The best small phone to buy in 2025

Each phone on this list is tested in detail by the CNET expert review team. In fact, we use the phone, we test the features, we play games and take pictures. We appreciate every marketing promises that a company makes for its phones. And if we find something we don’t like, be it a battery life or quality of construction, we tell you all about it.

We look at every aspect of the phone during testing:

• Display
• Design and feel
• Processor performance
• Battery life
• Camera quality
• Characteristics

We test all cameras on the phone (both front and back) under different conditions: from open sunlight to dimensional locals indoors and night scenes (for all nights available). We also compare our discoveries to models with similar prices. We have a series of real -world battery tests to see how long the phone lasts with daily use.

We take into account additional features of the phone like 5G, fingerprint readers and face, stylus, fast charging, folding displays and other useful extras. And of course, we weigh all our experiences and testing for the price, so you know if the phone represents good value or not. For more information, see our page explaining How do we test phonesS