Not in the mood to hand over a thick stack of notes for a high-end flagship phone? Fortunately, you’re not forced to. The best low-cost phones are incredibly affordable, with good build quality, a tonne of features, and strong specifications. With a low-cost smartphone, you may have to make a few sacrifices—think plastic casings and inadequate secondary cameras, for example. However, the best low-cost phones available today also have amazing screens, long battery lives, and performance that rivals that of the best smartphones because smartphone quality has increased so much.

Are you having trouble deciding which blower best fits your budget? Our selection of the best inexpensive phones, all for less than $450/£450, is shown in the list below, which includes both well-known and obscure manufacturers. Therefore, our buying guide will help you find the perfect budget phone, whether you’re looking for a genuine mobile deal or a cost-effective backup blower.

What is the best cheap phone?

For under $100, the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G is the best value available. It boasts a very powerful multi-lens camera system and a crisp, punchy screen. Compared to the A series phones of the past, the Exynos 1380 CPU and 8 or 12GB of RAM inside provide a far smoother experience.

Best Cheap Phones 2024

1. Samsung Galaxy A54 5G

Want the prestige of Samsung without having to pay a premium price? If so, the A54 5G is a candidate that should be on your shortlist. This mid-range smartphone offers a good smartphone experience despite sacrificing some flagship power and style, all for a price much lower than that of the Galaxy S23 range.

During our review, its punchy, sharp screen and its capable multi-lens camera system—which includes a respectable selfie camera—were two of its most notable features. We’re happy to report that the A54’s Exynos 1380 CPU and 8/12GB of RAM make for a far smoother experience than its A53 predecessor, which severely disappointed on the power front.

When you combine that with reasonably quick—though by no means revolutionary—25W charging, you have a more accessible Samsung phone that offers the much-desired Samsung-like experience at a much more reasonable cost.

2. Redmi Note 12 Pro+

The Note 12 Pro+, in typical Redmi fashion, is packed full of amazing hardware that is difficult to find in phones at comparable prices. In this case, our 200MP primary camera’s high pixel count enabled it to capture detailed images in well-lit environments for our comprehensive review.

Its charging speed is another outstanding feature that shines even with genuinely high-end flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S23 and Apple iPhone 14. Specifically, a 120W full charging capacity that can generate a full charge in less than 25 minutes.

There’s not much about Redmi’s effort here to dislike, especially at this price, with a more than sufficient all-day battery life and sharp screen included as well. If this is your top choice, you won’t be disappointed because it’s one of the greatest inexpensive smartphones available right now.

3. Poco X5 Pro 5G

We’re not sure how you’ll react to the Poco X5 Pro 5G’s back plastic panel. Although the diffuse plastic material effectively deters fingerprints, the reviewer found the style and texture to be a bit too subtle; however, design is a personal preference.

Apart from that, it provides great value for the money, boasting an outstanding OLED display with a sleek refresh rate of 120Hz. The primary camera can stand alone with plenty of depth and detail available, even though a few of its cameras aren’t that impressive. You can choose the 108MP mode for more realistic results, even though we thought the default processing was a bit too saturated.

Thanks to a solid Snapdragon 778G processor, up to 8GB of RAM, and quick 67W fast charging, there’s more than enough power for gaming as well. If you can look past the design—you might even come to love it—this is a very capable phone that should last you for a good number of years, if not longer.

4. Sony Xperia 10 IV

Exist any less expensive, more feature-rich smartphones than the Xperia 10 IV? Examples of these include Realme, Poco, Xioami, and others. Indeed. There are plenty of enticing alternatives worth choosing over Sony’s offering, including screens with higher refresh rates, quicker charging, and individual cameras that might perform better overall.

But like the majority of Sony smartphones, the Xperia 10 IV is a niche product. The Xperia 10 IV might be the phone for you if you like Sony’s distinct, fuss-free design, more compact screen, and outstanding battery life. You can get good results with its primary camera and zoom features, but if you’re more interested in wide-angle and night photography, you should look elsewhere.

However, if after reading our review you’re still drawn to its design and good features, chances are you won’t be let down.

5. Nothing Phone (1)

With its semi-transparent rear panel and head-turning glyph lighting, Nothing’s first smartphone is about as unique as they comes. Nothing has reduced Phone 1’s price even slightly to make it a recommendation in our budget round-up, now that Phone (2) covers the mid-range.

With a Snapdragon 778G+ CPU that can play most games fairly smoothly, if not always at the 120Hz refresh rate of the OLED display, you’re getting a capable phone for your money. Storage is abundant as well as there’s a good amount of memory to facilitate multitasking. Budget models rarely have wireless or reverse wireless charging, but the 4500mAh battery lasts long enough for most days.

Considering that this is Nothing’s first attempt at a phone of any kind, we were very impressed with the dual 50MP rear cameras, which have excellent image processing. The NothingOS interface, which boasts a wide array of widgets and color-coordinated icons, has been significantly enhanced with the most recent Android updates. Nothing intends to enhance this version of Android, which is currently one of our favourites, in 2024.

6. Honor Magic 5 Lite

The Honour Magic 5 Lite is a very safe choice if you value aesthetics and a stunning screen highly. It offers a lot of phones for the money with a sleek design that belittles many more expensive phones, a powerful battery, and a respectable (though not outstanding) primary camera.

