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Wireless carriers in the US go out of their way to make expensive smartphones seem affordable. AT&T will advertise a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra for just $36 a month, but don’t let them fool you. Over 36 monthly installments, you’re still spending more than a thousand bucks for a phone. Your pricey device may also keep you locked into the network, unable to switch wireless carriers until the phone is paid off.
Forget the spendy option and get a seriously great affordable smartphone instead. Every year, I test a dozen or more devices to find the best cheap phones that perform where it counts and aren’t annoyingly slow. Our top pick, the Google Pixel 8A, costs $499 and is as good as almost any device, and our other choices strike a great balance between price and luxury. There’s even a folding phone in this guide!
Check out our many other mobile guides, including Best Android Phones, Best Phones With a Headphone Jack, Best Samsung Phones, Best Google Pixel, Best Motorola Phones, and Best iPhones.
Updated November 2024: We’ve added the HMD Skyline, OnePlus Nord 4, iPhone 14, and Galaxy S24 FE.
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For the most part, yes. There are two major exceptions. Apple is expected to unveil a new iPhone SE in the spring of 2025 and OnePlus may take the wraps off of a OnePlus 13R in January or February. Outside of that, I’m confident in the relevance of our picks.
Consider Last Year’s Flagship Phones (or Used)
If none of these phones have the features you want or they aren’t as powerful as you’d like, your best option is to look for last year’s flagship smartphones, which might be steeply discounted. Sometimes they’re easy to find, but manufacturers may stop selling them. Keep in mind that you’ll lose a year of software support, but that’s often still better than the software support available on cheap phones anyway. The Google Pixel 8, for example, has dipped to $499 at times, and the Pixel 8 Pro has dropped to $624.
Alternatively, consider buying a used smartphone. (We have some tips here.) You’ll need to research, but sites like Swappa and Gazelle have a good reputation and are solid places to buy a used phone. Look for the current top models on Android and iPhone, and see what they’re going for in mint or good condition.
5G Smartphones, Explained
5G is the current cellular network generation and it’s widespread enough that you should try to stick to phones that support it. It’s not completely replacing 4G LTE, so you’ll see this in your status bar as you roam around the country. You can read more about it here, but in short, 5G comes in two major types: sub-6 and millimeter wave (mmWave). The latter is usually only available in flagship phones and allows you to access superfast speeds, but you’ll rarely encounter mmWave (think select areas in major cities and certain venues, like stadiums and airports). Sub-6 isn’t much faster than 4G LTE, but it has a broader range and is more widely accessible. Most of the smartphones we recommend here support sub-6 5G, even those as low as $200.
Check Network Compatibility
If you buy an unlocked phone on this list and try to take it to one of your wireless carrier’s retail stores, they may tell you it isn’t compatible with the network. It likely is. Just use a paper clip or SIM ejection tool to pop the SIM card out of your current phone, then slide that SIM into your new phone. If it doesn’t work at first, reboot the phone or wait a couple of hours.
If you need a new SIM, try ordering one online from your carrier or see if they’ll give you a SIM when you activate a line in the store (if you’re starting coverage). Tell them you have a phone. Many times, reps will want to sell you a phone; that’s one potential reason they might hassle you into buying a different device in the store. Having said that, please make sure whatever phone you buy will work on your wireless network. Listings on retailers like Amazon should state clearly which networks a device will be compatible with. Also, make sure the listing says the phone is being sold “unlocked.”
In this guide, we’ve listed whether a phone works with a major US carrier. But what if you’re not on AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon? If we note that a phone works on T-Mobile, for example, that means it’ll likely work on smaller carriers like Metro By T-Mobile and Mint Mobile, both of which utilize T-Mobile’s cellular network. If you’re nervous about compatibility, look up the specifications of the exact model you’re considering. Make sure it has the LTE or 5G bands it needs to run on your carrier.
Warning for Verizon users: There’s a higher chance an unlocked phone will not work on your network. Make sure it is labeled to work on Verizon, or that it says the phone is CDMA-capable. If something strange is going on, like you don’t get any texts, you may also need to contact customer service and ask them to enable CDMA-less roaming. AT&T and T-Mobile are GSM carriers, which is the standard for most of the world; most unlocked phones are compatible with them.
Best Cheap Phone
Google’s Pixel 8A (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is the best smartphone you can buy for the money. At just $499, you get a little of everything—from wireless charging to top-of-the-line performance. It’s powered by Google’s Tensor G3 processor, the same that’s inside the flagship Pixel 8 series, and that also means this midrange smartphone will get seven years of software support—a rarity at this price. That means you can expect to get Android OS upgrades with new features plus security patches for a long time.
This Pixel has a better OLED screen than its predecessor, meaning it gets even brighter and plenty visible on the sunniest days, and the 120-Hz screen refresh rate makes every interaction feel fluid. The 6.1-inch screen is fairly compact, so it’s great if you’re eyeing a small phone. The whole thing also just looks pretty—budget and midrange phones tend to look super boring, but the Pixel 8A has a smart design with a matte rear texture. Plus, the new Aloe color is gorgeous. Phones are personal, and they should look pretty!
Performance has been flawless in my testing—I covered Google I/O with this as my primary device, taking photos, navigating, using the Google Recorder app, and posting to social media. The downside is battery life. The 4,492-mAh battery cell can last a day with average use, but heavy users will likely need to top up before bedtime. Keep a portable power bank handy.
