The best budget Android phones in 2024 --[Reported by Umva mag]
The best budget Android phones offer exceptional performance, camera quality, and build quality for affordable prices.
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The best budget Android phones have closed the gap between budget and premium significantly in the last few years, and there's no better time to buy one, whether you've always bought phones in the budget category or even if you're used to more expensive flagship devices. These days, the best budget Android phones come with performance, camera quality, features, displays, and designs that surprise us for their price tags.
When we say "budget" Android phones, we're referring to models that cost less than $500, with sub-$400 prices preferable. We're hesitant to recommend phones below $200, as phone performance, camera quality, and the general experience with the phone starts to suffer beyond reasonable expectations.
With that in mind, Google's Pixel 8a is our top choice among the best budget Android phones thanks to its flagship-level performance and cameras for its price; it's basically a slightly smaller version of the previous Google Pixel 8 flagship. Realizing the Pixel 8a is on the expensive side for the budget category, we also recommend the Motorola Moto G Power 5G (2024) as a more economical option for its solid performance, cameras, and value.
Our top picks for the best budget Android phones
Best overall: Google Pixel 8a - See at Amazon
Best true budget: Motorola Moto G Power 5G (2024) - See at Amazon
Best battery life: Samsung Galaxy A35 5G - See at Amazon
Best camera: Google Pixel 8a - See at Amazon
Best large screen: Nuu B30 Pro 5G - See at Amazon
Best overall
The Google Pixel 8a's $499 starting price realistically places it in the mid-range category rather than budget, but it deserves the top spot in this guide regardless. For a few good reasons, you'd be happy you got the Pixel 8a, even if you were planning to spend less.
The Pixel 8a's high-end performance means it'll stay quick and smooth much longer than other budget and mid-range phones, and you won't feel the need to upgrade (and spend money on a new phone) as often. That's thanks to the Google Tensor G3 processor that also powers the company's previous flagship Pixel 8 phones.
The Pixel 8a includes cameras that would feel appropriate on a $1,000 phone. It's simply leagues beyond the cameras you'd find on other mid-range and budget phones. Even those least concerned about photo quality will appreciate the Pixel 8a's high-end photos. It's quick to focus and forgiving with movement, whereas most budget cameras produce blurry photos unless you and the subject are perfectly still.
It's also just a nice phone to behold. With its metal frame, it looks and feels like a premium device. The frosted matte texture on its plastic back is pleasing to the eye and hands, and everything on the screen looks fantastic with its 120Hz OLED display. It's only available with a 6.1-inch screen, and it's a shame there isn't a larger version for those who prefer larger screens, as the Pixel 8a is our undisputed budget pick among the best Android phones.
Read our full Google Pixel 8a review, and see our guide to the best Google Pixel 8a cases to protect the phone.
Best true budget
Starting at $250, Motorola's Moto G Power 5G makes a very solid proposition. It doesn't punch above its weight like the Google Pixel 8a, but if you're looking to spend thriftily, the Moto G Power's performance, cameras, and the large 6.7-inch LCD 120Hz display will serve you well.
Despite lackluster benchmark results, the Moto G Power's MediaTek Dimensity processor feels quick and smooth and complements the phone's 120Hz display well. It feels laggy and overburdened soon after turning on or restarting the phone, but it's up to speed after a few minutes.
The Moto G Power can easily handle casual light games like Jetpack Joyride. While graphics-heavy games like Asphalt 9 can take a little while to load, the Moto G Power delivers the game's full potential for fun. Some games may not run well on the Moto G Power, but we won't pretend we've tested them all.
The 50MP main camera takes good photos that are difficult to complain about, especially for the phone's price. Details can be slightly softer than those on more expensive phones, but photos are easily sharp enough. Where the Moto G Power's camera falters is with movement or shaky hands.
Our biggest complaint is that Motorola will only support the Moto G Power for one Android version upgrade and three years of security updates. That realistically gives the phone a three-year lifespan, which is rather short. If you hold on to phones until their bitter end of performance, you could get better value with Google's Pixel 8a, which will be supported until May 2031.
Best battery life
The Galaxy A35 5G is easily a top choice if battery life is your primary priority, whether you're looking for a budget Android phone or a premium one. It ended our battery test with 65% remaining. The test 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. Among Android phones, only the $1,300 Galaxy S24 Ultra scored better with 66%.
As for other important aspects like performance, design, display, and camera quality, the Galaxy A35 at $400 is generally an overachiever for its price range, but it still doesn't come close to the Pixel 8a.
The Galaxy A35 runs on Samsung's own Exynos 1380 processor, which doesn't score nearly as well as the Pixel 8a's Google Tensor G3 processor in benchmark tests, but it still opens and runs apps and Android quickly and smoothly with the 120Hz display. It's hard to spot now, but the Galaxy A35's scores suggest its performance will likely become slower sooner than the Pixel 8a.
