Cheap small Android phone

[penfold]

My wife needs a new phone because her battery is now unreliable. She doesn't need much, but I'm trying to look for something with 6GB ram and importantly not big. However, when I am looking it seems most phones are 6.5. They seem huge in comparison to the phone she has now which is less something like 5.8. How come phones are so big now you can't use them with 1 hand?

 

I'd be looking to spend around 200 if possible, but is there anything around that price which is not huge?

[LeMarchand]

You can get a refurbed Pixel 4 for around that price. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Google-Pixel-64GB-Black-Renewed-Just/dp/B0857JWKLB?th=1

 

The 6GB requirement means a newer phone and the trend is for larger screens as a lot of folk use their phone as a (if not the) major screen for media consumption.

 

There is always the Jelly:

 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unihertz-Smallest-Android-Unlocked-Smartphone-dunkelgr%C3%BCn/dp/B08WWQWGDN

[RLR]

I bought my son a Galaxy A21 and seems to work well for him. There's quite a lot of Samsung Galaxy budget phones: A21/A22/A31/A32/A41/A42.

[jthompson]

Have a look at Nokia. You can certainly hit that price point. Nearest hit for you would probably be the Nokia X10 (6GB, £200, but larger than you want).

 

They do do smaller ones, but they're probably too cheap, and unlikely to have anything near 6GB RAM.

 

Nokias all run Android One, IIRC, which is about as clean and unsullied as it gets on Android.

Edited June 23, 2022 by jthompson

[mavhc]

https://skinflint.co.uk/?cat=umtsover&xf=10063_12.0%7E148_Android%7E2392_6.0%7E2607_6144

[Dos_Box]

It may be worth hanging back a bit too, as the Amazon Prime sale begins on July 12th.

[penfold]

It seems that you are mostly confirming what I initially found. Either I pay more, or get a bigger phone.

[mavhc]

Faster phones require bigger batteries

[TechMonkey]

A12 is a 6.5 phone but well within your budget. It is our workhorse for work phones at the moment and seems to be well received.

[browolf]

this site is super handy for size comparisons : https://www.phonearena.com/phones/size

 

I would suggest Xiaomi mi 9 SE

Edited June 23, 2022 by browolf

[Disaster]

https://www.mi.com/uk

Xiaomi = a lot of bang for your buck

[mavhc]

How often do they get android patches/upgrades though?

 

I get Pixel phones because a) updates, and b) free Google Photo uploads

[penfold]

Kind of resurrecting this thread as I never got anything in the end. I'm now reviewing again what is needed and the size is a definite deal breaker. Initially my wife would not get anything over 6 in as she considers this too big. I managed to get her to look at a phone which was 6.1 which she said was not as bad as she thought - but it would certainly be the max. As a result we also ended up looking at apple as they seem to offer smaller phones. I have one for work and the size is much better for her. Obviously this comes at a cost, but considering we are now getting into winter and her phone dies when it is cold, we need a new one. We spoke someone in the phone shop who recommended an Iphone as this was what she had used for the last 7 years and it was a good size and lasted for years. She recommended waiting to see if any offers are on, but we are kind looking at a time window due to the issues with her phone. We narrowed it down to 2 possibilities of the Iphone SE 2022 or the Pixel 6a. Both are way more expensive than what I wanted to originally pay, but from what I have read, both should last (get updates) for many years. And honestly, I think I will have to put my hand in my pocket to get a phone which is a phone and not a small tablet.

 

The downside of Apple is that she has always used android, so there may be a learning curve. But anyone got any of these phones or could offer any feedback.

[browolf]

This site is handy for comparing sizes https://phonesized.com/compare/#1853,1975

[penfold]

Yeah, I did look at that. But even getting my wife to the shop to hold a 6.1 phone was a challenge. To be honest, I cant even argue with her as I agree that most phones are far too big.

[AlistairB1983]

Kind of resurrecting this thread as I never got anything in the end. I'm now reviewing again what is needed and the size is a definite deal breaker. Initially my wife would not get anything over 6 in as she considers this too big. I managed to get her to look at a phone which was 6.1 which she said was not as bad as she thought - but it would certainly be the max. As a result we also ended up looking at apple as they seem to offer smaller phones. I have one for work and the size is much better for her. Obviously this comes at a cost, but considering we are now getting into winter and her phone dies when it is cold, we need a new one. We spoke someone in the phone shop who recommended an Iphone as this was what she had used for the last 7 years and it was a good size and lasted for years. She recommended waiting to see if any offers are on, but we are kind looking at a time window due to the issues with her phone. We narrowed it down to 2 possibilities of the Iphone SE 2022 or the Pixel 6a. Both are way more expensive than what I wanted to originally pay, but from what I have read, both should last (get updates) for many years. And honestly, I think I will have to put my hand in my pocket to get a phone which is a phone and not a small tablet.

The downside of Apple is that she has always used android, so there may be a learning curve. But anyone got any of these phones or could offer any feedback.

Both my wife and I go through various models of SE whenever our contracts are up, as neither of us particularly like the 'ever increasing size' Apple decided to start doing way back at like 7 (or 8? I can't remember). Never had any issues with them whatsoever.

 

Apple phones seem to be, judging by the number of my elderly relatives who manage to use them without issue, fairly straight forward in terms of usage. So whilst there might be some learning curve coming from Android, from my experience, having had some exposure to smart phones will enable her to avoid the vast majority of the potential 'issues' a new Apple user could encounter.

[mavhc]

Sony Xperia 10 IV is 6"