Cons Affirdable updates can Cheap meal deals slow No Health-conscious promotions Glass. Affordable smartphone deals phones might lack some or all of s,artphone features, but can still be worth buying if the price is right. Purchasing the A03s from a carrier saves you a few bucks but is likely to mean more bundled software to remove.

Video

TOP 5: Best Budget Phones 2024

Affordable smartphone deals -

Otherwise, it's simple enough to switch platforms. Pick the most important feature: Is it screen size? Camera quality? Battery life? This will help narrow down your choices. Yes, many of the cheap phones included in this list are available at a discount during shopping events.

If you have a phone in mind but also have the flexibility to hold off for a shopping event like Black Friday, it may be worth it to wait for a price reduction. Yes, many cheap phones are available unlocked by the manufacturer.

This allows you to use the phone with nearly any wireless carrier by inserting your SIM card. If you want the flexibility to switch carriers, make sure you buy an unlocked model.

Buying a cheap phone could be a great option when shopping for a kid or teenager, but that doesn't mean the phone is customized to have a kid-friendly experience. Parents should still set up any necessary parental controls, restrictions or apps on an iPhone or Android to make sure it's appropriate for kids.

Tech Mobile. Best Cheap Phone of Most Value for the Money We round up the best inexpensive phones we've reviewed from Apple, Samsung and Google Pixel. Written by Mike Sorrentino. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks.

If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement. Mike Sorrentino Senior Editor. Mike Sorrentino is a Senior Editor for Mobile, covering phones, texting apps and smartwatches -- obsessing about how we can make the most of them.

Mike also keeps an eye out on the movie and toy industry, and outside of work enjoys biking and pizza making. Expertise Phones, texting apps, iOS, Android, smartwatches, fitness trackers, mobile accessories, gaming phones, budget phones, toys, Star Wars, Marvel, Power Rangers, DC, mobile accessibility, iMessage, WhatsApp, Signal, RCS.

See full bio. Why You Can Trust CNET. Best value Android phone. Low price, long update commitment. Most affordable iPhone. Best for Samsung fans. This story is part of Gift Guide , our year-round collection of the best gift ideas.

Show less. Pros: Great camera Affordable price Premium design for a middle-tier phone Among the first to get new Android updates Cons: Somewhat dim display Not as many years of guaranteed Android updates as Samsung Video quality isn't as good as still photos.

Show expert take Show less. Pros: 3GB of RAM helps phone multitask Blue color option Includes fingerprint sensor Cons: Very little onboard storage Some noticeable lag Indoor photos are challenging. Pros: Affordable price Home button and Touch ID FTW Good battery life Camera takes good photos and videos Cons: Lacks night mode for photos Screen could be brighter Bezels above and below screen look dated Selfie camera not on par with rear camera watt USB-C charger not included.

Pros: Big, vibrant screen Expandable storage Affordable price Cons: Processor and camera performance lags behind cheaper Pixel 6A. Pros: Great camera Many of the same features as the Pixel 7 at a cheaper price Attractive design Gains wireless charging, face unlock and high refresh rate Cons: Screen still looks dim outdoors Higher price compared with Pixel 6A at launch Only three generations of Android OS updates compared with Samsung's four-generation pledge.

Other phones to consider. How we test phones. We examine every aspect of a phone during testing: Display Design and feel Processor performance Battery life Camera quality Features We test all the phone's cameras both front and back in a variety of conditions: from outdoors under sunlight to dimmer indoor locales and nighttime scenes for any available night modes.

How to buy a good cheap phone. Best cheap phones FAQs. Watch this: Best Budget Phone Plans in and the Fine Print.

Mobile Guides Phones Best iPhone Best Galaxy S23 Deals Best Phone Best iPhone Deals Samsung Galaxy S23 Review Best Android Phones Best Samsung Galaxy Phone Pixel 7 Pro Review Best iPhone 14 Deals.

Foldable Phones Best Foldable Phones Galaxy Z Fold 4 Review Best Galaxy Z Flip Deals. Headphones Best Wireless Earbuds Best Noise Canceling Headphones Best Headphones Best Over Ear Headphones Best Wireless Earbuds and Headphones for Making Calls Best Headphones for Work at Home Best Noise Canceling Wireless Earbuds Best Sounding Wireless Earbuds Best Cheap Wireless Earbuds Best Wireless Headphones.

Mobile Accessories Best iPhone 14 Cases Best iPhone 13 Cases Best Power Bank for iPhone Best Airpods Pro Accessories Best Magsafe iPhone Accessories Best Speakerphone Best Wireless Car Charger and Mount Best iPhone Fast Charger Best Portable Chargers and Power Banks for Android.

