It’s an exciting time for smartphones. Thanks to increasingly powerful new chips, we’re long past the days when you had to choose between spending a bundle on a premium phone or settling for sluggish performance on a budget model.
As the most expensive flagship smartphones strive to deliver console-quality gaming and advanced computational photography experiences, more affordable phones have benefited from a healthy range of powerful mid-range processors that can now easily handle all the daily tasks that most smartphone owners need and won’t need to be left behind when the next Android update comes along.
It would have seemed unthinkable a few years ago, but today you can easily find a budget smartphone for well under $500 that will give you a smooth user experience and easily last you for the next couple of years. Some of these even cross over onto our list of the best Android phones. Of course, you’ll still have to make some compromises to get a phone in this price range, but the good news is that we know where those lines are drawn, and we’ve applied our years of experience reviewing Android phones of all shapes and sizes to round up some of the best picks to get you started.
Cheap Android phones that are worth buying
Samsung Galaxy A25 5G
Well-rounded budget champ
Samsung’s Galaxy A25 5G is priced competitively, but it does its best to bring premium features to the budget segment. Things like its AMOLED screen and 50MP triple camera array aren’t very common on phones that retail for under $500, let alone at the A25’s $300 price point. On the software side, photo editing tools like Single Take and Object Eraser add further to the value, making this one of the better budget options to hit US shores.
- Fantastic display
- Long software support
- Solid build quality
- Slow charging
- Soft night photography
The Samsung Galaxy A25 is a fantastic blend of performance and value, giving you enough power for most needs at a $300 price point. It starts with the A25’s gorgeous 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display—a high-quality 120Hz panel that belies its modest price tag. The Galaxy A25 is powered by the Exynos 1280, and while it won’t be confused with a flagship chipset, it still has enough zip for daily tasks and modest gaming. Unlike the Galaxy A24, this year’s model is 5G capable, allowing for better data speeds. Samsung also fitted the A25 with 6GB of RAM, helping smooth the user experience.
Samsung promises four major updates of One UI and five years of security patches, which is an impressive amount of support for $300. One UI is also running well, with all the visual and functional enhancements Samsung brought with version 6.0. Even though the A25’s cameras won’t rival those of the Google Pixel 7a, they can still produce quality images with good lighting.
Samsung Galaxy A25 5G review: Better than budget
At this point, Samsung’s cheap phones can’t get much more reliable
With the Galaxy A25, battery anxiety won’t creep up on you, as its 5,000mAh cell provides excellent battery life. The A25 even includes a 3.5mm headphone jack for audiophiles still clinging to their wired headsets. All told, the Galaxy A25 represents great value to users looking for a capable smartphone that won’t break the bank.
OnePlus 12R
Best in class performance
The OnePlus 12R brings the company back to its flagship-killing days with its fantastic performance, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It also includes an impressive 6.78-inch OLED display, and a massive 5,500mAh battery for hours of use. It’s a lot of flagship power at a firmly mid-range price.
- Fantastic OLED display
- Great performance
- Fast charging
- Oxygen OS takes getting used to
OnePlus broke the budget phone mold with the 12R, giving us outstanding performance and a premium build for $500. It’s a little pricier than the other entries on our list, but you’ll enjoy the additional bang for your buck. It’s powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, last year’s flagship chipset, providing blistering performance for apps and AAA mobile gaming. OnePlus paired all that power with 8GB of RAM, ensuring a smooth user experience. We love its bright, crisp 6.78-inch AMOLED display, perfect for watching content or playing your favorite games.
OnePlus 12R review: A real flagship killer for $500
A phone that packs all the power you need for the price you want to pay
Even though curved displays are no longer in style, the OnePlus 12R still looks and feels like a premium flagship device, with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protecting its display. We also loved how quick and secure face unlock is on the OnePlus 12R, better than anything currently on a Samsung or Google device. While its cameras are not our favorite in this group, the OnePlus 12R can still produce an image worthy of Instagram likes.
The OnePlus 12R boasts phenomenal battery life, allowing you the flexibility of a multi-day battery. When it is time to recharge, OnePlus fitted the 12R with 100W fast charging, capable of providing a full charge in under 30 minutes, best-in-class in this price range. If you’re willing to spend a little more, the OnePlus 12R checks all the boxes you’d want out of a flagship killer.
Samsung Galaxy A15 5G
Lots of screen for the money
The Galaxy A15 is an impressive blend of performance and value, with a fantastic display for $200. It features a Dimensity 6100+, which won’t break any benchmarks, but it does breeze through social media. It sports a 6.5-inch AMOLED display with impressive colors and a 90Hz refresh rate, not always seen at this price point.