The Galaxy A35 has three cameras: a 50MP main camera, an 8MP ultrawide lens, and a sub-par, niche-use 5MP macro camera. The main camera takes good photos overall but can overexpose brighter details depending on a scene's lighting. That's an issue with Samsung phones at large, however, even the best Samsung phones and premium models like the Galaxy S24 series.
Samsung's support window for the Galaxy A35 isn't as good as its premium lineup, with four years of Android version upgrades and five years of security updates compared to the seven years the Galaxy S24 series gets. Still, four to five years is a solid amount of time, and we wouldn't expect the phone's processor to stay fast and smooth longer than that.
Best camera
The cameras on Google's Pixel 8a simply cannot be beaten for the price, and they are a major reason to buy this phone if you're not looking to spend over $500. In fact, the Pixel 8a's cameras would be comfortable on phones that cost twice or even three times as much.
Photos taken by the Pixel 8a have a rich, natural color tone without being oversaturated, a first-rate aspect common to all of the best Google Pixel phones. Brightness and contrast are beautifully balanced to deliver gorgeous depth and dynamic range, something even some expensive premium phones struggle with.
With a 64MP main camera, the Pixel 8a captures photos rich in detail and performs well in low-light conditions. It's also quick to focus and handles movement much better than other budget and mid-range phones, whether from jittery hands or moving subjects.
Read our full Google Pixel 8a review, and see our guide to the best Google Pixel 8a cases to protect the phone.
Best large screen
At 6.7 inches, the Nuu B30 Pro has the same display size as large premium phones like the Galaxy S24 Plus. Apart from its size, the display also incorporates top-tier tech that makes for a dreamy experience, like an AMOLED panel (which Samsung uses for its legendary displays) and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz.
Combine the high-performing display with the enthusiastic mid-tier MediaTek Dimensity 7050 processor and 12GB of RAM, and the Nuu B30 Pro offers a surprisingly high-end experience for running Android, apps, and games.
Even further, with the Pixel 8a as the exception, the B30 Pro pulls off the most convincing premium aesthetic out of any budget phone we've seen. It's largely thanks to the glass back with a frosted texture, which gives the teal color a gradient look that changes depending on the lighting. The frame is plastic, but it certainly coaxes you into thinking it's metal.
Our primary complaint is the phone's curved screen edges, an outdated and misguided design trick to make a phone look and feel more premium. Photos also appear like they've been processed with the sharpness slider set to maximum, which imparts a harsh and grainy look. Still, the B30 Pro's cameras are fine for capturing memories.
Nuu also has a short two-year support window for Android upgrades and security updates, and it was slow to receive the current Android 14 operating system. The latent updates and short support window aren't ideal, but they're a relatively typical compromise for the best cheap phones and most budget Android phones.
Best budget Android phones compared
Specs | Google Pixel 8a | Motorola Moto G Power 5G (2024) | Samsung Galaxy A35 5G | Nuu B30 Pro 5G |
Starting price | $499 | $249.99 | $399.99 | $299.99 |
Processor | Google Tensor G3 | MediaTek Dimensity 7020 | Samsung Exynos 1380 | MediaTek Dimensity 7050 |
Release date | May 2024 | March 2024 | March 2024 | March 2024 |
Screen | 6.1 inches, OLED, 1080p, 120Hz | 6.7 inches, LCD, 1080p 120Hz | 6.6 inches, OLED, 1080p, 120Hz | 6.7 inches, OLED, 1080p, 120Hz |
Rear cameras | 64MP main, 13MP ultrawide | 50MP main, 8MP ultrawide | 50MP main, 8MP ultrawide, 5MP macro | 108MP main, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro |
Storage | 128GB, 256GB | 128GB | 128GB, upgradeable to 1TB with microSD card | 256GB |
FAQs
Which is the best cheap Android phone?
The best Android phone we can reasonably describe as "cheap" is Motorola's Moto G Power 5G (2024), our best "true budget" option, at its $250 starting price. There are less expensive Android phones, but quality and performance degrade dramatically when prices fall below $200.
If you can stretch your budget to $499, we'd avidly recommend the Google Pixel 8a. Almost everything about the Pixel 8a is notably superior, including performance, cameras, and, to a minor extent, battery life. The only exception is its smaller 6.1-inch screen size, whereas the Moto G Power 5G has a 6.7-inch display.
Are Android phones cheaper than iPhones?
The short answer is yes; many Android phones are less expensive than even the cheapest iPhone, Apple's third-generation iPhone SE from 2022, which starts at $429 and lacks many features of the contemporary best iPhones.
Additionally, many Android phones in the iPhone SE's price range offer significantly better value in terms of camera versatility, screen size, and design. Every phone in this list arguably offers better value than the iPhone SE, even the Pixel 8a and its higher price.
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