Sony is working on the Xperia Compact, a 5.5-inch phone for lovers of small devices

Sony's smartphone business has struggled of late, likely due to a combination of poor marketing, relatively underperforming specs, and a general refusal to listen to hardcore fans of the company. Sony appears to be set to remedy that, though—well, in part, at least. According to a new report, the company is working on a compact device.

Our comment sections for every Sony smartphone piece is usually filled with users complaining about the lack of any compact devices from the company. Well, this new development should please our readers.

According to the report, Sony is working on an Xperia Compact. It will sport a 5.5-inch display. That may seem bigger than the typical definition of compact, but it's important to remember that Sony has transitioned to 21:9 displays. That means the Xperia Compact will have a smaller physical footprint than the average 5.5-inch 18:9 display.

Going by the revealed information, the Xperia Compact's dimensions will be 138 x 60 mm (length x width). In comparison, the Xperia XZ2 Compact, with a 5.0-inch 18:9 display, measured 135 x 65 mm. The Xperia Compact will be slightly taller, but also a bit less wide.  

The Samsung Galaxy S10e measures in at 142.2 x 69.9 mm, which makes it quite a bit bigger than the Xperia Compact. It's safe to say that the Xperia Compact will be a proper compact phone.

Sadly, the Xperia Compact will not be a flagship device. It's expected to be powered by a Snapdragon 665, a capable SoC, but not the most powerful, even in the mid-range right now. It makes sense, however. Most flagships these have displays bigger than 6.1", which is ample proof of what the market wants in that segment. Making a small flagship device may appeal to enthusiasts but would most buy actually go out and buy it?

The Galaxy S10+, for example, is the best-selling S10 device, not the S10e. It would be unreasonable to expect Sony to invest money into a device that would likely not sell well; a mid-range offering is the more sensible business decision. We'll take it.

An MWC 2020 launch is expected.