Best cheap phones 2025 tested — March top picks

Nothing Phone 3a Pro review photos.
(Image credit: Tom's Guide / John Velasco)

There's a fierce battle for the best cheap phones title, and who you pick comes down to how much you want to pay for your phone. In a stunning change, the Nothing Phone 3a Pro takes the top spot for the sheer amount of features it offers in a sub-$500 phone. And even though it's probably going to be replaced by a new model, the Pixel 8a continues to prove that even budget phones can get access to robust AI features.

Oddly enough, no iPhone makes our list despite the iPhone 16e now being the cheapest phone from Apple. It doesn't make the cut because of its higher $599 cost, which is significantly higher than the previous iPhone SE 2022.

After testing multiple phones that cost less than $500, I believe that most shoppers can find everything they need in these lower-cost devices, whether you're looking for an affordable iPhone or an inexpensive Android handset. No matter the model, no one needs to spend upward of $800 on a flagship device when you can easily find a handset that delivers comparable features while costing hundreds of dollars less.

You'll need to make some trade-offs to get a cheap phone — forget about the most powerful processors or versatile zoom cameras — but in many cases, you'll find cameras that are good enough to get the job done and even big displays with adaptive refresh rates. And 5G connectivity is basically a given these days.

Even though I reviewed my fair share of affordable phones, my other colleagues also contribute collectively as a group for our picks for the best cheap phones under $500. If that's still too much to pay, check out our guide on the best cheap phones under $300.

Written by
John Velasco
Written by
John Velasco

I'm the senior editor for mobile at Tom's Guide, where I've been working since 2023. I've been covering mobile tech for 16 years in total, starting with old school feature phones and early smartphones powered by Palm OS and Windows Mobile. I'm a New Jersey native and keep up with the latest mobile tech.

The Quick List

The best cheap phones you can buy today

Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.

Best cheap phone overall

Nothing Phone 3a Pro review photos.Editor's Choice

(Image credit: Tom's Guide / John Velasco)
The best cheap phone overall

Specifications

Display: 6.77-inches (2392 x 1080)
CPU: Snapdragon 7s Gen 3
RAM: 8GB, 12GB
Storage / Expandable: 128GB, 256GB / No
Rear camera: 50MP (f/1.88) main, 8MP (f/2.2) ultrawide, 50MP (f/2.55) telephoto w/3x optical zoom
Front camera: 50MP (f/2.2)
Weight: 7.44 ounces

Reasons to buy

+
Incredible value for the cost
+
Improved camera performance
+
Solid battery life
+
Speedy wired charging

Reasons to avoid

-
Limited availability
-
Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 underperforms

Google and Apple better be worried because the Nothing Phone 3a Pro redefines what it takes to be a phone on a budget. Rather than stripping away features to reach a sub-$500 price point, it actually throws in more features than what you'd expect.

Not only does it still flaunt a unique design with its translucent case that gives you a peek into its insides, but it's polished off by the Glyph Interface it employs to light up the different LED light strips on the back of the phone. For real, this phone looks and feels more like a flagship model.

Another big change is the triple camera array on the back of the phone. It's honestly unheard of among budget phones, so it only adds to its utility. What's more satisfying about them, though, is the performance is much improved — especially around low light that was a big struggle for the Nothing Phone 2a.

Over on the software side, Nothing dives into AI with the Essential Space and Key, which aims to organize everything you do on the phone so you don't forget important tasks. It also boasts all-day battery life that charges really fast with its 50W wired charging.

Read our full Nothing Phone 3a Pro review.

Best AI Phone

Google Pixel 8a.

(Image credit: Future)
The best cheap phone with AI

Specifications

Display: 6.1-inches (2400 x 1080)
CPU: Tensor G3
RAM: 8GB
Storage / Expandable: 128GB, 256GB / No
Rear camera: 64MP (f/1.89) main; 13MP (f/2.2)
Front camera: 13MP (f/2.2)
Weight: 6.8 ounces

Reasons to buy

+
7 years of software updates
+
Handy AI features
+
Solid battery life

Reasons to avoid

-
Minor camera improvements
-
Slow to charge

Google did everything right in making the Pixel 8a better than the Pixel 7a before it. Most notably, it's getting a tremendous boost over on the software side with its slew of AI features — like Magic Editor and Best Take — which it inherits from the more expensive Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro models.

