Small phones are gone, but this one reminds me of the good old days

The iPhone 15 has me nostalgic for the days of truly pocket-sized power

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

There are no more high-end small phones – nowadays, even the cheapest budget phones come equipped with 6-inch displays, and while I appreciate the immersive power of a nice large screen, I do sometimes find myself missing days gone by.

Though we didn’t know it at the time, the introduction of large smartphones – then (and sometimes still) called phablets – kicked off an extinction event that ended with the discontinuation of theiPhone 13 miniin 2022, now a rare find itself.

We’re at a point now where the term “mini” seems to have lost all meaning – for example, the upcoming Vivo X200 Pro Mini measures in at 6.31 inches, which is actually the slightest bit larger than the 6.3-inchiPhone 16 Pro.

It might come as a surprise given my previoustribute to the OnePlus Open, with its massive 7.82-inch inner display, and how quickly I fell for the 6.67-inch screen on theXiaomi 14T, but I’ve still got some hope for the return of the small phone.

Before switching to my trusty 6.39-inchHuawei Mate 20 Pro(and, since joining TechRadar, a handful of equally large phones), I was daily driving aniPhone 5S.

I remember the 5S fondly for its headphone jack, convenient Touch ID fingerprint scanner, and indeed its incredible portability. Today’s phones are hardly a bother to lug around, but the iPhone 5S simply disappeared into any pocket you put it in, an unobtrusive and useful companion in the gym, on a hike, or at a concert, and while that small screen couldn’t display much at once it made getting to your desired app or website an absolute breeze. I never thought I’d use a phone like it again.

That was until I started using theiPhone 15about a week ago to brush up on my iOS know-how. Sure, there may not be anysmallphones left, but here was one that fit in one hand and could be easily used that way, had (nearly) all the mod-cons of today’s iPhones, and that feels compact in my pocket compared to the super-sized flagships I’ve been using the past few years.

Once the initial haze of deja vu passed, I started getting to grips with just how much powerApplepacks into the base model iPhone’s 6.1-inch frame. Having the full power of the A16 Bionic chip means I fly through day to day social networking and web browsing, with more than enough power for games. And as ouriPhone 16 reviewfinds, this year’s iPhone brings even more performance, ready for the launch ofApple Intelligence.

More than a feeling

The iPhone 15 also just feels great to use. At an aspect ratio of 19.5:9, the display is of a fairly standard relative height, but the corners are more rounded than a typical phone which makes everything feel satisfyingly compressed. The huge advancement in bezel reduction in the 10 years between the iPhone 5S and iPhone 15 means the latter is only about an inch taller, which takes me back to a time when phones were more like dashboards to be checked than immersive media machines. The only thing I acutely miss when using the iPhone 15 is a 120Hz refresh rate –but that’s another story altogether.

Another underrated upside of using a small phone is the effect compact ergonomics have on photography. Being able to swing the iPhone 15 from my pocket to my hand and instantly open the camera app means I can capture moments more quickly than I would with a super-sized flagship, and my hands and wrists have an easier time holding the phone in landscape mode.

Apple does offer one smaller phone – the currentiPhone SEinhabits the body of the iPhone 8 – but its camera system, display technology, and chipset are all somewhat dated compared to the iPhone 15. What’s more, we expect the iPhone SE could soon inherit the design of theiPhone 14, 6.1-inch display included. This could become the new standard for the small end of Apple’s phone lineup.

So, unless Apple brings out a 5S-sized iPhone with today’s internals (iPhone SE SE?), the iPhone 15 is probably as close as I’ll get to the feeling of my former phone – but with this much portable power, that’s no problem at all.

You might also like

Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.

Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.

Jamie is a Mobile Computing Staff Writer for TechRadar, responsible for covering phones and tablets. He’s been tech-obsessed from a young age and has written for various news and culture publications. Jamie graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. Since starting out as a music blogger in 2020, he’s worked on local news stories, finance trade magazines, and multimedia political features. He brings a love for digital journalism and consumer technology to TechRadar. Outside of the TechRadar office, Jamie can be found binge-watching tech reviews, DJing in local venues around London, or challenging friends to a game of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

A newly reported iPhone phenomenon could be bad news for both cops and robbers

The iPhone 18 series could include a variable aperture, ‘significantly enhancing’ the camera

Alien: Romulus gets a Hulu release date but there’s still no word on when it’s coming to Disney Plus