Over the past couple of years, manufacturers have literally splashed out a whole host of phablets on the mobile gadget market (a device with a screen from 5 to 7 inches). For many companies, the release of this type of smartphone has become a kind of competition: thinner, bigger, faster, better and cheaper. But many users whom Mother Nature has deprived of the pianist's wide palms and fingers look at all these phablets without much joy and enthusiasm.
Against the backdrop of the dominance of all these “tablet phones”, finding smart smartphones with a screen of less than 5 inches, and released at the turn of 2015, has become a real problem.
Let's try to figure out whether it is possible to find a really high-quality and modern gadget from this, as it is called, a "children's" group. Let us analyze the most popular and successful models of this segment (smartphones with a small screen size). And although the list does not differ in the variety of manufacturers and OEM brands, there are a lot to choose from nonetheless.
Philips S307
In September last year, the Philips brand introduced the compact S307 model with a very affordable price tag (about $ 60). This budget device is endowed with a modest, but more or less modern filling.
Philips small-screen smartphones in this series have a small diagonal of 4 inches and a resolution of 800 by 480 pixels. The chipset Spreadtrum SC7731, which runs on four cores, is responsible for performance, which is very good for a budget model.
The weaknesses of the gadget are RAM (only 512 MB), built-in (for the user less than 2 GB) and a mediocre camera of 2 megapixels. If the space for storing files can still be somehow expanded with the help of CD-cards (up to 32 GB), then, alas, nothing can be done - you just have to put up with it.
During the battery life of the gadget, a very modest 1600 mAh battery is responsible. Despite such a small capacity, the device can easily "live" in the intensive mode for about 4-5 hours, in moderate mode - 8-10, or a day with energy-saving settings. In general, a smartphone with a small screen and a good battery is a rarity in this segment, so you don’t have to sort out much.
Product from Alcatel: PIXI 3 (3.5 inches) 4009D
This model is even more modest in its characteristics than the previous one. St. Petersburg "Alkatel" turned out to be very good and, most importantly, a small smartphone with a screen of up to 4 inches. Of course, there is a clear minus in this - the screen resolution of the gadget is only 320 by 480 pixels. In defense of the device, we can say that the first iPhone had such permission (it was only nine years ago).
Naturally, this resolution is not enough for full multimedia work, but it is almost impossible to find other devices with such a small display and more or less high-quality this year.
The smartphone with the smallest screen from Alcatel has on board a dual-core processor with a clock frequency of 1 GHz, half a gigabyte of RAM and 2 GB of internal memory with the ability to expand to 32 GB (CD-card). There is also a simple 2 megapixel camera without autofocus and flash. During battery life, a very mediocre 1300 mAh battery answers, which lasts for a maximum of one day in standby mode.
And again, “Alcatel”: PIXI 3 (4 inches) 4013D
Model 4013D is, in fact, the "older brother" of the previous gadget with a very affordable price tag of $ 60. The device can be fully attributed to the group of “smartphones with a small screen”: 4 inches and a resolution of 800 by 480 pixels.
Responsible for the performance is similar to the 4009 filling model. Of course, such characteristics for 2016 are very modest, but when compared with other competing models of the segment, things are not so bad.
The device is equipped with a simple 3 megapixel camera and the same outstanding battery for 1400 mAh, which is quite natural for such devices. In standby mode, "Alcatel" smartphones with a small screen of the 4013 series "do not live" for more than a day and a half.
Philips S309
The later Philips model costs a little more than the S307 gadget - about $ 70. With a similar appearance and the same size of the display, smartphones with a small screen S309 series have very significant technical differences.
The dual-core processor works in tandem with an already gigabyte of RAM. The volume of storage for the user has also increased - up to 4 GB, which can be easily expanded with a CD-card. The capabilities of the main camera have also noticeably increased: it is equipped with autofocus with a resolution of 5 megapixels.
As for battery life, the characteristics of the battery remained unchanged - 1600 mAh, that is, similar to a fellow.
And again, “Alcatel”: “One Touch Pixie First 4024D”
The 4024D model with respect to the aforementioned series is almost the same, but in a different wrapper. At a price the gadget is also not far gone - about $ 65. The smartphone is equipped with a 4-inch screen with a resolution of 800 by 480 pixels.
The four-core SC7731 processor and 512 MB RAM are responsible for the performance. The user also has access to approximately 2 GB of internal memory, which, if desired, can be expanded to 32 GB using CD-cards.
The main camera with a modest 5 megapixel matrix is unlikely to be able to take high-quality images, but it can handle the quick photo for Instagram. The battery, as expected, has very modest characteristics - only 1450 mAh and up to a day and a half in standby mode.
