Question Tired of phablets - where and how to find a small(est) Android phone?

[Anders A]

Trying to make this as short as possible and get to the point:

I am currently using this Samsung "phablet" --> https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a53_5g-11268.php

...but have grown increasingly sick and tired of the monster-sized screen after using it for the last 2-3 years. Its bulky appearance, the giant 6.2 inch screen, the pain in the a** when having to store it in the pockets of one's trousers or jacket, the incredibly difficult handling with only one hand when on the move, usually biking etc. etc. etc.

I can't anymore. I just can't.

At around the same time, that I bought this monster of a phone, I was working on some app development and the company, that I did this for, had an older model of the following iPhone for this purpose which was this one --> https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_5s-pictures-5685.php

While I despise the brand to oblivion and while the fonts, images etc. were all tinier on the screen, I just cannot forget how nimble it was, holding this phone in my hands, working with it while only using one hand without any issues, the way its size felt natural and nice to work with it and so on and so forth. As such, I am desperate for and hellbent on finding an Android phone of either this size or at least to get as close to it as possible.

Now i recently watched this YouTube video -->

...and something like the Zenfone 10 which is presented in the start of the video looks quite appealing but it still sports a - for my taste - gigantic display of 5.92 inches. What I am looking for is a decisively smaller phone screen of preferably 4-5 inch maximum.

I know this might sound wild in 2025 but since I am unsure as to whether or not this is possible at all and assume that the good folks in this forum know much more about this topic than I do, I am hereby turning to you with my question. Although I've been a "Samsung fanboy" for more than a decade now, I am ready to go with any other brand, just as long as it has the required screen size I am looking for.

The phone I got right now I am mainly using with my Bose Bluetooth earbuds, casting to my Google Chromecast 2 which is connected to an older flat screen TV, running apps such as Google's own ecosystem (such as Maps, Youtube, Gmail, Drive etc.) and connecting to my iRobot vacuum cleaner etc. At the same time, I still hope for and am in need of a somewhat decent camera/resolution and a smooth user experience when stressing the phone with graphics, multithreaded operations or apps working in synchronicity, to have access to 5G/6G networks if possible and of course, running on Android OS. I also am aware of that many newer phones that sport all of the aforementioned requirements do so because they are designed with more antennas than the old phones, sporting other, more modern hardware that has to fit into the phone casing etc. - hence their growing and bulky sizes today.

So I do know that this might end up in being "nice to have vs. need to have" in certain aspects. However, I do hope that you someone in the forum will be able to pleasantly surprise me and help me out with finding a smaller phone when it's time to replace the current phablet.

Looking forward to all input, no matter small or big.

Thanks in advance.

 

[B. Diddy]

Most of these mini-phones will be from off-brand Chinese manufacturers (like Soyes). As such, they will come with out-of-date Android versions that won't ever get an update. Customer support will also be nonexistent.

Probably the best bet would be Unihertz, which is marginally better than an off-brand manufacturer -- their Jelly line is fairly decent: https://www.unihertz.com/collections/jelly-series. The Aussie YouTuber SMOOREZ did an in-depth review in 2023 of the Jelly Star -- he quite liked it:

Another form factor to consider would be the foldables that open and close vertically, like the Galaxy Z Flip line or the Moto RAZR -- the full screen will still be big for you, but at least it can fold into a much more compact form to put in your pocket.

 

[Anders A]

@B. Diddy

Hey and thanks for the swift and great reply and the link to the youtube video.

That was very interesting and informative.

I got to admit that I skipped a bit around in that video as it was over an hour long, but I watched the most relevant and important parts of it and I got to say, that that phone piqued my interest right away.

However, this version of the Unihertz Jelly Star has a couple of drawbacks that I'd like to avoid and realized right away.

Those are...

1. 5G is missing which is a deal breaker

2. The screen is kind of the direct opposite of my present phablet. Whereas my present Samsung is simply gigantic, this particular Unihertz Jelly Star has got a (too) tiny 3 inch screen

3. I noticed on their website that the manufacturer is from mainland China and as such, I am worried about security and absolute autonomy over the phone (eg could it be locked down in case there is some crazy situation again between China and the US as there was back in 2017/2020 when Google Play was shut down for Chinese manufactured phones or maybe the opposite case - say if the Chinese government would somehow want to harass users in the West? Also the risk of secret data collection and surveillance comes to mind. Do you know how or if the company guarantees digital security and safety? Are there any videos that can support the fact, that there aren't any data breaches involved when using this type of phone?

As I realized the above topics, I saw a related youtube video suggestion which was this one -->

...comparing the Jelly Star vs the Palm Phone and I have got to say, I instantly liked the Palm Phone much better due to its resemblance to the iPhone 5S that I mentioned initially as my reference phone. The casing and feel as well as the screen size was much closer to that one to be honest.

However, in the video the Palm Phone loses the contest between the phones as its performance, speed, hardware etc. seem quite worse than the Unihertz Jelly Star.