- Great display
- Excellent battery life
- Long software support
- Slow charging
- Can get bogged down at times
If you’re looking for a prime example of how far budget phones have come, look no further than the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G. It pairs respectable performance with a gorgeous 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display refreshing at 90Hz — a combination that would’ve been unheard of under $200 a few years ago. It’s powered by a Mediatek Dimensity 6100+, which easily handles daily tasks, like social media, and provides decent gaming performance. You won’t be playing Genshin Impact on high settings, but if you keep your expectations in check, you’ll enjoy your time blasting through enemies on the A15.
Like the A25, the Galaxy A15 still features a 3.5mm headphone jack for wired headsets. It’s not exactly a premium build, but the A15 is robust, with a sturdy plastic frame. It also borrows design elements from the more expensive S24 series, which is part of Samsung’s effort to streamline its design language. Even though it wouldn’t be our first choice for nighttime photography, the A15’s main 50MP sensor takes crisp, vibrant photos in well-lit environments, with some images rivaling the more expensive Galaxy A54.
Samsung Galaxy A15 5G review: Everything you need for only $200
It’s not flashy, but the A15 gets the job done for people who don’t read reviews or care about specs
With its 5,000mAh battery, the Galaxy A15 lasts most days with room to spare, allowing you to use your phone freely throughout the day without worrying about topping off your charge. If you’re looking for a device that punches above its weight, the Galaxy A15 does a lot for $200.
Google Pixel 7a
A more expensive A-series entry with some improvements
Google’s Pixel 7a is the most expensive A-series device yet, but that price bump comes with all sorts of big improvements. With a 90Hz display, a new camera lineup, and wireless charging, it’s basically a Pixel 7 with a cheaper price tag. Just be prepared for some mediocre battery life alongside the usual heat produced by Tensor-powered phones.
- 90Hz refresh rate
- Best build quality yet
- Wireless charging
- Basically, a Pixel 7 for $100 less
- Battery life is somewhere between fine and bad
- Phone gets pretty hot in regular use
- Most expensive A-series device yet
The Pixel 7a is Google’s latest A-series phone, essentially combining the legacies of the Pixel 6a and Pixel 7 into one device. At $500, it’s the most expensive A-series phone yet, but you can’t say that price tag doesn’t come with some serious advantages over its predecessor. With a near-identical design to that of even the Pixel 8, some shoppers may find that Google’s most recent flagship phone is a bit redundant now. Still, with a slimmer camera bar, a durable back made of plastic, and some colorful new options not available in the rest of the lineup, the 7a might be an easy choice.
Google Pixel 7a review: If déjà vu were a smartphone
This year’s A-series is more like its flagship counterpart than ever before — for better and for worse
That said, some of its improvements come with caveats of their own. For example, although a 90Hz display makes scrolling and gaming smoother than ever, it’s disabled out of the box by default. We found that a bit odd, as it makes a big difference in how responsive the phone feels, but a spokesperson told us that it’s a battery-saving measure. Thankfully, it’s easy enough to switch on in the settings, but you need to know where to look for it.
While more expensive phones go all the way up to 120Hz and beyond, limiting the Pixel 7a to 90Hz is a reasonable corner to cut; the jump from 60Hz to 90Hz is far more obvious than the more incremental move to 120Hz. Wireless charging also makes its first appearance on the A-series, but at just 5W, it’s better for overnight charges than boosting your battery life throughout the day. While we found the battery life was fairly sub-par on launch — especially if you transferred your data from an older phone — the Android 14 upgrade gives the Pixel 7a new life. It can typically make it through a day, reaching almost 6 hours of screen-on time, with 3–4 hours being our experience when it was first released.
Even though the Pixel 7a launched at $499 — a $50 jump over its predecessor — frequent sales have knocked it firmly back into budget territory. If you’re savvy with deals, the Pixel 7a can often be found for as low as $375, making it hard to beat, given all the premium features.
Moto G Play (2024)
Surprisingly value for $150
For those on a tight budget, the Moto G Play for 2024 strikes the right balance with respectable performance and a smooth 90Hz refresh rate. Its Snapdragon 680 chipset is good enough for daily tasks and light gaming, and its 4GB of RAM is more than enough for several apps open at once.
- Decent performance
- Respectable display
- Quality build
- Poor gaming performance
- No 5G
When you get below $200, it’s difficult to find a smartphone that delivers a decent user experience while making the right compromises to get to a lower price point. With the Moto G Play for 2024, Motorola struck the right balance, offering solid performance while cutting the right corners for a $150 price tag. At its heart, you’ll find a Snapdragon 680, a chipset we found to be capable of smooth performance in testing. Motorola increased the RAM to 4GB for this year’s model, helping improve the user experience. You’ll still encounter the occasional hitch and hiccup in performance, but nothing unexpected for $150.