What attracts you to this smartphone is its appearance: the Alkatel people pulled up the design well, and the gadget looks quite presentable and solid.
Samsung Galaxy J1 Mini
In the first-tier company, the venerable brand managed to bring the universal functionality of the budget class to a higher level. At many exhibitions, Samsung models were recognized as the best smartphones with a small screen in their segment.
The device received a classic compact screen of 4 inches and the corresponding resolution - 800 by 480 pixels. The processor is engaged in a quad-core processor at a clock frequency of 1.2 GHz. The characteristics may not be so expressive, but 750 MB of RAM on board allows you to run and work quite comfortably with most modern applications. Out of 8 GB of “hard” memory, only 4 are available for the user to work, and you can expand it not as usual - up to 32 GB, but up to a very impressive 128.
The main camera at 5 megapixels works without a flash, but the photos are obtained of very good quality, unlike the unknown Chinese matrices. From the 1500 mAh battery you do not need to wait for something supernatural - for a day of moderate operation, the device is enough.
The operating system running the new Android 5.1 was especially pleased, while the above respondents did not rise above version 4.4. Also, it will not be superfluous to note the affordable price of the model - only $ 80.
Microsoft Lumia 430
Microsoft introduced last year several compact rulers of smartphones. One of the first appeared "Lumia 430" with a very reasonable price tag of $ 80. The gadget's screen is quite typical for its segment: 4 inches with a spread of 800 by 480 pixels.
A good dual-core processor and 1 GB RAM are responsible for the smartphone’s performance. About 5 GB of 8 is available for storing user data (3 GB is reserved for system files). You can expand the volume with the help of CD-cards, and quite decently - up to 128 GB.
We can say that the camera in the device is implemented “for show”. A 2 megapixel matrix is simply physically unable to take a good photo, but for avatars and Instagram it will work.
Battery life also has modest characteristics with a 1500 mAh battery. If you do not overload the gadget, then it should be enough for about one day.
Microsoft Lumia 532
The model turned out to be noticeably faster than its predecessor and more expensive (about $ 80). The device differs from the 430 series by twice the number of processor cores (4 instead of 2) and a significantly improved matrix (up to 5 megapixels) of the main camera.
The amount of RAM has not changed - 1 GB, as well as a place to store user data (5 GB out of 8). The model likewise supports CD-cards up to 128 GB and has a specific appearance for Lumiya.
The screen diagonal along with the resolution remained unchanged: a 4-inch display with a spread of 800 by 480 pixels. The battery, although it added to the capacity, but slightly - only 1560 mAh, so the gadget also does not have a high battery life and is at about the same level with other state employees.
Apple iPhone SE
The model can be called a kind of reincarnation of the famous "iPhone" of the fifth series with the prefix S. Device SE (Special Edition / Special Edition) has become the cheapest gadget with an apple on the case. The price tag for the base model starts at about $ 400. Naturally, against the background of other respondents to our survey, this is a very significant amount. But the price includes not only the chic and brand name: the device may well claim the title of “the most powerful smartphone with a small screen”.
By its appearance, the device resembles a small copy of the iPhone 5S, while the filling of the gadget went from the 6th series, which is good news. In fact, the SE model is a small smartphone with a large screen (4 inches with a resolution of 1136 by 640 pixels).
Features of the device
The top-end A9 chipset is responsible for the performance, instead of the obsolete A7, which automatically adds a couple of points to the smartphone’s speed. The amount of RAM was increased to 2 GB, and the storage space for user data varies from 16 to 64 GB, depending on the specific model (of course, without any CD-lotions).
The main camera has very attractive characteristics: 12 megapixels, autofocus, “smart screen” and much more. The main thing is that she takes pictures, if not exceptional, then close to this indicator. It is also possible to shoot video in high resolution with the imposition of various filters and other surroundings.
Despite the small battery capacity of 1600 mAh, the iPhone SE’s autonomy indicator is noticeably higher than the devices on the Android platform.
Summarizing
Unfortunately, almost all of the above compact models belong to the entry level. An exception can be made only for the "apple" gadget, where the manufacturer not only created a compact device in all respects, but also equipped it with a powerful and high-performance filling. Of course, Apple's price tags were never democratic, but the owner, at least, was sure that the device was executed at a very high level without a share of marriage and critical flaws.
The rest of the survey participants can satisfy only those users who do not make serious complaints about advanced functionality and do not work with "heavy" applications. Such devices are quite suitable for those who are just starting to get acquainted with mobile gadgets and want to hold in their hands a relatively modern entry-level device. Fans of a powerful hardware are unlikely to be interested in such devices, so it’s better to pass them by.
Of course, you can find more or less compact smartphones with the best features, but they all have a diagonal of more than 4.7 inches, and this is not our case.
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