Cheap Phones
Cheap phones dominate the global smartphone market. There are a lot of great choices, and Android users can have a lot of fun with them. Best inexpensive android phones in 2021 can differ in price, often dramatically, but they all provide you with something more valuable: options. Phone technology advances at a breakneck pace, with today’s top manufacturers releasing new cheap phones at a breakneck pace.
You have a lot of options if you’re on a tight budget or want to spend up to $2,000 on a tablet. You have the ability to prioritize which features are most important to you. A good-enough Android phone can be had for under $200 for those on a tight budget.
Android cheap phones are getting better as high-end phones get more costly. We’ve reviewed and rated all of the best inexpensive Android phones available, and with our buyer’s guide, you’ll be able to find the right cheap phone for you.
1. OnePlus 9 Pro
This is the best Android phone available.
The OnePlus 9 Pro was just revealed by OnePlus, and it’s a great phone. It’s big, beautiful, and extremely strong. From its beautiful display to its battery life and charging, it absolutely wowed us. The OxygenOS software experience is excellent, with numerous tweaks and features to help you personalize the handset.
Thanks to a recent collaboration with Hasselblad, it also excels as a camera phone. The 48MP main camera produces stunning images with natural color tones and a wide dynamic range. The 50MP ultrawide sensor is massive and captures just as much live picture. There’s also a freeform lens on top, which helps to effectively remove edge distortion in ultrawide images.
The 8MP telephoto lens has a 3.3x optical zoom, 30x digital zoom, and optical image stabilization (OIS). Support for up to 8K 30 FPS, 4K 120 FPS, DOL-HDR, and Nightscape for low-light footage is also a highlight.
Even if it is the costliest OnePlus phone to date, you won’t be disappointed with the OnePlus 9 Pro (unless it’s 5G on AT&T). You can rest easy knowing that you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck, particularly when it comes to the competition with others.
2. Google Pixel 4a
One of the most affordable Android phones is also one of the best.
The Pixel 4a, Google’s mid-range Pixel, is ranked second in our list of the best Android phones, which may surprise you. At $349, however, the Pixel 4a is a surprisingly complete smartphone, the likes of which we’ve never seen at this price before.
The Pixel 4a offers a flagship-caliber camera, good-enough performance, impeccable software, a pocketable, well-built design, 128GB of built-in storage, and a stunning and vibrant 5.8-inch OLED display for half the price of the Pixel 5, or a third of what Samsung and Apple charge for their top models.
If the 4a had one fault, that would be its battery life. But it’s almost ideal in any other way — and it even has a headphone port. In previous years, a device like this would have cost at least $500, but the Pixel 4a is actually an unbeatable bargain for Android devices and an even better value than last year’s already-excellent Pixel 3a.
It’s likely that a Pixel 5a, the successor to the Pixel 4a, is in the works, with reports pointing to a late-spring update. However, before it does, this is the best Android phone you can get for less than $500.
3. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
The best Android phone for the budget
If you don’t mind spending more than $1,000 on your next mobile, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the one to get. Despite its high price, the S21 Ultra costs $200 less than last year’s Galaxy S20 Ultra, so you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck. Samsung has bundled a tremendous number of premium features into its newest flagship, the S21 Ultra.
The Galaxy S21 Ultra’s 6.8-inch display has a dynamic refresh rate that automatically adjusts between 10Hz and 120Hz depending on whether the mission at hand needs a faster refresh rate. Other software-driven photo features help the S21 Ultra take some fantastic images, including two telephoto lenses that help you capture an incredible amount of detail while zooming in. This is also the first Galaxy S phone to support the S Pen, making it a productivity boost.
Other appealing features of the Galaxy S21 Ultra include a best-in-class Snapdragon 888 processor. The Pixel 4a might be a better deal, but the S21 Ultra explores every premium feature.
4. Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
For those willing to pay an ultra-premium price, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra takes the top spot as the best Android phone. This is due to the fact that this tool is much more than a mobile. It’s a powerful note-taking device with plenty of S Pen improvements, a pro-level camera with a 108MP sensor and 50x zoom, and a mini-game console that can stream Xbox games.
The Note 20 Ultra also has the best display on a phone to date, with a massive 6.9-inch OLED screen that refreshes at a dynamic 120Hz rate. As a result, it’s smart enough to adjust settings depending on what’s being viewed, saving battery life. The 4,500 mAh battery lasts a long time on a charge, and quick 25-watt charging is included right out of the box. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, in general, more than lives up to its reputation.
5. Samsung Galaxy S21
Samsung’s Cheap flagship
The regular Galaxy S21 is the phone for you if you’re enticed by some of the features Samsung has added in its Galaxy S21 lineup but put off by the prospect of $1,000 phones. You’ll get the same dynamic refresh rate, excellent cameras, and Snapdragon 888 chipset as other S21 family members, but at a much lower starting price of $799. That’s $200 less than the Galaxy S20 from last year.
To achieve this lower price, Samsung makes some concessions, beginning with the materials used in the phone’s construction. But that’s a minor point when you can get a phone with this much power for less than $800. This is also a fantastic phone to get if you want great pictures and videos, thanks to an outstanding zoom lens and wonderful app additions.
6. Moto G Power
The new Android phone with the longest battery life
The Moto G Power has been the phone to switch to in recent years if you want the very best battery life for an Android phone. The 2021 version of this phone doesn’t change much from the previous model, keeping the 5,000mAh battery that has set the standard for other phones. On our battery test, the Moto G Power (2021) lasted more than 14 hours, which is around 4 hours longer than the average handset.
With the Moto G Power, Motorola has made one significant change: the price. While a version of the phone with 4GB of memory and 64GB of storage is still available for $249, the price drops to $199 if you can deal with less RAM and storage. That’s a fantastic deal for a device that can last all day and then some on a single charge.
7.Asus ROG Phone 5
The best mobile for gaming
In March, Asus released the ROG Phone 5, the new version of its gaming phone. It’s a tremendous phone with a 6,000mAh battery, a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, impressive front-facing speakers, two USB-C ports, and a slew of tech goodies to ensure you have the best mobile gaming experience possible.
With up to 16GB of RAM and the best Android processor yet, the Snapdragon 888, the ROG Phone 5 provides uncompromising strength. Everything about this handset, from the SoC location to the split battery for faster 65W charging, is optimized for gaming. There’s also the ROG Phone 5 Pro, which has 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM, and the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate, which has a whopping 18GB of RAM.
The phone will be released in the United States later this year, but it will only be compatible with GSM networks and sub-6GHz 5G. The ROG Phone 5’s camera, especially its night mode, is where it falls short. The images it takes won’t blow you away, but we expect you to want this phone for its gaming capabilities. On that front, you can rest assured that it delivers.
How to Pick the Most Appropriate Android Phone for You
When looking for the best Android phone for you, the first place to look is at your budget. And there are basically a few tiers. The cheapest Android phones are under $200 and have mostly the essentials for using apps, taking photos, and staying linked.
As you get closer to $400, more appealing handsets emerge, boasting stronger processors, higher-grade materials, and more camera lenses. As you get closer to $700, the best phones deliver flagship-level efficiency, as well as cutting-edge quantitative photography and special features.
Many of the phones listed above have been thoroughly checked. We collect expert reviewers’ feedback before giving it a final ranking.
