Best mini phones with short reviews

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact

This 4.6-inch beast may be much dinkier than its big brother, the Xperia Z5, but it still packs the same highly versatile 23-megapixel camera, water resistant design and capable Snapdragon 810 processor. The no-compromise specs and colourful, fun aesthetics make the Xperia Z5 Compact our pick for best mini mobile, although it comes with a hefty price tag.

Apple iPhone 6s

The iPhone may have grown in size in the past year, but the iPhone 6s still packs a relatively demure 4.7-inch display. The slim and light design makes it easy enough to slip into even super-tight shorts, but the iPhone 6s is blessed with premium specs as you’d expect, including a sharp Retina screen that supports Apple’s 3D Touch technology and a very good 12-megapixel snapper.

Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016)

Samsung's new Galaxy A3 is basically a Samsung Galaxy S6 Mini by another name. This 4.7-incher is an updated version of last year's original A3 and it's a serious improvement of an already-awesome mini phone. Not only does the new A3 borrow the slick glass-and-metal design of the S6, but it actually improves Samsung's 2015 flagship in a few areas, including the excellent battery life.

You also get a very strong 13-megapixel camera and 720p HD visuals, all for a shade over £200, making this one of the best and most affordable mini Androids of 2016.

LG Spirit

If the Xperia Z5 and iPhone 6s are out of your price league, check out this affordable mini mobile instead. The 4.7-inch LG Spirit has some pretty unique features for a budget blower, including comfortable rear-mounted controls and Knock Code security. Movie fans will be satisfied by the sharp screen resolution and the 8-megapixel camera is decent for the price, with a pleasingly simple app to shoot your everyday life.

Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015)

Samsung's original mid-range mini phone from 2015 looks and feels impressively premium and offers a strong feature set, excellent battery life and a slick all-round user experience. Of course, you should only pick it up if you find it super-cheap (around £100 should do it) as there's a new 2016 A3 model out now.

Read our full Galaxy A3 (2015) review

Motorola Moto E (2015)

This updated version of Motorola’s surprisingly cheap mini mobile boasts loads of great features for around £100, including 4G support, customisable cases and a clean Android Lollipop interface. The camera is very basic, but otherwise the Moto E is a very strong all-round compact smartphone.

Microsoft Lumia 435

Microsoft’s chunky Lumia 435 is a steal at just £40. With its dinky 4-inch screen, this is the smallest mini mobile in this round-up and yet the compact, lightweight frame packs in plenty of appealing features including dual cameras, two day battery life and the Cortana voice assistant.