Smartwatches Apple Watch Series 8 vs Series 7 Best Apple Watch Bands Best Android Smartwatch Apple Watch Ultra Review Best Smartwatch. Wireless Plans Best Prepaid Phone Plans Best Cheap Phone Plans Best Unlimited Data Plans Best Phone Plans Best Phone Plan Deals. The Samsung Galaxy A03s is the best phone available right now for those on a strict budget.

While the A03s looks a lot like the A14 5G in the front, it has a thinner plastic shell and a slower processor. However, it has a USB-C port instead of the older Micro-USB, a headphone jack, and a fingerprint sensor, the last of which is often missing in ultra-budget phones.

It has less bloatware than other budget phones. This phone includes Samsung features such as pop-up view for notifications and one-handed mode.

Purchasing the A03s from a carrier saves you a few bucks but is likely to mean more bundled software to remove. Currently, the A03s runs on Android 13, and it will receive four years of update support. It may get Android 14 in the future, but Samsung does not guarantee instant updates to new versions like Google does for the Pixel 7a.

The screen on the Galaxy A03s is acceptable. The A03s has a 6. Both of those factors can make the phone hard to use outdoors.

The screen also lacks an oil-resistant coating, raising the likelihood of fingerprints and smudges accumulating. You get what you pay for in regards to the performance. It produces grainy, blurry pictures in all but the most perfect lighting. The battery life is extremely good. With its lower-resolution screen and low-power processor, the A03s can run on its 5, mAh battery for the better part of a week.

You can often save money by buying an older budget phone, but be careful—such devices are sometimes refurbished and may not work as well as a new one. Google raised the price of its budget A-series line-up when it released the Pixel 7a , but it is an all-around upgrade over its predecessor.

The 7a has a 6. It also offers solid battery life with 18W fast charging and 7. And, like the Pixel 7, the 7a also has facial recognition. We do recommend it if you have more money to spend or if you find it on sale.

Although they share many similarities, such as the same design and features, they differ in their processors and camera sensors. Although the stock Android software is smooth and easy to use, there is a significant amount of bloatware, with some unnecessary software disguised as native apps and folders, which was frustrating.

Additionally, the camera app can be slow to open, capture, and preview images. Roderick Scott is Wirecutter's staff writer reporting on smartphones, tablets, and accessories.

He is the former publisher of TechGuySmartBuy, where he reviewed everything from phones to headphones to smart speakers to cars. With thousands of hours testing phones and tablets , we know iOS and Android. With a few easy changes to the privacy and security settings, you can control how much information Android and Google—and the apps you use—collect about you.

Everything we recommend. Our pick. OnePlus Nord N30 5G Great performance and support. Samsung Galaxy A14 5G Good enough performance with long support. Budget pick. Samsung Galaxy A03s The cheapest acceptable option.

Buying Options Buy from Amazon. Back to top Why you should trust us Who should get this How we picked and tested Our pick: OnePlus Nord N30 5G Runner-up: Samsung Galaxy A14 5G The cheapest usable phone: Samsung Galaxy A03s The competition.

Why you should trust us. Who should get this. How we picked and tested. Lower-cost phones also tend to receive fewer updates, so they should have the latest Android software with recent security patches out of the box. Performance and battery: Most budget phones have a midrange processor and less memory than expensive phones offer, but any phone we recommend is fast enough to handle basic tasks like email, web browsing, and streaming videos and music.

Less powerful hardware is usually less battery-hungry, so these phones run longer on a charge than flagship phones. Display: Our minimum acceptable resolution for budget phone screens is p.

Extra features: Phones toward the top of the budget range should have features such as a good fingerprint sensor to unlock the phone without a passcode, NFC for mobile payments, support for newer, faster Wi-Fi, and 5G connectivity.

Cheaper phones might lack some or all of those features, but can still be worth buying if the price is right. Camera: If a good phone camera is a key feature for you, we recommend buying a Google Pixel model—either the Pixel 6a if you can find one in stock or the newer Pixel 7a if you find it on sale.

Otherwise, your budget options are limited. Even high-end Android phone cameras sometimes struggle, and things get worse the cheaper you go.

Design and build quality: If your new phone falls apart within a few months of buying it, that defeats the purpose of getting a budget phone in the first place. Our pick: OnePlus Nord N30 5G.

Photo: Michael Hession. Flaws but not dealbreakers. Runner-up: Samsung Galaxy A14 5G. The cheapest usable phone: Samsung Galaxy A03s.

The competition. This article was edited by Caitlin McGarry and Arthur Gies. Meet your guides. Ryan Whitwam. Roderick Scott.

Online only. Afforddable trade-in smartphpne. With new line Cheap meal deals select Unlimited plans. Ends 2. With select Unlimited plans. When you buy a select Android phone. With new line on myPlan. The list in Affrodable 2. Best Affordable smartphone deals Samsung 3. Best cheap iPhone 4. Best cheap Pixel 5. Best cheap camera phone 6. Best cheap phone for durablity 7.