The Best Cheap Phones for 2024

PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

Some of the latest flagship phones push well past the $1,000 mark, but you don't need to spend nearly that much to get a quality device. Here, we've collected the best options for around $300 or less to help you stay on budget. And you can rest assured that all of our recommendations are actually worth buying. After all, PCMag has been for at least three decades and for just about as long. Among our Editors' Choice winners are the affordable Samsung Galaxy A15 5G, the fast-charging OnePlus Nord N30 5G, and the classic-style TCL Flip 2. We even included the low-cost iPhone SE for Apple fans. Click through to the in-depth reviews below for our full impressions, and read past the list for some guidelines to keep in mind while you shop.

What Do You Need in a Cheap Smartphone?

Although budget-friendly phones don't have all the perks of midrange or flagship models, that doesn't mean you can't find a perfectly capable device to suit your needs. Let's start with the features we believe are absolutely essential. Keep in mind that most of these recommendations are for smartphones; if you're in the market for a feature phone, some of these guidelines don't apply.

Battery Life: There are lots of variables to consider when it comes to battery life, but ultimately, you want your phone to last at least until the end of the day. If you're shopping for a phone with a screen smaller than 6 inches (if you can find one!), look for a battery capacity of 3,800mAh or higher. For phones with larger screens, look for a minimum battery capacity of 4,500mAh—or, better yet, 5,000mAh.

Chipset: In Qualcomm's busy processor line, you should strive for a phone with its current entry-level system on a chip (SoC), the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2, or something competitive. MediaTek's Dimensity 6000 line is also good, though the company's Helio line has a bit less horsepower. You can look up how Samsung Exynos or Apple A series chips compare with the Qualcomm and MediaTek hardware. For the latter, make sure the chip is relatively recent. Performance generally improves by up to 20% each generation in our experience, so chips from the last year or two dramatically outperform older ones.

Compatibility: Before you make a purchase, decide whether you're ready to jump on the 5G bandwagon or if you'd rather stick with LTE 4G. No matter your choice, make sure your phone supports the appropriate cellular bands for your carrier. Search for 5G and LTE bands by the phone's model number, not its name. Keep in mind that feature phones mostly do not have 5G.

Connectivity: Connectivity has a huge impact on call quality and data speeds. For the most part, you should choose a phone with a Qualcomm X12 (for LTE), X60 (for 5G), or newer modem. If you're looking at flip phones, make sure the modem has voice over LTE (VoLTE), voice over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi), and Enhanced Voice Services (EVS) for the best call quality. You also should check for Wi-Fi 6 as well as Bluetooth 5.0 or later.

Operating System: The current version of Android is Android 15, but few budget phones ship with the latest build. Don't go back any further than Android 12 for security and compatibility reasons. Don't assume a budget phone will ever get an Android version upgrade unless the manufacturer commits to it.

RAM: Simply put, the more RAM the merrier. For phones under $200, look for at least 4GB of RAM. If you're willing to spend more, bump that up to 6GB if you can.

Storage: Like RAM, you can't have too much storage. Look for at least 64GB of storage on phones under $200 and try to find something with a microSD slot. You likely don't have to worry about expandable storage on phones with 128GB of space or more.

Once you verify the essential features, look for extra perks.

Dust and Splash Resistance: Although many budget offerings forgo an official ingress protection (IP) rating, a handful of affordable phones can resist some level of dust and water ingress. Look for a number like "IP55" or "IP67."

Multi-Lens Cameras: Most affordable phones have multi-lens camera stacks that allow you to capture wide-angle and macro shots. For the most part, these phones take decent images with their primary and wide-angle cameras if you have a steady hand and good light. The macro lenses are almost always awful, however.

NFC: NFC is slowly making its way to the affordable phone market. It's a great feature to have since contactless payments (such as Apple Pay and Google Pay) are more popular than ever.

Stereo Speakers: A handful of budget-friendly phones have stereo speakers and even advanced features such as custom tuning and Dolby audio. Though no phone is going to sound as good as even an inexpensive Bluetooth speaker, it's definitely an upgrade over a single driver.

Strengthened Glass: If you're spending more than $100 on a phone, it should have strengthened glass to protect the display from cracks and scratches. Gorilla Glass 3 seems to be the standard for most budget models, but we've seen a few with Gorilla Glass 5. In general, each generation of Gorilla Glass is less apt to break than the last; phones with Gorilla Glass 5 displays are less likely to shatter when you drop them, but they're also more likely to accumulate hairline scratches. Note that some devices use Dragontail glass instead.

What's the Cheapest iPhone?

You might notice that we've made an exception in pricing here for the $429 iPhone SE. If you're looking for an affordable new iPhone, it's the one to get. If all you have is $200, you can try for a used model at a third-party reseller. Don't go earlier than the iPhone 11; older models will likely lose compatibility with new iOS versions in the next year or two. For more, see our in-depth explanation of which iPhone to buy.

Finally, visit our stories on the best cheap phone plans and how to get the best price on a new phone. We also have a few other affordable options in our story about the best phones for seniors. And we add new phones to this roundup as we review them, so make sure to check back soon.

Dave LeClair contributed to this story.