Digital content is constantly becoming more complex and diverse. If once a small screen with a resolution of 64x64 pixels was enough for games, and people could only dream of watching a video somewhere other than a computer and TV, now this opportunity is available in any modern smartphone. However, the growth in the quality of video, photos, entertainment and other content is forcing to constantly increase the size of phones. If you don't want to use a smartphone that can hardly fit in your hand, then you can choose a more compact model. Our ranking of the best smartphones with a screen of 4-4.5 inches will help you with this.
- The best inexpensive smartphones for 4-4.5 inches
- Samsung Galaxy J1 (2016) SM-J120F / DS
- teXet TM-4084
- Samsung Galaxy J1 Mini Prime (2016) SM-J106F / DS
- The best smartphones 4-4.5 inches for price and quality
- Apple iPhone SE 32GB
- Apple iPhone 8 64GB
- The best smartphones 4-4.5 inches with a good camera
- Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
- Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) SM-A320F Single Sim
- The best smartphones with 4-4.5 inches screen and powerful battery
- BlackBerry KEYone
- Caterpillar Cat S31
- Which small screen phone to buy
The best inexpensive smartphones for 4-4.5 inches
Cheap smartphones are the perfect choice for those who are not going to use demanding applications or are looking for a great device for their child. A quality budget phone with a diagonal of 4 inches and more can be purchased from 77 $... And we are talking not only about little-known brands, but also about popular companies like Samsung. By the way, it is the solutions of the South Korean brand that represent 2 of 3 devices in the category.
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Samsung Galaxy J1 (2016) SM-J120F / DS
The review begins with a good smartphone with a screen up to 4.5 inches - Galaxy J1 (2016). The device runs Android version 5.1 and is equipped with a proprietary Exynos 3475 CPU (4 cores at 1.3 GHz). The autonomy of the reviewed model is declared at the level of 12 hours of talk time in third-generation networks and 39 hours of continuous listening to music (2050 mAh battery). The smartphone is perfectly assembled and fits well in the hand, and buyers are offered 2 color options - gold and black. Galaxy J1 supports 2 micro SIM cards supporting 4th generation networks.
Features:
- excellent AMOLED screen;
- excellent build quality;
- tray for two micro SIM;
- well optimized system;
- stable operation of the system;
- good autonomy (for its class);
- 5 MP main camera with flash.
teXet TM-4084
The second place was taken by a high-quality 4-inch smartphone from the Russian manufacturer teXet. The device is equipped with an aging Snapdragon 210, Adreno 304 and 1GB of RAM. Such "hardware" can easily cope with instant messengers, a browser, video playback in the native resolution of 480p for the display, and other simple tasks. Against the background of competitors, the smartphone stands out with several important advantages:
- protection of the case against water and dust ingress;
- capacious removable battery 3200 mAh;
- fairly modern OS Android 6.0;
- not bad for its price, 8 MP camera.
Moreover, the average cost of this mobile phone is still the same 91 $... And this could be an important argument for placing teXet TM-4084 in the first place, if not for several annoying shortcomings. So, with only 8 GB of storage, the smartphone allows you to install microSD cards up to 32 GB. In the reviews, the phone is also criticized for the quality of the screen, which is clearly inferior in brightness and color rendering to competitors. Sometimes smartphone users also complain about the proximity sensor, but still this problem is not often observed.
Advantages:
- price-quality ratio;
- battery size;
- removable battery;
- protection against water ingress;
- good sound quality;
Disadvantages:
- mediocre display;
- significant weight (260 g).
Samsung Galaxy J1 Mini Prime (2016) SM-J106F / DS
In the Mini Prime modification of the Galaxy J1, the manufacturer has cut not only the diagonal, but also some other parameters. So, the front camera here has a resolution of modest 0.3 MP versus 2 MP for the older version, and the battery capacity is only 1500 mAh. The battery life of a 4-inch Samsung smartphone is 29 hours (music) and 8 hours (talk). RAM and permanent memory in the smartphone 1 and 8 GB, but keep in mind that only 3.9 gigabytes are available to the user from the storage. But the manufacturer decided not to change the display resolution, and it remained equal to 800x480 pixels (5: 3), which provided a density of 233 ppi.
Advantages:
- compactness and lightness;
- the quality of the conversational dynamics;
- fast battery charging;
- appearance and build quality.
