What are the best cheap phones? We tested hundreds, here are our top 7

Choosing the best cheap phones ultimately comes down to a few simple questions:

• How far can you stretch your budget?
• How important are cameras? Performance?
• Will you buy unlocked or via a carrier?
• Do you want an Android phone or an iPhone?

High-end Android phones may come with all the bells and whistles, but if you temper your expectations you can get an excellent phone for much less. Our team has tested countless smartphones in all price ranges over the years, and for this list, we’ve picked out the eight very best budget smartphones on the market. These phones offer the best value for your money, usually ranging from $500 all the way down to $0 (with carrier deals). Check out our buyer’s guide if you’re unsure what to look for, or just keep reading to see our picks for the best cheap phones to buy in 2024.

The best cheap phone is the Pixel 8a

While it’s slightly stretching the definition of a cheap phone, the Google Pixel 8a offers some of the best bang for your buck in the smartphone market. At this point it’s closer than ever to its flagship cousins, offering a similar experience for significantly less.

In terms of useful smartphone features, it has just about everything you’d want. It has a 120Hz OLED display, Google’s AI-focused Tensor G3 processor, solid battery life, and fantastic cameras. It won’t win any benchmark competitions, but for daily use, it’s an absolute dream.

For value-oriented buyers, one of the most valuable features you won’t see on a spec sheet is Google’s seven-year update commitment. That means that this phone will continue to have the latest version of Android until 2031, provided you take decent care of it. A simple case should do the trick.

The biggest downside to the Pixel 8a is that the Pixel 8 ($699 at Amazon retails for just a little bit more. Google has since jacked up the prices on the latest Pixel 9 series phones, so if you want a cheap phone from the big G, the Pixel 8a is still your best bet.

What makes it stand out

• Great value: The Pixel 8a isn’t the cheapest phone you can buy, but it does offer the most value for the money. It has features and performance that you’ll only find on much more expensive devices.
• Excellent camera performance: With an easy-to-use camera app and Google’s proprietary smarts, the Pixel 8a is easily among the best camera phones you can get in this price range.
• Powerful Tensor chip: Previously only found in the Pixel 8 lineup, the Tensor G3 chip gives this budget phone flagship-level performance.
• Clean software: Coming straight from Android’s source, the Pixel 8a’s software is as clean as it gets. Plus, it will get additional software features for years to come.

The best of the rest: 7 other cheap phones worth considering

We recommend the Pixel 8a for most users, but it might not be right for everyone under the sun. To broaden your choices, we’ve picked seven other cheap phones that might better suit your needs, budgetary or otherwise. Here’s the best of the rest:

• Galaxy A35 5G: Samsung’s best mid-ranger is one of the only options that gives the Pixel 8a a run for its money.
• Moto G Stylus 5G (2024): This Motorola phone has its flaws, but it offers something no other cheap phone can: a built-in stylus.
• Moto G Power 5G (2025): If you want a simple experience, low price, and great battery life, this phone strikes the perfect balance.
• iPhone 16e: If you’re willing to pay $599, this is a great phone that is nearly as good as its high-end brothers. It’s now a much better option than the iPhone SE.
• Galaxy A16 5G: Offering solid performance, a nice design, and an amazing update promise, the A16 5G is a fantastic value from a very respected brand.
• TCL 50 XL 5G: The TCL 50 XL looks and feels great for such an affordable phone. We also love its clean UI.

The Samsung Galaxy A35 5G is the best cheap phone for Samsung fans

Samsung has long dominated the budget segment in the US, and for good reason. The Samsung Galaxy A35 5G is one of our favorite affordable phones in the US, giving the Pixel 8a some stiff competition. Although it’s still on the higher end of the budget range at $400, we found it to be one of the best-rounded phones you can buy, with great software support that will keep it going far longer than most alternatives.

The Galaxy A35 5G is Samsung’s most powerful budget phone in the US. Although the Exynos 1380 can’t compete with the Pixel 8a’s Tensor chipset, it’s still great for light gaming and social media. The more efficient processor also extends battery life, especially for simple tasks like web browsing, where it doubled the Pixel 8a’s battery life in our testing.

