Best Budget Phones 2026
The best cheap phones you can buy right now, all with a US launch price of $300 or less. Good budget phones now offer big batteries, smooth screens and years of updates.
Updated Top 9 of 9 phones that qualify How we picked
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Top pick
Samsung Galaxy A26 5G
Best value
TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro
Lowest price
Motorola Moto G Play (2026)
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1. Samsung Galaxy A26 5G
Overall6.4Value5.4- 6.7″ OLED, 120 Hz
- Exynos 1380
- 5,000 mAh, 25 W
- 6 years of OS updates
- Pro: IP67 dust and water resistance
- Pro: microSD slot up to 2TB
- Con: Single speaker
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2. CMF Phone 2 Pro
Overall6.2Value5.6- 6.77″ OLED, 120 Hz
- Dimensity 7300
- 5,000 mAh, 33 W
- 3 years of OS updates
- Pro: 50MP telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom
- Pro: Bright 6.77-inch 120Hz AMOLED display with HDR10+
- Con: Single speaker, no stereo sound
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3. TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro
Overall5.6Value6.5- 6.9″ LCD, 120 Hz
- Dimensity 7300
- 5,200 mAh, 33 W
- 1 year of OS updates
- Pro: Matte NXTPAPER 4.0 display with a 120Hz refresh rate
- Pro: Dedicated NXTPAPER Key and reading modes
- Con: LCD panel instead of OLED
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4. Samsung Galaxy A17 5G
Overall5.5Value5.3- 6.7″ OLED, 90 Hz
- Exynos 1330
- 5,000 mAh, 25 W
- 6 years of OS updates
- Pro: Six Android upgrades and six years of security updates
- Pro: 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate
- Con: Same Exynos 1330 chip as the Galaxy A16 5G
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5. Motorola Moto G Power (2025)
Overall5.3Value4.2- 6.8″ LCD, 120 Hz
- Dimensity 6300
- 5,000 mAh, 30 W
- Pro: IP68 and IP69 ratings plus MIL-STD-810H
- Pro: 6.8-inch 120Hz Full HD+ display
- Con: Dimensity 6300 is slower than the 2024 model's chip
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6. Motorola Moto G Power (2026)
Overall5.2Value4.1- 6.8″ LCD, 120 Hz
- Dimensity 6300
- 5,200 mAh, 30 W
- 2 years of OS updates
- Pro: IP68 and IP69 ratings plus MIL-STD-810H testing
- Pro: Large 6.8-inch 120Hz display with up to 1,000 nits
- Con: No wireless charging, unlike the 2025 model
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7. Motorola Moto G (2025)
Overall4.6Value4.2- 6.7″ LCD, 120 Hz
- Dimensity 6300
- 5,000 mAh, 30 W
- 2 years of OS updates
- Pro: 5,000mAh battery with 30W wired charging
- Pro: 120Hz display with Gorilla Glass 3
- Con: HD+ resolution and 4GB of RAM
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8. Motorola Moto G (2026)
Overall4.5Value3.9- 6.7″ LCD, 120 Hz
- Dimensity 6300
- 5,200 mAh, 30 W
- 2 years of OS updates
- Pro: Large 5,200 mAh battery with 30W wired charging
- Pro: microSD slot for cards up to 1TB
- Con: HD+ display resolution on a 6.7-inch screen
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9. Motorola Moto G Play (2026)
Overall4.4Value4.2- 6.7″ LCD, 120 Hz
- Dimensity 6300
- 5,200 mAh, 18 W
- 2 years of OS updates
- Pro: Large 5,200mAh battery
- Pro: 120Hz display
- Con: Only 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage
How we picked
We take phones that are on sale, were announced in the last two years and launched in the US at $300 or less, then rank them by overall PhoneRanked score. We use the official launch price of the cheapest version; store prices are often lower. Only phones officially sold in the US or Europe are included. Scores are calculated from specs, so every phone is judged by the same rules. Learn more about how we rate phones.
What to look for
Updates matter even more on a cheap phone
Some budget phones now get six years of updates, others only two. Longer support keeps your phone secure long after you buy it.
Where budget phones save money
Expect a plastic body, a slower chip and a simpler camera setup. The main camera is usually fine in daylight, while the extra lenses are often low resolution.
Check the screen and 5G
An OLED screen with 90 Hz or 120 Hz makes a cheap phone feel much nicer. Also make sure the phone supports 5G on your carrier.
FAQ
What is the best budget phone right now?
Right now it's the Samsung Galaxy A26 5G, with a PhoneRanked score of 6.4 out of 10. The CMF Phone 2 Pro and the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro round out the top three.
Why do you use only US prices?
We list official US launch prices in dollars and never convert from other currencies. Phones that didn't launch in the US have no US price, so they don't appear in price-based rankings.
How often is this list updated?
Automatically. When we add a phone or update its specs, the list is rebuilt within a few minutes. The date at the top of the page shows the last update.