The compact smartphones, those that measure a maximum of 5 inches, with the passage of time are gradually disappearing from digital and “physical” stores. This shrinking market niche, therefore, offers an increasingly less wide choice than in the past. Yet, for many users, compactness still remains an essential feature, even in spite of the performance offered by the best smartphones.
In fact, when a device of this type becomes obsolete (and therefore it can be used alternatively) finding a replacement device can be difficult.
In this buying guide, we will try to focus precisely on a 5-inch smartphone, trying to identify the models that, despite market trends, still make compactness their strong point and who are able to offer excellent performance, valid autonomy and modern and up-to-date cameras.
Compact smartphones? When small, it is better.
Over the years, smartphones have evolved into devices in the round. To date, in fact, the best-selling smartphones focus on large displays and, in this perspective, sometimes you also opt for folding devices.
If up to a few years having a pocket device was therefore advantageous, today, a too-small screen prevents you from making the most of the enormous potential offered by iOS is Android. If once there were also models of 4-inch ultra-compact smartphones, to date they are practically impossible to find on the market.
Fortunately, despite everything, as we will see, there are still 5-inch models that still resist the trends of the market. In this article, we are going to offer you what are, currently, the best solutions for the compact smartphone market.
Samsung Galaxy A3
Anyone who thinks that sub-brand smartphones or the like may be present in this category must immediately change their mind. Samsung Galaxy A3 in fact, it worthily represents the category thanks to its 4.7 “. Despite the size, the screen is well made being Super AMOLED in 16: 9.
From a technical point of view, it presents a 1.6GHz octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM is 256 GB of internal memory. The operating system is Android 6, combined with a right level of connectivity thanks to WiFi, Bluetooth technology, the NFC sensor GPS. The primary camera has a sensor from 13 MP (f / 1.9) with autofocus and flash LED. The secondary camera, on the other hand, mounts an optical sensor from 8MP (F / 1.9).
Samsung Galaxy A3 will not be a monstrous model in terms of performance, but it is still one of the most valid and comfortable compact smartphones in terms of size/quality ratio.
Motorola Moto E4
Finding low-cost, compact smartphones (i.e. under a hundred euros) is increasingly difficult, mainly if you focus on a minimum of quality. It is outside this discourse Moto E4, device proposed by Motorola able to combine reduced size and cost with overall acceptable quality.
Equipped with a metal body, this smartphone provides a 5-inch 2.5D curved display with resolution HD. On the price range so far, it is almost impossible to find a better screen: technology IPS boasts a brightness to envy the higher-end and more modern devices. Viewing angles and image quality are other points in favour of the Motorola product.
The processor is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 quad-core 1.7GHz with 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal memory and the fingerprint sensor. Excellent connectivity (4G LTE, BT4.1 LE, WiFi 802.11 a / b / g / n, GPS, micro USB, 3.5mm jack) and the photographic sector with a 5MP front camera and the rear one from 8MP.
Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact
The alternative always characterized by somewhat unusual dimensions is the Sony Xperia XZ2. It is a model from 5 ‘, however, equipped with an appreciable FullHD HDR screen in 18: 9) and decidedly minimal design.
Handy, perfect to be carried anywhere, the XZ2 Compact can be used with 4 GB of RAM, an internal memory from 64 GB (expandable), a Snapdragon 845 processor, a camera from 19 MP (with HDR and Motion Eye 3D Creator). As for the operating system, we speak of Android 8 Hours.
Among the positive features of this device, we also find the presence of an excellent audio sector, thanks to the stereo speakers equipped with technology S-Force Front Surround.
iPhone SE
In a selection of the best compact smartphones, the Apple-branded alternative could not be missing.
iPhone SE in fact, it is proposed to users with a display 4.7 “HD Retina. It is available with variable internal memory cuts, 64 GB, 128 GB is 256 GB. The processor consists of a Chip A13 Bionic with third-generation Neural Engine.
As for the cameras, it is good to report the main one with 12 MP (complete with Portrait mode, Depth Control, Smart HDR and 4K video recording) and a front from 7 MP. There are also other typical features of Apple products, such as the system Touch ID and support for Apple Pay.
Alternatively, you can also opt for a more dated one iPhone 8, with processor A11 6 core Bionic, Supported by 2 GB of RAM and from an internal memory from 256 GB. It too, in fact, measures 4.7 “.
Huawei P8 Lite
So let’s close this list with Huawei P8 Lite, a smartphone from 5 ‘ with a display LCD equipped with a resolution from 1280 × 720 Pixels. The processor is a HiSilicon Kirin 620 to 64bit octa-core 1.2GHz.
The CPU is worthily attached to one Mali 450 MP4 GPU, from 16 GB internal memory (expandable up to 128 GB) e 2 GB of RAM. The front camera is from 5 MP, while the main one is from 13 MP with LED flash and digital stabilization. Connectivity provides for NFC sensor, Bluetooth 4, GPS A-GPS / GLONASS and WiFi 802.11 b / g / n. the battery is from 220 mAh, and the operating system is Android 5.0.2.