Best Budget Android Phones (Upgraded 2020)

1. Moto G Stylus

Moto G Stylus is Moto G Power’s twin brother. They look exactly similar to each other in many ways, but there are a few noticeable differences too.

The Moto G Stylus gives you more storage space and has a bigger primary camera sensor. It does, however, lose a bit of its edge against the Moto G Power when you take into account battery charge.

Moto G Stylus contains a 4,000 mAh battery. Despite claims of lasting for two days, you can expect 14-hour longevity. The combination of a productivity-boosting stylus with a long-lasting battery makes the Moto G Stylus an excellent budget phone choice.

With the Moto G Stylus, you don’t need to splurge on devices that have a stylus. Its $299, which considering the average price of budget phones, is higher but still considerable. The stylus works effortlessly against the responsive display screen.

You get three rear camera lenses: 48MP, 2MP, and 16MP. At the front, the smartphone houses a 16MP camera. Besides these, the phone also has a Snapdragon 665 chipset and 4GB RAM, boosting its operational efficiency. The internal storage is 128GB which could be expanded further to 512GB.

We would recommend the Moto G Stylus for users who are constantly jotting down messages and notes. Our only complaint is the color accuracy of the screen, which needs to be more sharp and vivid in our opinion.

Read More

• 6.4-inch LCD
• 4GB RAM and 128GB internal memory
• Snapdragon 665 processor
• Comes with a stylus

2. Samsung Galaxy A51

The Samsung Galaxy A51 uses the same traditional design offered by the flagship. The smartphone has been specially designed to fit in your palm.

The entire front of the phone is occupied by the 6.5-inch AMOLED Infinity-O display screen, which is surrounded by ultra-thin bezels. The screen has a tiny hole for the 32MP front camera as well. It also has a decent aspect ratio of 20:9.

This best budget Android has a 2400×1080 resolution, along with a pixel density of 405ppi. This particular combination makes the smartphone an excellent competitor for similarly priced models.

The displayed colors are bright and can be adjusted according to your comfort level by fine-tuning the settings. Another advantage is the vivid and sharp picture quality, which is surprisingly visible even under direct sunlight.

The handset boasts of a flashy yet appealing finishing on the body. However, this outline is only available in the US – the rest of the world will have to make do with the blue and white color options.

The phone is powered by the Exynos 9611 chipset and has 4GB RAM. Additionally, you have the option of 128GB internal storage space that can be expanded up to 512GB via a microSD card. Samsung has also included a fingerprint sensor and facial recognition features.

In terms of performance, the Samsung Galaxy A51 is certainly slower against other models having a similar price. So this will need a bit of adjustment on the part of the buyer.

Read More

• 6.5-inch AMOLED Infinity-O display screen
• 48MP quad-camera set-up
• 32MP selfie camera
• Xenos 9611 chipset
• 4GB RAM

3. ZTE Blade Z Max Z982

Smartphone manufacturers often have this tendency to stuff displays into smaller spaces, which is why several customers prefer larger phones. But this also limits their choices because of their budget.

Betting against this trend is the ZTE Blade Z Max Z982.

Over the past years, ZTE has quickly amassed greater market share and an excellent reputation for offering high-quality products at a competitive price. Available at less than $140, the beautiful 6-inch display screen phone offers a double lens, fingerprint scanning unlock sensor, and bright screen, along with a headphone jack and USB-C port. The fact that it runs on Android OS further cements its position of giving premium features at a fraction of the ongoing market price.

The ZTE Blade Z Max Z982 features a 16MP camera and 2MP rear lenses that are purposely placed close to each other. The union of the cameras enables you to utilize camera effects like the Bokeh mode, which allows users to focus on the object while blurring the background view. Another interesting feature is the Colour Catcher feature that transforms everything into black and white while highlighting a single color.

In terms of performance, you can expect the smartphone to perform daily tasks with the utmost ease. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 processor that has a processing speed of 1.4GHz.

While multitasking is possible on this best budget Android, you might face lagging issues at times. A 4,080mAh battery provides a fairly decent operation time as well.

Read More

• 6-inch HD IPS LCD screen
• 4080 MaH Battery
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 processor
• 2GB RAM
• 32GB internal memory

4. Nokia 7.2

The Nokia 7.2 picks up from the spot where the 7.1 left off and offers really everything you would want on your smartphone.

Available in green and charcoal colors, the frame of this best budget Android is made with innovative materials like polymer and metal. Nokia claims that this helps boost the durability of the case, making it twice as strong as regular polycarbonate.