If you’re someone who often drops their phone, the Galaxy A35 5G features a much more durable build with Gorilla Glass Victus Plus and an IP67 water resistance rating, which may help it last longer.

Apart from that, it’s just a great budget phone. It nails all the basics and has all of the software perks you’d expect from Samsung (apart from Galaxy AI). It is set to receive four years of security updates, which is less than the Pixel 8a but still enough that you’ll more than get your money’s worth.

That said, we probably would have picked the Samsung Galaxy A55 ($387 at Amazon) instead, but that one never came to the US. Look into it if you live in a market that offers it, though. You will probably like it more.

What makes it stand out

• Versatile cameras: A solid primary shooter, capable ultrawide camera, and admittedly niche macro camera make this one of the most versatile camera phones in this price range.
• Gorgeous display: The 120Hz Super AMOLED display is crisp, fluid, and bright in all environments.
• Excellent battery life: The beefy 5,000mAh battery should last for a day and a half, even without battery-saving measures activated.

The most interesting cheap phone is the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024)

If you’ve always wanted to try super-premium smartphones with a stylus like the Galaxy S25 Ultra ($999.99 at Samsung) but never had deep enough pockets, the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) might be for you. It’s actually one of our favorite budget S24 Ultra alternatives on the market. Even if it’s coming in at well under half the price.

The eponymous stylus slips neatly into the body of the phone, which is pretty large with a 6.7-inch pOLED display. We also liked the sharp 1080p panel, which has a 120Hz refresh rate.

It also has a nice design and pretty decent performance for the price, thanks to the addition of the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor and 8GB of RAM. Battery life is pretty good too. We managed to make it last over two days on a single charge.

This device is also a bit more budget-friendly, retailing at $400. It’s nothing to write home about, but it’s a decent phone, and you get the added benefit of a stylus that houses neatly into the chassis of the phone itself.

What makes it stand out

• Built-in stylus: Very few phones offer this as a feature, and those that do cost more than twice as much. It’s a handy little accessory that’s easy to keep track of, thanks to the in-phone housing.
• Nice battery life: The sizeable 5,000mAh battery regularly beat two days of battery life in our testing.
• Nice display: It’s good to see a large screen with a 120Hz refresh rate from a budget phone.

The Motorola Moto G Power (2025) is for the battery-anxious

Motorola’s Moto G Power lineup became famous for prioritizing battery life, and the 2025 model won’t be an exception. Despite being a very affordable $300 phone, it has a large 5,000mAh battery and a less resource-intensive package. We had no issue making it last about a day and a half during our Moto G Power (2025) review.

All things considered, the phone also nails most of the basics, offering a great casual experience. We wish the performance was better, but the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 and 8GB of RAM should do alright if you’re doing simple things like browsing the web, using social media apps, watching videos, etc.

Otherwise, it has some features we’re surprised to see in such an affordable phone. For starters, we were big fans of the grippy, vegan leather back, which is certainly unique. It also has an IP68/69 rating, even beating higher-end devices.

The 6.8-inch display is pretty large, and it has a Full HD resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It offers a really nice viewing experience, and we actually found the screen to be pretty bright, reaching 1,000 nits of brightness.

Although it’s no longer considered an essential feature, the Moto G Power also sports a headphone jack and expandable storage. These two features are no longer found on most flagship phones, but on budget phones like this, it can help keep accessory costs down, particularly when it comes to Bluetooth headphones if you don’t have any.

Likely the most significant downside, at least by our book, is that you only get an update promise of two major OS upgrades and three years of security patches.

What makes it stand out

• Nails the basics: If you just want a simple smartphone that works, this is it.
• Great battery life: We easily reached a day and a half per charge.
• Good value: At just $300, this offers a pretty good package, and will even beat high-end phones in some departments.

