Wireless carriers in the US go out of their way to make expensive smartphones seem affordable. AT&T will advertise a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra for just $36 a month, but don’t let them fool you. Over 36 monthly installments, you’re still spending more than a thousand dollars on a phone. Your pricey device may also keep you locked into the network, unable to switch wireless carriers until the phone is paid off.
Forget the spendy option and get a seriously great affordable smartphone instead. I’ve tested dozens to find the best cheap phones that perform where it counts and aren’t annoyingly slow. Our top pick, the Google Pixel 7A, is as good as almost any device, and our other choices strike a great balance between price and luxury.
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Check out our many other guides, including the Best Android Phones, Best Phones With a Headphone Jack, Best Google Pixel, Best Motorola Phones, and Best iPhones.
Updated March 2024: We’ve added the Nothing Phone (2a), OnePlus 12R, Moto G Play 2024, iPhone 13, and Samsung Galaxy A15 5G.
- Best Overall: Google Pixel 7A
- Best Cheap iPhone: iPhone SE (3rd Gen.)
- Runner-Up: OnePlus 12R
- Best Under $400: Nothing Phone (2a)
- Best Under $300: Google Pixel 6A
- Best Under $200: Motorola Moto G Play 2024
- Honorable Mentions
- Avoid These Phones
- Should You Buy Now?
- Consider Last Year’s Flagship Phones
- Do You Need a 5G Phone?
- Check Network Compatibility
- A Word of Caution
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Google’s Pixel 7A (8/10, WIRED Recommends) has a little bit of everything, and it’s the best phone you can buy for the money. It’s powered by the Tensor G2, which is the same chip inside the flagship Google Pixel 7 Pro from 2022. That makes it one of the more powerful Android phones under $500 (at least in the US), but it also enables the smart software features found on the Google flagships. That includes Photo Unblur, which uses machine learning to sharpen the faces of people in your photos, and Assistant Voice Typing, which lets you ditch the keyboard for a speedier and more accurate voice typing mode that’s better than anything that came before.
These software smarts are why we like Pixel phones so much. They’re chock full of genuinely useful features that make everyday life a little easier. I use Now Playing all the time—it auto-detects the music playing in my surroundings so I don’t have to search for it. Call Screen is another lifesaver because I rarely get spam calls when using a Pixel. Another perk? You’ll get five years of security updates, so this phone is supported and secure for a good while. Unfortunately, Google only promises three Android OS upgrades, which is less than Samsung offers for its devices.
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Category: mobile
