Samsung Galaxy S24 S24 Sandstone Orange 256GB

The best small Android phone you can buy, period. Just budget for a midday charge if you're a power user.

What surprised us most is how this pocket rocket handles gaming. With an 82.7 gaming score, it punches well above its weight class for a non-gaming phone. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and that 120Hz AMOLED display make everything from Genshin Impact to a quick scroll through Twitter feel buttery smooth. It's not just raw speed either, the vapor chamber cooling does real work here. You can push this thing hard without it turning into a hand warmer, which is a genuine feat in a chassis this small.

The Galaxy S24's most direct rival is the Google Pixel 10a. The Pixel will likely win on camera smarts and pure Android simplicity, but the S24 claps back with a more powerful processor and a superior, brighter display. Then there's the OnePlus 15, which will probably offer faster charging and a bigger battery, but you'll sacrifice the compact form factor and that gorgeous Samsung screen. If you want a small phone, the S24 is the clear choice. If you want a big, fast-charging battery beast, look at OnePlus.

Pricing is all over the map, from $440 to $750 depending on the vendor. At the low end, this phone is an absolute steal. At $750, it's a tougher sell against some flashier competitors. If you can snag a deal closer to that $440 mark, you're getting a flagship experience for mid-range money. Just make sure you're getting the 256GB model we're looking at here, the 128GB version is a trap.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 is the compact flagship that doesn't make you feel like you're settling. It nails the fundamentals so well that its few shortcomings are easy to forgive. The screen is a stunner, the build quality is top-tier, and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip keeps everything flying. You're getting a truly premium phone that fits in one hand, and in 2024, that's becoming a rare and wonderful thing. The one thing to know? This is the small phone that finally has big-time battery anxiety mostly under control, though it's still the weakest link.

If you're a battery endurance junkie or you hate slow charging, this isn't your phone. The 25W wired charging feels ancient next to the 80W and 100W speeds from OnePlus and Xiaomi. Go grab a OnePlus 15 or a Xiaomi 15T Pro instead, you'll be much happier when you can go from zero to full in the time it takes to make a sandwich.

The Galaxy S24 is the easy recommendation for anyone who hates giant phones. It's a no-compromise flagship crammed into a body you can actually use with one hand. The screen is brilliant, the performance is top-notch, and the build quality is what you'd expect from Samsung's best. The battery life and charging speeds are the only real reminders that you chose the small one, but for most people, the trade-off is absolutely worth it.