Ranking: Best compact smartphones reviewed by Notebookcheck

The iPhone 17 Pro comes with a variety of gen-to-gen improvements, scoring points with features such as its new, significantly brighter and more color-accurate OLED display, a larger and more enduring battery and the powerful A19 Pro chip with 12 GB of RAM. The latter ensure outstanding system performance; its battery life is great for the product category, too.

The iPhone 17 Pro is a powerful premium smartphone.

Its cameras have seen an improvement, too. In particular, the telephoto lens and the new "center stage" front camera are more versatile and deliver better quality in everyday life. Design-wise, the phone sports a sturdy, albeit more scratch-sensitive aluminum frame, and slim looks.

Wi-Fi 7, dual e-SIM and USB-C 3.2 are all onboard to round out the list of features nicely. No one is perfect; high-res Bluetooth codecs are missing and some new iOS 26 functionality is unavailable in the EU.

While the Xiaomi 17 does set new standards for compact smartphones with its huge 7,000 mAh battery and powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the model is not without its weaknesses. The enormous battery ensures runtimes better than most rival phones at the cost of the casing's weight and size, both on the larger side. So much so that the Xiaomi might be unsuitable for users who really want a slim phone and nothing else.

Xiaomi's 17 rocks thanks in no small part to its gigantic battery - that also makes it heavier.

Although the performance of the new Snapdragon chip is very good, thermals can get in the way. In particular, it's graphics performance that suffers when under longer loads. The 17's primary camera impresses with Leica optics and good low-light capabilities, even if shots can sometimes appears oversaturated and oversharpened in daylight. In addition, HyperOS 3 bears a lot of similarities to iOS, which may not appeal to every Android fan, and the Chinese-market version of the phone comes with limitations such as weaker software support and the lack of e-SIM.

All things considered, the Xiaomi 17 is a flawed option that is only available from overseas shops for customers in the EU, for example TradingShenzhen.

The Pixel 10 Pro has a high-quality glass and aluminum casing with IP68 certification. Powering it is the Tensor G5 processor with 16 GB of RAM, which runs smoothly in everyday use but lags behind the competition in benchmarks. Its internal storage can be as big as 1 TB, but is slower than expected despite being UFS 4.0-compliant.

Google's Pixel 10 Pro combines high-quality design and s bright OLED display with strong features, but falls short of expectations in terms of performance, storage and GPS accuracy.

Its 6.3-inch LTPO OLED display with 2,856 × 1,280 pixels achieves peak brightness of up to 3,200 cd/m² and a 120-Hz refresh rate, but also flickers at a low frequency. Features include Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, UWB, NFC and dual-band GNSS. The latter is not very precise indoors, though.

The Pixel's 4,870-mAh battery can be charged at 30 W wired and 15 W wirelessly. The triple rear camera system with 50, 48 and 48 MP delivers impressive photos. The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is quick and the vibration motor provides precise feedback.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 focuses less on spectacular innovations and more on technical refinement. At its heart is Samsung's new Exynos 2600 processor, which is manufactured using the modern 2-nanometer process. In everyday use, the chip ensures high speed, short loading times and smooth multitasking. Under prolonged load, however, a familiar problem becomes apparent: performance is noticeably throttled in favor of low temperatures.

The S26 is a consistently optimized premium smartphone - strong in detail, but without a major innovative leap.

The power supply has been improved. The battery increases to 4,300 mAh and delivers visibly longer runtimes than its predecessor, but without achieving new best values. The 6.3-inch AMOLED display is once again one of the highlights: extremely bright, high-contrast and color-accurate.

Technically, Samsung remains conservative in many areas. Camera hardware and charging performance have only evolved minimally, and modern standards such as Bluetooth 6.0 or UWB are also missing. On the other hand, the device scores with high-quality workmanship, Android 16 including One UI 8.5 and an exceptionally long update supply of seven years.

The Vivo X300 is a compact upper-class smartphone with a high-quality casing and IP68/69 certification that remains pleasantly handy despite its 6.31 inches. The highlight is the new 200 MPix main camera, which delivers excellent photos for this size, including convincing low-light shots, while the telephoto and ultra-wide angle are weaker, but still strong in a class comparison.

The Vivo X300 is a compact but fully-fledged flagship with an excellent 200 MPix Zeiss camera.

The LTPO AMOLED with high resolution, very high HDR peak brightness, 2,160 Hz PWM and precise color reproduction are among its strengths. The Dimensity 9500 ensures true flagship performance and very high GPU performance, but is noticeable in stress tests due to significant throttling. The 5,360 mAhbattery offers good but not outstanding runtimes and charges wired with up to 90 watts or wirelessly with 40 watts. With Wi-Fi 7, fast ultrasonic fingerprint, OriginOS with long update periods and many premium features, the X300 is a first-class compact flagship.

