When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
In the last few years, the best budget Android phones have significantly closed the gap between budget and premium, and there's no better time to buy one, whether you've always bought phones in the budget category or are used to more expensive flagship devices. These days, the best budget Android phones offer performance, camera quality, features, displays, and designs that surprise us in terms of their price tags.
When we say "budget" Android phones, we're referring to models that cost less than $500, with sub-$400 prices preferable. We're hesitant to recommend phones below $200, as phone performance, camera quality, and the overall experience start to suffer beyond reasonable expectations.
With that in mind, the Google Pixel 8a is our top choice among the best budget Android phones available now thanks to its flagship-level performance and cameras for its price; it's basically a slightly smaller version of the previous Google Pixel 8 flagship. Realizing the Pixel 8a is on the expensive side for the budget category, we also recommend the Motorola Moto G Power 5G (2024) as a more economical option for its solid performance, cameras, and value.
Our top picks for the best budget Android phones
Best overall: Google Pixel 8a - See at Amazon
Best true budget: Motorola Moto G Power 5G (2024) - See at Amazon
Best battery life: Samsung Galaxy A35 5G - See at Amazon
Best camera: Google Pixel 8a - See at Amazon
Best large screen: Nuu B30 Pro 5G - See at Amazon
Best overall
The Pixel 8a is nominally a budget version of the Pixel 8, but you'd have a hard time telling them apart. The Pixel 8a dominates in its price range and comes easily recommended thanks to its stellar value relative to its performance, camera quality, and high-end display.
- Incredible value
- Great performance to price ratio
- Smooth 120Hz OLED display
- Stellar cameras
- Slow 18W charging
- Outdated Pixel design
The Google Pixel 8a's $499 starting price realistically places it in the mid-range rather than budget category, but it deserves the top spot in this guide regardless. For a few good reasons, you'd be happy you got the Pixel 8a, even if you were planning to spend less.
The Pixel 8a's high-end performance means it'll stay quick and smooth much longer than other budget and mid-range phones, and you won't feel the need to spend on a phone upgrade as often. That's thanks to the Google Tensor G3 processor, which also powers the company's previous flagship Pixel 8 phones.
The Pixel 8a includes cameras that would feel appropriate on a $1,000 phone. It's simply leagues beyond the cameras you'd find on other mid-range and budget phones. Even those least concerned about photo quality will appreciate the Pixel 8a's high-end photos. It's quick to focus and forgiving with movement, whereas most budget cameras produce blurry images unless you and the subject are perfectly still.
It's also just a nice phone to behold. With its metal frame, it looks and feels like a premium device. The frosted matte texture on its plastic back is pleasing to the eye and hands, and everything on the screen looks fantastic with its 120Hz OLED display. It's only available with a 6.1-inch screen, and it's a shame there isn't a larger version for those who prefer larger screens, as the Pixel 8a is our undisputed budget pick among the best Android phones.
Read our full Google Pixel 8a review, and see our guide to the best Google Pixel 8a cases to protect the phone.
Best true budget
Motorola's Moto G Power 5G offers excellent value considering its performance, 120Hz display, and dual-lens camera quality.
- Nice design with faux-leather back
- Solid camera quality
- Good performance for its price
- 120Hz display
- 30W charging speeds
- Performance can falter with fast-paced use
- Only average battery life
- Only upgrades to one Android generation
- Short three-year security support window
- Filled with bloatware
Currently starting at $200, Motorola's Moto G Power 5G makes a very solid proposition. It doesn't punch above its weight like the Google Pixel 8a, but if you're looking to spend thriftily, the Moto G Power's performance, cameras, and the large 6.7-inch LCD 120Hz display will serve you well.
Despite lackluster benchmark results, the Moto G Power's MediaTek Dimensity processor feels quick and smooth and complements the phone's 120Hz display well. The phone can feel laggy and overburdened soon after being turned on or restarted, but it's up to speed after a few minutes.
The Moto G Power can easily handle casual light games like Jetpack Joyride. While graphics-heavy games like Asphalt 9 can take a little while to load, the Moto G Power delivers the game's full potential for fun. Some games may not run well on the Moto G Power, but we won't pretend we've tested them all.
