4-inch smartphone with a good camera and battery - TOP 10 models in 2021

Once familiar and quite common, today 4-inch smartphones have become an endangered species. They are produced by a limited range of brands, most of which specialize in the budget class. However, despite the small selection, lack of most popular innovations and lackluster performance, this category is still popular. After all, 4-inch models are the lightest, most compact and practical. They fit perfectly into a small hand or fit into a clutch or pocket. Due to their simplicity and accessibility, they are often chosen for the youngest users.

The best inexpensive 4-inch smartphones: budget up to 2,500 rubles.

Most smartphones with a 4-inch diagonal one way or another belong to the budget category, but some of them are ultra-budget and cost an order of magnitude cheaper not only than large-sized competitors, but also analogues of the same size. The main advantages of these devices, of course, are the lowest price and minimalism, thanks to which any beginner will master such a device in a matter of minutes. A common disadvantage for such budget models is a very mediocre processor, not designed to run heavy applications, which, however, is enough for calls, SMS, Skype and basic Internet surfing.

Fly FS408 Stratus 8

A smartphone with one very interesting feature that can be noticed if you look at the front panel. Missing here... Guessed it? Front-camera! Moreover, the rear is in place.

The device is powered by a MediaTek MT6570 processor, it has 512 MB of RAM and 8 GB of internal memory. There is support for 3G, GPS, two SIM cards and a memory card.

• Screen diagonal: 4 inches

• Screen resolution: 854×480

• Weight: 109 g

• Number of SIM cards: 2

• Processor: MediaTek MT6570

• Memory capacity: 8 GB

• RAM capacity: 512 MB

• Battery capacity: 1300 mAh

• Rear camera: 2 MP

• Memory card support: yes

• 4G network support: no

The best 4-inch smartphones with a powerful battery

A truly capacious battery is an extremely rare occurrence for any miniature device, especially a budget one. Nevertheless, among smartphones with a 4-inch screen you can find several successful models that can retain a charge for a relatively long time.

Even the most autonomous representatives of small devices rarely have a battery capacity exceeding 1600 mAh, but for the purposes of this review this figure can be called the best. After all, most 4-inch smartphones are equipped with a weaker battery. In addition, phones with such a diagonal spend charge very economically due to their small screen and modest functionality, which allows them to stretch even such a battery for a couple of days.

Digma HIT Q401 3G

Digma HIT Q401 3G is a budget smartphone with a classic design. The case is plastic, nice, and there are several colors to choose from.

Screen diagonal - 4 inches, resolution typical for this price category - 800x480 pixels, Spreadtrum SC7731 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of ROM, two cameras, memory card slot.

Of course, 4G is not supported.

• Screen diagonal: 4 inches

• Screen resolution: 800×480

• Weight: 129 g

• Number of SIM cards: 2

• Processor: Spreadtrum SC7731

• Memory capacity: 8 GB

• RAM capacity: 1 GB

• Battery capacity: 1600 mAh

• Rear camera: 2 MP

• Front camera: 0.3 MP

• Memory card support: yes

• 4G network support: no

The best 4-inch smartphones with minimal weight

Devices with a diagonal of 4 inches remain in high demand, even despite the lack of the best innovative features and low operating speed. After all, their distinctive feature is attractive to many. All representatives of this species are much lighter and smaller than the newfangled “shovels”, which will not fit in every hand. However, even among them there are both relatively weighty and lightest models.

The weight of the most weightless devices ranges from 100 to 111 grams, which today is the best indicator not only for this diagonal, but for all smartphones. At the same time, they are noticeably thinner than others, but are not inferior to them in many aspects.

Samsung Galaxy J1 Mini Prime (2016)

It’s by no means the newest model from Samsung, but you can find it on sale. Among the main features of this device is the stated support for 4G, which is still rare in this price class.

What else? For example, it has a nice body, a recognizable appearance, and good battery life. Rear camera resolution is 5 MP.

