The best budget Android phones in 2023

Pros: Fantastic performance for its price, stellar two-camera system, a bright 90Hz OLED screen, solid battery life, premium design, offers wireless charging

Cons: Heavy for its size, pricey for a budget phone, costs more for mmWave 5G model 

The Pixel 7a‘s $500 price is certainly on the high side when talking about budget Android phones, but if you’re looking for a near-premium experience without going overboard on cost, the Pixel 7a is your best overall option. 

While the Pixel 7a runs on the newer Google Tensor G2 processor, it doesn’t offer a notable performance boost over the original Tensor in the Pixel 6a. Additionally, while the Pixel 7a has updated cameras with more megapixels, you’d be hard pressed to notice much of a difference.

However, to justify the $500 price tag over the Pixel 6a’s $350, Google gave the Pixel 7a two meaningful premium features, a smooth 90Hz display and wireless charging, on top of an additional 10 months of security update support. Google will keep upgrading the Pixel 7a with security updates until May 2028, while the Pixel 6a’s security update support ends in July 2027.

Wireless charging is a “nice-to-have” feature for those who actively want it, but a smooth 90Hz display and a longer lifespan are what mark the 7a as a superior option. The 90Hz display, specifically, makes the Pixel 7a feel more like a premium device than a true “budget” phone. 

Read our full Google Pixel 7a review.

Pros: Superlative price-to-performance ratio, excellent camera quality, premium design 

Cons: Mediocre battery life, 60Hz display, costs more for mmWave 5G model 

No other phone can match the Pixel 6a‘s balanced blend of performance, features, design, and camera quality for a $350 price. To top it off, the Pixel 6a can often be found in the $300 range, which makes it an even better deal. 

However, the Pixel 6a couldn’t snatch the top spot in our recommendations due to its shorter lifespan — it’ll stop receiving security updates a full 10 months (basically a year) before the Pixel 7a.  

Still, the Pixel 6a’s performance breezes through the Android operating system and apps like a higher-end phone, albeit with a standard 60Hz display that isn’t as smooth as the high refresh-rate displays on other phones on this list. Points lost from a 60Hz display are quickly gained by the high quality of its dual-lens camera, which includes 12 megapixel main and ultrawide lenses that easily compete with phones that cost three times as much. 

We’d encourage anyone looking to spend around $200 to stretch their budget for the Pixel 6a if possible. The extra $150 the Pixel 6a demands over the least expensive phone on this list, the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G, is well worth it, as you’re getting a profoundly better phone in almost every regard.

Read our full Google Pixel 6a review.

Pros: Large screen, smooth 90Hz display, good price-to-performance ratio

Cons: Slow 15W charging speed, ineffective macro camera lens

At $200, Samsung’s Galaxy A14 5G is a true budget phone. That also means it has the performance and camera quality that you’d expect from a relatively inexpensive device. 

While the Galaxy A14 5G opens and runs apps surprisingly quickly, it’s not in a hurry like a premium phone, or even other budget phones on this list, for that matter. It falters while navigating around the Android operating system and with fast-paced usage by noticeable stuttering, but it’s not a dealbreaker for the price.

The Galaxy A14’s 6.6-inch, 90Hz, 1080p display is also surprisingly sharp and smooth for this price point, so everything you see on the screen is crisp and clear. Note, however, that it’s not the brightest display, which only affects viewability outdoors on a bright sunny day.

Camera quality is serviceable on the main 50MP lens, but the 2MP macro lens is a niche option and pretty much useless. The third lens is a depth sensor to help with portrait shots, and it doesn’t take photos. If camera quality is a priority, we’d recommend spending more than $200 on any other phone here.

Samsung is expected to support the A14 5G through two Android updates following Android 13, and with four years of security updates, giving it an exceptional support window for a phone in this price range. 

Read our full Samsung Galaxy A14 5G review.

The $350 Pixel 6a bests the $500 Pixel 7a here as the camera systems of the two phones are effectively on par with one another, making the Pixel 6a your best budget option if camera quality is your top priority. 

The photos the Pixel 6a produces are sharp with an ideal balance of brightness, contrast, and color, which makes for beautifully rich images with more depth than many other phones, budget or premium. 

The Pixel 6a takes such good photos because, unlike many other phones, it doesn’t try too hard to make your photos “pop” with over-processing, which often leads to over-exposure, overly saturated colors, and flat-looking photos. 

It’s true that the Pixel 6a’s photos may look slightly darker overall than some competitors, but that’s the result of keeping details in bright areas, as well as darker shaded spots.

Read our full Google Pixel 6a review.

Pros: Excellent battery life, fast 25W charging for the price range, premium 120Hz display

Cons: Inconsistent performance and camera quality, niche 5MP macro camera disappoints 

The Galaxy A54’s $450 starting price is on the high side for a budget phone, but it obtained the best result out of all the phones in this list with 65% remaining after our battery test, which involves two hours of video streaming, one hour of music streaming while connected to Bluetooth headphones, two runs of the intensive 3DMark Wild Life Stress Test, and five runs of the Geekbench 6 benchmarking app. 

That’s an excellent result for a phone with a premium-quality, 6.4-inch OLED display with 1080p resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. It even nearly matches and beats some flagship phones with similar and larger displays, like the Google Pixel 7 (6.3 inches, 60%), the Galaxy S23 Plus (6.6 inches, 67%), and the Galaxy S23 Ultra (6.8 inches, 61%). 

