Best Cheap Phone of 2024: Most Value for the Money (2024)

Mike Sorrentino

Years of Experience

Hands-on Product Reviewers

Sq. Feet of Lab Space

iOS or Android

Size

Cameras

Software support

16171819202122232425+

14151617181920212223

6,0007,0008,0009,00010,00011,00012,00013,00014,00015,000

Screen size 6.1 inches

Processor Google Tensor G2

Cameras 64-megapixel (wide), 13-megapixel (ultrawide), 13-megapixel (selfie)

Colors Charcoal, snow, sea, coral

$345 at Amazon

Best Android phone on sale

Google Pixel 7A

Editor's note: Google released the Pixel 8A, also $500. You can read our Pixel 8A review here. If you're buying a Pixel 7A make sure it's on sale.

Google's budget phone took a leap forward in 2023 with the Pixel 7A, which offers many of the same benefits as the Pixel 7 but at a cheaper price. Like the Pixel 7, the Pixel 7A runs on Google's Tensor G2 processor, meaning it has many of the same photo editing and language translation features as its pricier sibling. The Pixel 7A's 64-megapixel camera also takes excellent photos that rival the Pixel 7's in quality.

While we still like the Pixel 7, the Pixel 7A's lower price makes it a better deal for most people. Otherwise, the main differences between the Pixel 7 and 7A come down to the former's more durable build, slightly faster charging and its ability to wirelessly charge compatible accessories. The Pixel 7 also has a larger camera sensor that's more sensitive to light, according to Google, but CNET's Lisa Eadicicco didn't notice much of a difference.

Screen size 6.1 inches

Processor Google Tensor G3

Cameras 64-megapixel (wide), 13-megapixel (ultrawide), 13-megapixel (selfie)

Colors Aloe, bay, obsidian, porcelain

$499 at T-Mobile

Best Android phone under $500

Google Pixel 8A

The Pixel 8A is so good it makes the regular Pixel 8 almost feel irrelevant. It shares so much in common with its pricier sibling, from its selection of AI-powered features like Circle to Search to its cool aesthetic and powerful Tensor G3 processor, that it’s hard to see why anyone would buy the Pixel 8 instead.

The Pixel 8 does offer a marginally better camera system, a slightly larger screen and the ability to charge other phones and accessories wirelessly on the back of the device. But those features don’t feel significant enough to impact the buying decision for most people. AsI wrote in my review, the Pixel 8A raises the bar for what a $500 phone should be. That also means I’ll be expecting more from the Pixel 9 this fall.

Screen size 6.7 inches

Processor Mediatek Dimensity 7020

Cameras 50-megapixel (main), 8-megapixel (ultrawide), 16-megapixel (selfie)

Colors Pale lilac, midnight blue

$198 at T-Mobile

Best phone under $300

Motorola Moto G Power (2024)

The Motorola Moto G Power 5G is the most versatile option in this roundup, offering wireless charging, a 120Hz high refresh rate screen, Google Pay for contactless payments and a fantastic vegan leather design. Combine that with a camera that takes decent photos in bright environments, and a processor that is capable for most daily tasks, and you have a phone that’s both fun to use without cramming itself with the extra bells and whistles we see in higher priced phones.

Even though this phone does suffer from having a shorter software and security support timeline (1 year of major Android OS, three years of security updates) than Samsung’s Galaxy A25 5G, it is a more useful device. And it's this appeal that makes the Moto G Power 5G our top recommendation for a phone that costs $300 or less.

Screen size 6.78 inches

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Cameras 50-megapixel (wide), 8-megapixel (ultrawide), 2-megapixel (macro), 16-megapixel (selfie)

Colors Iron gray, cool blue

$700 at Walmart

Decent midrange phone with neat extras

OnePlus 12R

The $500 OnePlus 12R might not be the best phone you can buy, but it does offer solid overall performance for its reasonable price tag. Its older-generation processor still packs plenty of power for gaming, its camera setup is fine for casual snappers and it's got a similar design to its more premium sibling.

But you also get 80W fast charging which will take it from empty to full in a little over 30 minutes, while the screen has wet-touch tech that means you can still use it accurately in the rain. It's a shame this phone doesn't have longer software support, but it's otherwise a decent all-rounder if you're shopping on a budget.

Screen size 6.78 inches

Processor Mediatek Dimensity 6100 Plus

Cameras 50-megapixel (wide), 5-megapixel (ultrawide), 2-megapixel (depth), 8-megapixel (selfie)

Colors Slate gray

$0 at Metro by T-Mobile

Best ultra cheap T-Mobile phone

TCL 50 XL 5G

The TCL 50 XL 5G includes an impressive amount of specs for $160. This is one of the cheapest phones I’ve seen so far that includes a 120Hz refresh rate display and NFC for Google Pay and contactless payments. It also includes 6GB of memory, which made the phone breeze through multitasking during my testing. But the TCL 50 XL 5G does show compromises from its low price in other ways.

Even though it has a big 5,010-mAh battery, it drains quickly -- possibly because it’s powering a large 6.78-inch 1080p display with a low-end processor. Cameras struggle to take photos with clean, crisp details, in both well-lit and lowlight situations. It’s carrier-locked to T-Mobile as well, making it only useful when running on the magenta carrier or its Metro prepaid brand. And it’s also only set for one software update and three years of security updates, which matches what Motorola provides but is still low compared to Samsung. But if you're on T-Mobile, the TCL 50 XL 5G is a serious value for its $160, and helps excuse some of its faults. But you should still be aware of them.

