Even the affordable, entry Android phones have some flagship features, providing excellent value for those who don’t need the top-tier device. Nowadays, you don’t have to go with the “pro” model of a phone to get pro-level features, nor spend an arm and a leg. There are powerful Android phones under $500 that will surprise you with what they offer.

Nick Sutrich

Nick Sutrich

Senior Content Producer

Nick grew up in a telecom-savvy household and has been reviewing phones since 2011. Whether it’s waxing poetic about Nokia’s glory days or flipping open the latest foldable phones, he knows what makes a good phone and can help you understand which one to pick.

Renders of the front and back of the Iris Google Pixel 9a.
Best overall

Best overall

Featuring a refreshingly premium design, top-of-the-line cameras, and loaded software with a laundry list of AI-based tools and much more, the Google Pixel 9a is arguably the finest phone you can get for $500.

Read more below.

OnePlus 13R
Best value flagship

Best value flagship

Just like its predecessor, the OnePlus 13R offers some serious horsepower in its segment. It has flagship-level hardware, much improved cameras, and multi-day battery life with super-fast charging.

Read more below.

Google Pixel 8a in Aloe
Best on sale

Best on sale

It may no longer be the newest thing out there, but the Google Pixel 8a still has just about everything you need, from great cameras to quality software. The fact that you can now get it at a cheaper price makes the option even better.

Read more below.

Nothing Phone 3a
Best design

Best design

The Nothing Phone 3a features an eye-catching transparent back design and glyph lights, similar to the Phone 2a. For the price, it offers very good mid-range specs, a telephoto camera, and an IP64 rating.

Read more below.

Samsung Galaxy A36
Best for Galaxy fans

Best for Galaxy fans

The best in Samsung’s affordable A series, the Galaxy A36 boasts a stunning AMOLED 120Hz display, large 5,000mAh battery with 45W charging, and six generations of OS upgrades.

Read more below.

Samsung Galaxy A26
Best under $300

Best under $300

The Samsung Galaxy A26 is an excellent budget smartphone with a 120Hz AMOLED display, 50MP OIS main camera, and six generations of Android updates.

Read more below.

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Samsung Galaxy A16
Best under $200

Best under $200

You won’t find more bang for your buck than with the Galaxy A16 5G. You get Android 14 with six generations of OS upgrades, an AMOLED display, decent cameras, and 25W fast charging. That’s crazy-good value!

Read more below.

Moto G Stylus 2025 in blue render
Best stylus phone

Best stylus phone

Relatively unheard of in this price range, the Moto G Stylus 2024 features a massive 6.7-inch 120Hz AMOLED display with a built-in stylus, plus a big 5,000mAh battery with 68W charging, and IP68 dust and water resistance.

Read more below.

Pixel 9a vs. 8a, the area that has improved the most is battery life. The larger capacity can deliver nearly six extra hours of run time or an extra day if you use low-power mode. In other areas, the 9a’s improvements aren’t that drastic if you’re thinking of upgrading from the 8a.

The Google Pixel 9a features a refreshed design, highlighted by a flat frame and a dual-lens rear camera array that’s also flat and no longer sits in a protruding camera bar-a first for any Pixel smartphone. Up front, you get a slightly bigger 6.3-inch P-OLED screen that can now reach up to 2,700 nits of peak brightness. The result is a compact device that feels just as good to hold in the hand as it is to use, it not better.

Under the hood, the Pixel 9a comes with Google’s Tensor G4, which is the same SoC that drives rest of the devices in the Pixel 9 family. The chipset, combined with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of onboard storage, is more than sufficient to handle whatever you throw at it without breaking a sweat. You get Android 15 out of the box, complete with Gemini and a boatload of AI-powered goodies, as well as Google’s industry-leading (along with Samsung) promise of up to seven years of major OS and security updates.

As you’d expect from a Google smartphone (regardless of its price), the Google Pixel 9a has a dual-lens primary camera system that can take on some of the best Android camera phones out there. It’s complemented by software-based tools such as Astrophotography, Face Unblur, and more. The whole package is backed by a much bigger 5,100mAh battery that can charge at up to 23W with the right charger, even if the 7.5W wireless charging leaves something to be desired.

Though a Google Pixel 10a is rumored for 2026, we’ll still bet that the Pixel 9a remains a great value and worthwhile option for many years to come.

