Technologies

Best Small Phones to Buy in 2022

These compact phones are great for those of you with hands smaller than continents.

Bigger is better, and the phone industry has made its feelings very clear with flagship phones featuring 6.5-inch-plus screens. While we once considered Samsung’s first-generation Galaxy Note a goliath at 5.3 inches, today’s top phones almost all measure in at 6 inches or more. Apple’s new iPhone 14 Pro measures in at 6.03 inches, the Pixel 7 Pro is 6.7 inches and Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra takes that even further to 6.8 inches.

Those bigger displays certainly have their advantages. Top specs and stellar cameras are often packed into those massive bodies, while the sheer size of the screens make them great for watching videos on the move. But there’s no escaping the fact that the increase in size has made them more cumbersome to hold and use for anyone with hands smaller than continents. And that’s to say nothing of the embarrassing bulge caused when you try to shove one into the pocket of your skinny jeans.

While bigger phones can be better for those of you really into your videos or playing lots of mobile games on the move, there are many of us that would still prefer a smaller phone that’s easier to type with one-handed.

Your options are, I’m sorry to say, limited and getting more so all the time — especially as Apple opted not to refresh its iPhone Mini line this year. But there are still some smaller phones to consider. Everyone’s definition of «small» is different, and a comfortable size for you may feel uncomfortably large to someone else. If you’re worried about the size, it’s worth trying to get hands-on with a phone at your nearest store.

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Apple’s New Smart Home Display Delayed Until Fall Over Siri Issues

It has been nearly a year and a half since the company announced the AI-powered product.

Your home could get smarter with Apple’s Siri, but it will have to wait a few more months. Bloomberg reported the iPad-shaped AI home hub won’t be ready until September, several months after the company was hoping to launch it this spring. Apple engineers first need to complete work on a new and improved Siri assistant for the home device, code-named J490, according to Bloomberg.

Apple was hoping to release J490 this month, along with a slew of other new devices, including the iPhone 17e, MacBook Neo, MacBook Air M5, new Pro models, and iPad Air M4. Apple first teased the smart home display in November 2024.

A representative for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Siri is Apple’s virtual assistant that uses voice recognition and AI to fulfill a variety of tasks and commands, along with intriguing uses. You might use Siri to find your iPhone — «Hey Siri, where are you?» — or to hear the weather forecast — «Siri, what will the weather be today?» Siri is available on iPhones, MacBooks and iPads. It was launched in 2011 as a feature of the iPhone 4S.

As CNET reported last month, Apple engineers have struggled to push the upgraded Siri assistant out the door. It isn’t fast enough, gets confused by complex commands and doesn’t interact well with other Apple AI models. The company is also wrestling with how much personal data to access to inform the AI, and the new Siri is not yet able to complete in-app tasks, such as finding a photo and posting it to socials, all with one command.

It has been nearly two years since Apple announced that it would give Siri a major upgrade. In the meantime, competitors like Alexa Plus and Gemini for Home have entered the marketplace.

Tech tester Jon Rettinger, whose YouTube channel has 1.66 million subscribers, says the repeated delays in upgrading Siri can «erode» confidence in Apple’s ability to keep up in the AI race.

«Apple as a whole is still one of the strongest companies on the planet. But their AI play is clearly the weakest link in an otherwise very strong chain,» Rettinger told CNET.

Rettinger said he has had issues getting Siri to complete basic commands, such as setting two alarms at the same time, and that it’s a bit of «a mess» right now.

«Having said that, the iPhone has such massive market penetration that I’m not sure it will actually matter in the end. Which is kind of wild when you think about it,» Rettinger said.

Facial recognition for residents

The hardware for the forthcoming smart home display has already been finished. It resembles an iPad and can be either attached to a wall or rest on a half-domed-shaped base, the Bloomberg report said.

The device will be equipped with facial recognition, so when residents walk up to it, they will be shown personalized data such as music preferences, news headlines, appointments, reminders, tasks and so on.

The screen interface will include a bunch of circular app icons, similar to the display on an Apple Watch. The Bloomberg report said the smart home display will be the first of several home devices by Apple. Future products include a tabletop robotic limb with a 9-inch screen, a smart security camera and a Face ID-enabled smart doorbell.