5 Budget Android Phones You Should Consider Instead of the Google Pixel 11

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With Google’s release of the Pixel 11 lineup, the annual smartphone upgrade season has unofficially begun. Alongside its more premium models, Google has packed the base Pixel 11 with features. On the hardware side, there is the powerful Tensor G6 chip and the 6.3-inch Actua screen. On the software side, the company is constantly upgrading things like Gemini AI and the Android platform in general. The base Pixel 11 model is priced at $899, along with seven years of guaranteed OS and security updates.

But for many smartphone users, the Pixel 11 could be seen as just another smartphone launch during the annual cycle. Even for those who love keeping up with the latest and greatest smartphone upgrades, there are plenty of reasons to ignore the Google Pixel 11.

There are several Android phones more powerful than the Google Pixel 11, for example, and we’ve also looked at some more affordable Android phones. Not everyone needs the features of a flagship, and those who do might even be surprised to discover that there are smartphones that can compete with the Pixel 11 while significantly undercutting its $899 starting price.

While the Pixel 11 is part of Google’s flagship smartphone lineup, the Google Pixel 10a is a budget-friendly alternative for users who want to stay within Google’s software ecosystem. Google’s Pixel ‘A’ series is cheaper than its flagship models, with the Pixel 10a currently priced at $499 for the 128GB model. It comes in four different color options and a 256GB version costs just $100 more, making the phone still significantly less than the Pixel 11.

Depending on your smartphone needs, the Pixel 10a may be attractive for reasons other than its price. It has a 48-megapixel main camera and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide, both of which match parts of the Pixel 11’s camera system. The 10a also benefits from Google’s 7-year warranty on new updates and features, which keeps the phone relevant from a software standpoint despite the next generation of Pixel phones currently on the market.

With the Pixel 11 now being the latest generation of Google smartphones, this is the company’s top priority in terms of hardware. It has a Tensor G6 chip, while the cheaper Pixel 10a uses an older Tensor G4 chip. But the Pixel 10a’s price may be worth more than the latest hardware Google offers, and the 10a manages to stand out from other budget phones in terms of hardware and software features. Our Google Pixel 10a review takes a closer look.

Nothing is a brand that has become somewhat of a darling for tech enthusiasts looking for solid value for their devices. The brand focuses heavily on design, but with the Nothing Phone 4a Pro, it even offers impressive hardware specifications. With a regular price of $499, we find the 4a Pro to be one of the affordable and ridiculously overpowered smartphones. And even with its budget price, the 4a Pro sees substantial price drops on Amazon from time to time.

The Nothing Phone 4a Pro base model comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Its screen is a bit larger than the Pixel 11’s, measuring 6.83 inches compared to the Pixel 11’s 6.3-inch screen. The camera system is one of the phone’s main draws, and the way Nothing integrates it into the phone’s design makes the 4a Pro look as much like stiff competition to the iPhone 17 Pro as it does to the Pixel 11. The 4a Pro uses a 50% main camera sensor. megapixel which includes image stabilization and a 50 megapixel telephoto lens.

A fairly remarkable feature that nothing leaves out of its Phone 4a Pro is wireless charging. The Pixel 11 includes it, so if it’s a game-changing feature for you, the Nothing 4a Pro may not be the right alternative. But Nothing doesn’t include fast charging capabilities, and the Phone 4a Pro is worth $400 in savings over the Google Pixel 11 when they’re both at their regular prices.

TCL has become well-known among budget TV buyers, and while there are many essential apps for a new TCL TV, this has also become the case for the company’s smartphone line. One model that presents itself particularly well as a budget alternative to the Pixel 11 is the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro. Like the Nothing Phone 4a Pro, its “Pro” designation comes with some hardware expectations. The NXTPAPER 70 Pro has a 6.9-inch display, and while it has a slightly lower resolution than the Pixel 11, it offers a lot more screen real estate.

Other hardware specs include a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 processor, the option of 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage capacities, and a battery that can last all day without needing to recharge. But where this phone really stands out as a budget alternative is in its display. NXTPAPER technology is designed to reduce eye strain and the NXTPAPER 70 Pro comes with four different display modes. These can be switched to create the best viewing environment for whatever you’re doing on the phone at any given time.

TCL doesn’t have the brand power of Google. But despite being relatively new to mobile device manufacturing, we find the NXTPAPER 70 Pro to be among the best TCL products that aren’t TVs. The phone regularly retails for $330, significantly undercutting the price of the Pixel 11 and positioning the NXTPAPER 70 Pro as one of the most budget-friendly smartphone options on the market.

Not long ago, Motorola was one of the leading smartphone manufacturers. But Motorola’s unlocked phones that you can buy for under $300 have plenty to choose from, and the Motorola Moto G 2026 is priced in that range. In fact, this is one of the more affordable Motorola options that could be considered a legitimate alternative to the Pixel 11. It has a 6.7-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate and the phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 6300, similar to what TCL puts in the NXTPAPER 70 Pro.

While some of the Moto G 2026’s hardware isn’t likely to compete with the Pixel 11 and its Tensor G6 chip, that’s not necessarily the case. The Moto G 2026 is a smartphone focused on handling everyday smartphone tasks, not something intended to be deployed as a more handheld-like device. The base model comes with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage space, but this phone only costs $300, compared to $899 for the Pixel 11.

Motorola has even included some impressive features that make the Moto G an incredibly modern budget smartphone. These include an AI-powered camera system with a 50-megapixel sensor and a front-facing camera that uses a 32-megapixel sensor. This could even be considered a budget phone to use as an entertainment device, as it comes with stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio playback capabilities.

There’s a Samsung phone for every type of user, and while the world-renowned electronics company has a wide range of smartphones, many of Samsung’s flagship offerings simply cost more than the Pixel 11. That’s not the case, however, with the Samsung Galaxy A17 5G, which is one of the most affordable smartphones that a name as big as Samsung has to offer. It’s regularly priced at $250, although it’s regularly discounted on Amazon.

Google backs the Pixel 11 with a seven-year warranty of software support, and one of the benefits of buying a smartphone from a big brand like Samsung is that the Galaxy A17 5G gets six years of similar support. As for hardware, the Galaxy A17 5G is another phone that offers a larger screen than the Pixel 11, with a 6.7-inch screen for the A17 5G and a 90Hz refresh rate.

The Galaxy A17 5G offers nothing in terms of expandability. There is only one model available (with two color options), featuring 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage space. What’s also notable for a phone at this price point is that Samsung leaves out some more advanced software features. Galaxy AI, for example, is not part of the Galaxy A17 5G package, although apps like Google’s Gemini can be installed for various uses.

There are plenty of cheaper Android phones to try instead of the Google Pixel 11, but here we’ve tried to reduce its $899 price as much as possible. Plus, while low prices certainly mattered, we still wanted to feature phones that would appeal to those considering a new Pixel 11. The cheapest Android phone on the market may look attractive at checkout, but that doesn’t mean it’s a decent alternative to a flagship like the Pixel 11.

Budget phones tend to come with far fewer software and hardware features than flagships, but with each of our picks, we’ve focused on one or two features that might just rival what the Pixel 11 has to offer.

We are very familiar with the Android smartphone market and the features available at different price points. We relied heavily on this knowledge to select these phones and even applied our hands-on experience to several models to inform our choices.