Summary
- Samsung Galaxy S24 remains the top choice for a compact Android flagship with almost the same specs as larger models.
- Rumor suggests Galaxy S25 will have a bigger 6.36-inch display, up from the S23’s 6.2-inch display.
- A bigger display could give Samsung more internal room for a larger battery and better camera sensors.
If you want a compact Android phone with flagship specs, you have limited options. Your best choice is the Samsung Galaxy S24, which packs almost the same internals as its Plus and Ultra sibling in a smaller form factor. However, if a new rumor proves true, Samsung’s 2025 compact flagship might not be that compact.
As per Korean leaker yeux1122, the base Galaxy S25 will switch to a 6.36-inch display, up from the 6.2-inch panel of the S24. It’s unclear if Samsung’s Plus and Ultra models will also get a screen size bump next year.
The Galaxy S24’s display itself got a slight size boost of 0.1-inch over the S23, though the slimmer bezels ensured the phone’s overall dimensions did not increase by much. With the Galaxy S25 next year, Samsung is seemingly planning a bigger jump in size.
A 1.36-inch increase in screen size is unlikely to lead to a drastic increase in dimensions, especially if Samsung concurrently trims the bezel size. A change in the phone’s aspect ratio could also lead to a larger screen size without affecting the overall dimensions. This small bump in display size should not make the S25 unwieldy to hold or use one-handed. Overall, if the S25 ships with a 6.36-inch panel, its dimensions should be similar to or slightly smaller than the Galaxy S23 FE, which packs a 6.4-inch screen.
A larger display should give Samsung more internal room for a bigger battery and better cameras. Perhaps the Galaxy S25 will finally ditch the 3x 10MP telephoto camera seen on Samsung’s non-Ultra flagships for a larger sensor.
The death of compact Android flagship phones
Interestingly, rumors indicate Apple will adopt a bigger 6.3-inch display on the iPhone 16 Pro this year. The smaller iPhone Pro model has packed a 6.1-inch screen for the last few years. Xiaomi already uses a 6.36-inch display on the Xiaomi 14. As a part of the upgrade, we hope that Samsung also uses the same Gorilla Armor cover glass on the S25 as the S24 Ultra, which cuts down on reflections by as much as 75%.
The list of the best small Android phones worth buying has only gotten smaller over time. Besides Samsung, Asus is the only other company known to launch a compact Android phone with top-tier internals. But it appears the company won’t launch a Zenfone 10 successor this year, leaving the S24 as the only small Android phone with internals worthy of a 2024 flagship. You can opt for the Google Pixel 8 or even the Pixel 8a, but they lack the same horsepower as Samsung’s offering.