Disadvantages:
- very weak front camera;
- not the best viewing angles of the screen.
The best smartphones 4-4.5 inches for price and quality
Sometimes the main criterion when choosing a phone is not availability, but justification of the price. And if we talk about the ideal value for money among compact smartphones, then, quite unexpectedly, a pair of devices from Apple demonstrates it. And this is the best proof that, in fact, the American manufacturer does not raise the price tag to an unacceptable level, as many opponents of the company believe, but only sets a fair amount for the offered features and quality.
Apple iPhone SE 32GB
Do you want to choose a compact 4-inch smartphone that can delight you for many years? The ideal solution in this case would be the iPhone SE. This smartphone was released back in early 2016, but to this day it has practically no worthy competitors in its class.
The perfect build quality and stunning design that characterize all Apple products set this model apart from numerous competitors. Another advantage of the smartphone is the screen with a resolution of 1136x640 pixels, the calibration accuracy of which can be the envy of many modern analogues based on Android. Also of the SE's advantages, it is necessary to note the nimble hardware platform and good sound quality.
Advantages:
- great appearance;
- perfect assembly of the device;
- exemplary display calibration;
- productive "filling";
- convenience and speed;
- high-quality sound;
- fast fingerprint scanner.
Disadvantages:
- mediocre front camera;
- the battery lasts strictly for a day of work.
Apple iPhone 8 64GB
If you like not only chatting with friends and surfing your favorite sites, but also occasionally watching videos and running modern games, then it is better to buy an iPhone 8. This device has a 4.7-inch screen, which provides a pixel density of 326 ppi.
The device is equipped with a 6-core A11 Bionic processor, which demonstrates excellent results in any task. There is only one camera in the device, but it is able to take excellent pictures, has optical stabilization and is even capable of recording 4K video at 60 frames / s. No less pleasing is the quality of the smartphone case, which has IP67 protection, and there is also support for fast and wireless charging. True, to implement the latter, glass had to be installed on the rear panel, which is not only more fragile than metal, but also gets dirty faster.
Advantages:
- the quality of the set of headphones;
- splash, dust and water resistant;
- excellent 4.7-inch display;
- the presence of an NFC module for using Apple Pay;
- the power of the proprietary hardware platform;
- excellent main camera;
- there is fast and wireless charging.
Disadvantages:
- for fast charging, you need to buy a power supply;
- order price tag 700 $;
- the back cover gets covered with prints very quickly.
The best smartphones 4-4.5 inches with a good camera
The compact size of the screen in full-fledged cameras is compensated by the presence of a full-fledged viewfinder.With mobile phones, the situation is completely different, so a small display is the only way to see what the finished frame will look like. Of course, you won't be able to see the picture well on a small screen, so many manufacturers don't even try to add a good camera to their smartphone. However, there are also pleasant exceptions, a couple of which we will discuss in this category.
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
Interested in a 4.6-inch small hand smartphone with great performance? In our rating there was a place for such a device - the Xperia XZ1 Compact from the Japanese brand Sony. With an average cost of 26 thousand, this smartphone pleases with excellent performance (Snapdragon 835, Adreno 540 and 4 GB of RAM) and a first-class build. However, for an HD screen, the said "hardware" is somewhat redundant, although the display itself pleases with quality.
The camera in the XZ1 Compact is 19 megapixel. For its price, the Sony smartphone has practically no competitors in terms of the quality of shooting photos and videos, so it can be recommended for lovers of mobile photography. Among the important advantages that some well-known manufacturers still ignore, even with the release of flagship smartphones, it is necessary to mention the NFC module and excellent stereo speakers.
Advantages:
- dust and moisture protection of the case;
- very powerful "filling";
- excellent main camera;
- Android 8.0 from the box;
- 19 MP camera with a wide range of settings;
- calibration and display brightness;
- wonderful sound.
Disadvantages:
- battery only 2700 mAh.
Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) SM-A320F Single Sim
If you are looking for something cheaper, then take a look at the device from the Samsung brand, which is among the best smartphones with a screen diagonal of 4-4.5 inches. The Galaxy A3 is beautiful in every way:
- protection of the case from water and dust ingress;
- Always On function that displays basic information on the locked screen;
- fast fingerprint sensor combined with a mechanical button;
- NFC module that allows you to pay at the cash register with your phone;
- excellent AMOLED display with HD resolution.
