The Best Cheap Phones for Almost Every Budget

The Google Pixel 5A 5G (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is the best smartphone for most people. For $449, it has one of the best camera systems you’ll find in its price bracket. The main camera snaps delightfully crisp and well-exposed photos, and the ultrawide captures sweeping scenes. Put the phone on a tripod and point it at the sky and you can turn into a burgeoning astrophotographer too. In this arena, it handily leads its peers.

But cameras aren’t everything. This Pixel excels in performance, with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor and 6 gigs of RAM (the same chip as 2020’s Pixel 5). It’s smooth enough for most everyday tasks. You can even play demanding games like Genshin Impact, though only at low graphics and with some stutters. The OLED screen is not super common on sub-$500 phones. It’s colorful, bright enough to see in broad daylight, and has deep blacks for excellent contrast.

Best of all is the 4,680-mAh battery, which comfortably lasts almost two full days before you need to plug it in. You’ll get three years of OS and security upgrades, which is more than most other affordable phones (save Samsung devices). Other extras include IP67 water resistance, sub-6 5G connectivity, NFC for contactless payments, a headphone jack, and a rear fingerprint sensor. There’s sadly no MicroSD card slot, so you’ll have to make do with the included 128 GB.

The best part of Pixel phones is the software experience. There are plenty of smart features you won’t find on comparable phones and that you’ll use every day. For example, Call Screen will monitor potential spam or robocalls so you don’t even have to say “hello.” Now Playing identifies music in your surroundings, like the coffee shop, so you’ll have the answer to who’s playing before you even search for it. You can read more about all the other software perks available in Pixel phones here.

It’s not all rosy. Unlike previous years, when you could choose between a small and large Pixel, the Pixel 5A comes in just one size because of supply chain constraints. Its 6.3-inch screen certifies it as a Big Phone, which is a shame if you liked the compact Pixel 4A. Worse yet, the 5A is available only in the US and Japan. It’s frequently out of stock, but you might be able to score the 2020 Pixel 4A—if your budget doesn’t stretch to $450 or you really just want a tiny Android phone, then it’s a fantastic option.

Works on all three major US carriers

★Another Alternative: Samsung Galaxy A52 5G ($500)

The Galaxy A52 5G (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is an excellent midrange option. Performance isn’t as smooth, but you get a large 120-Hz screen, robust 5G support (including C-band, which promises better 5G for AT&T and Verizon subscribers early in 2022), and a MicroSD card slot, features missing on the Pixel. Its main camera is also decent, though not as good as our top pick. Thankfully, it’ll get three OS upgrades and four years of security updates. It’s frequently on sale for around $400.

Runner-Up

The iPhone SE (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is perfect for people who want an affordable phone from Apple without all the bells and whistles on its higher-end models. If you’re OK without features like Face ID for authentication, 5G, or a large screen, the SE works great. It relies on your fingerprint with Touch ID to unlock, and yes, that means the Home button is back. It’s also a tiny thing—not as compact as the 4-inch iPhone SE from 2016 or the iPhone 12 Mini—but the 4.7-inch screen is very small compared to other phones today. You get some modern amenities like wireless charging and IP67 water resistance, but the headphone jack didn’t make the cut.

The single camera on the back snaps some nice photos, though since Apple did not bring Night mode down from its high-end iPhones, this one won’t fare as well in low-light scenes as competitors like the Pixel 5A. The glass back design is also more fragile than Google’s phone, so it’s a good idea to buy a case.

The A13 Bionic chip is the same one you’ll find in the iPhone 11 Pro that’s several hundred dollars more. You won’t find performance anywhere near as good for this price on another phone. All your favorite apps and games, even if they’re graphically intensive, will run without a hitch for years to come. And, as usual, Apple will likely keep this phone updated for three or four more years, which is much longer than all of the Android phones in this guide.

But before you go, there are rumors of a 2022 iPhone SE coming in March or April. We recommend waiting until then, because you’re likely to get an upgraded experience, like 5G support, for the same if not similar price.

Works on all three major US carriers

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Samsung Galaxy A32 5G ($280)

Best Under $300

If you don’t want to spend a dollar more than $300, snag Samsung’s Galaxy A32 5G (8/10, WIRED Recommends). Despite the plasticky build, it’s a renaissance Android phone and it costs just $280. The MediaTek Dimensity 720 5G chip powering it offers smooth performance; it ran games like Dead Cells with barely a hiccup. And as the name suggests, there’s 5G on this phone—robust sub-6 5G that works on all major carriers, with support for the upcoming C-band spectrum that will improve 5G on carriers like AT&T and Verizon in the future.