If that's not enough, it sets the benchmark for all other cheap phones with its unbelievable software support. Whereas other phones barely get three years worth of software updates, the Pixel 8a goes the distance with its 7 years of major Android update, including security updates.

Over on the hardware side, the Pixel 8a benefits from a much brighter, more vibrant display that offers a 120Hz refresh rate. It battery life is also extended thanks largely to its bigger battery and the power efficiency of its Tensor G3 chip. While its camera improvements are minor, it's still one of the best in its class.

Add all of this up, while still coming up at the same $499 cost as its predecessor, the Pixel 8a is without question the best cheap phone money can buy,

Read our full Google Pixel 8a review.

Best cheap phone design

Back of Nothing Phone 3 with glyph lighting up

(Image credit: Future)
The best-looking cheap phone

Specifications

Display: 6.7 inches (2392 x 1080)
CPU: Snapdragon 7s Gen 3
RAM: 12GB
Storage / Expandable: 256GB / No
Rear camera: 50MP (f/1.8) main, 8MP (f/2.2) ultrawide, 50MP (f/2.0) telephoto with 2x optical zoom
Front camera: 32MP (f/2.2)
Weight: 7.1 ounces

Reasons to buy

+
Dedicated telephoto lens in a sub-$400 phone
+
Long-lasting battery with fast-charging
+
Bright, colorful display
+
Distinctive design

Reasons to avoid

-
Only available through Nothing's Beta program in the U.S.
-
Not much performance improvement from the Nothing Phone 2a

Who says that you have to sacrifice looks for a cheaper price? The Nothing Phone 3a still delivers the stylish translucent look and helpful Glyph interface as its other siblings, but packages in more features. My colleague, Philip Michaels, praises its bright and crisp 6.7-inch AMOLED display, which offers an adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz, as well as how long this phone lasted on our battery test.

With a price of $379, it might be tough to track down to buy one given the limited release in the U.S. through Nothing's developer beta program, but it's worth waiting for given the big improvements around its cameras, which now includes a dedicated telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom.

Even though the Moto G Power (2025) is the longest lasting phone on this list, the Nothing Phone 3a's time of 15 hours and 24 minutes on our battery benchmark test is pretty impressive.

Read our full Nothing Phone 3a review.

Best cheap phone under $200

Moto G 2025 main home screen

(Image credit: Future)
Best cheap phone under $200

Specifications

Display: 6.7-inches (1604x720)
CPU: Dimensity 6300
RAM: 4GB
Storage / Expandable: 128GB / No
Rear camera: 50MP main (f/1.8), 2MP macro (f/2.4)
Front camera: 16MP (f/2.4)
Weight: 6.8 ounces

Reasons to buy

+
The best battery life in a low-cost phone
+
Stylish vegan leather material
+
Better software support than previous Moto G phones

Reasons to avoid

-
Lackluster performance
-
Dim display

If you don't mind the kind of compromises you have to make to get a phone's price to drop below $200 — in this case, those would be tepid performance and a dim display — the latest version of the Moto G will appeal to your budget-minded needs. And the phone may actually surprise you with what it does offer at that price.

At this point, it's not surprising that the Moto G lasts a long-time on a charge, as Motorola makes that a key selling point with its budget phones. With a time of just over 18.5 hours on our battery test, this is the lowest-cost device to crash our long-lasting phone rankings. And 30W wired charging speeds can fill up more than 50% of the battery in just half-an-hour.

Even though you're limited to a main camera and a dedicated macro sensor, the Moto G (2025) takes surprisingly good photos, though features like portrait mode can be inconsistent. And a nice vegan leather back panel makes the phone feel a lot fancier than its budget price would suggest. Credit Motorola for finding a way to add some nice touches to its new Moto G while keeping the price nice and low.

Read our full Moto G (2025) review.

