I miss small phones and the Galaxy S26 doesn’t count

Launched Samsung Galaxy S26 series back in February, and base Galaxy S26 one of the best small Android phones on the market. I say “small” because you and I both know that this is not really a small phone.

In fact, it’s almost impossible to find legally small phone From the main manufacturer in 2026. Well, I miss them and really want them to come back in the near future.

When I talk about a small phone, I generally mean a device with a 6-inch screen, although I’m fine with a 6.1-inch screen. In contrast, the base Galaxy S26 is larger than previous entries and now has a 6.3-inch screen. It’s still small, right?

Unfortunately, my time with 6.3-inch phones in 2026 has convinced me that while they may be smaller than today’s average phone, they’re still not small. I used it extensively vivo X300 and Xiaomi 17and briefly used the Galaxy S26. Unfortunately, these phones all have aspect ratios that make it a bit difficult to reach the top of the screen. Plus, these devices don’t disappear into your pocket like legitimately small phones.

When I think of small phones, I immediately think of devices like ASUS Zenfone 9 (5.99-inch screen), Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact series (5-inch screen) and Samsung Galaxy S10e (5.8-inch screen). Ignoring actual screen sizes, which can be clouded by different aspect ratios, you have phones ranging in height from 135mm to ~146mm. Even the Galaxy S25 counts in my book, though it’s a hair under 147mm.

Recently, a Samsung representative claimed the company does not make smaller phones because the most popular use cases all benefit from a larger screen. In addition, leaky Digital Chat Station previously asked representatives of top Chinese manufacturers why they don’t make small phones. These reps apparently attributed the lack of smaller phones to the fact that larger screens are more popular, while also claiming that 6-inch phones can’t tick all the key boxes (ie, performance, camera, battery life).

Despite these claims, I believe there’s never been a better time from a technological standpoint for manufacturers to legitimately make small phones. And this is largely due to his arrival silicon-carbon batteries. This technology allows you to squeeze the same capacity into a physically smaller battery or more capacity into the same physical battery size.

This technology has already resulted in smaller (but not tiny) phones with large batteries. For example, OnePlus 15T Despite the 6.32-inch display and ~150mm height, it has a 7500mAh battery. Meanwhile, China’s Xiaomi 17 packs a 7,000mAh battery into a 151mm frame.

Smartphone manufacturers don’t even have to offer ridiculously huge silicon-carbon batteries in their small phones. Instead, they may offer a physically smaller battery while offering plenty of juice. This way, they can offer a smaller phone without necessarily compromising on battery capacity, performance, and other hardware.

Over the years, we’ve seen other hardware innovations that could once again make small phones a reality. First, Samsung ALoP telephoto camera modules smaller than conventional periscope cameras. This means less camber bump while freeing up interior space. See the image below for a better idea.

In 2026, there’s less pressure to offer a huge battery because today’s phones are significantly more efficient than older devices. A big reason for this is that today’s chips are extremely economical. Qualcomm says that the current Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 offers an overall 16% lower power consumption and 35% more efficient CPU compared to the Snapdragon 8 Elite. But even the 8 Elite brought a 45% more efficient CPU than its predecessor. In fact, we have seen phones with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip significantly more efficient compared to previous flagships.

So if Google can offer a smaller phone Pixel 10 Prooffering good (but not amazing) performance, a large lithium-ion battery, and a full suite of flexible cameras, I’m sure it could legitimately release a small phone using a silicon-carbon battery and other technological advances. And if OnePlus can offer the 6.3-inch OnePlus 15T with a ridiculous 7,500 mAh battery, what’s stopping it from releasing a 6-inch phone with a 5,500 mAh or 6,000 mAh battery?

With the Galaxy S26, Pixel 10 Pro, and Xiaomi 17 all offering ~6.3-inch screens, the smartphone industry is trying to rethink what a small phone is. And these companies are certainly looking for praise for offering this small size.

However, I’d like to see these brands pluck up the courage to legitimately offer small phones in 2026. Because the tech ingredients are finally here for a compact phone that doesn’t make significant compromises. Will it actually happen though? Let’s hope Apple resurrects the iPhone Mini, as Samsung can certainly follow suit.