The iPhone 16e is the best budget phone from Apple

We’re going to break the rules a bit with this one, as it isn’t exactly a “cheap phone” at $599. That said, it’s the best iPhone you can get at a lower price. Sure, you could go for the iPhone SE 2022 ($429 at Amazon), but we feel that phone is already too old to be worth your hard-earned cash. You’re better off with the new iPhone 16e.

The iPhone 16e is no lackluster, either. It comes with an Apple A18 processor and 8GB of RAM. This puts it right on par with the non-Pro versions of the iPhone 16 series.

Despite being the cheaper model, it still gets a really nice experience all around. The aluminum frame and glass build are still awesome. And it gets an IP68 rating, so it will be pretty safe from the elements.

You get a decently sized 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED with a 2,532 x 1,170 resolution. And while the camera system only has a single 48MP shooter, Apple has always been pretty good about releasing great cameras, even in its budget offerings.

What makes it stand out

• Unbeatable performance: The Apple A18 processor is the same found in the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, and simply put, it blows the budget competition out of the water.
• Robust ecosystem: Get more out of your phone thanks to a huge variety of apps in the App Store and some of the best hardware on the market from Apple.
• Long-lasting support: Apple has always been known for supporting its devices for a very long time. The iPhone 16e won’t be the exception.

The Galaxy A16 5G is a great budget phone under $200

If you want a true budget phone from Samsung, the Galaxy A16 5G is a great pick. It’s easily our pick for the best phone under $200, especially in the US.

Considering that this is a very cheap smartphone, it ticks all of the boxes you’d expect. The primary camera is actually pretty decent. So is battery life, and we could comfortably make the 5,000mAh last a whole day with casual usage. It charges at 25W, which is also decent. Again, nothing about this phone is outstanding, but you can’t expect extraordinary performance from a phone that’s just a penny under $200.

What is amazing, and even beats many high-end phones, is the Galaxy A16 5G’s update promise. You’re guaranteed to get six years of update support!

What makes it stand out

• Affordability: You’ll struggle to find anything this good at just $199.99!
• Solid main shooter: The 50MP main shooter takes very nice photos in good light.
• Amazing update promise: This phone gets a six-year update promise, even beating many high-end options.

The TCL 50 XL 5G offers a premium aesthetic at a budget price

If you’re looking for a cheap Android phone that looks much nicer than its price implies, the TCL 50 XL 5G is worth a look. It’s a very barebones device, but retailing at just $160 ($159.99 at Metro by T-Mobile), it’s hard to complain.

This phone offered a basic, but overall good, experience during our testing period, with great battery life and a decent main camera. We found it has pretty decent performance for the price. It has a MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ and 6GB of RAM. If you like larger screens, this one measures 6.78 inches, and it still has a Full HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate.

This phone’s biggest selling point (apart from price) is its premium look and build. It’s a cut above other budget devices, even though it only comes in one color. We really like its faux leather finish and overall construction, though.

We were also big fans of the UI, which is very clean and close to what we would consider Stock Android. There’s no fluff here!

It has a pretty large 5,010mAh battery, too. We found that it was able to comfortably get us about a full day of usage on a single charge.

What makes it stand out

• Really nice design: The faux leather and general design would make you believe this device costs much more than it actually does.
• Cheap 5G: This is one of the cheapest 5G phones you can buy.
• Clean software: TCL offers a near-stock Android experience, which is nice to see at this price.

The best phones under $500

If you have a specific budget in mind, the next few sections will help you narrow down your options. Let’s start with the best phones under $500.

• Google Pixel 8a ($499 at Amazon): Retailing for $499, the Pixel 8a is just a hair under the $500 limit. It’s definitely our favorite phone at this price range, though, featuring great performance, outstanding cameras, and an overall great experience.
• Samsung Galaxy A35 ($359.99 at Amazon): If you’re more of a Samsung fan, the Galaxy A35 5G is slightly cheaper at $399. It still has a nice design, good specs, capable cameras, and a large battery.
• Apple iPhone SE 2022 ($429 at Amazon): We may be an Android-focused website, but we know many of our readers may also like iPhones, and this is definitely a great device at $429. It has a nice design, pretty powerful specs, and makes little sacrifices to achieve this price point.
• Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) ($249.99 at Amazon): The 2024 Moto G Stylus 5G is great for those who want a stylus, but would rather not pay for something like the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Performance is fairly good, the screen is large, and the battery is juicy.