As for the main camera, its resolution is 13 MP, and the aperture is f / 1.9. In good light, the sensor used in the smartphone demonstrates a good result, and if there is a lack of it, insignificant noise appears in the pictures. The phone writes video very well, but only in Full HD and at 30 fps.
For the review, we chose a mobile phone with a slot for one SIM card, but if you wish, you can purchase a similar model for a pair of SIM cards. At the same time, there are no complaints about the wireless modules of the phone from the South Korean giant under any circumstances, regardless of the version.
Advantages:
- compact dimensions and low weight;
- good main camera;
- variety of branded accessories (optional);
- the convenience of the device and the attractiveness of the design;
- the ability to use Google Pay;
- the speed of the fingerprint scanner.
Disadvantages:
- modest battery capacity of 2350 mAh;
- due to poor optimization, 2 GB of RAM is not enough.
The best smartphones with 4-4.5 inches screen and powerful battery
The small dimensions of the smartphone body impose certain restrictions on different parameters of the device. And first of all, the battery usually suffers from compactness. The small capacity of the latter negatively affects the autonomy of the smartphone, which forces you to buy a power bank, remember to carry a charger with you, or use the battery charge more economically. If none of these "solutions to the problem" suits you, then you should immediately get a smartphone that is equipped with a large battery.
BlackBerry KEYone
Perhaps the KEYone model from the legendary BlackBerry brand can be called the most interesting smartphone in the category up to 4.5 inches. The phone has a powerful hardware platform, which is enough for games. However, due to the non-standard display resolution of 1620x1080 pixels and the non-standard design in most projects, KEYone simply will not provide the desired convenience.
However, first of all we have before us an imaging device for business people.Design, build quality, appearance of the system, security - all this hints that we have an excellent smartphone for a business person. This is also indicated by the physical keyboard under the screen, in the gap of which there is a fingerprint scanner. All buttons in the device are not only backlit, but also touch-sensitive, allowing you to type text with swipes.
Another important advantage not available to competing products is the ability to bind to almost all physical application buttons for quick launch. The memory in the BlackBerry KEYone is 32 GB, but it can be expanded with micro-SD cards. The advantages of a smartphone include a capacious 3505 mAh battery, support for fast charging, as well as the presence of an infrared port and an NFC module.
Advantages:
- comfortable mechanical keyboard;
- perfectly calibrated display with high brightness;
- impressive power of the used "hardware";
- premium materials and exemplary build quality;
- capacious battery and excellent optimization;
- additional functions of the physical keyboard.
Disadvantages:
- it is almost impossible to find accessories (even from third-party brands);
- the average price of 27 thousand is weakly justified by the unique "chips".
Caterpillar Cat S31
One of the best 4.5-inch smartphones according to customer reviews received the right to close the TOP. We note right away that this is an extremely simple device that even theoretically cannot be considered as a gaming device. But the Cat S31 is protected not only from water and dust (IP68), but also from impacts according to the military 810G standard. The smartphone supports all popular LTE bands and has mechanical buttons. The battery capacity of a smartphone from Caterpillar is 4 thousand mAh, which is enough for almost 6 weeks of standby time.
Advantages:
- excellent autonomy;
- high-quality assembly of the device;
- protection of the case from dust, water and shock;
- the presence of a programmable button.
Disadvantages:
- just disgusting cameras;
- GPS malfunctions are possible;
- too weak "iron" for 16 thousand.
Which small screen phone to buy
Compiling a list of the best smartphones with a diagonal of 4-4.5 inches was quite difficult, since most companies refuse this screen size, and little-known brands usually offer low quality technology. Even the Apple brand, which has long followed its own path, has switched to producing devices with large displays.
However, we still managed to find 9 worthy smartphones in the class, and two of them are represented by the solutions of the "apple" manufacturer. Three more phones belong to Apple's direct competitor, Samsung. Moreover, you can choose a device for either 6 or 16 thousand, based on the requirements and budget.
The most productive phone in the review is the Xperia XZ1 Compact from the Sony brand. And the camera in it is one of the best in the entire rating. If you are looking for something stylish, high quality and unusual, having a sufficient budget to purchase such a smartphone, then in the latter category, pay attention to the BlackBerry device.