The cameras are the highlight of the Pixel series, and the Pixel 8A lives up to this legacy—it’s easily the best camera phone for the money. It has a 64-megapixel main camera that snaps detailed, colorful, and sharp photos in any lighting condition. Joining it is a capable 13-MP ultrawide, and the 13-MP selfie camera is solid, though the fact that it’s fixed focus means your face is never perfectly sharp. The only issue I’ve run into is that Real Tone, which is Google’s image-processing algorithm for different skin tones, hasn’t been as accurate as on prior Pixels, specifically on brown skin. (Google says it’s looking into it.)
But the top reason why I heartily recommend Pixel phones is because of the smart software features you won’t find on any other sub-$500 smartphone. I’ve detailed many of them here, but you can use Magic Editor to move a subject a little to the left of the frame and erase an unwanted object in the shot. You can use Best Take to fix that group shot where your eyes were closed. Google’s Call Screen technology nips spam calls in the bud, and Assistant Voice Typing is still my favorite voice-to-text system and I miss it every time I switch phones.
Other perks include secure face unlock and fingerprint unlock—both work with sensitive apps that require biometric authentication so you have more unlocking options. There’s also NFC for contactless payments and an IP67 rating that protects it from the elements.
Works on all three major US carriers.
Best Cheap iPhone
Note: Apple is rumored to launch a new iPhone SE in the spring of 2025. I recommend waiting.
Want a cheap iPhone? The third-generation iPhone SE 2022 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is the way to go, even if it’s getting a bit dated. The current model doesn’t change much externally from its predecessor—you still get a 4.7-inch LCD that feels cramped to type on, with thick bezels on the top and bottom. It looks old, but maybe you like that; it’s the only iPhone Apple sells with a home button and Touch ID.
Apple stuffed the same chip that powers the iPhone 13 range from 2021, the A15 Bionic, into the iPhone SE 2022, meaning it’s a speedy little handset that can handle anything you throw at it. This chip also improves battery life, but this tiny phone will still last only about a day, maybe less if you use it a lot. There’s 5G support and wireless charging. (It does not have MagSafe support.)
The lone camera on the back takes great photos during the day and handles high-contrast scenes well, but unfortunately, Apple still didn’t include Night mode, which is available on its pricier iPhones. That means in low light you can expect muddy, grainy, and blurry shots that don’t hold a candle to what you’ll capture on our top pick.
At the very least, this iPhone will last a long time, as Apple has supported its devices for years. I’d recommend slapping a case on the glass back and a screen protector on the front to keep it looking fresh—our favorite iPhone SE accessories can help.
Works on all three major US carriers.
Photograph: Apple
The iPhone 14 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) will serve you well for several years if you can justify the price. It’s Apple’s 2022 flagship and has the MagSafe accessory system. It starts with 128 GB of storage, has an OLED display, and includes Apple’s Emergency SOS and Crash Detection features. It has slimmer bezels than the SE, and Face ID instead of Touch ID. However, consider a used iPhone, as you’ll probably find a newer model at lower prices in good condition.
For Great Battery Life
Note: OnePlus recently launched the OnePlus 13 in China, which means we can expect the OnePlus 13 and subsequent OnePlus 13R to launch in January or February 2025. I suggest waiting.
The Pixel 8A is the more well-rounded midrange smartphone, but there are several reasons why you might prefer the OnePlus 12R. It sports a larger 6.78-inch AMOLED screen with a 120-Hz screen resolution, so while the interactions with the display are just as fluid, the bigger display is great for entertainment. It trounces the Pixel on battery life thanks to its 5,500-mAh cell capacity, which lasted for nearly two full days on a single charge with average use. If it’s running out of juice, you can use the included cable and charging adapter to bring it from zero to 100 percent in just 30 minutes. It’s a shame there’s no wireless charging support.
It’s powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, the flagship processor of 2023, so it’ll easily crush demanding games. However, the software isn’t as smart as what you’ll find on the Pixel. It still looks slick and doesn’t have much bloatware, and OnePlus promises three Android OS upgrades with four years of security updates. It’s not seven years, but it’s better than most other Android phones at this price.
The 12R cuts corners in a few areas. It’s rated for only IP64 water resistance, so it’ll be OK in the rain but not if you drop it in the pool. The primary camera is solid and can go toe-to-toe with the Pixel 8A’s camera; however, I found the ultrawide and macro cameras useless. It’d be better if OnePlus cut those and dropped the phone’s price instead.
If you’re not a shutterbug and want a phone with a powerful processor and a battery that lasts more than a day, the OnePlus 12R is a no-brainer.
Works on all three major US carriers.
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
The Motorola Edge technically costs more than the OnePlus 12R, but there are often sales that bring the price lower. The glass that curves into the edges made using the phone annoying, as my hand holding the phone interfered with my touch interactions. But if you can get past that, it has a 144-Hz refresh rate, speedy performance, one-day battery life, and an OK camera. It’ll only get two OS upgrades and three years of security updates.
Best Under $400
I deeply wish you could walk into any major retailer or carrier in the US and buy Nothing’s Phone (2a) (9/10, WIRED Recommends) because this stylish budget phone deserves to be in your pocket. Alas, while it’s easy to purchase globally, you’ll need to sign up for Nothing’s developer program if you’re in the US—once you’re accepted (even if you’re not a developer), you’ll be sent a purchase link to buy the phone. That also applies to the more recent Phone (2a) Plus, which costs $399 and is nearly identical.
These are the most attractive phones under $400, aided by the fun Glyph LED light system on the back. These lights flash when notifications come in, or you can set a timer and visualize it winding down—you can customize how it works. The attention to design detail translates into the software, which looks unique and is just plain fun to use—rare qualities in a cheapo device.
