Most affordable iPhone
Apple iPhone SE (2022)
The best cheap phones on the market offer all the smartphone essentials without the hefty price tag of flagship competitors, like the Galaxy S23 or the iPhone 15. In fact, $160 is the lowest price you’ll find in our list of top picks. The more advanced models will run you $500 — but that’s still exponentially cheaper than the superior models from Apple, Google and Samsung. If there is a specific budget you’re adhering to, you can take a look at our rundowns of the best phones under $200 and the best phones under $500.
What is the best cheap phone?
You can find brand-new phones for less than $200, even without added discounts. That said, when a phone’s standard price is set at under $400, you’ll regularly see a company make concessions to offer a more affordable phone. This is why the $349 Google Pixel 6A is our favorite best cheap phone. Google delivers all the big features that matter, like top-of-the-line cameras, a peppy processor and years worth of software support. Google makes smart compromises to keep costs low — most notably a display that looks dim under direct sunlight.
The Pixel 6A provides a lot for less. Sure, Google’s Pixel 7A, priced at $499, is also a great value, but the Pixel 6A still takes crisp and colorful photos for its price. You also get the same eye-catching design and Pixel-specific software features, like Magic Eraser and Live Translate.
Best cheap phones of 2023
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Apple’s new iPhone SE for 2022 is a mix of an older design with the latest smartphone features, including Apple’s A15 Bionic chip and 5G support, for $429. It’s also one of the few phones on the market that includes a smaller, 4.7-inch screen.
Its throwback design, which continues the general shape that Apple has used since 2014, could be what you love or hate about it. If you want a larger iPhone in this price range, you can also consider the $599 iPhone 12 for a bigger screen and Face ID.
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Even if you’re considering the $800 Samsung Galaxy S23, you should take a look at the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G, since it might have all the features you want, for less money. It comes in a variety of bright colors and includes a vibrant 6.4-inch display that runs at a 120Hz refresh rate. Its screen is also a little bigger than what’s offered on Google’s Pixel 6A and 7A.
While we still give the Pixel phones the edge due to their better photography, the Galaxy A54 includes Android 13 skinned with Samsung’s One UI. That menu design also comes with Samsung-specific apps, like Samsung Health, that are also included in the S23 line. If you wear a Galaxy Watch, this phone also allows you to make use of health sensors, like the watch’s ECG.
The Galaxy A54 5G also includes one feature you won’t find in the S23 series: a microSD card slot for expandable storage.
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How we test phones
Every phone on this list has been thoroughly tested by CNET’s expert reviews team. We use the phone, test the features, play games and take photos. We assess any marketing promises that a company makes about its phones. And if we find something we don’t like, be it battery life or build quality, we tell you about it.
We examine every aspect of a phone during testing:
We test all the phone’s cameras (both front and back) in a variety of conditions: from outdoors under sunlight to dimmer indoor locales and nighttime scenes (for any available night modes). We also compare our findings against similarly priced models. We have a series of real world battery tests to see how long a phone lasts under everyday use.
We take into account additional phone features like 5G, fingerprint and face readers, styluses, fast charging, foldable displays and other useful extras. We weigh all our experiences and testing against the price so you know whether a phone represents good value or not.
Read more: How we test phones
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