[Closed] Where are all the compact phones? Can you find me one?

Refurbed iphone 12 mini?

Fail on the SD card slot but do you really need one?

Welcome to the 2020's. Phones are huge here. Invest in trousers with bigger pockets.

Maybe in a few years it'll start going back the other way, but no sign of it yet.

Iphone 12 or 13 XS? The former could probably be had under budget, the latter a bit over

I had this dilemma, not wanting a massive phone and having been a fan of compact Xperias (Xperii?) for years and years. When my last one was dying I tried to find something similar, but couldn't.

In the end I kind of caved and bought a second hand Pixel 3a from eBay. It's absolutely great, and I noticed the fact that it was bigger for about, ooh, thirty seconds...

So, I suppose what I'm saying is you maybe don't need the 'compact' element as much as you think you do. I certainly didn't/don't.

Xperia Compact is quite a thick phone, bigger + thinner might not feel as big in pocket as you think.

In the end I kind of caved and bought a second hand Pixel 3a from eBay. It’s absolutely great, and I noticed the fact that it was bigger for about, ooh, thirty seconds…

That's a pretty small phone by today's standards, though.

That’s a pretty small phone by today’s standards, though.

Yeah, true. Plenty of second hand bargains on older, 'smaller' (without being fully 'compact') to be had though.

Pixel 4a was the smallest half decent Android I could find. Still bigger than I'd like but there weren't really any other options. Decent case is a must as I drop it often as can't hold and type with one hand very easily

One of those clamshell bendy glass ones would be your best bet, but they're ridiculously pricey.

As above - Pixel is a decent size. Only alternatives I've seen are iPhone SE size and they just seem too small these days

ah, no SD card slot in either of those

One of those clamshell bendy glass ones would be your best bet, but they’re ridiculously pricey.

I can't wait for these to start coming down in price.

Samsung Z-Fold ? Very pricy though.

iphone 12 mini?

I looked at the Mini, then chose the full sized version. But the Mini is actually bigger than many of my older 'phones, certainly for screen size. Larger and larger 'phones have crept up on us to the point where the current 5"+ screens are 'normal'. But for me, having that larger screen is much better for what I want to do with my 'phone; such as maps and viewing images. Just more info on screen, and less scrolling around.

You can still buy basic small 'phones if you want, but something like an iPhone Mini will give you dust and water resistance, and a decent camera. If you want such features, you'll have to pay.

I have the iPhone 12 mini having gotten fed up with the size of my -n present terms not even that big iPhone XS. Much prefer it. Hardly notice the smaller screen.

Agreed, OP. An Xperia Z3 compact that runs a current version of Android would be ideal for my use. I tried buying refurbs but the last one was locked to KitKat and no upgrade was possible - it may not have been genuine Sony.

Sony XZ2 Compact was the latest I think. Good phone, but not £500.

Wait, are you REALLY willing to spend £500 on a mobile phone?

Have a lost the plot? That is a fortune!

Don't tell them about the £1000+ 'phones that are out there now...

Refurbed iphone 12 mini?

Fail on the SD card slot but do you really need one?

Yes. Shit load of photos and video on my phone.

And not a fan of apple. Won't buy their products.

Needn't be 500 notes,... Have never paid that much before, but unfortunately that seems to be the norm these days.

Welcome to the 2020’s.

Welcome to the 2010s. It's been this way for years now and it irritates the carp out of me.

i had to get a big phone - the size its shit and pointless. the video doesnt fit on the screen so you could chop an inch off the length and it would still be fine. totally pointless being hte size it is - Moto g9.

i`d happily pay for a smaller version now and give the kids the big phablet to play minecraft on.

and its so big i cant fit it in half my pockets or the pocket in my bike bag - hence its been dropped/fallen out of pockets alot. i`ve never really dropped phones before.

Small phones...Had a Sony - unreliable p.o.s... with useless warranty.
Now using Cubot kingkong mini mk2 for everything, but mainly maps, routing, strava etc. reliable & cheap. The mk2 has a noticeably bigger battery.

Recently bought a refurb pixel 2 for less than £70 in mint condition - compact, cheap and fast and if I drop it i'll not lose sleep

sorry no sd slot

I've just given in and taken delivery if a Pixel 6. Yes, it's mahoosive compared to my Xperia XZ2 Compact (which might now be for sale ..)

