5 best budget smartphones of 2025, so far

In a year when “budgetary” phones push $ 600 and AI is filled in just about everything in charge brick, finding real value on the smartphones market is more difficult than ever. But it’s not impossible. Whether you are looking for a flagship product on a scale, an surprisingly polished mid -range Android, or simply a reliable daily driver that does not look like a burner phone, 2025 has already delivered a handful of stars.

These are the best budgetary smartphones that we have seen so far – intelligent, capable and (relatively) affordable.

Classified without any particular order, of course.

The Google Pixel 9a in its IRIS variant.
Credit: Yuki Iwamura / Bloomberg via Getty Images

If you try to stretch $ 500 as long as it can go to the world of smartphones, the Pixel 9a is the one to obtain. Alex Perry de Mashable called him “the budgetary smartphone to be beaten in 2025”, and this title seems completely won. Although he is not flashy, he delivers at all levels – performances to the lifespan of the battery – and even makes his brother more expensive, Pixel 9, compared to the comparison.

To start, it works on the same G4 Tensor chip as the Pixel 9, which means that you get flagship performance at a mid -range price. With 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage (256 GB available for $ 100 more), the 9a manages daily tasks gently, without almost no slowdown – even by multiplying or watching videos. It becomes a little hot without a case, but never to an alarming degree.

Camera performance is solid for its class. The Pixel 9a has a main lens of 48 MP and an ultra-back 13MP at the rear, plus a 13MP front camera. Although it does not correspond to the material on the Pixel 9, Google’s calculation photograph is still a lot of heavy hardings. Night Sight offers excellent low -light shots, and the addition of macro is a welcome touch, although it is strangely hidden in the user interface. You also get up to 8x digital zoom and the usual portrait fashion bokeh.

Everything rounds everything is integrated features gemini ai like Circle to Search and Gemini Live. If the bells and the whistles have the impression, they are there. If they don’t, they are easy to ignore.

At $ 499, Pixel 9a is THE Budget phone. Whether you are curious Android or just want flagship performance without the flagship price, it is the smart choice in 2025.

2. IPhone 16th – $ 599

You cannot make the difference.
Credit: Nano Calvo / VW Pics / Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Apple’s entry -level iPhone finally obtained a seat at the adult table. It is according to Stan Schroeder de Mashable who thinks that the iPhone 16th is no longer a reflection afterwards as the abandoned. He is a good brother iPhone 16, with almost all essential elements, a modern design and one of the best battery performance throughout Apple’s 2025 range. At $ 599, it is only $ 100 more than the Pixel 9A and offers a remarkably complete iOS experience for the price.

The 16th is equipped with Apple’s A18 chip – the same silicon supplying the standard iPhone 16 – and 8 GB of RAM, which gives it almost identical daily performance. From multitasking to the game, the phone is fast and responsive. And although it does not include the promotion display at 120 Hz or the dynamic island, it has a 6.1 -inch OLED screen which seems and feels modern, far from the obsolete aesthetic of what it replaces.

The greatest drawbacks here are the lack of Magsafe support – therefore accessories like the Apple portfolio do not hang on magnetically – and a price that is much higher than the iPhone SE now retired. However, the 16th is entirely in the test of time with the support of Apple Intelligence, USB-C and enough power to remain relevant for a long time.

If you are locked up in the Apple ecosystem and you want a phone that does not look like a compromise, the iPhone 16th offers the essential. It may be the cheapest iPhone on the market now, but it doesn’t seem cheap.

3. Samsung Galaxy A16 5G – $ 199.99

If phones below $ 600 are still too stiff, the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G is the type of flight of less than $ 200 which proves that you do not have to spend big for a solid Android experience. Sometimes, going even less on Amazon, the A16 5G hits well above its weight with smooth performance, decent cameras and a long support window of six years – all for only $ 199. As Iyaz Akhtar of PCMAG said, it offers “a mixing mixture of performance, sustainability and support”, which makes it the best Android phone you can get at this price.

Its plastic construction and large size are easy compromises for what you get: a 6.7 -inch Super AMOLED screen, durability to the test of splashes and surprisingly good photos for a budget phone. It is not designed for the game, but for the essential elements of everyday, the Galaxy A16 5G is a certified budget champion.

4. OnePlus 13R – $ 599.99

A OnePlus 13, but they are practically alike.
Credit: VCG / VCG via Getty Images

If you are trying to get out of Apple and Samsung ecosystems for a while, the OnePlus 13R has a fairly convincing case. This mid -range option of OnePlus, the most affordable brother at OnePlus 13, is a draft, impressive impressively for its price. Sarah Lord of PCMAG has nicknamed it “an impressive mid -range Android phone”, and although it may seem, in a sense, in reverse, in the context of the overcrowded market today of air budgetary phones, it is actually a star.

The OnePlus 13R offers an exceptional battery life, thanks to its massive 6,000 mAh battery which recorded more than 25 hours of video playback in PCMAG tests, which placed it on many premium devices. It also has an AMOLED net and dynamic display of 6.78 inch which supports adaptive refresh rates up to 120 Hz and has 4,500 nits of maximum brightness, which makes it ideal for outdoor use.

Performance is another solid suit. The phone runs on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, offering a quick and fluid experience, which you play or juggle with several applications. It also includes a quick wired load at 55W, which carries the battery in less than an hour, although the lack of wireless load is a minor drawback.

However, for $ 599, the OnePlus 13R establishes an excellent balance of performance, design and endurance. If the battery life and the quality of the screen are your higher priorities and you can live without wireless load or waterproofing, this is another star of the mid -range phone in 2025.

5. MOTO G POWER (2024) – $ 299.99

To complete the list is a phone that was technically released at the beginning of 2024, but it always wins its place here because its follow -up in 2025 did not move the needle. The G MOTO G Power 5G (2024) remains one of the most balanced phones you can buy less than $ 300, which is a sleight of life for buyers concerned about the budget. As the Lord of Pcmag said, the phone offers “solid performance, a wireless load and a high battery life at a price suitable for wallets”.

For only $ 299, you get an LCD screen at 120 Hz gently 6.7 inch, surprisingly competent daily performance of the Mediatek Dimensity 7020 chip, and one of the rare phones in this price range that supports wireless load. The battery life is reliably reliably, easily pushing a full day of use with power to lose.

Of course, the price comes with compromises. The cameras are usable but banal, the rear panel collects dust and animal hair like a magnet, and the phone is loaded with a little Bloatware. However, if your budget is tight and you just want something that works – and works well – the G Power 5G motorcycle (2024) is always difficult to beat.

Honorable mention: Nothing CMF Telephone 2 Pro – $ 279

Credit: nothing

As we have already said: 2025 is the year of thin phones, and the CMF Phone 2 Pro is nothing the thinnest and the lightest the lightest to date. Part of the Nothing Budget line, the CMF Phone 2 Pro has just been published in May, and we leave it as an honorable mention until we have the possibility of testing it properly. In addition, it is only available in the United States if you are part of the Nothing Beta program, which is a disappointment for inexpensive phones fans.

As we have noted when nothing revealed this phone for the first time, it is delivered with modular accessories, making it the perfect phone for DIY fans. With the help of a small screwdriver of adolescence, you can attach (and disattach) accessories, including Fisheye and Macro lenses, a case, a lanyard and a Kickstand aspect. Inside, you will find a Mediatek Dimensity 7300 Pro 5G processor of the sixth generation, and outside an AMOLED FHD + screen of 6.77 inch.

If you are looking for an Android phone of less than $ 300, it is one of the few options that still offers a nice factor.