Samsung makes some of the best Android smartphones on the market, but they also come at a steep price tag. Devices like the Galaxy S24 Ultra could set you back $1,200 in the US, which is simply not affordable by many people, nor is it necessary for general users who just want to browse the web and chat with their friends.
Fortunately, Samsung is also known for its more affordable smartphones, which offer competitive specifications, decent cameras, and large displays. Depending on the model, these are excellent for light gaming, photography, and even multitasking. Here, we’ve picked some of the best cheap Samsung phones to help you save money, and get the most out of your device without breaking the bank.
The top budget Samsung phones
Samsung Galaxy A25 5G
Awesome value in a compact package
The Samsung Galaxy A25 5G is an excellent budget smartphone. It has a large, beautiful display, a sturdy design, and a decent camera setup. It can last up to two days on a single charge, and even sports a 3.5mm headphone jack to make the music experience more accessible.
- Beautiful AMOLED display
- Decent camera performance
- Four years of software support
- Performance could be better
- Limited storage
The latest Galaxy A25 5G scored well in our review, some of which was thanks to its excellent OLED display, respectable camera quality, and solid upgrade path. The Galaxy A25 5G, as the name suggests, supports 5G connectivity. It comes with a sturdy design and a large 6.5-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, making it responsive and smooth to use when scrolling and playing games.
Some of the other useful features include the addition of the 3.5mm headphone jack, which is still present. The phone also supports 25W wired charging, and it has a large 5,000 mAh battery that provides up to two days of use with moderate use, on par with other modern budget devices.
In terms of camera, the Galaxy A25 5G will offer a decent triple camera array for the price, but as you would expect, it won’t be amazing. The shots will be great in good lighting conditions, and while some images might need a bit of fine-tuning, they’ll be fine most of the time, good enough to upload them straight to your preferred social media sites.
Samsung Galaxy A25 5G review: Better than budget
At this point, Samsung’s cheap phones can’t get much more reliable
If you’re looking for a relatively cheap Samsung phone, the Galaxy A25 5G is one of the best right now. It offers four years of software support, a decent camera, a long-lasting battery, and a beautiful display. While the performance leaves a bit to be desired, it’ll deliver a competitive experience for $300.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE
Flirting with flagship performance
If you want flagship performance without dropping roughly a grand, look to the Galaxy S23 FE. It makes few sacrifices compared to its full-powered brethren, and its shortcomings are minimal, far between, and basically negligible. That is, if you consider a $600 price tag to be cheap.
- High-end Qualcomm SoC
- 3× optical zoom
- S-Series experience at A-Series prices
- Less-than-stellar battery life
- Not quite cheap like the rest
Sure, the best cheap Samsung phones are rounded up here, and $600 doesn’t qualify for most people. But, considering its remarkably close comparison, the S23+, costs about $1,000, it’s a worthwhile choice if you demand the best but still want to save a few bucks.
Its OLED display is only a hair behind the S23+, sporting a largely unnoticeable 300 fewer nits of peak brightness and similarly excellent variable refresh rate support and color reproduction. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset driving it may not be the fastest, but still isn’t a slouch, and will perform admirably throughout its entire Android update lifespan. Even the cameras are great and offer Samsung’s impressively colorful (if not perfectly realistic) image processing.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE review: A not-quite diamond in the rough
Don’t let this phone get lost in the mid-range crowd
Again, the S23 FE is not a perfect device; it will thermally throttle from time to time, and battery life isn’t the greatest. Its cameras also aren’t quite up to snuff compared to the non-FE S Series models, but they are the closest you’ll get within the Galaxy family. But if you’re OK with using its wireless charging support to top it off during heavy-use days, it’s as close as you can get to a flagship without spending an arm and a leg.
Samsung Galaxy A15 5G
It gets the job done without breaking the bank
The Samsung Galaxy A15 5G is a great budget device. Like many other smartphones in its category, it has a good-looking display, excellent battery life, and a decent chip that provides a solid performance across the board. The Galaxy A15 is a true example of how good budget phones have become over the years, offering a fair compromise, and a great overall experience when it comes to using the phone, consuming content, and taking photos.
