With smartphones becoming humongously sized glass slabs, there are phones which are not only compact and small but have the same capabilities as their bigger counterparts, this are known as mini smartphones. The iPhone 12 mini is the best relatable device to this context there ever could be or at least for the moment.
Here the term mini doesn’t mean that phones with downgrades and compromised specifications, but rather it means shrinking down the bigger phone with all the features and functions included to a smaller body. Like iPhone 12 mini is literally the same phone as the iPhone 12 but with a smaller footprint and battery.
The only con with these mini smartphones is that these aren’t durable in terms of battery as compared to the big sized ones and small screen size (duh, obviously) which won’t be a breeze to watch videos and play games for everyone. But if one is OK with all these shortcomings, mini smartphones are the best they could ever be.
Mini smartphones or small smartphones are definitely not for everyone but rather are targeted towards only specific sector of people who face discomfort in using large phones or the ones who do not want to carry around a metal glass brick. But its more of latter then the former.
Compact Smartphones May Not be the Future!
So here me out, compact smartphones aren’t the future and never were. Apart from freeing your pockets from weight and space, I don’t think there’s a need for mini smartphones.
Also this can be added to the fact that Apple introduced its first ever mini smartphone with iPhone 12 mini (considering it has all same aspects as the bigger & taller iPhone 12 series) and it didn’t actually go the direction it wanted and Apple has even halted production of the same due to poor sales. Also adding that iPhone 12 mini was just a few bucks cheaper then the iPhone 12 so people are spending some more and getting the iPhone 12 instead.
But in countries like India, where the smallest of the bunch iPhone is also considered somewhat luxury, the iPhone 12 mini could be a success.
Mini smartphones and compact smartphones are fun but really suffer in the battery department until and unless its an iOS with its extremely good optimizations.
Coming to the Android side of things, there are some great upcoming ones in the market.
Apart from this, the iPhone SE 2020 was a hit due to its aggressive price of $400 where it offered excellent performance and camera. But as mentioned above, being a mini smartphone, was a lackluster in terms of battery life.
Best Mini Smartphones and Upcoming ones
Despite of the shortcomings of mini smartphones, there is indeed a niche market for compact smartphones and are looking forward to buy smartphones which have minimum compromises but have a smaller footprint then their bigger and larger counterparts. Some of the currently present and upcoming mini and compact smartphones in 2021 are :-
1. iPhone 12 mini
This is a no brainer that iPhone 12 mini is currently the best compact smartphone available in the market. As mentioned above, it inculcates all the major specifications of its larger siblings except for the third camera as seen on the iPhone 12 Pro which is the 2x telephoto camera. Practically, that won’t matter to many people as long as it takes crisp photos and good enough zoom with the primary camera. Along with that, it has all the bells and whistles of its elder siblings from iPhone 12 to iPhone 12 Pro Max such as ultimate performance, elite software updates on the market and as mentioned, some great and crisp quality picture capturing cameras. One of the premium flagship phone with a small screen with compromises on the battery.
2. Sony Xperia 1 III
Sony was well known for producing compact smartphones of its then flagships since 2015 or so. But since it has cut down on releasing many smartphones, no Sony compact smartphone saw the day. But this is about to change where Sony is said to launch a Xperia compact smartphone in 2021 itself.
The dimensions as leaked would be 140 x 68.9 x 8.9 mm (5.5 x 2.71 x 0.35 inches) making it just a tad bigger then iPhone 12 mini. If guessing is concerned, I think it would be the compact version of the upcoming Sony Xperia 1 III which is Sony’s flagship phone with Snapdragon 888 and with all the bells and whistles.
Update – Xperia 5 III
Looks like the compact smartphone which we all hoped from Xperia has launched recently but not the exact one rather similar in the form of Xperia 5 III which features just 6.1″ 120Hz OLED display! Though the dimensions are 157 x 68 x 8.2 mm which are clearly larger then the rumored Xperia Compact 2021.
This is a pure flagship level compact smartphone which also boasts the Snapdragon 888 and ultimate camera systems from the house of Xperia. Battery is also pretty decent for a mini smartphone measuring at 4500mAh. All in all, a great compact smartphone to go for in 2021 if one is looking forward to purchase it.