The 6.5-inch screen isn’t an OLED panel like on the Pixel 5A, but LCD instead. It does have a perk though: a 90-Hz screen refresh rate. It increases the number of times per second that images refresh on the screen from 60 to 90, giving you a smoother experience. It’s a small but nice upgrade. The battery life is even better. The 5,000-mAh cell lasts two full days on a single charge, so you don’t need to plug in every night.

The main 48-megapixel camera on the back of the A32 5G is surprisingly great, managing to capture a lot of detail without overexposing the image. As is the case with most Samsung phones, it tends to strip out shadows too much and oversaturates a bit, but this is still a reliable shooter, even at night, with the dedicated Night mode.

Samsung retains all the little things you want in a phone, like a headphone jack, a MicroSD card slot, NFC for contactless payments, and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. Best of all, it promises to deliver two OS upgrades to this device and up to four years of security updates. That kind of software support is very rare on a phone this affordable.

Works on all three major carriers

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Moto G Power 2021 ($220)

Best Battery Life and Best Under $250

Want the longest possible battery life? Two days is pretty great from the Pixel 5A or Galaxy A32 5G above, but Motorola’s Moto G Power (2021) can last around three full days on a single charge thanks to its 5,000-mAh battery. It used to retail for $250 but is now frequently available for $180, which makes it an even better value. Try to buy it at that price or for $200.

The Snapdragon 662 chip inside with 4 gigs of RAM is perfectly adequate; you’ll be able to run all your apps and most games just fine. The 720p LCD display isn’t as nice as our other picks, but it still gets bright enough to see it in sunny conditions outdoors. Similarly, the rear camera system fares well during the day, but it’s not as good as the A32 5G or Pixel 5A in low light.

It only comes with 64 gigabytes of storage, so you’ll want to make use of the MicroSD card to add more space. There’s a headphone jack and a fingerprint sensor too, but no NFC. That means you can’t use this phone to make contactless payments with services like Google Pay. The biggest downside? Motorola only offers two years of security updates and one OS upgrade (to Android 11).

Motorola has already announced a successor—the Moto G Power 2022. It’s shipping in the coming weeks, but I can’t recommend it. After running benchmark tests, I confirmed my suspicions that performance on the newer handset is markedly worse than the 2021 Moto G Power (Motorola switched to a Mediatek chipset, which might be the culprit). It’s very sluggish, and the results from the camera also felt like a downgrade. It does last three full days, but as long as the 2021 Moto G Power is still available, I think it’s a better buy.

Works on all three major US carriers

★ Another Alternative: Nokia G20 ($200)

There are faster phones priced similarly to the G20—it stutters if you try to use too many apps in succession—but if you don’t use your phone much, this is a solid option that is affordable and will nearly three days on a single charge. The screen doesn’t get super bright, but the camera is decent, and there’s even a Night mode for better low-light images. Nokia promises three years of security updates and two OS upgrades. The caveats? It doesn’t work on Verizon, and it doesn’t support 5-GHz Wi-Fi, which is necessary for some services, like wireless Android Auto.

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TCL 20 Pro 5G ($500)

Another Good Budget Phone

There are technically three phones in TCL’s 2021 smartphone lineup: the TCL 20 Pro 5G ($500), TCL 20S ($250), and TCL 20 SE ($190). We’re omitting the latter two here because any of the other sub-$300 or $200 phones above are better choices. But there are good reasons to go for the TCL 20 Pro 5G.

It has the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G chip as the Galaxy A52 5G, but its performance is a little smoother. It’s powerful, and it’s easily the nicest and most luxurious-feeling device as well. It has an aluminum frame and glass on both sides, though that makes it more fragile. It’s also the only Android phone here with wireless charging support.

The 6.67-inch AMOLED screen is colorful, and it gets bright enough to see outdoors. The 4,500-mAh battery cell comfortably lasts for more than a full day of use, and it has the usual niceties, like NFC, a headphone jack, and a MicroSD card slot. The only reason it’s not our top pick is that TCL only promises two OS upgrades and two years of security updates, so the Google and Samsung phones above will be supported for a longer time. It also supports 5G but not on AT&T (4G LTE still works), and there’s no IP rating for water resistance. It has a pretty good camera system, but it’s not as good as the aforementioned competitors.

TCL announced its 30 Series successors at CES 2022, so expect newer models to arrive in March or April. If you are not in a rush to upgrade your phone, it’s worth waiting.

Works on all three major US carriers (5G does not work on AT&T)

★ Another Alternative: Motorola One 5G Ace ($400)

This Motorola phone is rare. Unlike its similarly priced Moto G siblings, it actually has an NFC chip so it can make contactless payments via Google Pay—handy when you forgot your wallet at home. It has two-day battery life, sub-6 5G connectivity, and pretty solid performance. Don’t expect much from the cameras, but if you don’t care about ‘em or about software updates much, this will surely satisfy. It’s frequently sold for $300.