Forget the spendy flagship smartphone. 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. Wireless carriers in the US go out of their way to make expensive smartphones seem affordable. AT&T will advertise a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra for just $36 a month, but don't let that fool you. With over 36 monthly installments, you spend over a thousand bucks on a phone. Your pricey device may also keep you locked into the network, unable to switch wireless carriers until the phone is paid off.
Get a seriously great, affordable smartphone instead. That's especially important in today's tariff-rich environment. Our top pick, the Google Pixel 9a, costs $499 and is as good as almost any flagship device. Our other recommendations 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 Samsung Phones, Best Phones With a Headphone Jack, Best Google Pixel, Best Moto Phones, and Best iPhones.
Updated June 2025: We've added the Samsung Galaxy A26 and A36, TCL 60 XE Nxtpaper 5G, Motorola Edge, Minimal Phone, and Motorola Razr 2025.
Should You Buy Now? AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron Yes. If you need a new cheap smartphone, now is a good time to buy. Most of our top picks are 2025 devices, so they're the latest and greatest. It's especially smart to buy a phone right now, considering the ever-changing tariff situation, which may raise the prices of electronics like smartphones and laptops later in the year. Consider Last Year’s Flagship Phones (or Used) AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron 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 a previous generation flagship smartphone, 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 $400, and the Pixel 8 Pro has dropped to $599. Prices fluctuate, so purchase accordingly. Alternatively, consider buying a used smartphone. (We have some tips here.) You'll need to research, but sites like Swappa, Gazelle, and Back Market have a good reputation and are solid places to buy a used or refurbished device. Look for the current top models on Android and iPhone from the last year or two, and see what they're going for in mint or good condition. 5G Smartphones, Explained AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron 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 4G 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 AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron 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. 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 Overall
The Google Pixel 9a (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is the best smartphone you can buy for the money. At $499—half the price of an iPhone 16 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus—you get a little of everything, from Qi wireless charging to top-of-the-line performance. It's powered by Google's Tensor G4 processor, the same one inside the flagship Pixel 9 series, which means this midrange phone gets seven years of software support—a rarity at this price.
The 6.3-inch OLED screen is bigger and brighter than before, with a 120-Hz refresh rate so that all the animations on the screen look buttery smooth. The bezels are a bit thick around the screen, but it's hardly a problem. On the back, you'll notice Google has introduced a new, simpler design. Gone is the iconic Pixel camera bar in favor of a floating dual-camera module that sits completely flush with the back of the phone. It doesn't have as much character, but at least the phone still looks good in the iris or peony color options.
I've had zero problems with performance in my testing, even when I live-posted for an hour on Bluesky during the Nintendo Direct announcing the Switch 2. The only thing to know is that because the Pixel 9a comes with only 8 GB of RAM, it omits two features from the flagship Pixel 9 series: Call Notes and the Pixel Screenshots app. Those are handy features, but it's no huge loss.
Battery life is finally better than before. The massive, 5,100-mAh cell inside comfortably lasts a full day with average use—I usually ended a day with 30 to 40 percent in the tank. Heavier days will drain the phone quickly, though, so you may need a power bank to be safe if your screen-time numbers are north of six to seven hours.
... continue reading