The 50MP main camera takes good photos that are difficult to complain about, especially for the phone's price. Details can be slightly softer than those on more expensive phones, but photos are easily sharp enough. Where the Moto G Power's camera falters is with movement or shaky hands.
Our biggest complaint is that Motorola will only support the Moto G Power for one Android version upgrade and three years of security updates. That realistically gives the phone a three-year lifespan, which is rather short. If you hold on to phones until their bitter performance end, you could get better value with Google's Pixel 8a, which will be supported until May 2031.
Best battery life
Samsung's Galaxy A35 offers a large 6.6-inch 120Hz AMOLED screen, three cameras (but you're only likely to use two), and a premium-like design. Performance is on par with a mid-range device in the $400 price range, but its battery life beats almost every Android phone we've tested, even the most expensive ones.
- Premium-feeling design
- Large 120Hz AMOLED display
- Surprisingly quick and smooth performance
- Exceptional battery life
- 25W charging speeds
- Poor macro camera quality
- Photos can be overexposed and inconsistent
- Brimming with bloatware
The Samsung Galaxy A35 5G is easily a top choice if battery life is your primary priority, whether you're looking for a budget Android phone or a premium one. It ended our battery test with 65% remaining. Among Android phones, only the high-end Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and Galaxy S24 Ultra scored better, with 70% and 66%, respectively.
As for other important aspects like performance, design, display, and camera quality, the Galaxy A35, at its $400 MSRP, is an overachiever for its price range, but it still doesn't come close to the Pixel 8a.
The Galaxy A35 runs on Samsung's own Exynos 1380 processor, which doesn't score nearly as well as the Pixel 8a's Google Tensor G3 processor in benchmark tests, but it still opens and runs apps and Android quickly and smoothly with the 120Hz display. It's hard to spot now, but the Galaxy A35's scores suggest its performance will likely become slower sooner than the Pixel 8a.
The Galaxy A35 has three cameras: a 50MP main camera, an 8MP ultrawide lens, and a sub-par, niche-use 5MP macro camera. The main camera takes good photos overall but can overexpose brighter details depending on a scene's lighting. That's an issue with Samsung phones at large, however, even the best Samsung phones and premium models like the Galaxy S24 series.
Samsung's support window for the Galaxy A35 isn't as good as its premium lineup, with four years of Android version upgrades and five years of security updates compared to the seven years the Galaxy S24 series gets. Still, four to five years is a solid amount of time, and we wouldn't expect the phone's processor to stay fast and smooth longer than that.
Best camera
The cameras on Google's Pixel 8a simply cannot be beaten for the price, and they are a major reason to buy this phone if you're not looking to spend over $500. In fact, the Pixel 8a's cameras would be comfortable on phones that cost twice or even three times as much.
Photos taken by the Pixel 8a have a rich, natural color tone without being oversaturated, a first-rate aspect common to all of the best Google Pixel phones. Brightness and contrast are beautifully balanced to deliver gorgeous depth and dynamic range, something even some expensive premium phones struggle with.
With a 64MP main camera, the Pixel 8a captures photos rich in detail and performs well in low-light conditions. It's also quick to focus and handles movement much better than other budget and mid-range phones, whether from jittery hands or moving subjects.
Read our full Google Pixel 8a review, and see our guide to the best Google Pixel 8a cases to protect the phone.
Best large screen
The Nuu B30 Pro 5G offers unparalleled performance, display tech, and design for the $300 price range, making it our preferred large-screen budget option.
- Large, premium display
- Good performance
- Surprisingly little bloatware
- 30W charging speeds
- Photos look too artificially sharpened
- Curved screen edges
- Slow to receive security updates and Android upgrades
At 6.7 inches, the Nuu B30 Pro has the same display size as large premium phones like the Galaxy S24 Plus. Apart from its size, the display also incorporates top-tier tech that makes for a dreamy experience, including an AMOLED panel (which Samsung uses for its legendary displays) and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz.
Combine the high-performing display with the enthusiastic mid-tier MediaTek Dimensity 7050 processor and 12GB of RAM, and the Nuu B30 Pro offers a surprisingly high-end experience for running Android, apps, and games.
