In a year where "budget" phones are pushing $600 and AI is stuffed into just about everything short of your charging brick, finding real value in the smartphone market is harder than ever. But it's not impossible. Whether you're looking for a scaled-back flagship, a surprisingly polished mid-range Android, or just a reliable daily driver that doesn’t feel like a burner phone, 2025 has already delivered a handful of standouts.
These are the best budget smartphones we’ve seen so far — smart, capable, and (relatively) affordable.
Ranked in no particular order, of course. Also, find out why you should always hide your phone screen when you're not using it and the rudest thing you can do with your smartphone, according to this new survey.
1. Google Pixel 9a — $499
If you’re trying to stretch $500 as far as it can go in the smartphone world, the Pixel 9a is the one to get. Mashable's Alex Perry called it "the budget smartphone to beat in 2025," and that title feels fully earned. While it’s not flashy, it delivers across the board— from performance to battery life — and even makes its pricier sibling, the Pixel 9, look unnecessary by comparison.
For starters, it runs on the same Tensor G4 chip as the Pixel 9, meaning you’re getting flagship-grade performance at a midrange price. With 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (256GB available for $100 more), the 9a handles everyday tasks smoothly, with almost no slowdowns — even while multitasking or watching videos. It does get a little warm without a case, but never to an alarming degree.
Camera performance is solid for its class. The Pixel 9a sports a 48MP main lens and a 13MP ultra-wide on the back, plus a 13MP front camera. While it doesn’t match the hardware on the Pixel 9, Google’s computational photography still does a lot of heavy lifting. Night Sight delivers excellent low-light shots, and the addition of Macro Focus is a welcome touch, though it's oddly hidden in the UI. You also get up to 8x digital zoom and the usual portrait mode bokeh.
Rounding it all out are built-in Gemini AI features like Circle to Search and Gemini Live. If AI bells and whistles matter to you, they’re here. If they don’t, they’re easy to ignore.
At $499, the Pixel 9a is the budget phone. Whether you’re Android-curious or just want flagship performance without the flagship price, this is the smart choice in 2025.
2. iPhone 16e — $599
Apple’s entry-level iPhone finally got a seat at the grown-up table. That's according to Mashable's Stan Schroeder who believes the iPhone 16e is no longer an afterthought like the discontinued SE. It’s a proper iPhone 16 sibling, with nearly all the essentials, a modern design, and one of the best battery performances in Apple’s entire 2025 lineup. At $599, it’s only $100 more than the Pixel 9a and delivers a remarkably full-featured iOS experience for the price.
The 16e comes equipped with Apple’s A18 chip — the same silicon powering the standard iPhone 16 — and 8GB of RAM, giving it nearly identical day-to-day performance. From multitasking to gaming, the phone feels fast and responsive. And while it doesn’t include the 120Hz ProMotion display or the Dynamic Island, it does have a 6.1-inch OLED screen that looks and feels modern, far removed from the outdated aesthetic of the SE it replaces.
The biggest drawbacks here are the lack of MagSafe support — so accessories like the Apple Wallet won’t snap on magnetically —and a price that’s significantly higher than the now-retired iPhone SE. Still, the 16e is fully future-proofed with Apple Intelligence support, USB-C, and enough power to stay relevant for a long time.
If you're locked into the Apple ecosystem and want a phone that doesn’t feel like a compromise, the iPhone 16e delivers the essentials. It may be the cheapest iPhone on the market now, but it doesn’t feel cheap at all.
3. Samsung Galaxy A16 5G — $199.99
If sub-$600 phones still feel too steep, Samsung’s Galaxy A16 5G is the kind of under-$200 steal that proves you don’t have to spend big for a solid Android experience. Sometimes going for even less on Amazon, the A16 5G punches way above its weight with smooth performance, decent cameras, and a long six-year support window — all for just $199. As PCMag’s Iyaz Akhtar put it, it offers "a winning blend of performance, durability, and support," making it the best Android phone you can get at this price.
Its plastic build and large size are easy trade-offs for what you get: a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display, splash-proof durability, and surprisingly good photos for a budget phone. It's not built for gaming, but for everyday essentials, the Galaxy A16 5G is a certified budget champ.
$199.99 Save $57.50
4. OnePlus 13R — $599.99
If you're looking to step outside the Apple and Samsung ecosystems for a moment, the OnePlus 13R makes a pretty compelling case. This midrange option from OnePlus, the more affordable sibling to the OnePlus 13, is a sleeper hit, impressively polished for its price point. PCMag’s Sarah Lord dubbed it “an impressive midrange Android phone,” and while that may sound, in a sense, backhanded, in the context of today’s overcrowded market of lookalike budget phones, it’s actually a standout.
The OnePlus 13R delivers exceptional battery life, thanks to its massive 6,000mAh battery that clocked over 25 hours of video playback in PCMag's testing, putting it ahead of many premium devices. It also features a sharp and vibrant 6.78-inch AMOLED display that supports adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz and boasts 4,500 nits of peak brightness, making it ideal for outdoor use.
Performance is another strong suit. The phone runs on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, providing a fast, smooth experience whether you're gaming or juggling multiple apps. It also includes rapid 55W wired charging, which brings the battery to full in under an hour, though the lack of wireless charging is a minor downside.
Still, for $599, the OnePlus 13R strikes a great balance of performance, design, and endurance. If battery life and screen quality are your top priorities and you can live without wireless charging or waterproofing, it’s another midrange phone standout of 2025.
5. Moto G Power (2024) — $299.99
Rounding out the list is a phone that technically came out in early 2024, but it still earns its place here because its 2025 follow-up didn’t move the needle. The Moto G Power 5G (2024) remains one of the most well-balanced phones you can buy under $300, making it a sleeper hit for budget-conscious shoppers. As PCMag's Lord put it, the phone offers “solid performance, wireless charging, and strong battery life at a wallet-friendly price.”
For just $299, you get a smooth 6.7-inch 120Hz LCD display, surprisingly capable day-to-day performance from MediaTek’s Dimensity 7020 chip, and one of the few phones in this price range that supports wireless charging. Battery life is reliably strong, easily pushing through a full day of use with power to spare.
Of course, the price tag comes with trade-offs. The cameras are serviceable but unremarkable, the rear panel picks up dust and pet hair like a magnet, and the phone comes loaded with a fair bit of bloatware. Still, if your budget is tight and you just want something that works—and works well—the Moto G Power 5G (2024) is still tough to beat.
$205.37 Save $30.38
Honorable Mention: Nothing CMF Phone 2 Pro — $279
We've said it before: 2025 is the year of thin phones, and the CMF Phone 2 Pro is Nothing's thinnest and lightest smartphone yet. Part of the Nothing budget line, the CMF Phone 2 Pro was just released in May, and we're leaving it as an honorable mention until we have a chance to test it properly. Plus, it's only available in the United States if you're part of the Nothing beta program, which is a bummer for fans of cheap phones.
As we noted when Nothing first unveiled this phone, it comes with some modular accessories, making it the perfect phone for DIY fans. Using a teensy little screwdriver, you can attach (and unattach) accessories, including fisheye and macro lenses, a case, a lanyard, and a kickstand-wallet combo. Inside, you'll find a sixth-gen MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro 5G processor, and on the outside a 6.77-inch FHD+ AMOLED display.
If you're looking for an Android phone under $300, it's one of the few options that still offers some cool factor.
