Would it be appropriate to say the little pocket pistols of today are the 20-21st century equivalent of derringers?

The vast majority of them are minuscule in size, intended for concealment more than anything, and equipped with very rudimentary sights and intended for close-range use where they'd be pointed rather than aimed.

They're mostly chambered in tiny calibers of questionable effectiveness for self defense, with the lot of them ranging from .22 Short up to .380 ACP.

Capacity is low, with the majority of them averaging about a third of what the majority of full-sized handguns can hold.

Up until the polymer revolution that saw more full-sized handguns swapping out steel and aluminum frames, the majority of them were produced in materials of questionable quality in terms of strength, with some of them able to actually melt at certain temperatures that a steel-framed gun would shrug off.

They're often regarded as being better than nothing or a sharp stick in a situation where you can't carry a full-sized pistol.

They're meant to be used like this.

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I guess you could make that comparison. There were many firearms throughout history that were deseigned for such a purpose. The pepperbox and ducks foot come to mind. Or the Iver and Johnson break action revolvers or micro flintlocks. Men have always tried to make guns smaller and more concealable.