But the secondary cameras don’t add anything, and the performance isn’t good enough to meet the needs of serious mobile gamers. However, if you prefer to use Chrome over Call of Duty and want to avoid constantly pulling out your phone to charge, this might be the best all-around phone for you.

7. Honor 90 Lite

If you’re looking for a high-quality camera or lots of storage for a relatively low price, the Honour 90 Lite is worth your consideration. It’s one of the few models in its price range that has 256GB of onboard storage as opposed to 128GB.

While the secondary lenses aren’t nearly as good as the primary lenses, they can still produce some remarkably clear and clarity-packed images when used in low light. For a low-cost phone, the MediaTek Dimensity 6020 CPU is quick enough, and the 4500mAh battery lasts more than two days before needing to be charged again.

We have few complaints at this price range thanks to the fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button, a refresh rate of 90 Hz for reasonably responsive gaming and scrolling, and a reasonably stylish design.

8. Motorola Moto G50

The even more economical G30 and the G50 have identical plastic construction, hardware configuration, and overall weight. Excellent connectivity is exchanged for a headline addition of 5G along with NFC, microSD card support, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Up front, the identical 6.5-inch display with a mediocre 1600×720 resolution and standard contrast shares similarities with the less expensive G30. However, the G50 utilizes the 90Hz refresh rates more effectively because, despite its chipset’s apparent limitations, it is more effective and can keep up with swipes and taps.

Although the newer silicon offers a smoother experience than the G30, you should still prepare for a brief wait with more demanding apps. For gaming, it also mostly depends on the task. Call of Duty Mobile may load slowly at first, but once the action starts, everything is playable without any lag. With the sluggish 15W charging speeds, this additional efficiency also maximizes the 5000mAh battery’s endurance, allowing it to frequently last a few days between charges.

While the G50 outperforms the G30 in most areas, its camera capabilities may even be inferior to those of the entry-level G10. One of the three lenses in the setup is a 48MP sensor. It struggles in low light, which is not surprising, and it lacks the raw detail captured by the G30’s main camera.

9. Motorola Moto G30

Located between the more expensive G10 and the more well-connected G50, the Moto G30 is a budget-friendly smartphone that provides a good amount of functionality.

Even with its simple plastic construction, the G30 weighs 200g and is big enough to protrude from your pocket. That’s primarily because the phone’s front is filled with a 6.5-inch display. Although the aspect ratio of 20:9 is quite cinematic, the resolution of 1600×720 pixels is disappointing and the contrast is mediocre. Additionally, chipset performance limits the impression of smoother motion, even though the option to run at 90Hz refresh rates is welcome. Even with the minimalist Android 11, there are still lags when switching between apps.

The G30’s large 64MP primary sensor makes it one of the best-resolution cameras at this price range. It uses clever algorithms to produce 16MP images, utilizing the additional data to reduce noise, enhance details, and capture more light. It functions remarkably well during the day, but less so at night. You should only spend time with its 8MP ultra-wide camera, which is noisy but functional.

The G30 shines in terms of battery life. Impressive longevity results from combining a powerful 5000mAh cell with a power-efficient CPU; managing 48 hours between charges is not difficult.

10. Nokia G50

The G50 from Nokia is not a speed demon. Furthermore, even though its 48MP primary sensor captures details well, its multiple cameras will never truly wow you. Plus, brands like Poco, Realme, and Redmi offer more power for your money. Why then would you choose the Nokia with the plastic casing? In the first place, it’s among the least expensive ways to purchase a 5G phone, providing faster connectivity without paying more.

Additionally, the enormous screen at the G50 will undoubtedly amuse you if you spend the majority of your time glued to YouTube. Its 6.82-inch size makes it larger than many flagship phones that cost five times as much. Although the refresh rate is limited to 60 Hz and the panel is not OLED, it has good contrast, natural colors, and plenty of brightness.

Apps frequently take a while to open on the entry-level Snapdragon 480 processor because it was never going to feel particularly snappy and could only support 4GB of RAM. However, games such as Call of Duty Mobile can still be played with excessive stuttering.

The fact that Nokia is dedicated to Android One and includes an OS free of bloatware that drains the CPU in the G50 is helpful. A powerful 5000mAh battery that easily lasts a day and a half between charges is another advantage. Practical, although the G50 weighs a lot at 220g due to its large cell.

How to buy the best cheap phone

You’ll have to make some sacrifices because you’re on the lower end of the market, but as we said in the introduction, these days, inexpensive smartphones are far better than they used to be (you won’t be getting an unusable slab).

The build quality is one of the main distinctions between the best budget phones and more expensive models. We have chosen phones with sturdy construction and long-lasting materials, even though you won’t be receiving a shiny glass and aluminum device.

Since you’ll be looking at and using the display the most, it’s one of the most crucial components to pay attention to. Cheaper phones used to have screens with lower brightness, less color accuracy, or lower resolutions; however, the phones on our list feature OLED panels, fast refresh rates, and bezel-less displays, which is a very welcome change.

Examining the camera on your phone is essential if you shoot a lot of photos with it. Though you won’t get a superzoom lens or quadruple camera system here, you can still get a respectable primary and selfie camera on these budget phones.

For optimal user experience, you should choose a smartphone from a manufacturer that offers frequent software updates, as these can be crucial for security and functionality. You should also opt for software that has been kept mostly in stock.

Our suggested phones have RAM and processor speeds that are sufficient for handling daily tasks; some of them can even be used for gaming.