Best Small Phone to Buy in 2025

1 month ago 9

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Written by 

Andrew Lanxon

Written by 

Patrick Holland

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Andrew Lanxon Editor At Large, Lead Photographer, Europe

Andrew is CNET's go-to guy for product coverage and lead photographer for Europe. When not testing the latest phones, he can normally be found with his camera in hand, behind his drums or eating his stash of home-cooked food. Sometimes all at once.

Expertise Smartphones | Photography | iOS | Android | Gaming | Outdoor pursuits Credentials

  • Shortlisted for British Photography Awards 2022, Commended in Landscape Photographer of the Year 2022
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Patrick Holland Managing Editor

Patrick Holland has been a phone reviewer for CNET since 2016. He is a former theater director who occasionally makes short films. Patrick has an eye for photography and a passion for everything mobile. He is a colorful raconteur who will guide you through the ever-changing, fast-paced world of phones, especially the iPhone and iOS. He used to co-host CNET's I'm So Obsessed podcast and interviewed guests like Jeff Goldblum, Alfre Woodard, Stephen Merchant, Sam Jay, Edgar Wright and Roy Wood Jr.

Expertise Apple | iPhone | iOS | Android | Samsung | Sony | Google | Motorola | Interviews | Coffee equipment | Cats Credentials

  • Patrick's play The Cowboy is included in the Best American Short Plays 2011-12 anthology. He co-wrote and starred in the short film Baden Krunk that won the Best Wisconsin Short Film award at the Milwaukee Short Film Festival.

CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.

It used to be that the most desirable phones were the smallest ones. These days, the opposite is true, with bigger definitely seen as better. The most recent iPhone 16 Pro Max comes in at a huge 6.86 inches, while both the Pixel 9 Pro XL is 6.8 inches and Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra measures 6.9 inches. Unfortunately, if you want a small phone, your options are limited and only getting more so over time. Apple discontinued its iPhone Mini line after 2021's iPhone 13 Mini. While both Apple and Google offer two sizes of their phones, even the smaller models are well over 6 inches, so you'll need to alter your definition of "small" to "relatively small."

What's the best small phone right now?

In an earlier version of this list I didn't include any phones over 6 inches in size. Today, that would leave only one phone: Apple's 2022 iPhone SE with its 4.7-inch display. It's unquestionably the smallest phone currently available new and is the only truly small phone I'd recommend if you insist on having a phone under 6 inches. Rumors point to Apple launching a new version of the iPhone SE soon.

The only small Android phone launched recently is the Asus Zenfone 10. It's got a 5.9-inch display and a rare 3.5mm headphone jack, but it has disappointing camera performance and it will only receive four years of security support, meaning this phone will only be safe to use until 2027, giving it a short lifespan. As a result, I don't recommend this phone. 

Best small phones of 2025

With its 4.7-inch display, the iPhone SE is the smallest phone you can buy new right now. And at $430, it's a hell of a lot cheaper than the base iPhone 16 too. For that money you get the latest iOS 18, a capable single rear camera and an A15 Bionic processor that's powerful enough for most tasks. 

What you won't get is USB-C charging, MagSafe wireless charging or Apple Intelligence -- the company's new AI platform. The 2022 SE is a solid option (also the only option) if you want a phone much below 6 inches in size, but there's no question that it feels outdated compared to today's iPhones. It's worth keeping in mind too that its display, while small, is boxed in by large bezels, especially on the top and bottom, making the physical dimensions of the phone not that much smaller than the base iPhone 16.

At 6.1 inches, the Pixel 8A isn't exactly tiny, but it's the smallest Android phone that's actually worth buying. It has a lot in common with the pricier Pixel 8, including the same powerful Tensor G3 processor, slick software and AI skills like circle to search. 

Its camera isn't the best around, but it's more than good enough for casual shots of your family and friends on holiday and with a price tag under $500, it's great value. Especially as its seven years of software support means this phone will still be going strong into 2031. We do expect Google to launch a similarly affordable Pixel 9A, but likely not until May 2025, so it's not worth waiting around if you're in need of a new phone right now. 