3. Asus Zenfone 8 Mini
Oh Asus! Finally something interesting news from the brand. Asus has just been vanished from the market since the great success of its recent phones such as Zenfone 5z and ROG Phone 2.
Apart from ROG Phones and the flip phones like Zenfone 6 and Zenfone 7, we didn’t saw a single proper conventional phone from the brand since 2 years or so. This could finally change as it is rumoured that Asus will also hop onto the compact smartphone band wagon in the form of Zenfone 8 mini and would most likely have a punch hole camera! Another thing that is most likely confirmed is that Zenfone 8 mini would have 5G as expected but the processor which will be present is unknown until the next rumor arrives.
Update
Asus has finally unveiled its compact smartphone flagship – Zenfone 8 which boasts of specs which anyone could only imagine in such a small form factor. The price starts at €599 or $599 for the US market. There’s no Indian price as of now due to the India launch being delayed. Expect the Indian launch to be within one month or so.
Being a small phone, the screen size is just 5.9″ 120 E4 AMOLED panel from Samsung. It comes with the latest and greatest Snapdragon 888 SoC which runs the whole show. Coming to the cameras, Zenfone 8 is equipped with last year’s 64MP IMX686 main camera and 12MP IMX363 ultra-wide angle lense and no, there’s no telephoto or any sort of macro & depth camera. Finally a brand listened to omit those!
Next is the battery, which as the size is a lil bit small of today’s standards at 4000mAh but that shall compensate for the small display. Though the Snapdragon 888 is a real powerhouse and tends to chunk on the battery. Only time will tell the actual performance of the Zenfone 8. To top that battery, there’s a 30W charger IN THE BOX.
Running the software side is the underrated ZenUI 8 skin based on Android 11, which is one of the cleanest Android skin out there. No bloatware, no first party notifications and neither unnecessary features. Though, the software updates can be a hit or a miss. Definitely the go to Android flagship phone with small screen out there. If you can’t settle for a small display, maybe wait for the Zenfone 8 Pro which is rumored to launch in the later part of the year.
Some miscellaneous which Asus managed to bring in such a compact smartphone –
- IP68 – Considering the price, Zenfone 8 is just among a few smartphones to offer fully certifies water resistance. Water? No worries.
- Notification LED – When was the last time you encountered a phone with notification LED? Well, Asus still retains it and puts in on the bottom edge beside the USB-C charging port.
- Headphone jack – Its just bonkers how Asus managed to put a headphone jack in such small body whereas on the other hand, brands with huge glass slabbed phones omit it. Long live the headphone jack!
Fun Fact: Zenfone 8 similarly sized in dimensions as the Google Pixel 5 which is 144 mm tall phone. This should give an idea about the size of Asus’ version of compact smartphone.
4. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3
The Z Flip series from Samsung is in a now way conventional and usual smartphone but sure is a compact smartphone if seen from various perspectives. The clam shell smartphone when closed is a quite small footprint which can be tossed in almost anywhere. This could be Samsung’s answer to the mini smartphones. Currently only Samsung and Motorola (Razr) have implemented these type of foldable phones which fold in a clam-shell just like the 90s feature phones but with beefier technology.
It will once again feature a flagship SoC such as Snapdragon 888 or Exynos 2100 with premium set of cameras.
5. Samsung Compact Phone (Rugged)
If not a conventional glass slab conventional phone, Samsung will soon announce a pretty compact phone in the form of a rugged phone. Galaxy XCover 5 is the phone we are talking about here.
The phone has been leaked completely along with HD renders and images thanks to courtesy of WinFuture where they have left no specifications to imagine and just the exact pricing is unkown.
It definitely is one of a few Samsung compact phone in recent times with a display 5.3″ but sadly only a 720p one. Being a rugged phone the display toughness is top-notch as it has Corning Gorilla Glass 6. Apart from that a thick plastic and rubber exterior will cover the device from the back and sides.
On the performance front, this Samsung compact phone has the newly launched Exynos 850 which Samsung has even used in the midrange Galaxy M12. So want much can one expect from a midrange SoC that too being a Exynos. But, this is a very very niche product and definitely an average consumer would never purchase this for day to day use. Rugged phones are made for people working in terrains and constructive sites where one might be exposed to water, dust and even fire. Rugged phones come into play in these specific situations as minimum harm is dealt due to its thick exterior which are resistant to impacts and drops and temperature resistance.
