Prices for flagship phones are higher than ever, and it’s unlikely that they’ll ever come back down. The absolutely premium phones, like the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, now cost well over $1,000, or about the price of a good laptop. But, as the ceiling gets higher, devices in the more reasonable $600 to $800 range have gotten even more capable. In fact, our pick for the best overall phone is the $829 Apple iPhone 13, and Google’s Pixel 6 included here is priced more like a midrange device than all-out flagship.There are great options for $300 and under, too. You can find a bright, high-definition OLED screen or a built-in stylus or a battery that lasts for days. If you can hone in on the one or two features that are most important to you and you’re willing to compromise elsewhere, you can get a phone that suits your needs for half the price of a flagship. What compromises can you expect from a budget phone? Some combination of the following: slower processors, less storage, and lousier cameras than flagship phones, almost across the board. Many have lower-resolution screens, and most lack official water-resistance ratings, wireless charging, and NFC chips for contactless payment.
And while we usually recommend buying unlocked phones to maximize flexibility, you might find better deals — and much lower up-front costs — by buying through a carrier and signing up for a wireless plan.
The best inexpensive iPhone is the 2022 Apple iPhone SE. Its 4.7-inch display is starting to feel very cramped in this era of giant displays, but otherwise, the SE does exactly what the previous generations have done: offer a low-cost entry point to Apple’s iOS ecosystem and a device that will last upwards of five years if you take care of it.
If you’re looking for the best budget Android phone, then the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is our top choice. It features one of the best screens in the class, with a fast refresh rate for smooth animations and scrolling. It’s also backed by the longest software support policy you’ll find among Android phone makers, with five years of security updates promised.
1. APPLE IPHONE SE 2022 (THIRD-GENERATION)THE BEST IPHONE UNDER $500
The 128GB iPhone SE is the best value on the smartphone market, period. It’s a great deal at $479 when you consider that it will continue receiving iOS updates for upwards of five, even six or seven years.
But before you pick up an SE expecting to coast through most of the next decade without buying a new phone: make sure you can live with its very small, very dated 4.7-inch screen. It’s the same size as the one on the iPhone 6, and it’s starting to feel cramped in an age when apps and web pages are designed for bigger screens. The SE’s big bezels make the device look dated, too, but the usability of a small screen will be a bigger factor over the years to come.
2. SAMSUNG GALAXY A53 5GTHE BEST ANDROID PHONE UNDER $500
The Samsung A53 5G offers an outstanding value for its $449 MSRP. It has one of the best screens in its class — no surprise from display maker Samsung — with a 6.5-inch 1080p OLED that provides richer contrast than the LCDs that are common in this category. It also uses a top refresh rate of 120Hz, which makes for smooth scrolling and a little bit more of a “premium” experience.
The A53 5G’s battery lasts a full day of use, and the Exynos processor gets through daily tasks fairly smoothly. The phone’s main 64-megapixel camera is a cut above the usually unremarkable cameras in this class, with optical image stabilization to help get more sharp shots in poor lighting conditions.
3. ONEPLUS NORD N20 5GTHE BEST PHONE UNDER $300
The OnePlus N20 5G is a $280 phone that feels like it should cost a lot more. It offers a 6.4-inch screen with good 1080p resolution. Better yet, it’s an OLED panel in a category where lower-contrast LCDs are much more common. You’ll have to make do with a standard 60Hz refresh rate, but unless you’re coming from a phone with a faster 90Hz or 120Hz screen, you won’t know the difference. Refresh rate aside, it’s a good screen that’s enjoyable to use. Plus, there’s a good fingerprint scanner under the display that makes unlocking the phone a frustration-free experience.
The N20 5G is sold unlocked but take note: it does not work on Verizon. It’s also limited to 4G on AT&T, which isn’t the end of the world given the carrier’s slow expansion of their mid-band 5G network (that’s the good 5G). The unlocked N20 does work on T-Mobile’s 5G as well as 4G, and you can buy a network-locked version of the phone directly from T-Mobile if you want to take advantage of a free phone offer or bundle the cost with your monthly phone bill.
4. OnePlus Nord N20 5G
$282
The N20 5G includes a 6.4-inch 1080p screen with a fast fingerprint sensor as well as fast wired charging with the included in-box charger.
5. SAMSUNG GALAXY A13 5GTHE BEST BASIC ANDROID PHONE FOR VERIZON CUSTOMERS
The Galaxy A13 5G is a no-frills, $249 phone that delivers the basics. Its screen is nothing special, but battery life and performance are very good considering the price, and the device is backed up by a solid support policy promising three years of security updates. It’s not as polished as the N20 with its fancier OLED, but it’s also a bit cheaper and works on all major carriers (the N20 doesn’t work on Verizon).
The A13’s 6.5-inch screen is certainly big, but it’s a fairly dim, low-contrast LCD with a resolution of just 720p. Related: battery life is very good since the screen drains less power than brighter displays. Overall performance from the MediaTek 700 5G chipset and 4GB of RAM is very good, too.
