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Every year, the list of handy smartphones gets smaller and smaller. Thankfully, there is a small group of cell phone brands that are still committed to the compact phone size. They include Apple, Samsung, Sony, Google, and Asus.
I have compiled for you the list of the top small smartphones of 2024. All of the phones in the list below are the latest premium flagship models of their respective brands, so you are getting the best build materials and quality, the best processors, and the best cameras you can find in smartphones this year.
- Asus Zenfone 10
- Sony Xperia 5 V
- Apple iPhone 15 Pro
- Apple iPhone 15
- Google Pixel 8
- Samsung Galaxy S24
- Which Of The Top Small Smartphones Is Your Choice?
Asus Zenfone 10
The Zenfone 10 is the “oldest” of the top small smartphones of 2024. It was released in June 2023, but it is still as up-to-date as can be. It has a 5.92″ Super AmOLED display with 144Hz refresh rate. Under the hood is a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset with up to 16GB RAM.
For photography, you will have to do without a telephoto lens. Like all the others, it has stereo speakers. The 4300 mAh battery has 30W charging, 15W wireless charging, and 5W reverse wired charging. Battery life is good, not exemplary.
Sony Xperia 5 V
The Xperia 5 V arrived in September 2023, sporting a 6.1″ OLED screen and 120Hz refresh rate. Under the hood is a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset with 8GB RAM.
Its camera configuration lacks a telephoto lens, but it has stereo speakers, a 5000 mAh battery, 30W charging, wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging. The battery life is superb, if that’s a top factor for you.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro
Apple iPhone 15 Pro is one of the top small smartphones you can buy in 2024
Apple’s iPhone 15 range was released in September 2023. The 15 Pro sports a 6.1″ Super Retina display with 120Hz refresh rate. Keeping things running smoothly is an Apple A17 Pro chipset.
The iPhone 15 Pro has a comprehensive camera setup that includes a telephoto lens that offers 3x optical zoom. The battery is 3274 mAh in capacity, and there is Apple’s creepy-crawly Power Delivery 2.0 charging, 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wired charging. Battery life is not close to being very good.
Apple iPhone 15
Also released in September 2023, the non-Pro model sports the same 6.1″ screen size but no higher refresh rate. That means you are stuck with 60Hz. Also, the processor is downgraded to an Apple A16 Bionic chip. You also will have to do without a telephoto lens; sorry.
At the battery end, you get 3349 mAh capacity with Power Delivery 2.0 charging, 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reversed wired charging. Don’t expect superb battery life here either.
Google Pixel 8
The Pixel 8 was released in October 2023 and comes to the fight with a 6.2″ OLED screen and 120Hz refresh rate. The chipset is a Google Tensor G3.
Unfortunately, it lacks a telephoto camera in the photography department. Other features include stereo speakers and 27W charging for the 4575 mAh battery. There is 18W wireless charging and reverse wireless charging as well. As things go, its battery life is about the worst on the top small smartphones list.
Samsung Galaxy S24
Released in January 2024, the Galaxy S24 is the newest device on this list and has a 6.2″ Super AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate. It is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in the USA, Canada, and China, and by the Exynos 2400 everywhere else.
You also get stereo speakers, a telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, a 4000 mAh battery, and Samsung’s creepy-crawly 25W charging. There is 15W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging included. The battery life isn’t anything fantastic.
Which Of The Top Small Smartphones Is Your Choice?
If you want superb battery life among the top small smartphones of 2024, go for the Xperia 5 V.
If you must have a telephoto lens camera, the iPhone 15 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S24 are the two top small smartphones you want to consider.
Author:Mister Mobility
Digital Skills and Communication Coach | Mobile Phone Connoisseur since 2001 | Tech Blogging since 2004
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There are not a lot of cell phones that live up to their name. The Boring Phone does. This is a phone designed to bore you to death. I’m serious, and that is not a bad thing. In today’s world of always-connected smartphones with apps running in the backgrounds and incessant notifications, the Boring Phone steps up with none of that.
There are no apps to install, no social media, no notifications popping up or chiming to break the silence, and no large display to get addicted to. The Boring Phone is so well designed that it is totally boring. This is the cell phone to have if you want a digital detox, if you want to get away from the madness of modern digital media.
Beer brand, Heineken, teamed up with a streetwear brand, Bodega, and commissioned HMD Global to produce 5,000 units of a phone that offers nothing but the basics. Just telephone calls, text messaging, and games built in. And it was aptly named Boring Phone. Left to me, this would be the Nothing Phone, but someone beat them to that name already, so we will take this equally appropriate name.
Pretty much, this is a cell phone from the early 2000s before smartphones went mainstream. HMD Global has built it on the design of the Nokia 2660 Flip but with a transparent shell that lets you see the green motherboard on the inside. The T9 keyboard is also green. And the default theme of the phone’s user interface is….drumroll…green.
Its specs and features include dual SIM 3G/4G mobile network connectivity, a 1.77″ cover screen that gives way to a larger 2.8” QVGA (240 x 320px) main screen when you flip the phone open, a 0.3MP rear camera with LED flash (sorry, no selfie camera here), FM radio, a 3.5mm headphone jack, 128MB internal storage, microSD card slot, and a removable 1,450mAh. Oh, and it also has the popular old-school game of Snake pre-installed, so you have something to while the time away with when waiting for the bus. Yes, the Boring Phone is a retro Nokia phone brought back to life. There is no doubt about it.
I remember typing with T9 on similar alphanumeric keypad back in the early 2000s. Even then, it wasn’t fun, which was why I much preferred phones with a QWERTY keyboard or a touchscreen. In 2024, I doff my hat to anyone who ventures over to the T9 side. But then, isn’t that the whole point of the phone – to keep you from spending time on your cell phone. Right.
Which is what is happening among swathes of youngsters and older citizens in the USA, Canada and son other markets, dropping their smartphones for retro flip phones that allow them to live distraction-free lives. Some actually say that they hate smartphones. I can see their point. Modern smartphones are possessive demons. I shared about some of the old flip phones that I used back in the day.
Also interesting is the fact that it isn’t available for sale. Heineken and Bodega are giving away all 5,000 units away for free. Apparently, digital salvation, is as free as it gets.
At this point, if you are the average techie, your nerd head is grinding in its usual gear and you are wondering what processor and what software powers the Boring Phone. Which means you don’t get it. Nobody cares! At least, nobody that this retro flip phone is targeted at. They just want a phone for making calls and for sending and receiving SMS, among other basic things. This phone isn’t for you.
To be honest, the first time I read the specs, I yawned and closed the page. It is that boring and uninteresting. If you want to stay in the matrix of modern digital life, the Boring Phone is definitely not your cup of tea. And to be honest, it isn’t mine either.
Author:Mister Mobility
Digital Skills and Communication Coach | Mobile Phone Connoisseur since 2001 | Tech Blogging since 2004
