Smartphones are getting expensive, that’s no secret. You can buy a top-of-the-line smartphone now for the price of a laptop, but why would you? If you’re buying one for the street cred, sure go ahead. But if you want a smartphone that does everything those high-end smartphones can do for almost half the price, you’ve come to the right place.
To be clear, these aren’t the cheapest phones you can get (though some get close). Rather, we want to talk about phones that won’t break the bank, while also delivering a fantastic user experience. How each phone does that will depend on what it offers, and we’ve broken each of our picks down below.
So how do you choose the best-value phone? It’s easy to be distracted by the latest technology and features, but we’ve found the most important features of a smartphone to be battery life, camera quality, and display size. However, it’s worth looking at your own use case.
Before you begin your search, consider if you are after a cheap Android phone or something more aligned with Apple’s portfolio. If you plan on playing a lot of music from your phone, you may prioritise the speakers. Conversely, you might watch a lot of YouTube or Netflix on your phone and need a high-quality screen.
To avoid going over budget, focus on what features you’d get the most from in your day-to-day life. This will prevent you from falling for unnecessary gimmicks. Along the same lines, we’re avoiding gimmick phones on this list. Instead, we’re focusing on the best quality phones you can get for the best possible price.
Related: 16 Best Wireless Chargers for iPhone and Android
6 Best Cheap Smartphones for Any Budget
1. CMF Phone 1
If you haven’t heard of CMF, that’s fair. The brand has only existed for a short time, but is actually a sub-brand of UK-based tech brand Nothing. In CMF, Nothing wanted to deliver on the promise of ‘more bang for less buck’, and with the CMF Phone 1, they’ve absolutely nailed it.
Reading the specs sheet, you might be surprised to learn this is a budget phone. The Phone 1 has a 120hz 6.67’’ AMOLED display, 50MP rear camera, a 5000mAh battery, and expandable storage up to 2TB. All of this is powered by a custom variant of Android 14, called Nothing OS, which seeks to strip out a lot of the unnecessary bloat of Google’s system.
Plus, the phone is more customisable than anything else on the market. Not only does it feature a list of bespoke widgets, but the phone itself was designed with an ‘accessory point’ which allows new things to be added to the phone, like a kickstand or card holder. Keep in mind, though, that this phone lacks any NFC, meaning no contactless payments.
Brand: CMF by Nothing
Battery: 5,000mAh
Display: 6.67’’ Super AMOLED
Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 7300 5G
Price: AUD$399
2. iPhone SE
Launched at the same time as the iPhone 13 series back in 2022, the latest SE upgrade brought many of the improved features you’d expect from a higher-end phone in a smaller, more affordable package. In fact, it’s easily the smallest iPhone on the market today, sporting a 4.7’’ display, which does make it far more usable with one hand.
The impressive A15 Bionic Chip has been superseded in recent years, but it is still an incredibly powerful chip that more than holds up to modern use cases, and brings a number of power efficiencies to the phone compared to prior SE models.
Of course, a diminished size comes with some drawbacks: the SE comes with a lacklustre 12MP rear-facing camera, and a rather tiny battery compared to what you may be used to. In saying that, if you’re a fan of Apple and want to keep that blue bubble, this is the most affordable way to do so.
Brand: Apple
Battery: 2018mAh
Display: 4.7’’ True Tone Retina HD
Processor: A15 Bionic Chip
Price: AUD$787
3. Samsung Galaxy A55
Samsung’s A-series phones have always been the budget-focused best friend of many Android users, and the A55 is no different. Launched in early 2024, the A55 is a step up in many ways from previous A models, bringing a premium finish and some series upgrades without breaking the bank.
Swapping out the plastic frame of previous versions, the A55 comes with an aluminum frame which helps to elevate it from the competition, as well as an impressive 50MP rear-facing camera. Beyond this, the phone features sizable battery life, likely to last between 15 and 24 hours, depending on usage.
It’s an impressive phone, for around half the price of Samsung’s latest models. If you want to go even cheaper, but stay within the Samsung ecosystem, you could also look at the A25 model which tends to be around $100 cheaper than the A55.
Brand: Samsung
Battery: 5000mAh
Display: 6.6’’ HD+ Super AMOLED display, 120hz
Processor: Exynos 1380
Price: AUD$699
4. Nothing Phone (2a)
Nothing’s ‘flagship’ phone is not only far cheaper than the competition, but brings its own impressive design and functionality improvements to the table. A step up in almost every way to the CMF Phone 1, Nothing’s Phone (2a) has a host of improvements that push it ahead of its little brother.
For one, it features a superior MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro processor, which focuses on delivering performance gains alongside superior battery life. In fact, Nothing claims the 2a will last two days on a single change – impressive numbers when compared to other phones.
It also comes with dual 50MP cameras on the rear of the device, which also sports the brand’s iconic ‘Glyph’ interface: a series of lights which can blink to the beat of your music, ringtone, or timers, while also alerting you to notifications without you needing to check the device. If you’re after the perfect balance between functionality and cost, this is it.
Brand: Nothing
Battery: 5,000mAh
Display: 6.7’’ Flexible AMOLED
Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro
Price: AUD$599
5. Google Pixel 8a
The Pixel 8a isn’t as affordable as some other phones on this list: opting instead to be an more affordable premium option, rather than a budget device. As such, it’s the closest to a top-of-the-line phone you’ll get for sub-$1,000 these days.
The Pixel phones’ claim to fame has always been early access to certain Android features, and this is the best way to get in on the ground floor. Google’s Tensor G3 chip is very powerful, and has only recently been superseded by the Pixel 9’s G4.
Despite that, the 8a is a very impressive phone that shares a lot of the Pixel 8’s improvements at a more affordable price. In fact, it’s probably the ‘best’ phone on this list in terms of features, but doesn’t quite keep the cost down as much as some others.
Brand: Google
Battery: 4,492mAh
Display: 6.1’’ OLED
Processor: Google Tensor G3
Price: AUD$849
6. Motorola Moto G84 5G
While not the most feature-rich phone on the list, Motorola’s Moto G84 instead focuses on delivering a few things very well. For one, the phone has an incredibly beautiful 120hz P-OLED display, which, for the price, is very impressive. It also has good battery life.
On the downside, the phone has a relatively old processor in the Snapdragon 695, and its software is getting a bit long in the tooth and won’t be upgraded any time soon. If you want something cheap with a great screen, this is the one for you. But if you’re after something with software that will be improved upon with updates, it’s probably best to look elsewhere.
Brand: Motorola
Battery: 5,000mAh
Display: 6.5’’ P-OLED
Processor: Snapdragon 685
Price: AUD$349
Why Trust Our List?
This list of budget phones was selected by our dedicated team of technology editors and journalists. Author Dean Blake curated the list based on personal experience, having largely used budget phones for the last several years, while also taking into account external reviews, changing device prices, and functionality. For more information on how we select these lists, view our editorial guidelines.