Swipe to scroll horizontallyGoogle Pixel 9a scorecard

Attribute

Quick look

Score

Display

Beautiful, bright, and snappy P-OLED panel

★★★★★

Design

Premium design with a fully flat back

★★★★★

Price

Not exactly cheap, but still an incredible value

★★★★☆

Camera

Fantastic cameras, as you’d expect from a Pixel

★★★★★

Performance

Tensor G4 delivers amazing daily performance

★★★★☆

Battery life

Big battery but charging speeds are still a bit slow

★★★★☆

Updates

Industry-best policy of seven years of OS and security updates

★★★★★

OnePlus 13R makes everything from watching movies to playing games a delight. In true “flagship killer” fashion, the phone is driven by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC and comes with at least 12GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage. As you’d expect, this hardware allows it to make quick work of even the most demanding of tasks with little to no effort.

You get a much better triple-lens rear camera setup this time, with a 50MP primary sensor, a 50MP telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom, and an 8MP ultra-wide module. Although the secondary cameras are not the best, the setup is generally capable of shooting decent photos, except when there’s not proper lighting.

Packing a huge 6,000mAh battery, the OnePlus 13R is a phone that you can comfortably use for two days on a single charge. There’s 80W fast wired charging included too, although still no wireless charging. Running Android 15 (with OxygenOS 15 overlaid on top), the phone is guaranteed four years of OS updates and six years of security patches, so you should be able to use it for quite some time.

Yes, there’s the follow-up OnePlus 15R, but you’re still better off getting the OnePlus 13R, which offers better value and is overall the better phone of the two.

Swipe to scroll horizontallyOnePlus 13R scorecard

Attribute

Quick look

Score

Display

Amazingly bright and large flat LTPO AMOLED panel

★★★★★

Design

Squared off look feels premium, and the device is lightweight

★★★★★

Price

Spectacular pricing that’s still competitive, even with the hike

★★★★★

Camera

Good primary lens but middling secondary cameras

★★★☆☆

Performance

Old but gold and really powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset

★★★★★

Battery life

Epic battery life with insane 80W charging

★★★★★

Updates

Not the best but very good, with four years’ major and six years’ security updates

★★★☆☆

Google Pixel 8a review, I found the dual-lens rear camera array to be comparable to flagship phones costing hundreds of dollars more. If you use your smartphone as your only camera, you’re going to love this thing. Other noteworthy additions include an IP67 certification for dust and water resistance, NFC, and a 4,492mAh battery with 18W wired and 7.5W wireless charging support.

Swipe to scroll horizontallyGoogle Pixel 8a scorecard

Attribute

Quick look

Score

Display

Beautiful, bright, and snappy P-OLED panel

★★★★★

Design

Comfy soft corners and suitable for one-handed use

★★★★★

Price

Fantastic now that 9a is out, even better on sale

★★★★★

Camera

Spectacular Pixel cameras as expected

★★★★★

Performance

Tensor G3 enables awesome AI features but not ideal for gaming

★★★★☆

Battery life

Decent battery life but slow charging speed

★★★★☆

Updates

An unbeatable seven-year update promise

★★★★★

Nothing Phone 3a review, I was mighty impressed at what the company has pulled off here. The 6.7-inch AMOLED display is pretty to look at, and colors and brightness levels are satisfactory. The see-through back panel looks classy and even though it doesn’t have the same premium materials as you get with the higher-end models, it still maintains an excellent in-hand feel.

The Nothing Phone 3a has a big 5,000mAh battery with relatively fast 50W charging. The camera specs on paper are also quite good, and from what I tested, the triple-lens primary setup performs very well compared to the other phones in its class.

The only catch with the Nothing Phone 3a is that you can’t buy it outright in the U.S. The company doesn’t have any plans (yet) to put it on open sale. However, you can try your luck getting the 12GB RAM+256GB storage variant via Nothing’s developer program for $379.

Swipe to scroll horizontallyNothing Phone 3a scorecard

Attribute

Quick look

Score

Display

Very thin bezels giving a high screen-to-body ratio

★★★★★

Design

Uncommon see-through back with lights embedded inside

★★★★★

Price

Extremely affordable for such a unique concept

★★★★★

Camera

Pretty good compared to phones under $400

★★★★☆

Performance

Highly optimized with very clean Android and no bloatware

★★★★☆

Battery life

Pleasing battery life and good charging speed

★★★★☆

Updates

Alright promise, giving three years of OS and four years of security updates

★★★☆☆

Galaxy A Series continues to be one of Samsung’s greatest achievements, with solid specs and nice designs on mid-range and low-end phones. A new entry for 2025 is the Galaxy A36 boasting of faster charging, improved specs, and much longer software support, making it the best budget Android phone in its segment.

