When you think about the best budget phones, you might think about a no-name iPhone knockoff or even an old brick phone like that indestructible Nokia you once owned and loved. In reality, today’s affordable smartphones can be near-indistinguishable from their much more expensive counterparts. You can get an honest-to-goodness iPhone or Google Pixel that’s surprisingly similar to the best smartphones for less than $600, and plenty of other phone brands offer basic alternatives that cost a fraction of that price. You might need a phone, but you certainly don’t need to pay a thousand bucks for a good one.
That being said, not all cheap phones are created equal. Sometimes you’ll find a handset that punches well above its weight; other times you’ll very much get what you pay for. That’s why we picked out some of the most popular sub-$600 models and put them through a battery of tests — not to mention some good ol’ everyday use — to see which ones offer actual value. After months of testing, here are the three we think are actually good deals.
Google Pixel 10a
Best budget phone
If you're looking for a premium-level phone experience for less than $500, you won't find a better value than the Pixel 10a.