For those an average performing device is more then enough as long as it does basic tasks flawlessly such as calling, messaging and some scrolling through social media feed. The Galaxy XCover 5 Samsung compact phone can fit in most of the places making it a great Android mini smartphone.
6. Google Pixel 5 5G
The Google Pixel 5 may not be the powerful smartphone around but definitely has made its spot among the A-grade software experience. People should get Pixel phones for their sheer experience as it offers the best Android has to offer, straight from Google itself. At just 6 inches screen size, it’s also one of the smallest phones around. The dimensions are 144.7 x 70.4 x 8 mm which makes it even shorter then Asus Zenfone 8.
Despite having a not so high-end SoC i.e. Snapdragon 765G, the Google Pixel 5 performed extremely well in our review. Day-to-day usage was not impeded by any sort of lags or stutters. Another signature feature of Pixel is the cameras, which are among the cheapest best smartphone cameras you can find in the market. Though not the flagship phone with small screen as for calling it a ‘flagship’ it’s missing crucial aspect i.e a Snapdragon 800 series chipset. But well, this is the best Google has to offer this year. At €620 or $600 you’re getting the best software experience, reliable cameras and decent performance.
7. Google Pixel 4a
If you thought the Pixel 5 was a small phone than checkout its younger sibling – Google Pixel 4a which though measures same in height but has an even small display at 5.81″ inches. Speaking of display, it doesn’t have any bells and whistles such as high refresh rate or anything like that but rather just a simple OLED panel which is very well calibrated.
Since its the cheapest phone from Google, you’ll get a mid-tier Snapdragon 730G. The best part is that, the software is so well optimised that even the mid-range SoC performs extremely well day in and day out! Oh! also Google’s 3 years of major OS software update commitment applies to the Pixel 4a as well which is a bargain for that price.
Software is not only optimised but even the camera takes some flagship level pictures thanks to Google’s algorithms. So if anyone is looking forward to a phone which JUST works without any gimmicks, Pixel 4a is to go for.
8. Motorola Moto RAZR 5G
Another unconevtional compact smartphone in this list is the Motorola Moto RAZR 5G, which is second iteration of Moto’s iconic RAZR flip phone lineup. Heads up! this phone costs quiet a premium and also doesn’t offer the expected specifications for the price. So who even is the RAZR 5G even for?
- To stand out – With the Moto RAZR 5G in your hands and flip opening the phone can certainly make some heads turn. Also perfect for a Motorola fan!
- Compact nature – Definitely that’s the whole purpose of this phone i.e. when its closed it just fits in our palm easily than any other phone in the market (Galaxy Z Flip exception) which also makes carrying around in pocket a breeze.
9. Unihertz Jelly 2
The display size on this one is just mere 3″ which gives it the crown of “smallest smartphone of 2021”. The Unihertz Jelly 2 is stuffed with features such as NFC, a programmable key and even a Infrared sensor to control major appliances! These are not even offered by mid-range smartphones.
The processor running this nifty little smartphone is the Mediatek Helio P60 which is in no way a good performer these days. Brands have been done away with this chipset back in like 2016 – 2017. On the bright side, considering one probably would grab this mini phone for fun or as a primary phone, it can do basic tasks alright like phone calls, listening music and obviously not high end graphic intensive games.
You can grab this Unihertz Jelly in US from here.
Should you buy a Compact or Mini Smartphone after all?
This is a very subjective preference but from my personal perspective, I don’t think mini smartphones will make the cut in the future. These are just not feasible and do cost a ton thanks to next gen specification crammed into small bodies of the phones. The display size and battery indeed take a hit due to its small form factor. But since Apple has launched a completely new phone in iPhone 12 mini, though it might have been flopped, there definitely had been some big research into it.
On the other hand Samsung never indeed launch a ‘lite’ smartphone of its ‘Galaxy S’ lineup since the Galaxy S10e. This also shows a whole other part of the story
You can wait for more upcoming mini smartphones from Android brands which would most likely launch in second half of 2021. Expect phones from Xiaomi, Samsung and even OnePlus apart from the ones mentioned above.