Screen size 6.6 inches

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1

Cameras 50-megapixel (wide), 2-megapixel (macro), 8-megapixel (selfie)

Colors Sage green

$200 at Walmart

Best cheap phone design

Motorola Moto G 5G (2024)

Motorola’s $200 Moto G 5G for 2024 arrived with a splash. The phone kept many highlights of its higher-priced $250 2023 model like a 120Hz refresh rate screen and dual speakers. The Moto G 5G also has an improved design and functionality with a new vegan leather look and NFC for contactless payments. And its cameras can take photos with decent color accuracy, despite soft details.

But performance and a short software update timeline both hurt the Moto G 5G. While the phone is capable of running all sorts of apps and games, multitasking on its small 4GB of RAM is challenging. Even with Motorola’s RAM boost feature, which simulates an additional 4GB of RAM using built-in storage, apps would often need to reload when swapping between them. And Motorola has not budged from its policy of providing one major software update and three years of security updates to the Moto G line, which limits the number of years you can safely use the phone before needing to replace it.

Screen size 6.5 inches

Processor Mediatek MT6765 Helio P35

Cameras 13-megapixel (wide), 2-megapixel (macro), 2-megapixel (depth), 5-megapixel (selfie)

Colors Black

$114 at Walmart

Low price, long update commitment

Samsung Galaxy A03S

Samsung's Galaxy A03Sat $160 (£126, roughly AU$244) includes great features and could be a fit for someone in need of a cheap phone that can handle essential tasks. The phone's 6.5-inch screen, capped at 720p resolution, is great for reading the news, watching videos and playing games. Despite some performance lag during our review, the phone is good at multitasking. The tiny 32GB of storage space could fill up fast, so if you're considering this phone, you might want to expand the storage with a microSD card.

Samsung also plans to support this phone with at least four years of security updates, which in this price range is as good as it gets. On the software side, it's less clear how many Android versions are scheduled, but the phone initially ships with Android 11.

Screen size 4.7 inches

Processor Apple A15 Bionic

Cameras 12-megapixel (wide), 7-megapixel (selfie)

Colors Red, midnight, starlight

$429 at Apple

Most affordable iPhone

Apple iPhone SE (2022)

The $429 iPhone SE is a mix of an older design with the latest smartphone features, including Apple's A15 Bionic chip and 5G support. It's also one of the few phones on the market that includes a smaller, 4.7-inch screen.

It's that throwback design that could be what you love or dislike most about this phone. If you want a larger iPhone in this price range, you can also consider a refurbished iPhone 12, and get a bigger screen and Face ID.

The phone also includes only one, 12-megapixel main camera, which doesn't support night mode. Most other phones in this roundup include multiple cameras along with features like night mode, making the omission noticeable. Photos make up for this by including the Deep Fusion photo-processing technique to enhance medium- to low-light photos, and Smart HDR4 processing for improving color and contrast. CNET Managing Editor Patrick Holland did find that video shot in 4K resolution at 60 frames per second is particularly good on the iPhone SE, but it won't include the Cinematic Mode seen on the iPhone 13.

Screen size 6.5 inches

Processor Mediatek Dimensity 6100 Plus

Cameras 50-megapixel (wide), 5-megapixel (ultrawide), 2-megapixel (macro), 13-megapixel (selfie)

Colors Light blue, blue black

$128 at Walmart

Best ultracheap phone for long-term use

Samsung Galaxy A15 5G

Samsung’s $200 Galaxy A15 5G is an easy choice for someone looking to buy a phone that will last for years. Samsung provides it with four years of software updates and five years of security support, which in this price range is unparalleled. Plus the phone supports 25W wired charging that in my testing was able to charge half of its big 5,000-mAh battery from empty in 30 minutes. I also like the eye-catching light blue option.

A $200 phone has to have some compromises. The Galaxy A15 5G feels sluggish compared to competing phones like Motorola’s $200 Moto G 5G, and as an entertainment machine falls short with its single audio speaker that is blocked by accident when you hold the phone sideways for games and video. Photography, which is typically a weak point on phones in this price range, is similarly mixed with decent photography in outdoor environments while struggling to photograph lowlight spaces. This makes the Galaxy A15 5G an easy choice for when you just need a phone that can handle the basics, but you may want to consider other options if you are looking for the best pocket YouTube player in this price range.

Screen size 6.1 inches

Processor Google Tensor

Cameras 12-megapixel (wide), 8-megapixel (ultrawide), 12-megapixel (ultrawide)

Colors Sage, chalk, charcoal

$337 at Walmart

Best value Android phone

Pixel 6A

The $349 Pixel 6A holds its value well, even after Google's release of the Pixel 7A. In herPixel 6A review, CNET's Lisa Eadicicco called it the "best Android phone under $500," noting that it keeps the same Tensor chip as the $339 Pixel 6, and many of the 6's best features. Plus, the 6A is often discounted to $299, at which price it becomes an amazing phone for under $300, thanks to its excellent software support.

The phone is slightly smaller than the Pixel 6, featuring a 6.1-inch OLED display and a refresh rate of 60Hz. It also has a similar camera system as the Pixel 5A, which includes a 12.2-megapixel main camera and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera. The Tensor chip brings additional benefits you won't get with the Pixel 5A, such as Real Tone for more equitable skin tones, Face Unblur; Night Sight for low-light photography; and the Magic Eraser for removing unwanted elements from a photo.