It might be trendy to spend $1,000 on the newest flagship smartphone once they first get launched, but it surely’s not crucial. You do not even should spend $500 as we speak to get a good handset, whether or not it’s a refurbished iPhone or an inexpensive Android telephone, as there are many choices as little as $160 that might suit your wants.
However navigating the price range telephone market could be difficult; choices that look good on paper is probably not in observe, and a few handsets will find yourself costing you extra when you think about many include restrictive storage. Whereas we at Engadget spend most of our time testing and reviewing mid- to high-end handsets, we have examined a lot of the newest budget-friendly telephones in the marketplace to see which are literally value your cash.
What to search for in an inexpensive telephone
For this information, our prime picks value between $100 and $300. Something much less and also you may as properly go purchase a dumb telephone or high-end calculator as an alternative. Since they’re meant to be extra inexpensive than flagship telephones and even midrange handsets, price range smartphones contain compromises; the cheaper a tool, the decrease your expectations round specs, efficiency and expertise needs to be. For that motive, the perfect recommendation I may give is to spend as a lot as you possibly can afford. On this value vary, even $50 or $100 extra can get you a dramatically higher product.
Second, it’s best to know what you need most from a telephone. When shopping for a price range smartphone, it’s possible you’ll have to sacrifice a good principal digicam for lengthy battery life, or commerce a high-resolution show for a quicker CPU. That’s simply what comes with the territory, however realizing your priorities will make it simpler to seek out the correct telephone.
It’s additionally value noting some options could be exhausting to seek out on low cost handsets. For example, you gained’t want to look far for a tool with all-day battery life — however if you’d like an amazing digicam telephone with wonderful digicam high quality, you’re higher off shelling out for one of many suggestions in our midrange smartphone information, which all are available at $600 or much less. Wi-fi charging and waterproofing additionally aren’t straightforward to seek out on this value vary and neglect concerning the quickest chipset. On the intense facet, all our suggestions include headphone jacks, so that you gained’t have to get wi-fi headphones.
iOS can also be off the desk, for the reason that $400 Apple iPhone SE is probably the most inexpensive iPhone within the lineup. That leaves Android OS as the one possibility. Fortunately as we speak, there’s little to complain about Google’s OS – and it’s possible you’ll even choose it to iOS. Lastly, take into accout most Android producers usually supply far much less strong software program options and help for his or her price range gadgets. In some instances, your new telephone might solely obtain one main software program replace and a 12 months or two of safety patches past that. That applies to the OnePlus and Motorola suggestions on our listing.
When you’d wish to maintain your telephone for so long as potential, Samsung has the perfect software program coverage of any Android producer within the price range house, providing 4 years of safety updates on all of its gadgets. That mentioned, if software program help (or machine longevity total) is your principal focus, think about spending a bit extra the $500 Google Pixel 7a, which is our favourite midrange smartphone and has deliberate software program updates by way of mid-2026.
Greatest low cost telephones
OnePlus
Display screen measurement: 6.72 inches | Storage capability: 128GB + microSD | SIM card kind: Nano-SIM | Entrance digicam decision: 16MP | Rear digicam decision: 108MP principal, 2MP macro | Weight: 6.8 oz | Battery life: 12 hours, half-hour
The $300 OnePlus Nord N30 5G presents the perfect worth of any of the smartphones on our listing. No different telephone within the value bracket incorporates a processor as quick because the N30’s Snapdragon 695 5G chipset. Furthermore, OnePlus has specced the N30 with 5G connectivity along with a beneficiant 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, that means you most likely gained’t have to price range for a microSD card or cloud storage. It additionally comes with a 120Hz IPS show, a characteristic that’s nice for each gaming and on a regular basis use. Better of all, the N30 ships with a 50W energy adapter for quick charging, letting you get a full day of battery life in half-hour. The N30 can be virtually excellent if it had waterproofing and OnePlus had dedicated to pushing multiple main Android OS replace to the telephone. — Igor Bonifacic, Contributing Reporter
$230 at Amazon
SAMSUNG
Display screen measurement: 6.5 inches | Storage capability: 128GB/256GB + microSD | SIM card kind: Nano-SIM | Entrance digicam decision: 13MP | Rear digicam decision: 50MP principal, 5MP ultrawide, 2MP macro | Weight: 7.05 oz | Battery life: 2 days
For simply $200, the Galaxy A15 5G is a reasonably outstanding machine. It has a 6.5-inch show with a barely slower 90Hz refresh charge the Nord N30. Nonetheless, as a result of it options an AMOLED panel as an alternative of an LCD show, it boasts higher brightness and richer colours than principally all of its rivals. It will also be configured with as much as 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and its 5,000 mAh battery delivers lengthy battery life. Its digicam system is stable for its value, providing a principal digicam that handles on a regular basis photographs properly and a selfie digicam for video calls. And whereas its design isn’t too thrilling, the polycarbonate Samsung makes use of on the again has a pleasant matte end that feels extra like glass than low cost plastic. Lastly, the A15 comes with 4 years of safety updates and three years of OS upgrades, which is longer than most handsets on this value vary. — Sam Rutherford, Senior Reporter
$173 at Amazon
Motorola
Display screen measurement: 6.5 inches | Storage capability: 64GB + microSD | SIM card kind: Nano-SIM | Entrance digicam decision: 8MP | Rear digicam decision: 50MP | Weight: 6.53 oz | Battery life: 46 hours
For these on a very tight price range, the 2024 Moto G Play covers all of the bases properly. It has a speedy Snapdragon 680 processor together with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. And whereas that final quantity might sound small, the telephone has a microSD card slot so you possibly can add extra space if and while you want it. Its 6.5-inch LCD display screen can also be surprisingly sharp with a 90Hz refresh charge. The Moto G Play even has an IP52 ranking for mud and water resistance. That isn’t a lot, but it surely’s adequate to guard towards an errant splash or two. Positive, the G Play is primary, but it surely’s primary in a great way. — S.R.
$110 at Amazon
Motorola
Display screen measurement: 6.5-inch | Storage capability: 64GB | SIM card kind: Nano-SIM | Entrance digicam decision: 8MP | Rear digicam decision: 50MP | Weight: 6.9 oz | Battery life: 20 hours
The $200 Motorola Moto G Stylus presents one thing not one of the different picks on this listing do: a built-in stylus. When you love doodling and jotting down notes, then that is a budget telephone to purchase. Fortunately, it has a couple of different issues going for it too. The Moto G Stylus sports activities a giant and responsive 6.5-inch show and a long-lasting 5,000mAh battery. Plus, it’s accessible in two pretty colours: midnight blue and glam pink.
As with different choices on this value vary, it might be good if the Moto G Stylus got here with a extra succesful digicam, a quick charger and higher safety towards water. One phrase of recommendation: keep away from Moto G Stylus 5G. It doesn’t supply sufficient of an improve to justify costing $400. — I.B.
$178 at Amazon