The best phones under $300

If you want to stick below the $300 mark, here are the best options.

• Samsung Galaxy A25 5G ($299.99 at Amazon): This phone is definitely the middle child of the Galaxy A-series, but it is still a good deal at $299 MSRP. It features a sturdy design, a nice display, good performance, and a hefty battery.
• OnePlus Nord N30 ($299 at Amazon): At $299.99, this device is just a bit under $300. We liked its fast-charging capabilities, good battery life, and sharp display with a 120Hz refresh rate.

The best phones under $200

If you want to stick below the $200 mark, here are the best options.

• Samsung Galaxy A16 5G ($199.99 at Samsung): At $199.99, this device is a total steal. It features a modest all-around package, with a decent performance, primary camera, and design. Not to mention the outstanding six-year update promise!
• Motorola Moto G 2025 ($199.99 at Amazon): The Motorola Moto G 2025 actually has a pretty nice design for the price. It also gets that vegan leather design and streamlined back. IT also gets a pretty nice, large display. The 5,000mAh battery is nothing to scoff at, either.

The best cheap phones outside of the US

While all of the phones above are sold in the US (and most outside of the US), there are several more great options available to international buyers. Even if you are in the US, importing some of these can be relatively easy, although you will be giving up warranties and ongoing support. Be sure to check networks as well to ensure they’ll work in your local area. Here are our picks for the best cheap phones outside of the US:

• Samsung Galaxy A55 5G ($387 at Amazon): We’re pretty sad that the Galaxy A55 never made it to the US, as it is technically the biggest competitor to the Pixel 8a. It offers a pretty great overall experiences that edges very close to the high-end realm.
• Nothing Phone 2a (£319.99 at Amazon): Nothing’s first budget phone really impressed us, bringing the style and simplicity of the Nothing Phone 2 to the budget category.
• Sony Xperia 10 VI (£349 at Manufacturer site): Sony may not be known for affordable phones, but the Xperia 10 VI is actually not too pricey and offers a really good experience. It has a gorgeous OLED panel, a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor, and 8GB of RAM, as well as a large battery.

What to look for in a cheap phone

Some of you may be looking to purchase your first smartphone. Others may just want to save some money by buying a cheap phone. No matter where you’re coming from in your buyer’s journey, there are several key elements to consider when it comes to budget phones:

Value over price

It can be tempting to buy the absolute cheapest phone you can find. That said, doing so may give you a phone that needs replacing every year. Buying a good phone with a solid update promise will save you money in the long run. Even if it does mean an initial hit to your pocketbook.

Simple camera performance

How important are cameras to you? You do have a few good options in this price range. Though, for the most part, they’ll be limited to one good camera. Even if the phone has multiple lenses, the main shooter will be pulling most if not all of the weight. That doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing, though.

Unlocked or carrier

When buying a phone, you always have the option of saving a lot of money by buying through a carrier. However, this typically limits your choices and locks that phone to a single carrier for the lifetime of the device. Buying an unlocked phone costs more upfront, but allows you to change carriers whenever you like.

Android vs. iOS

Which platform do you have the most experience with? Changing from Android to iOS or vice versa isn’t too difficult these days, but relearning everything will take time. Apple’s devices tend to cost a bit more. They also last longer and receive better software support than anything on the Android side, although Samsung is getting close.

5G connection

5G was previously limited to just flagship devices, but now even cheap phones are getting in on the game. Speeds are limited to sub-6Ghz. Regardless, it’s still a nice way to futureproof your device as new networks roll out nationwide.

Build quality

One key area where phone makers typically reduce costs is build quality. Budget phones drop the glass sandwich builds found on flagships and instead employ plastic backings or older Gorilla Glass options. There are a few exceptions. But if you’re going to slap a case on it anyway, plastic builds shouldn’t be a deterrent.

FAQs