The iPhone 17 comes closer to the Pro models than ever before with its high-quality, largely familiar design, larger and significantly improved 6.3-inch ProMotion OLED panel (finally with 120 Hz), the powerful Apple A19 SoC and as much as 256 GB of storage in the base SKU.

The iPhone 17 is the iPhone to buy.

It offers powerful cameras with two 48-MP sensors and a new 18-MP selfie shooter, very high everyday and gaming performance, longer battery life and modern connectivity with the N1 radio chip and Wi-Fi 7. It has weaknesses. too such as its slow USB-C 2.0 port, limited Bluetooth audio codecs, Wi-Fi 7 implementation limited to 160-MHz channel width, a limited warranty (by the EU standards) of 12 months and fast charging that, at 40 watts, is clearly not as fast as some Android-based rivals.

The Galaxy Z Flip7 is marketed as a high-quality foldable that has been improved in several ways. Thanks to Gorilla Glass Victus 2, a robust folding mechanism and IP48 certification, the casing is durable with a high-quality feel to it. With a 6.9-inch main OLED panel that is very bright and contrast-rich, as well as an upscale 4.1-inch external display, the product has no eye candy shortage and offers various usage options.

Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip7 is a high-quality flip smartphone with multi-year updates and good battery life. It loses some of its appeal due to limited outer display functions, slow charging and weaker performance.

The secondary panel is limited in its functionality and cannot fully replace the internal display. The update guarantee of seven years is long, the software is up-to-date with Android 16 and One UI 8, and the increased battery capacity of around 4,300 mAh delivers solid runtimes. Charging speeds aren't great, both wired and wirelessly, and neither is performance: in the EU, the smartphone comes with the Exynos 2500, which lags behind the Snapdragon version and noticeably throttles under load.

If you are interested in the cheaper entry-level model, 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 10 is an interesting Android smartphone, especially because of its software. At its heart is Google's Tensor G5 chip, which integrates AI functions such as Gemini, intelligent image processing and writing assistants directly into the system. The device works smoothly in everyday use, but the processor lacks the efficiency and performance of current top chips under high continuous load.

The Pixel 10 impresses above all with its overall package and the now significantly lower price, rather than its raw hardware performance.

In terms of technology, the compact 6.3-inch device scores with a very bright OLED display, clean workmanship and IP68 certification. However, Google does not include modern extras such as LTPO technology, Wi-Fi 7 or UWB. Wireless charging also remains comparatively slow. The camera continues to deliver strong everyday photos with typical pixel image processing, although the main and ultra-wide-angle cameras have been visibly slimmed down compared to the Pro models. One positive aspect is the long software support: seven years of updates continue to be one of the device's greatest strengths.

The iPhone 17e shows how consistently Apple is simplifying its more affordable model range. Although the device is technically based on the latest hardware, it deliberately forgoes numerous premium functions. It is powered by the A19 chip, which delivers high performance in everyday use and handles even demanding apps with ease. At the same time, the device remains energy-efficient and offers solid battery life.

The iPhone 17e therefore looks like a deliberately slimmed-down entry-level iPhone: technically modern enough to last for many years, but clearly differentiated from the more expensive models.

However, the long list of savings is clearly visible: Apple has eliminated ProMotion with 120 Hz, a telephoto lens, MagSafe, Wi-Fi 7 and some AI functions from the more expensive models. The OLED display continues to operate at 60 Hz, but impresses with its high brightness and precise color reproduction. The single camera delivers surprisingly strong photos thanks to Apple's image processing, but reaches its limits more quickly than the Pro models when it comes to zoom and night shots. The high-quality workmanship, the long software supply and the strong integration into the Apple ecosystem are positively emphasized.

The Oppo Reno15 Pro 5G clearly focuses on endurance and multimedia. At its heart is a large 6,500 mAh batterybattery, which enables very long runtimes in everyday use and makes the device one of the longest-lasting smartphones in its class. Charging takes place at up to 80 watts, but there is no wireless charging.

The Reno15 Pro 5G presents itself as a technically strong mid-range smartphone with a focus on battery life, display quality and balanced everyday performance.

The 6.83-inch AMOLED display is technically impressive with its high brightness, 120 Hz refresh rate and vibrant colors. The workmanship also looks high-quality, despite the comparatively slim casing. The smartphone is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8450, which delivers smooth performance in everyday use, but cannot quite keep up with current high-end chips under continuous load. The triple camera delivers good daylight shots and solid zoom results, but shows weaknesses in dynamics and details at night. There is also criticism for the USB 2.0 interface and some pre-installed apps.