The Galaxy A36 has a vibrant 6.7-inch AMOLED screen with a fluid 120Hz refresh rate alongside the ultra-efficient Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 SoC. You also get a big 5,000mAh battery with 45W charging, 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.

The cameras include a 50MP main sensor, 8MP ultrawide, and a 2MP macro. If you’re after camera performance in a $400 phone, you’ll want to look for deals on the Google Pixel 8a, but the A36 should be able to do just fine for casual photography.

As with all of the best Samsung phones, device longevity and security are the main selling points of the Galaxy A36. Samsung has pledged six generations of Android OS upgrades, which is incredible. It’s also among the first A series phones to get a few Galaxy AI features which Samsung calls ‘Awesome Intelligence.’ I would strongly recommend the A36, not just for Samsung fans, but if you simply want a solid budget phone with long software support.

Swipe to scroll horizontallySamsung Galaxy A36 5G scorecard

Attribute

Quick look

Score

Display

Impressively vibrant OLED screen

★★★★★

Design

Standard Samsung design

★★★★☆

Price

One of the best phones under $400

★★★★★

Camera

Main sensor is surprisingly good with so-so secondaries

★★★☆☆

Performance

Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 SoC can handle medium to slightly heavy gaming and multi-tasking

★★★★☆

Battery life

Better than flagships, giving a good uptime

★★★★☆

Updates

Samsung’s six-year promise is very good

★★★★★

Galaxy A15 5G which used to be on our list, such as a better waterproofing, the new version of Android, and longer software upgrades.

The 6.7-inch AMOLED screen on the Galaxy A16 has a Full-HD+ resolution, so icons and text end up looking decently sharp. Colors are also vibrant and punchy, making the panel great for binge-watching videos. The Exynos chipset can handle basic apps well enough, but the problem is the stingy 4GB of RAM, which tends to make app-launching and multitasking painfully slow. Thankfully, a microSD card slot is supported for expanding the 128GB of onboard storage.

The cameras on the Galaxy A16 5G are similar to the A15. You should expect similar performance from the main 50MP snapper and the ultrwide cameras. Battery life is one of the main highlights of this smartphone. The 5,000mAh battery can easily get you through one full day, and maybe more depending on the usage.

For more options in this price range, check out our guide to the best Android phones under $200.

Swipe to scroll horizontallySamsung Galaxy A16 5G scorecard

Attribute

Quick look

Score

Display

90Hz AMOLED under $200 is unheard of

★★★★★

Design

Same old boring and unremarkable design

★★★☆☆

Price

You don’t even need two Benjamins, ’nuff said

★★★★★

Camera

Decent main camera but the other sensors are trash

★★★☆☆

Performance

The Exynos silicon is average at best

★★☆☆☆

Battery life

Superb 5,000mAh battery with 25W charging

★★★★★

Updates

Six-year promise is amazing for the price

★★★★☆

Moto G Stylus 2025. Along with being one of the few Android phones that come with an integrated stylus, I think it’s also a near-perfect combination of specs, features, and overall value.

You’re getting a large 6.7-inch pOLED screen that looks incredible, and thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate, feels a lot more premium to interact with as well. That premium feel is further enhanced by the vegan leather back which we love. There’s also ample performance, thanks to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset, along with 128GB of internal storage and a big 5,000mAh battery. And given the phone’s modest price tag, these are all impressive specifications.

As the name implies, the main draw for the Moto G Stylus 2025 is its integrated stylus. It’s certainly not the most premium stylus we’ve ever used, but it works quite well enough for drawing, note-taking, and similar tasks. It can be stored seamlessly at the bottom of the phone when not in use, which is a nice touch that ties the whole experience together. We expect to see a Moto G Stylus 2026 next year, so stay tuned. But even so, that might mean the Moto G Stylus 2025 comes down in price, and it remains a solid budget option.

Swipe to scroll horizontallyMoto G Stylus 2025 scorecard

Attribute

Quick look

Score

Display

Nice and large OLED panel but awkward in-screen fingerprint sensor

★★★★☆

Design

Stylus input and headphone jack are gems in this day and age

★★★★★

Price

Phenomenal value for money

★★★★★

Camera

Not bad at all, all things considered

★★★★☆

Performance

Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 punches well above its weight class

★★★★★

Battery life

Incredible uptime and fast 68W charging beats Samsung

★★★★★

Updates

Only two measly Android updates

★☆☆☆☆

POCO F6 Pro

Most underrated cheap phone

My colleague Harish Jonnalagadda called the POCO F6 Pro the most underrated phone of 2024. For roughly $480 to $450, you get unmatched value. It’s driven by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, comes with 12GB to 16GB of RAM, and starts with 256GB of storage, going all the way up to 1TB. The phone has a beautiful 6.67-inch QHD+ 120Hz AMOLED screen, as well as superb battery and charging specs. The only thing you miss out on is long-term software updates, although Xiaomi-owned POCO’s three-to-four-year guarantee isn’t half bad.

