Ranking: Best compact smartphones reviewed by Notebookcheck

The Samsung Galaxy S25 is a compact flagship smartphone with a screen size of 6.2 inches. It is equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, which promises a significant increase in performance compared to the previous model. The device offers 12 GB of RAM and is available in storage variants of 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB.

The AMOLED display supports an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120 Hz and offers a Full HD+ resolution. The camera equipment includes a main camera with optical image stabilization, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera and a telephoto lens with triple optical zoom.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 is positioned as a powerful flagship smartphone with modern AI functions and is even more compact than its predecessor.

The 4,000 mAh battery supports wired charging with 25 watts as well as wireless charging via Fast Wireless Charging 2.0. The device is IP68 certified, which offers protection against water and dust. Despite its high-quality features, the Galaxy S25 remains light and compact with a weight of 162 grams. The Galaxy S25 also offers advanced AI functions, including the Google Gemini Assistant.

The Xiaomi 15 is a compact flagship smartphone with a 6.36-inch display that offers top performance despite its compact size. It uses the new Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC from Qualcomm. The LTPO OLED display of the Xiaomi 15 is characterized by exceptional brightness. In HDR mode, peak values of over 3,500 cd/m² are achieved.

The Xiaomi 15 sets new standards in terms of performance and battery life in the compact flagship smartphone category.

Another highlight is the battery life. Thanks to a large battery with a silicon-carbon anode, which enables a higher energy density, the Xiaomi 15 lasts almost 23 hours of simulated web surfing. That's over four hours more than its predecessor. The triple camera with three 50 MPix sensors has been slightly adapted: The optical zoom of the telephoto lens is now 2.6x instead of 3.2x as in last year's model, which slightly reduces the flexibility of the Leica camera system.

The Xiaomi 15 is currently only available as an import, for example from TradingShenzhen, but should soon be available globally.

The Apple iPhone 16 is surprisingly ahead of the Pro model in the overall rating, which is mainly due to its lower weight. It offers a fast SoC and a bright display, but has to make do with a meagre 60 Hz refresh rate.

The iPhone 16 is a great smartphone if the meagre 60 Hz refresh rate is not a knock-out criterion.

Although the dual camera has to make do without optical zoom, at least the 2x magnification works almost loss-free in everyday use thanks to the sensor crop. The limitations of the Pro models also apply here, and only USB 2.0 is on board, which is a bit meagre considering the price range.

The Apple iPhone 16 Pro is powered by the Apple A18 Pro, which provides plenty of computing, AI and gaming power. The display is not only very bright, but also boasts accurate color reproduction. Thanks to LTPO technology, the refresh rate is dynamically adjusted up to 120 Hz.

The iPhone 16 Pro series offers a powerful overall package with only a few shortcomings.

The triple camera offers good to very good image quality with all lenses. In particular, the videography should be emphasized here again, which now also supports recordings in Ultra HD with up to 120 frames per second as well as Dolby Vision and is currently unsurpassed in its versatility.

The only points of criticism are the lack of support for 320 MHz Wi-Fi and the absence of high-res audio codecs for Bluetooth.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 presents itself as a high-quality foldable that has been improved in several ways. Thanks to Gorilla Glass Victus 2, a stable folding mechanism and IP48 certification, the casing is robust and has a high-quality finish. With a 6.9-inch main OLED that is very bright and high-contrast, as well as an enlarged 4.1-inch external display, the device offers an appealing picture quality and extended usage options.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 is a high-quality flip smartphone with long updates and good battery life, but loses some of its appeal due to limited outdoor display functions, slow charging and weaker performance.

Nevertheless, the front panel remains limited in its functionality and cannot fully replace the internal display. The long update guarantee of seven years, the current software base with Android 16 and One UI 8 and the increased battery capacity of around 4,300 mAh compared to its predecessor, which provides a solid battery life, are positive points. However, there is criticism of the charging speed, which remains relatively slow both wired and wirelessly, as well as the performance: in Europe, the smartphone is delivered with the Exynos 2500, which lags behind the Snapdragon version and is noticeably throttled under load.