We can’t advertise this claim, though, as the company hasn’t published any resistance rating. It does offer gorilla glass on both sides of the device, although only the rear of the phone features a smooth finishing.

Nokia 7.2 has a screen size of 6.3-inches that is sharp and visible under the direct sunlight. It has a 1080 x 2280 resolution and uses the Pixelworks processor on this phone. The 7.2 can convert all the videos to HDR for its PureDisplay mode, giving it the ability to compete with phones having OLED displays.

With a triple-lens setup at the back, the picture quality is fantastic. You get a 48MP primary lens, along with an 8MP ultra-wide lens and 5MP depth lens. The 20MP selfie camera will keep your Instagram aesthetically-pleasing.

The Nokia 7.2 is packed with a 3,500mAh battery, as well as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 chipset and 4GB RAM, that will keep your phone functioning smoothly for nearly nine hours in a single charge.

Read More

• FHD+ 6.3″ HDR PUREDISPLAY screen
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor
• 3,500mAh battery
• 4GB RAM and 128GB internal storage

5. Moto G Power

One of the primary reasons why people are reluctant to invest in low-cost smartphones is uncertainty with regard to their quality and operation. Most flagships make major compromises to prevent the cost from shooting up, which tragically makes the devices pretty much unusable.

But Motorola’s Moto G Power challenges this notion and forces one to change their opinion.

Even though it’s an affordable smartphone, the device’s battery life, and excellent features make it a top pick for its niche. Being priced at under $250 makes it an attractive choice for people with tight budgets.

Additionally, the Moto G Power has been styled to give competition to smartphones placed on the premium side of the spectrum, which is another advantage. However, the fact that it has an all-plastic body with a shiny finish makes us a little bit skeptical about the durability of the structure.

It features a 6.4-inch screen with FHD+ resolution. Plus, the audio output features of stereo speakers have been tuned by Dolby. You’ll find three lenses at the back of the device, which may not deliver the same picture quality as the other top-end phones, but can still hold their ground when pitted against good camera budget phones.

Basically, we think the Moto G Power is a great purchase with its long-lasting 5,000 mAh battery, and substantial performance capability, allowing it a higher rank on our best budget Android phone list.

Read More

• 16MP camera
• 4GB RAM
• 5,000 mAh battery
• Snapdragon 665 chipset

6. Xiaomi Mi 9T

Xiaomi isn’t a new name in the smartphone niche, especially where the value for money aspect is concerned.

To further cement its position in the smartphone industry, the company has launched a variety of newer models in the mid-range category Xiaomi has introduced the Mi 9T,  which might arguably be the best in the range.

Complementing the splendid camera is a beautiful bezel-free design of the phone. The metal and glass combination adds a premium feel to the phone.

Additionally, the device has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 chipset that makes it efficient for multitasking as well as gaming. This was a move made to cut down the cost to suit the desired price point. Although this may not be as fast as the flagship Snapdragon 855, it isn’t a deal-breaker for us.

In the cheap smartphone category, one of the most important aspects is the battery life, and Mi 9T does a brilliant job to impress us on that front.

It has a 4000mAh battery, giving it excellent 11-hour longevity even when you run the device to perform multiple tasks. A 6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage memory complete the memory capacity.

Putting things to a perspective, the Xiaomi Mi 9T is one of the best budget smartphones, offering a highly balanced device with a wide array of features, and of course, very few minor setbacks. It has several features that allow it to outshine its competitors.

Read More

• 6.39-inch FHD Super AMOLED display screen
• 6GB RAM and 64GB internal memory
• Pop-up front camera
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 processor
• Qualcomm Adreno 618 (GPU)

7. TCL 10L

TCL has been making a lot of high-quality smartphones for many wireless carriers recently. The company formerly manufactured smartphone devices for other brands that helped it gain a lot of experience in making handsets that are affordable despite their higher quality.

The 10L is a direct result of this experience.

Priced within $250, the mobile offers great value terms of its price, and is backed by a great processor and offers a satisfactory battery life. The device uses the Android OS and has a special TCL User Interface skin.

It has a 6.54-inch screen, with a 2340×1080 resolution. The 16MP front camera, situated at the left-hand side of the screen, can be a great option for selfie-takers as the photos are clear and smooth. Even the rear camera produces sharp and colorful pictures. You’ll find four camera lenses at the back: 48MP, 8MP, 2MP, and 2MP cameras.

A Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset, 5GB RAM, and 64GB internal storage help it to deliver fast performance.