• Screen diagonal: 4 inches

• Screen resolution: 800×480

• Weight: 126 g

• Number of SIM cards: 2

• Processor: Spreadtrum SC9830

• Memory capacity: 8 GB

• RAM capacity: 1 GB

• Battery capacity: 1500 mAh

• Rear camera: 5 MP

• Front camera: 0.3 MP

• Memory card support: yes

• Support for 4G networks: yes

The best 4-inch smartphones with a good camera

Modern smartphones not only cope well with such basic tasks as calls, mail, instant messengers and searching for useful information, but are also quite capable of replacing some other devices, for example, a camera. Of course, they are still far from professional mirror technology, but even miniature 4-inch devices can successfully compete with a regular soap dish. Although among inexpensive small-diagonal smartphones there are no outstanding camera phones that can compare with such mobile photography gurus as Apple or Samsung, among them you can find models with a 5 megapixel camera and good color reproduction.

iPhone 5S 16GB

Do you know what year the iPhone 5S was first shown? Back in 2013! All the more surprising is the fact that it is still found on sale - albeit rarely.

Of course, if possible, it is better to buy an iPhone SE: not only is it more modern, it will have the latest firmware, and also have much better specifications. But the iPhone 5S is also good at something, for example, at taking photos (this means the main camera).

And be careful when purchasing, because they may sell a refurbished smartphone under the guise of a new 5S.

• Screen diagonal: 4 inches

• Screen resolution: 1136x640

• Weight: 113 g

• Number of SIM cards: 1

• Processor: Apple A9

• Memory capacity: 16 GB

• RAM capacity: 1 GB

• Battery capacity: 1624 mAh

• Rear camera: 8 MP

• Front camera: 1.2 MP

• Memory card support: no

The best 4-inch premium smartphones

Sooner or later, any successful person wants to emphasize his status and simply treat himself to luxury apartments, a luxury car, or at least a premium smartphone. Moreover, the latter can be done within the convenient 4-inch format, because even among such seemingly simple and practical devices, there are real legends that amaze the imagination with their exquisite design, the highest quality of materials, large memory, a chic camera, the best capabilities, and sometimes hand-assembled and limited edition.

Advantages of 4-inch smartphones

• The main advantage is its small size . Models with a large display diagonal are not convenient for everyone to hold in their hands, and sometimes it is difficult to put such a device in a pocket. For the older generation, accustomed to using push-button mobile phones, a large screen will seem wild. But 4-inch smartphones will be received with interest.
• The second important point is the price of the device, which in most cases does not exceed 5,000 rubles. There are also options that are half the price. Such models are suitable for economical and practical people, as well as for a child as a first phone.

Viking Thor plus - an eternal smartphone

Viking Thor plus

Viking Thor plus bears its name for a reason - the manufacturer gave it a waterproof (IP68) and shockproof (MIL-810G) case that can easily withstand a fall from a height of several floors. Obviously, such a smartphone was created for a fairly narrow group of people who are interested in extremely extreme types of outdoor activities.

The 4-inch screen with a resolution of 800x480 is additionally covered with protective Gorilla Glass 5, which completely protects the screen module from scratches and cracks even after heavy load.

The smartphone has a modest MediaTek MT6582 processor with 4 cores and a frequency of 1300 MHz. But there is also an impressive 2650 mAh battery, which will allow you to use the device for a long time without recharging.

The downside is that the phone runs Android 4.4 out of the box, but there is no update available. To conclude, this smartphone is needed by those who need a reliable assistant on their hikes, and who do not want to constantly spend money on repairing more expensive devices.

iPhone SE 32GB

What to do if you need to buy a flagship smartphone with a small screen? Honestly, there is no choice in this case - you need to look at the iPhone SE. Do you know why? Because there are no other such small flagships on the market - everyone is rushing for large displays.

Meanwhile, the iPhone SE offers a gorgeous display, a metal body, albeit like the iPhone 5S, but hidden inside are the “innards” from the older iPhone 6S model - that’s why the SE model shows miracles of performance.

What else is there? For example, an excellent rear camera (from the same 6S), as well as a fingerprint scanner. However, there is neither a second SIM card nor support for memory cards. Of course, 4G networks are supported.

By the way, this is the most inexpensive smartphone in the Apple line.

