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• Apple iPhone 15 Pro (128GB, Natural Titanium) – A$1,649 (was $1,849, save $200)
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• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 256GB – A$1,609 (was $2,199, 27% off)

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Affordable phones are better than ever. While you can still find plenty of flimsy handsets with dated software, if you do some digging, there are lots of excellent smartphones and feature phones that work far better than their low prices suggest. If you're buying on a budget, we're here to help.

We've gathered the top phones you can buy on a budget, and detail all the most important features to look for when you shop. We put these phones through the same intense testing process we do premium flagships, so you can rest easy knowing that the devices below are worth owning. Read on for our top picks, followed by what to look for before buying a cheap phone.

What Do You Need in a Cheap Smartphone?

Although budget-friendly phones don't have all the perks of midrange or flagship models, that doesn't mean you can't find a perfectly capable device to suit your needs. Let's start with the features we believe are absolutely essential. Keep in mind that most of these recommendations are for smartphones; if you're in the market for a feature phone, some of these guidelines don't apply.

Battery Life: There are lots of variables to consider when it comes to battery life, but ultimately, you want your phone to last at least until the end of the day. If you're shopping for a phone with a screen smaller than 6 inches, look for a battery capacity of 3,500mAh or higher. For phones with larger screens, look for a minimum battery capacity of 4,500mAh.

Chipset: In Qualcomm's busy processor line, you should strive for a phone with its current entry-level system on a chip (SoC), the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2, or something competitive. MediaTek's Dimensity 6000 line is also good, though the company's Helio line has a bit less horsepower. You can look up how Samsung Exynos or Apple A series chips compare with the Qualcomm and MediaTek hardware. For the latter, make sure the chip is relatively recent. Performance generally improves by up to 20% each generation in our experience, so chips from the last year or two dramatically outperform older chips.

Compatibility: Before you make a purchase, decide whether you're ready to jump on the 5G bandwagon or if you'd rather stick with LTE 4G. No matter your choice, make sure your phone supports the appropriate bands for your carrier. Search for 5G and LTE bands by the phone's model number, not its name. Keep in mind that feature phones mostly do not have 5G.

Connectivity: Connectivity has a huge impact on call quality and data speeds. For the most part, you should choose a phone with a Qualcomm X12 (for LTE), X60 (for 5G), or higher modem. If you're looking at flip phones, make sure the modem has voice over LTE (VoLTE), voice over Wi-Fi (VoWIFI), and Enhanced Voice Services (EVS) for the best call quality. You also should check for Wi-Fi 5 (previously known as 802.11ac) as well as Bluetooth 5.0 or later.

Operating System: The current version of Android is Android 14, but few budget phones ship with the latest build. Don't go back any further than Android 12 for security and compatibility reasons. Don't assume a budget phone will ever get an Android version upgrade unless the manufacturer commits to it.

RAM: Simply put, the more RAM the merrier. For phones under $200, look for at least 4GB of RAM. If you're willing to spend more, make sure you get a minimum of 6GB.

Storage: Like RAM, you can't have too much storage. Look for at least 64GB of storage on phones under $200 and make sure the phone has a microSD slot. Opt for a phone with no less than 128GB of storage if you can, which would make a microSD slot optional.

(Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

Once you verify the essential features, look for extra perks.

Dust and Splash Resistance: Though many budget offerings forgo an official ingress protection (IP) rating, a handful of affordable phones can resist some level of dust and water ingress. Look for a number like "IP55" or "IP67."

Multi-Lens Cameras: Most affordable phones have multi-lens camera stacks that allow you to capture wide-angle and macro shots. For the most part, these phones take decent images with their primary and wide-angle cameras if you have a steady hand and good light. The macro lenses are almost always awful, however.

NFC: NFC is slowly making its way to the affordable phone market. It's a great feature to have since contactless payments (such as Apple Pay and Google Pay) are more popular than ever.

Stereo Speakers: A handful of budget-friendly phones have stereo speakers and even advanced features such as custom tuning and Dolby audio. Though no phone is going to sound as good as even an inexpensive Bluetooth speaker, it's definitely an upgrade over a single driver.

Strengthened Glass: If you're spending more than $100 on a phone, it should have strengthened glass to protect the display from cracks and scratches. Gorilla Glass 3 seems to be the standard for most budget models, but we've seen a few with Gorilla Glass 5. In general, each generation of Gorilla Glass is softer than the last; phones with Gorilla Glass 5 displays are less likely to shatter when you drop them, but they're also more likely to accumulate hairline scratches. Note that some devices use Dragontail glass instead.

What's the Cheapest iPhone?

You might notice that we've made an exception in pricing here for the $429 iPhone SE. If you're looking for an affordable new iPhone, it's the one to get. If all you have is $200, you can get a used iPhone 11 at some third-party resellers. Don't go earlier than that; older models will likely lose compatibility with new iOS versions in the next year or two. For more, see our in-depth explanation of which iPhone to buy.

(Credit: Molly Flores)

Finally, visit our stories on the best cheap phone plans and how to get the best price on a new phone. We also have a few other affordable options in our story about the best phones for seniors. And we add new phones to this roundup as we review them, so make sure to check back soon.

Dave LeClair contributed to this story.