While these are solid features, the TCL 10L doesn’t offer a very sleek design as other smartphones in its niche. We would have definitely preferred the rear body to be made out of a material other than plastic. It definitely tries to recreate the classiness of a glass body, but it still has a long way to go.

Read More

• 6.53-inch FHD + LCD display
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset
• Quad rear camera setup
• 5GB RAM and 64GB internal storage
• 16MP front camera

8. Samsung Galaxy A71

The Galaxy A71 packs most of the features of the flagship models from Samsung. The smartphone is still a budgeted model, make no mistake, which is why you won’t find most of the unique top-notch features and specs. Despite this, many consider the A71 as one of the best Android phones on the market.

Looking at the feature list, the mobile ticks most of the required boxes for committed Android users. Performance, lasting battery life, a variety of camera options – the Samsung Galaxy A71 brings it all.

It has a super AMOLED screen that measures 6.7-inches along with 2400×1080 resolution. The distinctive aspect ratio sits at 20:9. Also, the screen’s display has a well-balanced and crisp color gamut that isn’t too saturated.

Plus, the device has an always-on display, meaning you’ll be able to view details like time, date, and enabled notifications even when the phone is locked. Another feature that we loved was this didn’t consume a lot of battery charge as well.

The smartphone also features a fingerprint sensor, which is positioned below the display screen. The sensor is responsive and smooth and can be useful for quick navigation on the phone. It’s backed by a 4500 mAh battery, ensuring the battery lasts for up to two days.

All in all, the Galaxy A71 is a good smartphone and certainly worthy of being on our list of the best budget Android smartphones.

Read More

• 6.7-inch Infinity-O Super AMOLED display
• Snapdragon 730 chipset
• Fingerprint sensor
• Quad camera setup (64MP+12MP+5MP+5MP)
• 6GB RAM and 128GB internal memory

9. Moto E

One of the primary reasons why people are reluctant to invest in low-cost smartphones is uncertainty with regard to their quality and operation. Most flagships make major compromises to prevent the cost from shooting up, which tragically makes the devices pretty much unusable. 

But Motorola’s Moto G Power challenges this notion and forces one to change their opinion.

Even though it’s an affordable smartphone, the device’s battery life, and excellent features make it a top pick for its niche. Being priced at under $250 makes it an attractive choice for people with tight budgets. 

Additionally, the Moto G Power has been styled to give competition to smartphones placed on the premium side of the spectrum, which is another advantage. However, the fact that it has an all-plastic body with a shiny finish makes us a little bit skeptical about the durability of the structure. 

It features a 6.4-inch screen with FHD+ resolution. Plus, the audio output features of stereo speakers have been tuned by Dolby. You’ll find three lenses at the back of the device, which may not deliver the same picture quality as the other top-end phones, but can still hold their ground when pitted against good camera budget phones.

Basically, we think the Moto G Power is a great purchase with its long-lasting 5,000 mAh battery, and substantial performance capability, allowing it a higher rank on our best budget Android phone list.

Read More

• 16MP camera
• 4GB RAM
• 5,000 mAh battery
• Snapdragon 665 chipset
• Water-repellent design

10. Nokia 4.2

Nokia remains the undisputed champion when it comes to hitting the sweet-spot combination of durability and consistency, at least their smartphones are concerned.

The flagship decided to reboot its smartphones lineup to gain greater market appeal. Along with its hardware partner HMD Global, Nokia was able to offer a variety of smartphones that were pretty to look at and hold – something which the Nokia 4.2 perfectly embodies.

The smartphone offers all the essentials packed in a well-built device, along with Google’s software. The user design gives you an experience similar to that of a premium-priced smartphone. But, this similarity is limited to just the exterior, which considering the considerably lower price of the Nokia doesn’t pinch much.

You get a 5.7-inch display screen, which has 720×1520 resolution and a 19:9 aspect ratio. The pixel density has about 295ppi, allowing you to view rich and warm colors focused on the reds and blues. The brightness levels are a bit of a letdown, though. You won’t be able to view the screen properly if you stand directly under the sun.

The Nokia 4.2 is powered by the octa-core Snapdragon 439 chipset. While the smartphone has 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage, you have the option to increase it to 400GB through a microSD card. Plus, since the Snapdragon 439 is conceptualized on the 12nm processor, the power drain remains minimal.

Read More

• 5.7-inch HD LCD
• Octa-core Snapdragon 439 chipset
• 3GB RAM
• 3,000mAh battery
• 8MP front camera