I used a 4.7-inch Android phone for a week and it felt like a blast from the past

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Over the past decade or so, smartphone makers — I’m looking at you, Apple — have conditioned us to think that a smartphone should be a big slab of glass. “If the screen size is not at least six inches, it is not a real smartphone!” While activities like web browsing, content consumption, and gaming certainly benefit from a larger screen, not everyone needs a tablet-sized phone.

Sometimes small is better.

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Ulefone Armor Mini 20 Pro It harks back to the days of small screens and candy bar-sized handsets that fit easily in the pocket. And I have to say, there’s something to be said for small phones. Especially because small doesn’t mean fragile, as this phone shows.

The Armor Mini 20 Pro measures 5.26 inches in length and 2.49 inches in width, making it small next to the iPhone. That is, until you pick it up and realize it’s 0.98 inches thick and weighs 10.6 ounces (over half a pound). It’s certainly a heavy lump, but that’s only if you see what’s inside.

It features a 4.7-inch IPS display with a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels, 373 pixels-per-inch density, and 90Hz refresh rate, making it very easy on the eyes and comfortable to use, despite it being very small.

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Inside is a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset with an octa-core 2.4GHz processor and Mali-G57 MC2 GPU. What it supports is 8GB of physical RAM (pre-configured to add another 8GB of virtual RAM) and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage. If you need more storage, the TF-card slot will accept microSD cards up to 2TB.

The unit shipped with Android 14, but Ulefone pushed the Android 15 update to it, making it feel smoother and faster. It was a nice touch.

Powering everything is a 6,200mAh battery, which is a generous enough cell for such a compact handset, and it supports 33W wired charging and 15W wireless charging. Thanks to the reverse charging feature, it can also work as a 5W power bank. The phone can browse the web play movies for up to 22 hours on a single charge, and has a massive standby of 14 days.

On the back is a 50-megapixel, f/2.0 camera powered by Samsung’s Isocell GN1 image sensor that’s perfect for capturing memories, taking photos for reports, and scanning documents. There is also a 64-megapixel OmniVision OV64B night vision camera with two infrared illuminators, which is a great add-on for those who have to go into dark places as well as adventurers or engineers.

On the front, there’s the obligatory 32-megapixel selfie camera powered by Samsung’s GD1 sensor, which is a great photo and video camera, and surprisingly good in low-light conditions.

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This version does not have a thermal camera, but if you want such a feature, you need it Armor Mini 20T ProWhich adds a FLIR Lepton 3.5 thermal micro-camera to the lineup.

Surrounding the camera is a powerful 130-LED ring light capable of a maximum of 500 lumens, and is accompanied by a pair of red and blue LED warning lights. The LED light is extremely bright at maximum output, and fortunately adjustable.

Remember I said small doesn’t have to be delicate? Well, the Armor Mini 20 Pro is built to take a beating. It meets MIL-STD 810G standards and keeps water and dust away completely thanks to IP68 and IP69K protection levels.

Thanks to the sturdy polymer, tough Corning Gorilla Glass, and port covers for the USB-C and 3.5mm audio jack ports (yes, this handset has the ability to take wired headphones!).

And if you think it’s weird that it has an audio jack, you better sit down before reading the next bit – it also has an infrared emitter that can be used as a remote control! Yes, this means you can control your TV or AC unit from your smartphone. An old-fashioned feature, but a useful one.

I’ve taken the Armor Mini 20 Pro with me on a few trips and have also used it as my main handset when it comes to reviewing outdoor gear. I like its compact form, along with the fact that I can accidentally drop it or leave it out in the rain as a fill light for photography, or forget it on the roof of my truck and find it frozen solid, I know it will be fine.

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It’s somewhat refreshing to go back to candy bar smartphones. It fits well in the hand and pocket, and provides enough screen real estate to get the job done. Yes, the icons are a bit small, and the narrowness of the display takes a little getting used to, but I was surprised by how quickly I got used to it.

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This is not a smartphone for people who are into TikTok or want the biggest screen they can get. This is also not a smartphone for those who want benchmark bragging rights or the best camera on the market. The Armor Mini 20 Pro shines when you take it out of the house or office and into the workshop or garage or into the woods. This is a tough handset built for service.

best: Ulefone Armor Mini 20 Pro Not expensive. Priced at $350, it comes with a fairly moderate price tag, making it perfect as a secondary phone for work.