• Screen diagonal / resolution: 4 inches / 1136×640

• Device weight: 113 g

• Processor: Apple A9

• RAM / internal memory: 2 GB / 32 GB

• Battery capacity: 1624 mAh

• Camera resolution front / rear: 1.2 MP / 12 MP

• Memory card slot: no

Budget category

No. 3 - Alcatel U3 3G Dual sim

Price: 2,790 rubles

Opens the category of inexpensive gadgets Alcatel U3 3G Dual sim. Externally, the device is unremarkable and difficult to distinguish from most other representatives of this price segment. The smartphone has a 4-inch screen with a resolution of 800x480, a pixel density of 223 ppi and an unusual ratio for the modern market - 5:3. It is clear that the picture quality here is mediocre. However, if you do not compare this figure with more expensive competitors of 2018-2019, but rely on the same budget neighbors, it becomes clear that the display is one of the main advantages of the Alcatel U3 3G Dual sim.

As for performance, everything is as simple as possible - 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of internal memory. You can use flash cards up to 32 GB. Autonomy is guaranteed by a 1500 mAh battery. Surprisingly, there are rear and front cameras with 2 and 0.3 MP sensors, respectively. Overall, the Alcatel U3 3G DualSim is a pretty good ultra-budget smartphone. It is perfect as a gift for a relative or a child's first phone.

Alcatel U3 3G Dual sim

No. 2 - Fly FS408 Stratus 8

Price: 2,260 rubles

Fly FS408 Stratus 8 is the second smartphone with a 4-inch display in the segment of devices with an affordable price tag. In addition to its compact size, the screen has a resolution of 854x480, a pixel density of 245 ppi and an aspect ratio of 18:9. The picture quality is exactly what you would expect from a phone costing 2,000 rubles - passable.

The Fly FS408 Stratus 8 uses a MediaTek MT6570 as a processor, and a Mali-400 MP2 as a graphics accelerator. The filling is complemented by 512 MB of RAM and 8 GB of internal memory. You can’t say much about such a config, since it is over budget. The phone will start thinking even when you open several tabs in the browser, so you need to use the gadget without inflated expectations. The autonomy of the smartphone is ensured by a battery with a capacity of 1300 mAh, which is enough for a day of operation. Photo capabilities are represented by the main camera with a 2 MP sensor.

Fly FS408 Stratus 8

No. 1 – Nokia 1

Price: 5,990 rubles

Topping the ranking of smartphones with a 4-inch screen in the budget category is Nokia 1. Externally, the device looks compact and quite nice, and fits well in the hand. The screen diagonal is 4.5 inches, the resolution is 854x480, the ppi is 218, and the aspect ratio is 16:9. The image on the display is quite detailed, viewing angles are not maximum, but distortion occurs only with large deviations; individual pixels are not visible.

MediaTek MT6737M acts as a processor, and the Mali-T720 MP2 accelerator is responsible for solving graphics problems. The filling is budget-friendly; it doesn’t pretend to do anything other than solve everyday problems. Memory configuration – 1/8 GB. A good battery life is guaranteed by a battery with a capacity of 2150 mAh. The main camera with a 5 MP sensor takes pretty good pictures for its category. The 2 MP front camera is suitable for video calling, but it cannot take high-quality selfies. One of the main advantages is the lightweight Android 8 Go OS, thanks to which the smartphone works very quickly for its price.

Nokia 1

The best option

HOMTOM HT26

• Processor: 4-core MediaTek MT6737, 1300 MHz
• Screen: 4.5 inches, 854 x 480
• Camera (main / front): 5 MP / 8 MP
• Memory (RAM / built-in): 1 GB / 8 GB
• Battery capacity: 2300 mAh

Price: 3900 rub.

The smartphone boasts good performance and a low price. The chip is complemented by good graphics and confidently copes with all applications on Android 7.0, including games. In addition to this performance, the only thing missing is a bright and colorful screen. Here they saved money on this, unlike the previous model, and installed a regular TFT.

An undoubted advantage is the availability of 4G LTE with all the current Bands for Russia and nearby countries. Even at a considerable distance from the tower, the connection is good, and the Internet is distributed at a speed of 50 Mbits.

