Since 2018, the trend seemed to be going toward removing features instead... sd card slot, headphone jack, physical buttons, intrusions of screen space...
Been eyeing that (still on a 6 year old phone), actual compactness is one of the few things I'd be willing to sacrifice most of the smartphone things I like for.
I have the fold and I wouldn't call it compact, the flip style phones seem better for that aspect, I just enjoy the large screen when I use it for gaming or watching videos, it's certainly more compact then if I had a tablet instead I suppose.
Might be better to wait and let it mature a bit if size is your main concern.
I think that's the hidden cause of increasing phone pricing. I'm still using my note 9. The battery is starting to give so maybe this time next year I finally upgrade.