Best cheap phone from Samsung

Samsung Galaxy A35 in hand

(Image credit: Future)
Samsung's best cheap phone

Specifications

Display: 6.6-inches (2340 x 1080)
CPU: Exynos 1380
RAM: 6GB, 8GB
Storage / Expandable: 128GB, 256GB / No
Rear camera: 50MP (f/1.8) main, 8MP (f/2.2) ultrawide, 5MP (f/2.4) macro
Front camera: 13MP (f/2.2)
Weight: 7.4ounces

Reasons to buy

+
Bright colorful display
+
Circle to Search support
+
Solid design for a midrange phone

Reasons to avoid

-
Outperformed by other midrange models
-
Navy color shows off fingerprints

While the rest of the world gets access to the Galaxy A55, U.S. shoppers only have the Galaxy A35 aa a midrange option from Samsung. At least the phone is a solid performer, and its $399 price amps up the appeal.

My colleague Philip Michaels praised the design of the Galaxy A35 as well as its bright, colorful display, which matches the Pixel 8a for brightness. You'll really enjoy gaming and watching videos on the 6.6-inch screen thanks to vibrant colors that proved pretty accurate on our testing. The cameras produce solid images, though you'll want to pay up for the Pixel 8a if having the best cheap camera phone is high on your wish list.

Samsung's biggest mistake as using the same Exynos 1380 chip found in its 2023 midrange models, as the Galaxy A35's performance lags behind phones with more recent silicon. That said, the Galaxy A35 offers some AI capabilities like Circle to Search support — something you don't always see in a sub-$400 phone.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy A35 review.

Best cheap phone under $300

Moto G Power on a blue bench

(Image credit: Future)
Longest lasting cheap phone battery life

Specifications

Display: 6.8-inches (2388 x 1080)
CPU: MediaTek Dimensity 6300
RAM: 8GB
Storage / Expandable: 128GB / Yes
Rear camera: 50MP (f/1.8) main, 8MP (f/2.2) ultrawide
Front camera: 16MP (f/2.4)
Weight: 7.3 ounces

Reasons to buy

+
Long battery life
+
More durable than past Moto G models
+
Extended software support from past Motorola budget phones
+
Wireless charging support in a $299 phone

Reasons to avoid

-
Dim display
-
Poor night photography

The Moto G Power 2025 is a budget phone that prioritizes battery longevity. That's why power is in its name, as it's packed with a 5,000 mAh battery that's among the best phone battery life we've tested at 17 hours and 13 minutes.

Complementing that is its speedy 30W wired charging that gets it to 53% after 30 minutes of charging. And for a phone that costs $299, it also includes wireless charging support, which seems more like a luxury for cheap phones.

However, its Mediatek Dimensity 6300 chip underperforms, and as a result, can exhibit sluggish performance for demanding tasks. The camera system, a dual camera arrangement, can still capture high-quality images — but mainly when the lightning conditions are ideal. That's because it struggles under low light.

Finally, it's worth pointing out that Motorola now offers two years of major Android upgrades and three years of security updates. This means you can expect to hold onto this budget longer, while gaining some of the best new features of Android.

Read our full Moto G Power 2025 review.

What to look for in the best cheap phones

After you've found a phone at the right price for your budget — that's why you're considering one of the best cheap phones in the first place, after all — consider what features one of these devices has to offer and which ones you're sacrificing for a lower price tag. Battery life, the number and types of cameras, display refresh rate and the type of chipset powering the phone are all ways that cheap phones can distinguish themselves.

In some cases, you'll be able to compare phones to more expensive options to help crystalize what compromises you're making for a lower-cost model.

Generally, one area in which phone makers cut back for budget models is materials. They'll use plastic for the phone's case instead of metal and glass. Cheaper phones may also turn to LCD panels instead of OLED screens, though that's becoming less frequent among some of the best cheap phones running Android.

One other area to consider is software updates and support. We've seen cheaper Android phones either ship with older versions of Android or promise very few upgrades to future versions. Samsung has one of the better upgrade policies with its Galaxy A lineup, and the iPhone remains a standout for usually supporting five years of iOS updates.