Pixel 5 should fit most of the OPs requirements. Also I don't understand the need to have that many photos stored locally on the phone. Just use Google photos and set it to sync on WiFi. I have photos back to 2011 on my account and do t notice anything slowing as I rarely look back at them on the phone. Uses very little data when out as it only downloads enough to display on your phone unless you manually download.

I have the same issue...I don't want a huge brick, but it does have to be dust and waterproof...shockproof also very useful.

A larger phone tends to have a larger battery so it should last longer, but it has a larger screen which drains more power. Larger screen great for watching videos on but I don't do a lot of that on my phone.

From what I can tell, the new Nokia XR20 might almost fit the bill - a large-ish battery, weatherproof, but I'm not sure if it has a card slot or not...it isn't small, but I don't think it is on the larger side either.

Yeah I have small hands so really struggle to hold modern phones and I generally can't do anything one handed, whereas 10 years ago I could. And women's clothes don't have pockets but that's a separate issue.

My old Samsung A3 started dying so I got a Pixel 4a, it's only 4mm wider than the Xperia Compact but quite a bit taller, so you may or may not notice the difference. No SD card slot but comes with 128 GB internal memory. But it also doesn't claim to be waterproof so it depends just how exposed it will be, and whether a casing will suffice for most weather conditions unless you tend to drop phones into standing water often. I'm very happy with the cameras.

Larger and larger ‘phones have crept up on us to the point where the current 5″+ screens are ‘normal’

5" is small! It's hard to find anything under 6.5" these days...

I had the same dilemma and ended up with a Samsung S21, it's 6.2" which is noticeably smaller than the 6.7" Samsung A70 it replaced. Better camera (if a bit over-enthusiastic on the HDR front), waterproof, and the smallest decent phone I could find without having to get an iPhone.

Had same issues end of last year. Bought a Samsung s10e as it meet all the size stuff and water resistance.
I like it and it runs fine.

Not so fussed if the phone is thicker in order to make it smaller in other dimensions.

Work in a workshop. Pockets are full of dust for most of the week.

I use the phone on the gravel bike for navigation. Being waterproof and dust proof is a must.

I don't watch movies nor play games on my phone so display size isn't a major factor.

Find the Xperia cameras have always been pretty good so would like something similar.

As above in I had same dilemma earlier this year. Bought an open box never used Samsung s10e.

Sounds like you need a "dumb" phone for workshop duties and a separate one for bike etc. Doesn't need to cost the earth even with 2 sim cards. A smarty card in the dumb phone @£5 per month unlimited (no data) plus whatever data SIM in the other phone unless you can get away with WiFi and do everything offline.

Adding to my suggestion above, the Nokia 800 tough looks to fit the bill.
WhatsApp, WiFi, hotspot, 4g, Google assistant, blah blah blah. Probably won't run stava etc but like I said. A cheap ish waterproof smartphone with no SIM should fill that void.

Yeah I have small hands so really struggle to hold modern phones and I generally can’t do anything one handed, whereas 10 years ago I could. And women’s clothes don’t have pockets but that’s a separate issue.

This is where motorolas excell. I also have tiny hands, you can set it up to reduce to a smaller image on the lower left or right for one handed.

As above in I had same dilemma earlier this year. Bought an open box never used Samsung s10e.

+1

I bought a "ulefone" armour x7 from Amazon a year or so ago, and it's been great.  Waterproof, drop proof, dust proof, good battery life, minimal (none) bloatware, about £100. Now replaced with the x8, the also do non rugged versions too.  Would recommend and buy another if I needed to.

I think it's a 5"screen, and it is a bit if a brick in terms of size/weight, but by the time you add a protective cover to a standard phone it's about the same size.  It is bigger than the work iPhone SE I had a while back, but smaller than the galaxy A40 I now have.

Have a browse on Amazon, see what's out there other than the main makes.

Cheers

Keith

S10e is great and meets that criteria. Mine is languishing at the bottom of Sheildaig bay however...

Back on my old XZ1 compact - it works well, but just isn't as quick, or good photos, or as nice to hold as the S10e.

+1 for Ulephone for the reasons above. Faultless.

Motorola do a robust phone, it's called the 'Defy'

https://www.tgomagazine.co.uk/review/motorola-defy-rugged-smartphone-first-look/