- Great AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate
- Excellent battery life
- ??Great performance for only $200
- Slow charging
- Low memory means multitasking isn?t as pleasant
If you’re looking for a smartphone that doesn’t break the bank and lets you use your favorite apps, and even do some occasional light gaming, the Galaxy A15 5G is an excellent device. It sports a 6.5-inch AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate, which is sharp, colorful, and responsive enough to carry out anything you want to do – for as long as it’s not too demanding.
The device is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ chipset, coupled with 4GB of RAM. While the device can run a few apps side-by-side, it’s not exactly a multitask champion, and you’ll be unable to play graphics-intensive games on maximum settings. But this phone isn’t made for those tasks.
It’s made to make life easier and more accessible, and for that, it’s perfect. Browsing, using your favorite social media apps, and consuming content is easy and great. Photos are adequate, given the low price tag, and even the battery can last for up to two days with moderate use.
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
If all you need is a budget smartphone that lets you do the basics, and a little more, the Galaxy A15 5G will do a great job. It has a 3.5mm headphone jack, and even a Dual SIM, so you can carry two SIM cards to make phone calls.
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
The mid-range master
The most high-end member of the Samsung A Series to get a North American release, the Galaxy A54 checks most of the boxes of a premium phone but costs roughly half of the base model S Series offering. While the A53 left us slightly underwhelmed, the more recent version overcomes most of those weaknesses.
- Characteristic high-quality Samsung display
- Premium construction, like the S Series
- Capable (if not stellar) SoC
- Tends to run hot
- Lacks wireless charging
One, or even two long looks at the Galaxy A54, and you might well think it’s a member of the S23 family. Sized almost exactly the same as the best offering, the Galaxy S23+, it’s the right form factor for most people and looks and feels like a premium device.
But the A54 offers more than just looks. Front and rear Gorilla Glass 5, an IP67 durability rating, and Samsung’s well-respected One UI Android skin make it a promising contender at any cost. But wait, there’s more; Samsung slapped a seriously impressive display on this bad boy, setting it apart from most competitors in its price range. Its OLED panel boasts a 1,000-nit peak brightness, HDR10+ support, a 120Hz refresh rate, and, interestingly, an even higher pixel density than the S23+. Guess what else? In another win over the S Series, it even has the mythical microSD card slot.
That’s not to say it’s perfectly on par with its twice-as-costly relative. Indeed, there’s one big knock: the A54’s Exynos 1380 SoC. If we’re being honest, the top-shelf Snapdragons that make it into $1,000 phones are overkill for many users, who won’t notice a performance difference from one generation of flagship chipset to the next. But the Exynos lineup (and in particular, the 1380) does represent a full step down from the Snapdragons that tech devices rely on.
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G review: The empire strikes back
The Galaxy A54 washes away a lot of the sins of its predecessor
That’s not to say the performance is terrible or even lackluster. In truth, it’s great for day-to-day use, with smooth animations, snappy app loading, and generally great experience. Other than our premium pick (which does use a Snapdragon SoC, at least in the US), it’s the best-performing Samsung phone outside the S Series family. It should, realistically, do a good job handling everything you need it for up until and beyond its final full OS update to Android 17.
Samsung Galaxy A35
A fair compromise that ticks most boxes
Although the Samsung Galaxy A35 might not be the fastest and most awesome device in the series, it offers a decent overall package. It packs a large, colorful display and a beefy 5,000 mAh battery that can last all day, ideal for consuming content and using multiple apps simultaneously. The A35 also has a decent camera setup, allowing you to capture your most precious moments.
- Large and colorful AMOLED display
- Good camera quality
- Nice and compact design, given the large screen
- Slow performance
- It heats up quickly
- More expensive than last year?s model
The Samsung Galaxy A35 costs $400, and at that price, it offers a few questionable sacrifices that make us recommend the Galaxy A25 5G over the A35. There are a few key reasons, one of which is price. It’s more expensive than last year’s model, and the upgrades aren’t easy to justify.
The 6.6-inch AMOLED display looks stunning, and while the bezels are quite large, that’s to be expected from a midranger. It can’t be perfect, but as long as there are some fair compromises, it should be good enough for most people. The device is powered by Samsung’s own Exynos 1380 chipset, which we found to be a bit slow. We also found that it heats up rather quickly, making the overall experience less than stellar.