Advantages:

• Price
• Performance
• Android 7.0
• 4G LTE
• Selfie camera
• Good battery, stays stable for a couple of days

Flaws:

• TFT screen, when deviated by 60 degrees the picture dims

Blackview A5

• Processor: 4-core MediaTek MT6580, 1300 MHz
• Screen: 4.5 inches, 854 x 480
• Camera (main / front): 5 MP / 2 MP
• Memory (RAM / built-in): 1 GB / 8 GB
• Battery capacity: 2000 mAh

Price: 3960 rub.

A good Chinese-made model that has received a lot of positive reviews. A high-quality IPS display has wide viewing angles and shows a bright picture. Performance is also acceptable: this processor copes well with all applications on Android 6.0 and runs most games. The model is perfect for a child as a first smartphone.

Otherwise, the device boasts two regular cameras, the main one is equipped with a flash and works like a flashlight. There are 3G and GPS functions. The package includes a silicone case and a protective film. With all this, Blackview A5 has good ergonomics, does not slip out and lies comfortably in the hand, which is important for children's hands.

Advantages:

• Price
• Good performance
• IPS screen, wide viewing angles
• 3G and GPS
• Several interesting colors, kids will love it

Flaws:

• IPS screen and Internet quickly eat up battery power

protected

Geotel A1

• Processor: 4-core MediaTek MT6580M, 1300 MHz
• Screen: 4.5 inches, 960 x 540
• Camera (main / front): 8 MP / 2 MP
• Memory (RAM / built-in): 1 GB / 8 GB
• Battery capacity: 3400 mAh

Price: 5141 rub.

The main advantage of this smartphone is its housing made of impact-resistant plastic, which has received an IP67 certificate. The display is covered with tempered Gorilla Glass. The device is not afraid of dirt and even short immersions in water. You can take underwater photos at a depth of up to one meter.

Otherwise, the characteristics correspond to the price of the smartphone. It can be noted that the battery is quite powerful, but it should be borne in mind that games and online videos will quickly drain the battery. A regular TFT display is installed, but with a good margin of brightness and color rendition.

Advantages:

• Price
• Indestructible housing and IP67 water protection
• Battery
• Android 7.0
• 3G LTE and GPS

Flaws:

• The microUSB plug can come off easily, use carefully

The best compact smartphones (from 4 to 5 inches) 2020-2021. Top 5

4th place.

BQ 5045L Wallet - an inexpensive smartphone with NFC

The average price in Russia is 4,400 rubles.

The model, which appeared in October 2021, received 62% of five reviews in Yandex Market and 75% of recommendations for purchase.

Technical characteristics: 4.95-inch screen with a resolution of 960×480, Android 10 (Go edition) operating system, 16 GB of internal and 1 GB of RAM, a memory card slot up to 128 GB (separate), 2 SIM cards. Main camera 5 MP (f/2.8 aperture). Front camera 2 MP. Battery capacity 2000 mAh. MediaTek MT8765WB quad-core SoC processor. Without fingerprint scanner. 4G LTE support. Case dimensions: width 67.8 mm, height 141 mm.

The main thing you need to pay attention to in this model is support for NFC (which is extremely rare in this price category), and therefore it becomes clear why the smartphone is called Wallet. This model is positioned by the manufacturer as a smartphone that can be used instead of a wallet and a bank card to pay for purchases in stores.

3rd place.

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact

The average price in Russia is 8,750 rubles.

The compact version of Sony's 2015 flagship received 48% of five reviews in Yandex Market and 44% of recommendations for purchase.

4.6-inch screen with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels, Android 7.1 operating system, 32 GB of storage and 2 GB of RAM, support for one SIM card and an external memory card up to 200 GB. NFC. Battery capacity - 2700 mAh. 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor. The result of the AnTuTu Benchmark performance test is 74.5 thousand points. Fingerprint scanner on the right side of the phone. Case dimensions: width 64.7 mm, height 127.3 mm.

