Where are the small phones?

Bruno from Florianópolis (SC) asked:

Ghedin, do you think small phones that can be used comfortably with one hand have become a niche thing? Have major companies dropped making small phones, and will phones only continue to grow in size or stabilize at current sizes?

Great question! It’s almost a meme that, week in and week out, someone asks in our (Portuguese-written) discussion board if there are any small phones being sold. On my end, a recent and unpleasant experience with a gigantic phone brought my attention back to this gap in the market.

***

Let’s say you want or need a new phone. As a reader of a tech blog like Manual do Usuário, you probably have your own laptop and/or a company-provided one, a scenario that diminishes the importance of your phone, which can be limited to… phone/mobile tasks, like messaging on the go, making calls, payments, calling an Uber, or guiding you with maps.

Watching movies? Reading a long-form article? Answering emails? Your laptop is right there, with its large screen and comfortable keyboard.

How about a small phone, the kind that fits in your pocket and can be used with just one hand without contortionism?

If that idea appeals to you, I’m sorry to inform you that small phones don’t exist in the Brazilian market and that, even abroad, the landscape is bleak.

***

I knew modern phones were large. Still, I was shocked by the size of the Galaxy A55, which I bought online without ever having held it (terrible mistake) in an attempt to see the mobile world from another angle, outside the Apple’s walled garden where I’ve been captive for a decade, currently stuck (and satisfied) with a third-generation iPhone SE.

The Galaxy A55 isn’t just big. It’s enormous! People talk about device dimensions by screen size, a measurement that doesn’t reflect the new reality in this world of screens that occupy the entire front surface of phones. That’s why I want to address this topic in two dimensions, height and width.

Starting with the comparison that’s most obvious to me, between the iPhone SE and the Galaxy A55:

Samsung’s phone is almost a tablet compared to the modest iPhone SE, which could be even smaller if not for its pronounced chin and forehead, explicit indications of a design almost as old as my relationship with Apple. (I’ve had three iPhones since 2015, all with the same body: iPhone 6S, iPhone 8, and this iPhone SE.)

My choice of the Galaxy A55 was driven by the same reasons that, I believe, guide most consumers who aren’t flush with cash. It’s a modern design with reasonable specifications, the promise of software updates for several years, and the endorsement of a major manufacturer.

On paper, it’s hard to find flaws on it. In practice, using the Galaxy A55 caused me physical pain. Its weight and size demand too much from my hands, already damaged by years of typing and dragging the mouse. Another problem was my pants pockets, some too short to accommodate the giant phone. Perhaps the clothing industry is in collusion with phone manufacturers?

In the end, I returned to my good old button-equipped iPhone. There comes a time when one must admit defeat.

***

If I could go back in time and prioritize handling comfort, what phone options would I have?

Few.

The website GSMArena has a phone finder with lots of filters, an excellent starting point in the search for the perfect phone, or something close to it.

Using the familiar iPhone SE (138.4×67.3 mm) as a baseline, I searched for devices released in the last two years with maximum dimensions of 140×70 mm.

The search returned five results from brands I’ve never heard of, like Ulefone and Doogee, and which aren’t selling in Brazil.

I didn’t expect a different result. So I decided to broaden the definition of “small” when it comes to phones.

“Phones released in the last two years with maximum dimensions of 150×75 mm.”

Now there are 12 results, four of which were launched in the domestic market: the Zenfone 10 from Asus, and the Galaxy S25 and its two predecessors. And all the standard iPhones since forever, which I omitted from the search because, after all, this is a search for alternatives to Apple.

A few years ago, Asus launched a successful marketing campaign positioning the Zenfone as a small phone. Which I always found puzzling, considering it was the same size as an iPhone and a regular Galaxy S, phones that aren’t considered “small” by… well, anyone?

What Asus’s marketing may not have known is that, in reality, few people want a small phone. It doesn’t seem that way because this group — which I’m part of — never misses a chance to lament the scarcity of small phones.

The Zenfone as the last bastion of “small” phones lasted three generations. With the Zenfone 11, Asus embraced giant phones and launched its own oversized device.

Before them, the all-mighty Apple listened to the complaints from people like me and released a mini version of the iPhone. It lasted two generations, and I believe the iPhone 13 mini only existed because these things are set well in advance, and when the iPhone 12 mini proved to be a commercial failure, it was too late to abort plans for its successor.

That said, anyone who wants a small phone today in Brazil needs two things: to make a generous concession to the size of what is a “small” phone and to have plenty of money, because only Apple and Samsung’s flagship phones remain in “small” sizes.

I couldn’t last two weeks with the Galaxy A55, even though I enjoyed revisiting Android on a personal phone after so many years. I returned to the iPhone SE, already eyeing a battery replacement (worn out after three years of use) and with extra care going forward to keep it working for as long as possible.