perspective, but I definitely would not want to go any larger. I'll need some more time to form any definitive conclusions on that though.

Some people have reported that the Fossibot F116 is fairly slippery to hold. I have no reason to belief that the finish on the Lagenio is any different. And I can see how the back surface might be slippery for someone with small hands. But the sides are plenty grippy, and I personally have no issues holding it whatsoever with my average to larger hands. Despite its 4" screen size, it does feel like a fairly bulky device. Not excessive (imho), but significantly larger and heavier to hold than a Jelly 2/star. If you have small hands, these are significant points to consider I think.

I do find that the buttons on the side (mainly power and custom button) can be pressed unintendedly fairly easily. I'd have rather had those were all recessed flush with the body like the camera button. But I can live with that, I'll probably get used to it over time. Can't comment on the finger print sensor, as I intentionally don't use that.

As for the camera, I love it. The wide angle one in particular is great. Catching a tall building in a city in one frame is now actually possible (even had to zoom in to catch the Reims Cathedral nicely). I'm easily impressed though, coming from a Jelly 2.

I do find it a bit silly though, that the normal cam and wide angle cam require different apps to operate... And the apps themselves are a bit basic in functionality. It's more than adequate for me personally, but since this is marketed as an action cam and phone in one, I do think this is a major criticism to consider for those who are buying it for the camera first and foremost.

Lastly, the rubber cover for the charging port, while I 100% appreciate that is there, is pretty difficult to peel open. If you're like me and keep your finger nails short, you'll need something for a tool. I manage to use the USB-c plug itself to peel the cover open, but it's not ideal. I can live with it though, but if a v2 is ever made, Lagenio should definitely improve that design.

So far I'm very satisfied with this device! I think it'll be a great daily phone, as well as a navigation device for my motorcycle trips!

PS. I was active under my older deleted account "Wimads" on this sub before. I didn't realize the content of my replies would get deleted together with that account also...

Currently - for over a year now - I've been using a OnePlus 13. The phone is very good and I basically have no complaints about it except for one thing: the size. Carrying it in my pants pocket every day is unfortunately a hassle, not to mention using it one-handed. I'm considering switching to something relatively smaller and I'm looking for your advice. I've searched the market for what's available:

1. Samsung Galaxy S26 - Exynos is weak, small battery, slow charging, camera is average at best.
2. Xiaomi 17 - expensive (more expensive than the Samsung S26 in my country), HyperOS isn't the best skin and forces its own solutions too much (like the quick settings and notifications panel - I really hate it).
3. Pixel 10/9 - expensive, weak processors, too much AI, overheating issues.
4. Oppo Reno 15 Pro mini - optical fingerprint scanner, price similar to the Samsung S26, poor support in my country.
5. iPhone 17 :-( - iOS is a terrible system to use, but I really like the hardware and size. I used an iPhone 11 a few years ago and only lasted 3 weeks with it, then sold it with great relief. The iPhone 17 is definitely a much better device, and iOS has evolved a bit too, but I'm slightly afraid it will be the same as before and I won't be able to stand it in the long run. I have no intention of using anything else from Apple because I have my preferred headphones, smartwatch, and a Linux laptop. Does the iPhone make sense just as a standalone phone?

Alternatively, is there anything I missed? I live in Europe, I don't want any phones imported from China, so e.g., the OnePlus 15t is out (which is a huge shame). The Vivo X300 is very expensive, more expensive than the iPhone, which is a bit pointless, because an iPhone is an iPhone after all.

What would you choose in my situation?

Hello people,

So recently I've been having a issue with my personal phone (Pixel 8a) and work phone (iPhone 16e) with the fact that they barely fit into my my pocket in some of my Jeans. Both the devices are 6.1 inches in screen size which is slightly smaller than the new average of 6.3 to 6.5 inch screens on "smaller phones". My hands aren't also that big so I have to sometimes use two hands to operate my pixel 8a and I've found that I miss the keys on the virtual keyboard. So i did some research and found that the iPhone 13 mini might suit my needs as it's pretty small compared to most current devices. Yes I am aware of blackberry clones being up and coming but I'm still kinda skeptical of them when it comes to support from newer manufacturers. Now our last work phone was a iPhone SE 2 which was great and easily fit in my pocket alongside the 8a. Am I being dumb buying a 5 year old device to solve a issue that I'm aware of?

Edit: I might not go through with the 13 mini due to concerns with support and maybe wait for some other small phones.

Nothing is teasing a sub 6" phone...

Hi all, I've been using a Jelly star for going on 3 years now.

Due to the recent weak battery performance and giving up on any update, I have decided to get a phablet (yes I still use this term XD)

The problem is, how do you fit it in your pocket? I often wear shorts with the pockets on the sides (unlike jeans where the pockets open on the top) meaning it's quite easy for things to fall out.

I use a lanyard sometimes, but it seems ridiculous to have a phablet around my neck, also it might cause strain lol

I was looking into those belts with the phone pouch and just realised I'm not that old...or maybe they could make a comeback?

It's been a good run, and I'm not happy to be leaving the small phone world, but even though I still value a proper screen size, other factors have become more important for me