How we test the best cheap phones

We evaluate budget-priced phones the same way we do flagships. We perform real-world testing and synthetic benchmarks over several days to evaluate it's performance and value. This includes our own battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over cellular at 150 nits of screen brightness. The devices that make our best phone battery life list tend to last over 11 hours.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Battery Benchmarks
Row 0 - Cell 0

Battery Life (hours:minutes)

Recharge level at 15 minutes (%)

Recharge level at 30 minutes (%)

Nothing Phone 3a Pro

14:33

39%

70%

Google Pixel 8a

11:21

16%

33%

Nothing Phone 3a

15:24

38%

72%

Moto G (2025)

18:32

24%

53%

Samsung Galaxy A35

11:09

28%

53%

Moto G Power (2025)

17:13

28%

53%

In terms of performance, we use Geekbench 5 to measure overall speed and compare versus phones in the same price range. And the same thing goes for 3DMark's Wild Life Unlimited for graphics testing. We also perform our own video editing/transcoding testing using the Adobe Premiere Rush app to gauge real-world speed.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Performance Benchmarks
Row 0 - Cell 0

Geekbench (single-core / multicore)

3DMark Wild Life Unlimited (FPS)

Adobe Rush Premiere (minutes, seconds)

Nothing Phone 3a Pro

1,166 / 3,275

25.1

1:45

Google Pixel 8a

1,581 / 4,093

53.7

0:56

Nothing Phone 3a

1,165 / 3,288

25.1

1:44

Moto G (2025)

797 / 2,107

8.2

N/A

Samsung Galaxy A35

1,017 /2,950

16.8

1:09

Moto G Power (2025)

792 /2,117

8.1

N/A

For evaluating cameras on cheap phones, we will take multiple photos in different conditions and will use other affordably priced phones in the same scenarios in order to make side-by-side comparisons.

For more information, check out our how we test page for Tom's Guide.

TOPICS
John Velasco
Senior Channel Editor for Phones

John’s a senior editor covering phones for Tom’s Guide. He’s no stranger in this area having covered mobile phones and gadgets since 2008 when he started his career. On top of his editor duties, he’s a seasoned videographer being in front and behind the camera producing YouTube videos. Previously, he held editor roles with PhoneArena, Android Authority, Digital Trends, and SPY. Outside of tech, he enjoys producing mini documentaries and fun social clips for small businesses, enjoying the beach life at the Jersey Shore, and recently becoming a first time homeowner.

With contributions from
Read more
Moto G Power 2024 review.
Best phones under $300 in 2025
best android phones featuring galaxy s25 ultra pixel 9 pro xl and oneplus 13
We've tested the best Android phones available right now from Samsung, Google, OnePlus and more
close up on Moto G 2025 cameras
I review phones for a living — and this is the budget phone I recommend to friends and family
Apple iPhone 16 held in the hand.
Best unlocked phones in 2025
 best metro by t-mobile phones
Best Metro by T-Mobile phones 2025
A few of the best phones held in the hand.
Best phones 2025 tested — January top picks
Latest in Phones
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Older Samsung phones are finally getting One UI 7 — here's all the devices
A photo of Apple CarPly in use
Apple CarPlay just got a welcome upgrade in iOS 18.4 — what you need to know
Try Galaxy home screen on iPhone 16 Pro Max
You can now try Samsung's latest One UI 7 software on your iPhone — here's how
Genshin Impact on a OnePlus Nord 4
Genshin Impact on Android finally adds controller support — 4 years after iOS
A render of the iPhone 17 Pro Max
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max just tipped for this performance secret weapon
Google Play logo on an android smartphone with corner hole punch camera
At least 5 North Korean spy apps have been found on Google Play — what you need to know
Latest in Best Picks
Torras Ostand for iPhone 16e case being held in hand
Best iPhone 16e cases in 2025
PS5 Slim
Best games consoles in 2025: our top picks tested and rated
Torras Pstand for Galaxy S25 propped up with kickstand
Best Samsung Galaxy S25 cases in 2025
Three Galaxy S25 Ultra case options
The best Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra cases in 2025
UAG Monarch Pro Kevlar Case on black background
Best Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus cases in 2025
Woman doing the bird dog exercise on a yoga mat
These are the best yoga YouTube channels to practice at home and boost your wellbeing