If you are interested in the cheaper entry-level model with the Galaxy Z Flip FE, you should also take a look at the Flip6 from the previous year, as the two devices are almost identical.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro is a compact flagship smartphone with a 6.3-inch LTPO OLED display that achieves an impressive brightness of up to 3,000 cd/m² in HDR mode. Powered by the Google Tensor G4 SoC and equipped with 16 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of UFS 3.1 storage, it offers solid performance, although it lags behind some of its competitors in benchmarks.

The Pixel 9 Pro scores points with its bright display, versatile camera and long update guarantee, while there are slight compromises in terms of charging speed and performance.

The triple camera includes a 50-megapixel main camera, a 48-megapixel telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom and a 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, which together deliver excellent image quality in various shooting situations. The 4,700 mAhbattery enables a runtime of almost 17 hours when surfing the web, although wired charging is comparatively slow at up to 27 watts. On a positive note, Google has promised to provide the device with software and security updates for a period of seven years.

The Google Pixel 9 has a 6.3-inch OLED display, which has a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz and can be very bright. The dual camera on the back takes beautiful photos, but has no optical zoom.

The Pixel 9 not only offers a compact form factor, but also seven years of updates.

The features are rounded off by Wi-Fi 7, 5G with wide frequency coverage, USB 3.2, wireless charging and IP68 certification. However, the SoC is the slowest in the high-end range and the charging speed also leaves a lot to be desired.

The Vivo X200 FE is a compact premium smartphone that impresses with its high-quality workmanship, IP68/IP69 certification and a very bright 6.31-inch LTPO OLED display. Thanks to the large battery, it offers excellent battery life, supports fast charging and delivers strong performance with the MediaTek Dimensity 9300+, although this is noticeably throttled under load.

The Vivo X200 FE impresses with a strong display, long battery life and a good main camera, but falls short when it comes to USB speed, additional cameras and performance stability.

The main camera with Zeiss optics takes very good pictures, especially in daylight, while the ultra-wide-angle and telephoto cameras perform less well due to a lack of image stabilization. Modern standards such as WiFi 7 are integrated, but the USB port is limited to 2.0 speed.

The iPhone 16e is Apple's most affordable model of the current range. Equipped with the powerful A18 chip, a 6.1-inch OLED display (60 Hz) and a 48 MP main camera, it is aimed at users who are looking for an up-to-date iPhone without paying extra for premium features. The design is reminiscent of the iPhone 14, with a high-quality finish, compact and lightweight. However, features such as Dynamic Island, MagSafe, UWB or additional camera lenses are missing.

The iPhone 16e is a well-balanced smartphone with strong performance and long battery life, but with clear compromises in terms of features and display technology.

The camera delivers very good results in daylight, but lacks an ultra-wide angle, macro and cinema mode. The OLED display impresses with high brightness and color accuracy, but suffers from a low refresh rate. The 4,005 mAh battery ensures long battery life and even outperforms the regular iPhone 16.

Its strengths also include 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 and precise GPS. With iOS 18.4 and Apple Intelligence, the iPhone 16e is future-proof and receives long-term updates.

The Google Pixel 9a presents itself as a strong mid-range smartphone with excellent battery life and a sophisticated design. Its 6.3-inch POLED display offers a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz and a high brightness of up to 2,700 cd/m², and impressed with its color fidelity and good display in the test

The performance is based on the Google Tensor G4, 8 GB RAM and either 128 GB or 256 GB UFS 3.1 memory. In everyday use, the device performs well, only slowing down slightly during graphics-heavy tasks. The battery with 5,100 mAh enables exceptional runtimes.

The Pixel 9a offers a balanced overall package consisting of a strong battery, high-quality display, good camera and long-term update security.

The camera system impresses with a 48 MP main camera and 13 MP ultra-wide-angle camera, delivers detailed photos and supports macro and night shots. Selfies are okay, but remain below flagship level. The features include IP68 protection, wireless charging, eSIM support and seven years of software updates. Weaknesses can be seen in the limited storage options without the possibility of expansion, slow charging time and partially limited GNSS indoors.