Motorola Moto G Play (2024) review: Getting back into the budget groove
Motorola regains its footing after last year’s budget blunder
The Moto G Play sports a 6.5-inch LCD display refreshing at 90Hz. While it’s less contrasty or vibrant than an OLED, it does more than get the job done for scrolling Instagram or watching YouTube. Motorola borrowed design cues from its more expensive models, giving the G Play a molded rear camera hump. It’s a premium look, even if the build materials are plastic.
While the Moto G Play’s cameras are nothing to write home about, its main 16MP sensor gets the job done in good lighting, producing sharp enough images and good color. It’s a serviceable camera system, which is more than you usually get sub-$200. If you’re on a tight budget, the Moto G Play will get the job done, as Motorola made significant improvements to last year’s model, making it a respectable entry-level smartphone.
Motorola Razr (2023)
A fun foldable at a wallet-friendly price
Motorola’s new 2023 Razr is amazingly affordable by the standards of foldable smartphones, especially when you consider that its 2020 predecessor launched at twice the price. Motorola has cut its corners carefully to get here, still delivering solid midrange performance, great battery life, and an expansive 6.9-inch inside screen.
- Same expansive 6.9-inch pOLED screen as its more expensive sibling
- Good battery life
- Available in vibrant colors with vegan leather finishes
- Small cover screen is less useful than most other foldables
- Middling camera quality
With a list price of $700, Motorola’s Razr (2023) may not feel like it belongs on a list of budget phones, but it’s a bargain among foldables with great value for the price — and it’s not hard to find it on sale for even less. While Motorola has made a few compromises to get here, it’s mostly made the right calls. The older Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 may not win any speed records, but it’s a capable and power-efficient chip to handle all your daily tasks with aplomb — we ran into almost no issues with the phone’s performance during our testing — and helps the phone deliver battery life that will get you through a typical day with room to spare.
Some of Motorola’s more nostalgic fans may be disappointed with the departure from its iconic Razr design. However, this latest foldable goes in a fun new direction, with whimsical colors and a vegan leather finish on all models that feels great in the hand and helps you keep a grip on the phone.
Flip it open, and you’re greeted by an expansive 6.9-inch 144Hz pOLED LTPO screen that’s among the best Motorola has ever made — it’s the same one found on its more expensive Razr+ — with 1,400 nits of peak brightness and bold and vibrant colors.
The biggest knock against the new Motorola Razr is the shrunken cover display, which now measures only 1.5 inches. It isn’t useful for much more than showing notifications and tiles and can’t be used to preview main camera selfies. The dual-camera system also follows Motorola’s usual pattern of being merely adequate — it produces good everyday snapshots in the right lighting conditions but doesn’t do so well when the lights are down.
Motorola Razr (2023) review: Better than it should be
It’s not the flashiest or most powerful, but this clamshell foldable is great for the space
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
A great Pixel alternative with some excellent additions
Samsung’s Galaxy A54 is an update to one of our favorite budget phones of 2022, delivering improved performance and a sleeker design that looks more in line with the flagship S23 series. With a 120Hz AMOLED display and a capable 50MP shooter on the back, it’s a solid all-around offering for only $450.
- Excellent, fast display
- Premium design and feel
- Expandable storage
- No wireless charging
- 25W charging limit feels slow
- Phone can get toasty in regular use
If Google’s A-series isn’t doing it for you, maybe Samsung’s will. The Galaxy A54 is Samsung’s mainline mid-range offering for 2023, and despite some minor year-over-year improvements compared to its predecessor, it really impressed us. Its upgraded Exynos processor makes the phone feel faster than the A53, and its design has been updated to better match Samsung’s new design language.
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G review: The empire strikes back
The Galaxy A54 washes away a lot of the sins of its predecessor
And despite the release of the Galaxy A55 overseas, the A54 still represents a great value, often on sale for around $325. It offers a fantastic, vibrant Samsung OLED display and a solid build for a squarely budget price. The A54 is fully updated with One UI 6, and Samsung will support it for another three years, giving users peace of mind.
All that said, the Galaxy A54 is far from a perfect device. We found it does get warm during regular use — not just gaming, but browsing as well — and its 25W charging speed can feel a little slow, especially if you’re coming from a OnePlus device. Likewise, the 50MP camera just doesn’t hold a candle to what Google manages with its Pixel lineup, although it’s certainly capable of collecting good shots. But that 120Hz AMOLED panel puts the Pixel 6a to shame, and with expandable storage, it’s also reminiscent of the Android days of yore.
Samsung Galaxy A04
Gets the job done at a deeply budget price
The Samsung Galaxy A04 offers budget specs for a budget price. It’s powered by a MediaTek Helio P35, meaning it won’t be a gaming beast, but it will get you through daily tasks and social media. For a price typically under $120, it’s hard to argue with a device running Samsung’s excellent One UI software.