So i stumbled upon yet another suggestion under that video which was this one, the Unihertz Jelly Max -->

...and I got to say, that this one - so far at least - takes the cake as it eliminates both of my first two issues mentioned above. It sports 5G and at the same time it has a - surprise, surprise - 5 inch screen just like the iPhony 5S I referenced.

So this actually looks the most decent at the moment and the only issues I got with this phone is still topic #3 as well as that I could wish for a casing that either mimics the iPhone 5S or at least comes close to the Palm Phone's. I know that beggars can't be choosers, but I'd really like a phone like that - just not that thick if avoidable (but that's just a mere wish and hope from my side, I'd like to stress here).

Could you shed light on those two issues? Also, I am wondering if this phone will get continuous Android updates from the company when available and applicable.

A last question remains about the quality of the screen/camera recordings/photos. In the first video, the guy has a one year old prototype and illustrates a blueish tint on the screen which he "hopes will be fixed on the later production versions. I don't know if that's still a thing and issue with these phones or if that's gotten fixed already. But if so, could you also here shed some light on this topic?

Thanks in advance.

PS. Adding the direct link to the Unihertz Jelly Max 5G for clarity: https://www.unihertz.com/products/j...Zi_xDnUObfV3aYGKTVcakk&variant=45689235996911

 

[B. Diddy]

@Anders A , it's hard to comment on geopolitical and security concerns, but if I had to guess, I'd say that those concerns are probably somewhat less with Unihertz compared with larger Chinese manufacturers like Huawei (which have a more recognized connection with the Chinese government). According to Wikipedia, Unihertz has its own standalone manufacturing facility, and is not owned by any of the huge manufacturing conglomerates, so they're probably not beholden to any larger overarching directives from powers that be. In addition, their phone development tends to be tied in with Kickstarter, so they're depending more on crowdfunding rather than government subsidization.

As for updates, I wouldn't expect a lot. Updates require a team of engineers who can regularly review the code that Google puts out, and then tweak it and test it to make sure it works correctly on the hardware. That takes humanpower and money, and a small outfit like this probably doesn't have a ton of either.

 

[Anders A]

@Anders A , it's hard to comment on geopolitical and security concerns, but if I had to guess, I'd say that those concerns are probably somewhat less with Unihertz compared with larger Chinese manufacturers like Huawei (which have a more recognized connection with the Chinese government). According to Wikipedia, Unihertz has its own standalone manufacturing facility, and is not owned by any of the huge manufacturing conglomerates, so they're probably not beholden to any larger overarching directives from powers that be. In addition, their phone development tends to be tied in with Kickstarter, so they're depending more on crowdfunding rather than government subsidization.

That's a positive, considering all the options out there. I might just have to settle with that since there aren't many other options as far as I know. Thanks for enlightening me on this topic though.

As for updates, I wouldn't expect a lot. Updates require a team of engineers who can regularly review the code that Google puts out, and then tweak it and test it to make sure it works correctly on the hardware. That takes humanpower and money, and a small outfit like this probably doesn't have a ton of either.

Also here, I might just have to live with the missing updates for the OS etc. However, I recall seeing some video on YouTube at the same time, I was researching the Unihertz Jelly Max addressing this issue. There was an American guy, who actually looked at the missing update cycle from Unihertz and after having posted a video with the issue and a request for answer from the company about a year ago, in the new video, he demonstrates that Unihertz now actually does push out updates for security and compatibility, but not yet for the OS itself (as far as I recall). But that might indicate a willingness and shifting strategy from the company's side which looks encouraging. So who knows, they might just start updating the OS as well in the near future.


I didn't really get any answer on the following though...

A last question remains about the quality of the screen/camera recordings/photos. In the first video, the guy has a one year old prototype and illustrates a blueish tint on the screen which he "hopes will be fixed on the later production versions. I don't know if that's still a thing and issue with these phones or if that's gotten fixed already. But if so, could you also here shed some light on this topic?

Could you still shed some light on the quality of the photo/video of the Unihertz Jelly Max and if the shortcomings with the blueish tint on the screen still persists or have been resolved by now?

Looking forward to your reply.

Thanks again.

 

[B. Diddy]

That's good to hear about the updates -- it sounds like they're referring to security patches (as opposed to actual OS version upgrades), which is better than nothing.

I'm afraid I know nothing about the camera and display quality. Probably the best approach is to check consumer reviews for the phone. Good luck!

 

[Anders A]

That's good to hear about the updates -- it sounds like they're referring to security patches (as opposed to actual OS version upgrades), which is better than nothing.

I'm afraid I know nothing about the camera and display quality. Probably the best approach is to check consumer reviews for the phone. Good luck!

Ah, bummer. I hoped, that you or someone in the forum, who was better informed or owned one of these sweet devices, was able to shed some light on that camera/display issue.

I'll have a look around though.

Thanks for the help and getting back on the above.