Even further, with the Pixel 8a as the exception, the B30 Pro pulls off the most convincing premium aesthetic out of any budget phone we've seen. It's largely thanks to the glass back with a frosted texture, which gives the teal color a gradient look that changes depending on the lighting. The frame is plastic, but it certainly coaxes you into thinking it's metal.
Our primary complaint is the phone's curved screen edges, an outdated and misguided design trick to make a phone look and feel more premium. Photos also appear like they've been processed with the sharpness slider set to maximum, which imparts a harsh and grainy look. Still, the B30 Pro's cameras are fine for capturing memories.
Nuu also has a short two-year support window for Android upgrades and security updates, and it was slow to receive the Android 14 operating system following its launch. The latent updates and short support window aren't ideal, but they're a relatively typical compromise for the best cheap phones and most budget Android phones.
Best budget Android phones compared
| Specs | Google Pixel 8a | Motorola Moto G Power 5G (2024) | Samsung Galaxy A35 5G | Nuu B30 Pro 5G |
| Starting price | $499 | $199.99 | $399.99 | $299.99 |
| Processor | Google Tensor G3 | MediaTek Dimensity 7020 | Samsung Exynos 1380 | MediaTek Dimensity 7050 |
| Release date | May 2024 | March 2024 | April 2024 | March 2024 |
| Screen | 6.1 inches, OLED, 1080p, 120Hz | 6.7 inches, LCD, 1080p 120Hz | 6.6 inches, OLED, 1080p, 120Hz | 6.7 inches, OLED, 1080p, 120Hz |
| Rear cameras | 64MP main, 13MP ultrawide | 50MP main, 8MP ultrawide | 50MP main, 8MP ultrawide, 5MP macro | 108MP main, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB | 128GB | 128GB, upgradeable to 1TB with microSD card | 256GB |
How we test budget Android phones
We test budget Android phones the same way we test any of the best phones, including premium models. We run them through standardized tests and use them as our primary devices for at least several days. Thanks to over a decade of experience testing and reviewing phones, we can quickly get an accurate picture of a phone's performance, camera quality, and overall value. Budget Android phones vary in price, so we consider their attributes related to cost and overall value.
We largely test performance by running common, popular apps and games, just like most people would. We note how quickly the phones load these apps and games and how smoothly they run. We also run commonly available benchmark tests, including the Geekbench 6 CPU and GPU tests and various tests in the 3D Mark suite.
We base most of our camera quality assessment on personal photos of scenery, friends, and family, as they better reflect the images most people would take with their phones. We won't publish photos containing friends and family due to privacy, but we'll include those of scenery. We also take pictures that are standardized across every phone test. When a new cheap Android phone is released, we retake photos with its generational competitors released earlier to ensure consistency.
Our battery test involves two runs of the 3D Mark Wild Life Stress Test, two hours of video streaming, five runs of the Geekbench 6 CPU benchmark test, and one hour of music streaming while connected to a Bluetooth speaker. We then note the remaining battery life. The test simulates heavy and light usage with three hours of screen-on time with a standardized display brightness setting.
FAQs
Which is the best cheap Android phone?
The best Android phone we can reasonably describe as "cheap" is Motorola's Moto G Power 5G (2024), our best "true budget" option, which typically starts at $300 but is currently discounted to $200. There are less expensive Android phones, but quality and performance degrade dramatically when MSRPs fall below $200.
If you can stretch your budget to $499, we'd avidly recommend the Google Pixel 8a. Almost everything about the Pixel 8a is notably superior, including performance, cameras, and, to a minor extent, battery life. The only exception is its smaller 6.1-inch screen size, whereas the Moto G Power 5G has a 6.7-inch display.
Are Android phones cheaper than iPhones?
The short answer is yes; many Android phones are less expensive than even the cheapest iPhone, Apple's third-generation iPhone SE from 2022, which starts at $429 and lacks many features of the contemporary best iPhones.
Additionally, many Android phones in the iPhone SE's price range offer significantly better value in terms of camera versatility, screen size, and design. Every phone in this list arguably offers better value than the iPhone SE.
To that end, our top pick for the best "cheap" iPhone is the iPhone 14, which we can only describe as nominally "cheap" at its $599 starting price, though it offers the best value among Apple's phones.
You can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here.
Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@businessinsider.com.