The camera is the same as the standard Xperia Z5. The matrix of the main camera is 23 megapixels (the front one has 5 megapixels). The camera has ultra-fast autofocus (0.03 sec.), which is achieved through a combination of two different technologies. With 5x zoom, you can get closer to your subject without sacrificing image quality. This is made possible thanks to powerful sensors, lenses and Sony's exclusive Clear Image technology.

The portal w3bsit3-dns.com wrote in its review of this model: “The Sony Xperia Z5 camera can be called without hesitation one of the best among “phone” cameras: most of the pictures are simply amazing in color rendition and clarity. With a smartphone like this, you don’t even need a camera.”

In a blind comparison of smartphone cameras conducted among visitors to the Android Authority resource, pictures taken with the Sony Xperia Z5 camera were second only to the cameras of the iPhone 6S and Samsung Galaxy Note 5. In a blind test of visitors to hi-tech.mail.ru, the Sony Z5 camera took second place after LG G4, beating the iPhone 6S and Samsung GS6 Edge.

see The best Sony smartphones

2nd place.

Apple iPhone 8 256GB

The average price in Russia is 33,000 rubles.

The model went on sale in September 2021 and today has received 64% of fives and 84% of recommendations for purchase in Yandex Market.

Technical characteristics: 4.7-inch screen with a resolution of 1334×750 pixels, iOS 11 operating system, 256 GB of storage and 2 GB of RAM, support for one SIM card. The smartphone does not support an external memory card. Battery capacity 1821 mAh. Battery life in talk mode is 14 hours, while listening to music is 40 hours. 6-core Apple A11 Bionic processor. The result of the AnTuTu Benchmark performance test is 330 thousand points. Fingerprint scanner on the front panel. Case material: glass. NFC. Case dimensions: width 67.3 mm, height 138.4 mm.

The iPhone 8's 12-megapixel main camera has a six-element ƒ/1.8 lens, optical image stabilization, and phase detection autofocus. The front camera has a resolution of 7 megapixels (4K) and is equipped with optics with an aperture of ƒ/2.2. There is support for recording video in FullHD.

Dxomark gave the iPhone 8 camera a score of 93 for photography and 90 for video.

see Rating of the best iPhone models

1 place.

Apple iPhone SE (2020) 64GB

The average price in Russia is 36,800 rubles.

The compact iPhone went on sale in Russia on April 24, 2021 and today has received 63% of fives and 83% of recommendations for purchase in Yandex Market.

Technical characteristics: 4.7-inch screen with a resolution of 1334×750 pixels, iOS 13 operating system, 64 GB of permanent memory and 3 GB of RAM, support for one SIM card + eSIM. The smartphone does not support an external memory card. Battery capacity 1821 mAh. Battery life when listening to music is 40 hours. 6-core Apple A13 Bionic processor. The result of the AnTuTu Benchmark performance test is 492.1 thousand points. Fingerprint scanner on the front panel. Case material: aluminum. Case dimensions: width 67.3 mm, height 138.4 mm.

The 12 megapixel main camera has a six-element ƒ/1.8 lens and optical image stabilization. Don’t delude yourself that the new SE has the same camera as the 11th iPhone, since the 2019 iPhones have 1.4-micron pixels in the sensor, while the SE has an old-style sensor with small 1.22-micron pixels. Also, the new SE, unlike the 11th iPhone, does not have a night mode. The front camera has a resolution of 7 megapixels and is equipped with optics with an aperture of ƒ/2.2.

Dxomark gave the iPhone SE (2020) camera a score of 103 for photography and 98 for video according to Test Protocol 3. According to the 4th testing protocol, 108 points for photography, 23 for zoom and 105 points for video. The overall score is 103. The selfie camera scores 85 for photos and 83 for video.

In general, we see that the iPhone SE (2020) largely copies the iPhone 8 (2017): the same body (cases from the 8th iPhone will also fit this model), screen, and the same battery. At the same time, it’s worth noting the new A13 processor, like the 11th iPhone. The camera has also improved, scoring higher than the iPhone X (2017) in Dxomark tests. Overall, the iPhone SE (2020) demonstrates good price-quality ratio for Apple, having the best processor and the best camera compared to all 2021 iPhones.

see The best smartphones up to 5.5 inches