TIQ MINI M5 Black 32GB

The TIQ MINI M5 is a tiny 2.8-inch Android 13 phone with full Google Play access, dual SIM, and global 4G. It costs an eye-watering $1999 while delivering performance in the 7th percentile and a camera that's nearly useless. The few owners love it for its unique size, but for anyone else, it's a terrible value. Only buy this if you absolutely need the smallest possible Android device and budget is irrelevant.

With 3GB of RAM and an unknown processor, the M5 is built for one thing: staying light. It runs Android 13, which is honestly a surprise on hardware this limited, but don't expect it to run it well. Our benchmarks put its overall performance in the 7th percentile. That's not a typo. This is one of the slowest Android devices we've ever cataloged. Apps open at a leisurely pace, and multitasking is more of a suggestion than a feature. You can run one thing at a time, and even then, you'll want to keep your expectations in check.

The 32GB of internal storage is expandable, which is a saving grace. You can load it up with a big microSD card full of music or podcasts and treat it like a dedicated media player. But for anything beyond that, the performance is a real bottleneck. The gaming score of 6.6 out of 100 tells you everything you need to know. This isn't a device for games, period. It's for basic utilities, calls, and maybe some very light web browsing if you have the patience of a saint.

Stacking the TIQ MINI M5 against the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra or the iPhone 17 Pro feels almost unfair, but since they share a price bracket, we have to. The S26 Ultra gives you a massive, brilliant display, a camera system that's best-in-class, and enough power to edit 4K video. The M5 gives you a 2.8-inch screen and a camera that struggles to capture a readable receipt. The Motorola razr ultra 2025 folds in half and still manages to be a fully capable smartphone with a much larger external display than the M5's main screen. There's no contest.

Even against something like the Google Pixel 10a, which costs significantly less, the M5 falls apart. The Pixel 10a offers a clean Android experience, a fantastic camera, and performance that's in a completely different universe. The OnePlus 15 also runs circles around it for less money. The only reason to pick the M5 over any of these is if you specifically need a phone that's smaller than a credit card and don't care about anything else. It's a one-of-a-kind device, but that doesn't make it a good one.

Let's talk about the elephant in the room. This phone costs $1999. For that money, you could buy a top-tier Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, a folding Motorola razr, or an iPhone 17 Pro and still have cash left over for a nice dinner. The value proposition here is essentially nonexistent if you're comparing it to any other smartphone on the market. You're not paying for cutting-edge hardware. You're paying for the novelty of a tiny, full-Android device that's unlocked and works globally.

There's no way to sugarcoat it. The price-to-performance ratio is the worst in our database. You can find similar mini Android phones from lesser-known brands for a fraction of this cost, though they might not have the same global band support or build. If you absolutely need this specific form factor with full Google services, you're paying a massive premium for the privilege. For everyone else, this is a hard pass on value alone.

The TIQ MINI M5 is one of those devices that makes you do a double take. It's a tiny 2.8-inch Android phone running a full version of Android 13, complete with Google Play Store access, in a package that could easily be mistaken for a credit card reader or a fancy garage door opener. At $1999, it's priced like a flagship, but the spec sheet tells a very different story. This isn't a phone for someone looking to replace their daily driver. It's a curiosity, a digital detox companion, or a very expensive dumb phone with smart features.

We see a lot of phones come through our database, and the M5 lands in a strange spot. Its social proof is surprisingly strong, sitting in the 79th percentile, which means the few people who buy it tend to be happy with what they got. But that's where the good news on the benchmark charts ends. Performance, display, and build quality all sit in the bottom 10% of all phones we track. This thing isn't competing with the Galaxy S26 Ultra or the iPhone 17 Pro. It's competing with the idea of carrying a second, simpler device.

So who is this actually for? It's for the person who wants a truly pocketable Android device for music streaming, podcast listening, or as a dedicated hotspot that won't drain their main phone's battery. The global band support and dual SIM slots mean it can be a solid international travel companion if you just need calls, texts, and basic maps. But if you're expecting to scroll Instagram or take a decent photo, you're looking at the wrong device. The 2MP camera is one of the weakest we've seen, and the tiny screen makes any kind of modern app usage a test of patience and eyesight.

Almost everyone should skip this phone. If you want a small Android device, there are plenty of compact options from Unihertz or even older Sony Xperia Compact models that cost far less and perform much better. If you're looking for a digital detox phone, a basic feature phone or a Light Phone will give you a cleaner break from apps for a fraction of the cost. And if you just want a secondary device for travel, a used Pixel or Galaxy from a few years ago will run circles around the M5 for less money.

The only people who shouldn't skip this are those who have specifically been searching for the absolute smallest Android device with full Google Play support and are willing to pay anything for it. For that one person out there, this might be your dream phone. For everyone else, the performance, camera, display, and battery life are all so far below average that the tiny size can't make up for it.

If you're a digital minimalist who wants a tiny Android device for calls, texts, and maybe some music streaming, and money is no object, the TIQ MINI M5 is a unique option. It's genuinely small, runs a real version of Android, and works on global networks. The few people who buy it seem to love it for exactly what it is. But you have to know what you're getting into. This is not a smartphone replacement. It's a companion device at a flagship price.

For anyone else, there's no reason to even consider this. The performance is abysmal, the camera is a joke, and the battery won't get you through a heavy day. You can buy a used flagship from a year or two ago for half this price and get a dramatically better experience in every measurable way. The M5 is a niche product with a niche audience, and unless you're already part of that tiny group, you should look literally anywhere else.