Best budget smartphones in 2024

Looking for a budget smartphone in 2024 that offers all the features you need? We’ve listed five of our favorite budget phones so you can save a pretty penny on a powerful device.

The best Android phones offer top-of-the-line specifications, featuring high-end cameras, fast processors, and beautiful displays. But they also cost a fortune, with our list topper Galaxy S24 Ultra starting at $1,299.

Not everyone needs the latest and greatest, and not everyone has the budget for them. That’s where budget smartphones step in. You can get yourself a nice affordable smartphone for half the price of a flagship and still get decent features.

The best budget smartphones offer solid price to performance with dependable specifications. They don’t offer flagship processors but still hold their own in gaming and multitasking.

Choose well, and you could snag a display and battery life on par with flagships, and battery life that can even exceed the biggest and best from certain brands.

If you go looking, you’ll find heaps of options in the budget segment, but only a handful are worth your cash. We’ve listed some of our favorite ones below.

1. OnePlus 12R: The best budget Android phone

Dexerto

• Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
• Display: 6.7-inch AMOLED
• Battery: 5500 mAh
• OS: Android 14
• Camera: 3x rear( 50MP+8MP+2MP) + 16MP front
• MSRP: starts at $499

The OnePlus 12R is the best budget smartphone we’ve tested. It brings almost all the flagship features you’ll find on the $800 OnePlus 12. In our two months of rigorous testing, the smartphone never lagged once and ran every game smoothly, be it Genshin Impact or COD Mobile. That’s an impressive feat for a budget phone, and you’d hardly find any other device in this segment that could do it.

Another major highlight of the smartphone is its 5500 mAh which offered nine hours of screen time during our testing. Plus, the OnePlus 12R supports 80W wired charging support which juices up the battery from 0% to 100% in around half an hour.

It uses a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED panel with 4500 nits peak brightness, HDR10+, and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. The smartphone packs the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC under the hood which is only a year old and powers flagships like Galaxy S23 Ultra.

The OnePlus 12R doesn’t come without sacrifices though. It lacks a water and dust resistance rating and wireless charging support. It’s also only promised to get three major Android updates.

2. Google Pixel 7a: The best budget phone with wireless charging

Google

• Processor: Tensor G2
• Display: 6.1-inch OLED
• Battery: 4385 mAh
• OS: Android 13 out of the box
• Camera: 2x rear( 64MP+13MP) + 13MP front
• MSRP: starts at $499

Pixel 7a doesn’t pack the most high-end specs. It rather looks mediocre on paper. However, the Pixel 7a is a reliable budget phone that you can get. It brings a handful of important features, with a bright, smooth-scrolling 90Hz display. The panel isn’t as good as the OnePlus 12R, but it certainly is better than the 60Hz Pixel 6a.

Unlike most budget phones, the Google Pixel 7a brings wireless charging and an IP67 dust and water-resistance rating. The Pixel 7a packs the same custom Tensor G2 chipset on board the flagship Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. It easily handles demanding tasks like rendering 3D game graphics. Apps also load quickly and stay open even in the background if you’re doing something else.

Cameras are probably the best features on the Pixel lineup. It includes a new 64-megapixel main rear camera with optical image stabilization accompanied by 13-megapixel ultrawide and selfie cameras. It gives you the best camera system you can get on a $500 phone with great photos in both day and low-light environments.

The only problem with the Pixel 7a is its particularly small 4,385mAh battery that lasts around four to five hours at best. Charging speed is no better at 18W wired and 7.5W wireless.

3. Samsung Galaxy A54: The best Samsung phone

Samsung

• Processor: Tensor G2
• Display: 6.4-inch OLED
• Battery: 5000 mAh
• OS: Android 13 out of the box
• Camera: 3x rear( 50MP+12MP+ 5MP) + 32MP front
• MSRP: starts at $450

The Galaxy A54 is Samsung’s A series mid-ranger from last year. The company has announced the Galaxy A55, but it won’t be coming to the US. The Galaxy A54 features a vibrant design that evokes the Galaxy S24 lineup. Although the bezels on the display are larger than we’d like, it still looks decent.

It lacks wireless charging but features a 120Hz 6.4-inch AMOLED display with 1000 nit peak brightness and HDR10+ support. The panel is great for playing mobile games or watching videos. It is powered by Samsung’s own Exynos 1380 processor, backed up by 6GB of RAM. While its performance comes nowhere close to the OnePlus 12R, there’s enough power to make everyday web browsing, WhatsApp texting, and emailing feel swift.

The Galaxy A54 packs a large 5000mAh battery with support for 25W wired charging. There’s no wireless charging, but the smartphone comes with an IP67 dust and water-resistant rating. Samsung promises five years of major Android updates, which is more than any other budget Android phone on this list.

4. iPhone SE (3rd Gen): The best budget iPhone

Unsplash: Onur Binay

• Processor: A15 Bionic
• Display: 4.7-inch LCD
• Battery: 5000 mAh
• OS: iOS 15.4 out of the box
• Camera: 12MP main + 7MP front
• MSRP: starts at $429

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly iPhone, the iPhone SE 3 is the way to go. It was announced in 2022 with a design similar to iPhone 8 and older. The thick bezels and the 4.7-inch LCD screen might not be for everyone.

This iPhone packs a punch with the same A15 Bionic chip that powers the latest iPhone 13 models. That makes it one of the most powerful phones you can find for the price. Whether you’re a gamer or a multitasker, this phone can handle anything you dish out. The chip even helps with battery life, but don’t expect more than a day on a single charge with heavy use. It’s also one of the few phones in this price range with wireless charging and a water-resistant design (IP67).

The single rear camera works well in bright conditions, but low-light photography is a bit of a struggle.  One thing to consider is Apple’s famous long software support – you’ll get updates for this phone for up to five years, which is pretty sweet.

4. Samsung Galaxy A14 5G: The super affordable budget phone

Samsung

• Processor: 
• Display: 6.6-inch LCD
• Battery: 5000 mAh
• OS: iOS 15.4 out of the box
• Camera: 3x (50MP+ 2MP + 2MP) + 13MP front
• MSRP: starts at $200

Samsung’s Galaxy A14 5G is worth considering if you’re after a super-cheap smartphone. It has a big, boring design with thick bezels and a water drop notch but performs better than you’d expect from a $200 phone. It has a 6.6-inch display with a 90Hz refresh rate and a 2,400 by 1,080-pixel resolution.

The panel is sharp and gets decently bright. The smartphone offers respectable performance considering its price. Of course, it’s not meant for gaming, but it can tackle day-to-day tasks easily. Samsung offers 4 years of Android updates with the smartphone alongside a large 5000mAh battery and a decent camera setup.

FAQs

What is the best affordable phone?

OnePlus 12R is the best budget smartphone you can get in 2024. It packs a powerful processor, a flagship-grade display, and a large battery. The smartphone is the latest from OnePlus, having been announced in January 2024.

Do I need a 5G phone?

Yes, you need a 5G phone if you want high-speed internet connectivity. The 4G standard is now outdated, so it should be a feature you look to include on your list while shopping

How to shop for a budget phone

To choose the best budget phone for yourself, look for the features that are important to you. An ideal budget phone should offer respectable performance, a bright display, 5G connectivity, and long software support.

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