Now, you can still use multiple apps simultaneously and multitask without a hitch. Still, gaming and using anything that’s more demanding will not be as smooth as on some other midranger in the same price category. Where the Galaxy A35 shines is in its longevity, as the phone can easily last a full day on a single charge.
Samsung Galaxy A35 review: How to compromise effectively
If you don’t expect much, it’s great
The camera quality is also adequate, enabling you to take great photos in most lighting conditions. Sure enough, some tweaking may be necessary in challenging situations, but it’ll do well most of the time. To summarize, if you’re looking for a great budget device that offers decent overall performance and all you need is a reliable phone to consume content on, the A35 will be a great alternative.
Samsung Galaxy A03s
Makes lots of sacrifices to hit a low price point
Samsung’s cheapest US release, the Galaxy A03s, is as basic as you can get. If you’re a stickler for performance or a huge fan of uploading HD images to social media, look elsewhere — but if you need a super-cheap (possibly backup) phone and know you love Samsung products, it’s worth a shot.
- Costs next to nothing
- Worth the low price
- Sluggish performance
- No 5G connectivity
- Subpar cameras
Make no mistake, the Galaxy A03s is not a high-performing device, nor was it ever meant to be. It exists solely to shoehorn the Samsung experience into a bare-bones piece of hardware, and at that, it does a good job. It does not deliver the same slick interface, camera, or general processing performance as any of its relatives. It’s also cheaper than nearly every other phone we review, especially if you can find it on sale.
Compared to mid-range and high-end phones, it lacks most redeeming qualities. It did recently receive an Android 13 update in most markets, and while that’s its last full iteration, it’ll get security patches for another two years or so. It runs most Android apps reasonably well (although internal storage is severely limited) and takes pictures. Not exactly good pictures, but usually pictures that allow you to still identify the subject. But where it really shines is the price. If you can find it on sale or tied to a carrier at around $100, it makes a competent backup phone and does an OK job of imitating other, more powerful Galaxy smartphones.
Samsung Galaxy A03s review: Better than last year’s, it’s a barebones phone well worth its price
Don’t expect too much, but for a basic phone, the Samsung ultra-cheap Galaxy isn’t such a bad deal.
Where are all the other cheap Samsung phones?
There are several reasons why the US sees less and less budget-friendly Samsung Galaxy devices, and some of them come down to demand, and market saturation by other key players, to name a few. Many other A-series devices are only available in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Can I import a foreign-market Samsung smartphone?
In theory, it is possible to import a Galaxy A55, and other A-series devices from other markets. However, you definitely shouldn’t if you plan to use the phone in North America. Despite some retailers’ claims, most foreign-market Samsung phones don’t support the necessary cellular bands to run on US networks. And even if one should happen to support enough 4G bands to work OK, it’s extremely unlikely you’ll find a carrier that approves it for use on its US network.
Which cheap Samsung phone should I buy?
Midrangers and budget smartphones have received major upgrades in the past few years, and you get a lot of value for $200 to $400 nowadays. If you have a budget of around $300, the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G is hands down the best cheap Samsung smartphone you can buy today.
If you need a reliable smartphone that gets the job done, offers adequate performance, and a decent camera with a long-lasting battery life, the A25 5G will offer exactly that. It’s excellent value for the money, and you’re getting a phone that can handle most everyday routines, tasks, and workflows in a compact package. The Galaxy A54 5G might no longer be the most recent and best device in the A-series lineup, but it still offers one of the best performances and a solid camera and battery life of the bunch.
However, if you have a little more to spare, and you’re looking for something better for gaming, that offers an even greater camera quality, the Galaxy S23 FE might be the obvious choice. It offers a few flagship-level features and hardware, paired with a modern design that’s on par with the Galaxy S-series lineup in many ways.
Despite the small selection of affordable devices, the Galaxy A15 5G still stands out for its outstanding value. It might not excel at anything, but it ticks most of the boxes without breaking the bank, offering a great general experience when it comes to browsing, consuming content, and using your favorite apps.
Samsung Galaxy A25 5G
A fine balance between price and performance
The Galaxy A25 5G might not be the most powerful device in the A-series line, but it offers an overall fine balance between price and performance. It’s excellent for consuming content and using various apps, and it even has a decent camera setup, and a long-lasting battery life.