It's worth also keeping your eye out for the Pixel 7A. Google still sells the older 7A, although at the time of writing it was exactly the same price as the most recent 8A, making it a no brainer to avoid. However, in the UK it's quite heavily discounted over the Pixel 8A, and we've seen the 7A sell for less at retailers, particularly around holiday shopping season. If you can find it for at least $100 less than the 8A then it's worth considering, especially as it also receives seven years of software support making it safe to use into 2030.

When I consider the Motorola Razr Plus on its own terms, it is outstanding. And perhaps more importantly, it's a delight to use. The 4-inch cover screen makes the Razr feel like two phones in one. You can use pretty much any app on the outer display as well as respond to messages, watch videos, make video calls and even play games -- all without opening the Razr Plus up.

Add to that a long battery life, fast charging, improved cameras and an IPX8 rating that certifies that the Razr Plus will survive temporary dunking and you realize just how much value Motorola has poured into its flagship foldable. Its $1,000 price is steep, but you're getting one of the best clamshell style foldables you can buy.

While the iPhone 16 does pack a much larger 6.12-inch display than the 2022 iPhone SE, it's not actually that much bigger overall. That iPhone 16's larger display fills the entire front of the phone with a much narrower bezel, meaning its actual physical dimensions aren't that much bigger than the iPhone SE's. It's certainly worth heading into your nearest Apple store to see how the phone feels in your hand before ruling it out. 

And it is a better phone all around than the SE, packing a much more potent processor, a more elegant design and a better camera setup, with two cameras (a standard and an ultrawide lens) against the SE's single rear camera. It comes with a higher price tag, but it's also compatible with Apple Intelligence -- Apple's AI platform for iOS -- which you won't be able to use with the iPhone SE. 

For better or worse, Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 6 foldable is packed with AI. It can take a rough sketch and turn it into artwork or help me have a conversation in French or Korean despite me only knowing a few words of either language. The new autofocus/auto zoom feature lets you prop the phone in a half-open position, the Z Flip 6 will automatically zoom in or out (switching between the main and ultrawide cameras) to get a photo that best suits the moment. But the AI features are the least impressive aspects of the the Z Flip 6.

Samsung's latest clamshell style foldable has a new 50-megapixel main camera, a smaller hinge and crease, a larger battery and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. But all this comes at a higher starting price: $1,099 which makes it hard to appreciate the Galaxy Z Flip 6 for the absolute great phone that it is.

For better or worse, Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 6 foldable is packed with AI. It can take a rough sketch and turn it into artwork or help me have a conversation in French or Korean despite me only knowing a few words of either language. The new autofocus/auto zoom feature lets you prop the phone in a half-open position, the Z Flip 6 will automatically zoom in or out (switching between the main and ultrawide cameras) to get a photo that best suits the moment. But the AI features are the least impressive aspects of the the Z Flip 6.

Samsung's latest clamshell style foldable has a new 50-megapixel main camera, a smaller hinge and crease, a larger battery and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. But all this comes at a higher starting price: $1,099 which makes it hard to appreciate the Galaxy Z Flip 6 for the absolute great phone that it is.

Every phone on this list has been thoroughly tested by CNET's expert reviews team. We actually use the phone, test the features, play games and take photos. We assess any marketing promises that a company makes about its phones. And if we find something we don't like, be it battery life or build quality, we tell you all about it. 

We examine every aspect of a phone during testing:

  • Display
  • Design and feel
  • Processor performance
  • Battery life
  • Camera quality
  • Features

We test all of a phone's cameras (both front and back) in a variety of conditions: from outdoors under sunlight to dimmer indoor locales and night time scenes (for any available night modes). We also compare our findings against similarly priced models. We have a series of real world battery tests  to see how long a phone lasts under everyday use.

We take into account additional phone features like 5G, fingerprint and face readers, styluses, fast charging, foldable displays and other useful extras. And we, of course, weigh all of our experiences and testing against the price so you know whether a phone represents good value or not. For more, check out our page explaining how we test phones.

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