Best Small Phone to Buy in 2025

Written by 

Andrew Lanxon

Written by 

Patrick Holland

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option (also the only option) if you want a phone much below 6 inches in size, but there's no question that it feels outdated compared to today's iPhones.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.