- Large LCD
- Samsung One UI software
- Low price
- Only 4GB of RAM
- 64GB of base storage
- 720p resolution
The Samsung Galaxy A04 won’t turn many heads, but it’s a popular phone for a reason. It features 4GB of RAM and the MediaTek Helio P35 chipset. That chip won’t have you running Call of Duty Mobile at 60fps, but that’s not the point. The Galaxy A04 is an excellent, bare-bones budget option for those who want to do a bit of light scrolling and keep up on social media. It has an all-plastic build, which might sound unappealing, but it keeps the weight down.
It’s not all budget for the Galaxy A04, as it runs One UI, Samsung’s excellent Android skin. It won’t match the performance of phones like the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but you’ll benefit from frequent updates and new features, two things often missing from budget entries. While 64GB of base storage might seem limiting, the A04 sports a microSD card slot for expandable storage — a feature not found on many 2023 smartphones. If you’re looking for a no-frills option that is light on the wallet, the Galaxy A04 is worth considering.
How to choose the best budget Android phone
It probably shouldn’t surprise you that budget Android phones are going to come with some compromises. You can’t realistically expect a phone to do everything at these prices, so it’s important to decide what you really need it to do, where you’re willing to let something go, and if the other trade-offs that exist are reasonable.
For example, most folks can live without fast charging on a phone that can provide two-day battery life, since you’ll only need to plug it in at night when you have plenty of time to wait for it to charge. Wireless charging is another easy compromise in this case, since frequent top-ups are less necessary.
Screen size and resolution are also challenging trade-offs among budget phones, many of which only feature 720p displays. Unlike pricier flagships, the largest screens aren’t necessarily the crispest, so if you’re looking for something that’s easier on the eyes, you may have to go smaller to get there. Pixels per inch (ppi) is the key measurement for this; a higher number indicates the pixels are closer together, resulting in better clarity for text and images.
Others may be trickier. If you’re looking to take the best photos possible on a budget, you’re going to have to be prepared to spend at the higher end of the budget price range. However, don’t just go for the phone with the most megapixels, as that can sometimes be misleading; it’s what a phone does with those pixels that counts, especially in this era of AI-powered computational photography.
Lastly, pay close attention to what each manufacturer promises for future Android updates, as that can impact the longevity of your phone. Just because you’re opting for a budget phone doesn’t mean you should have to replace it every year just to get the latest Android features.
How we test the best budget Android phones
We’ve been testing a wide range of Android phones almost since the very first ones came out, from budget picks like the one on this list to the most powerful top-of-the-line flagships that money can buy. Our review team has a combination of decades of experience with Android in all of its software and hardware flavors, putting us in a unique position to recommend the best smartphone to meet your needs.
We thoroughly and extensively test every smartphone we review, not just putting them through paper tests but also bringing them into our everyday lives as our primary smartphones, just like a typical consumer would. This lets us get a feel for each smartphone under real-world conditions and not just how it performs in a lab environment. This includes daily activities appropriate to each smartphone, such as checking email, scrolling through social media, surfing the web, taking photos, and gaming to help us understand and report on performance and battery life under normal use.
Further, our reviews are always completely independent. We choose products to review based on what we think will interest our readers, not based on what vendors suggest we should, and we never receive compensation for our reviews beyond the product samples themselves. If we say a phone is horrible, great, or somewhere in between, it’s because that’s what we truly think of it.
The best Android phone for the best price
There’s no shortage of inexpensive Android phones, including 5G phones, and more of them than ever are actually worth buying. Our pick for the best blend of performance and value is the Galaxy A25. While this list contains better phones, the A25 represents what we wish more budget phones would be — feature an excellent display, solid performance, and a quality build. When you add in Samsung’s software support, and One UI 6 experience, the Galaxy A25 becomes a great deal for $300.
If you’re looking for a premium experience and are willing to spend extra, the OnePlus 12R is worth a look. It features a fantastic build, excellent performance, and outstanding battery life, making it a true contender for a flagship killer. At $500, it’s hard to beat the value of the OnePlus 12R as long as you don’t mind stretching your budget.
If you’re after a truly budget smartphone with a decent experience, you won’t find many cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G. Although it’s not the cheapest phone on our list — that honor belongs to the Galaxy A04 — it’s only $40 more and manages to outperform it in nearly every way. With a 1080p 90Hz OLED, sturdy build quality, and reliable software support, it ticks all the essential smartphone boxes while delivering solid, if not incredible, performance. You won’t find anything flashy here, but as a basic entry-level phone, it more than gets the job done.
Samsung Galaxy A25 5G
Best blend of performance and value
The Samsung Galaxy A25 represents the best of budget phones. It’s an excellent blend of performance and value. Even though it’s not the most powerful phone on this list, it’s the best pound-for-pound option for most users, especially those coming from older budget devices who need a reliable software experience and consistent updates.