The Galaxy A54 also supports up to 25W charging speeds. Though Samsung doesn’t include a charger with the Galaxy A54, any charger that supports at least 25W can be used to charge the phone at its full speed. 

The Galaxy A54 runs apps smoothly and quickly, but it lacks the confidence shown by Google’s Pixel 6a and Pixel 7a or OnePlus’ Nord N30 — occasional stutters marr the experience, and we would have expected smoother overall performance for the price. 

You’ll find three usable cameras on the rear of the Galaxy A54, including a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide, and a 5MP macro camera. The main and ultrawide cameras can deliver excellent photos with balanced colors and lighting as often as it can shoot rather mediocre ones, where colors are oversaturated and bright areas are overexposed. The 5MP macro camera takes better photos than the 2MP macro cameras on other phones here, but it’s still a niche option that isn’t especially impressive. 

Samsung is expected to support the Galaxy A54 with four years of Android version upgrades and five years of security updates, giving it one of the best support windows for an Android phone. 

Read our full Samsung Galaxy A54 review. 

Pros: Large and sharp 120Hz screen, smooth performance, premium design, super-fast 50W charging with included charger

Cons: Short support window for Android upgrades and security updates, 2MP macro camera is virtually pointless

The OnePlus Nord N30 with its solid everyday performance, large 6.7-inch display running at a smooth 120Hz, surprisingly premium-looking design, and tempting $300 starting price make it easily the best budget Android phone with a big screen.

The N30 runs through the Android operating system, as well as basic apps and tasks with confidence, speed, and stutter-free smoothness — it was surprising to experience such performance considering it’s running on a mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor that was announced in 2021. 

Its solid performance pairs beautifully with the N30’s large 6.7-inch 120Hz display, which animates everything with fluid smoothness, like a premium phone does. Its sharp 1080p resolution is the same as phones that cost three times as much, and the N30’s display also gets bright enough to comfortably use in bright sunlight, and content is still easily viewable.

While the N30 doesn’t use a premium OLED panel, its LCD panel still delivers vibrant colors and excellent contrast.

The N30 ended our battery test with 62% remaining, which is an above average score compared to other phones with similar screen sizes. Still, OnePlus includes a super fast 50W charger with the N30, which is a rare inclusion these days. Just note that the N30 charges at a much slower 18W when using any other third-party charger, even those that support 100W charging speeds. 

The N30 has a decent main camera with a whopping 108 megapixels. It also has a 2MP macro camera, which is a largely niche option that isn’t very good. It technically has a third lens, but it’s a depth sensor that’s purely dedicated to helping with portrait mode photos for the main camera. 

Our biggest complaint is that OnePlus will only support the N30 for one Android version upgrade, and three years of security updates, which realistically gives the N30 a comparatively short three-year lifespan. 

Specs

Google Pixel 7a

Google Pixel 6a

Samsung Galaxy A14 5G

Samsung Galaxy A54

OnePlus Nord N30

Starting price

$500

$350

$200

$450

$300

Processor

Google Tensor G2

Google Tensor

Samsung Exynos 1330 

Samsung Exynos 1380

Qualcomm Snapdragon 695

Release date

May 2023

July 2022

January 2023

March 2023

June 2023

Screen 

6.1 inches, OLED, 1080p, 90Hz

6.1 inches, OLED, 1080p 60Hz

6.6 inches, LCD, 1080p 90Hz

6.4 inches, OLED, 1080p, 120Hz

6.7 inches, LCD, 1080p, 120Hz

Rear cameras

64MP main, 13MP ultrawide

12MP main, 12MP ultrawide

50MP main, 2MP macro, 2MP depth

50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 5MP macro

108MP main, 2MP macro, 2MP depth

Storage

128GB

128GB

64GB, upgradeable with microSD card

128GB, 256GB, upgradeable with microSD card

128GB, upgradeable with microSD card

Is Cyber Monday a good time to buy an Android phone?

Even though phones get great deals throughout the year, Cyber Monday is an excellent opportunity to grab a budget Android phone or a premium option, and retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and many phone makers are offering the latest models for some of the most tempting discounts of the year. 

Google’s Pixel 7a is $125 off, for example, and the just-released Pixel 8 series are seeing $150-plus discounts. Samsung’s Galaxy S23 series and A-series, are also seeing deals that cut hundreds from their usual prices. Foldable Android phones are also seeing terrific deals, like the Galaxy Z Fold 5 for $300 off at Best Buy with activation, and the Pixel Fold with $400 off at Best Buy.

What is the best cheap Android phone?

The best Android phone we can reasonably describe as “cheap” is Google’s Pixel 6a, our best overall alternative option. There are less expensive Android phones out there, but none come close to the Pixel 6a and its stunning balance of performance, camera quality, screen quality, and value. 

If $350 is more than you’re planning on spending, you should know the Pixel 6a is often discounted to around $300.

If $300 is still more than you’re willing to spend, Samsung’s $200 Galaxy A14 is your best bet. The Galaxy A14 has serviceable performance and camera quality while offering a large, smooth 90Hz display. 

Are Android phones cheaper than iPhones?

The short answer is yes, there are many Android phones that are less expensive than even the cheapest iPhone, which is Apple’s $430 third generation iPhone SE, released in 2022. 

Additionally, many Android phones in the iPhone SE’s price range offer significantly better value in terms of camera quality and screen size, like the $350 Google Pixel 6a. 

Some premium Android phones, like Samsung’s $1,200 Galaxy S23 Ultra, can be more expensive than even Apple’s most expensive iPhone, the $1,100 iPhone 14 Pro Max.