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 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 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 mAhbattery ensures a 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 foldable Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 is just as big as its predecessor and scores particularly well with its improved camera, larger battery and powerful SoC. It has a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, which offers impressive brightness. The 4.3-inch external display is also useful for widgets and selfies, but could be larger.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 5G offers a strong overall package, only in terms of design there is a standstill.

The smartphone supports 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3, but forgoes more advanced technologies such as UWB and Wi-Fi 7. The camera offers solid performance, although it lacks a telephoto lens, and the battery has been expanded to 3,700 mAh, which ensures a good battery life. However, the DeX mode is missing and there are no significant design changes compared to its predecessor. Nevertheless, the device remains one of the best options in the foldable smartphone sector due to its good overall performance and long software support.

The Xiaomi Mix Flip is a promising foldable smartphone. It scores points with a Leica camera, which offers a telephoto lens with 50 MPix instead of an additional ultra-wide angle, and a large battery with 4,780 mAh. The main display measures 6.86 inches and offers a refresh rate of 120 Hz and a high brightness of up to 1600 cd/m², which is particularly advantageous for multimedia content.

The Xiaomi Mix Flip impresses with a modern concept, but also shows weaknesses in the details.

In the test, the generous external display and the fast SoC were particularly impressive. However, the latter throttles quite heavily under load. The cameras also fall short of expectations and both wireless charging and an eSIM have to be dispensed with.

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.