Honor 200

Sleekest design

The Honor 200 costs around £299 in the UK, which equates to about $390. It is probably the slimmest phone on this list, measuring an ultra-thin 7.7mm. But don’t let that waistline fool you, because this phone isn’t just a pretty face. This budget buster sports the hearty Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 SoC, a lovely 120Hz OLED panel, and 100W fast charging. Not to mention the cameras are pretty darn great too.

CMF Phone 2 Pro square render

All your essentials

The CMF Phone 2 Pro is a steal given all the features you get, including deep AI integration, Essential Space and Essential Key for organizing your planning and thoughts, great cameras, and fun modular accessories. It’s under $300 but feels more like a $500+ phone. The downside? It’s only available in the U.S. through a limited beta.

Android phones under $300 and phones under $200, but quality tends to decline the cheaper you go. I consider $400-$500 to be the sweet spot when it comes to cheap phones, but there are quite a few solid devices that go for much less.

Where can I buy a cheap Android phone?

When shopping for cheap Android phones, it’s best to compare prices from both traditional retailers (Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart) and your wireless carrier before you commit to one product. You can also save a ton of money by ordering refurbished devices through retailers like Backmarket.com. Samsung also has a Certified Re-Newed program that sells professionally-refurbished Galaxy phones with warranties and new components. These devices are generally much more affordable than new phones but perform like brand new tech.

Find out more about how we test.

The words ‘cheap’ and ‘reliable’ don’t usually go in the same sentence but in the world of Android phones, you can safely buy cheap phones as long as you stick with reputable brands. Top smartphone companies like Motorola, Samsung, Google, OnePlus, and Nothing, all offer high-quality cheap Android phones that work well and last for a long time, if used carefully.

These best budget phones also receive very good after sales support, so if you need to replace the battery or a cracked screen, you should be able to find a service station near you to get this done quickly. Samsung, Motorola, and Google have a massive presence in the U.S., while OnePlus and Nothing are expanding their base.

TCL Stylus 5G—which is only available with T-Mobile—sports the excellent MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G, which is powerful enough for just about anything you throw at it.

Moto G Stylus 2025 in front of a bush

(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)

Storage isn’t much of a concern these days thanks to excellent cloud storage services like Google Photos.

You’ll also want to make sure your new phone has at least 6GB of RAM if you’re ever planning on doing more than one thing at a time on it. Less RAM means the phone has less memory to store opened apps, creating a scenario where apps take a long time to load and often have to reload if you switch back and forth between apps.

Storage isn’t much of a concern these days, thanks to excellent cloud storage services like Google Photos, which can offload the photos and videos you’ve taken to a safe and secure cloud storage. That means they not only won’t be taking up the precious space on your smartphone, but they’ll also be securely backed up in case something happens to your smartphone.

Services like Google Photos also archive your photos and make it easy to search for even the most minute details, like your old black and white cat or the blue shoes you wore to that wedding several years ago.

With a few exceptions, the cameras on the phones above will all deliver a good experience in most lighting conditions.

Cameras on smartphones have become increasingly important over the years, and, with a few exceptions, the phones above will all deliver a good experience in most lighting conditions. As these are less expensive phones, you’ll need to be aware that most models will only take great pictures in adequate light. Phones like the Google Pixel 9a or OnePlus 13R offer great low-light support, and that function is becoming more common on phones even under $300 these days.

No phone on this list has poor battery life, but some folks might have a unique need for a smartphone to last more than a single day on a full charge. We’ve noted that several options above will offer that but specifically highlight one phone as having the best battery life of them all.

best phones under $300 and the best phones under $100. Each of these categories comes with a few concessions, but if you’re looking for a specific niche, like a stylus, you’ll find a few more options there.

Just remember, though, that you’re paying hundreds less than what it costs to buy a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra or Pixel 9 Pro. While those phones might offer faster hardware, better cameras, or brighter displays, they’re also extremely expensive to replace if they accidentally get broken. Splurging on the best overall phone that has everything, and the kitchen sink isn’t always the ideal solution, especially when you’re looking to cut costs.

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