5 Budget Phones That Are Still Worth Buying in 2026

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Upgrading your phone can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. Although flagship phones from Samsung, Apple, and Google are usually the ones that grab everyone’s attention, you don’t need to splurge on one of the high-end devices. Indeed, even though flagship phones have never been more powerful or capable, you certainly don’t need all these cutting-edge specs on your phone for everyday use. Unfortunately, the current memory crisis has forced companies like Samsung to raise prices on various tech products, making it difficult to purchase budget phones.

So if you have a budget of $600 or less to spend on your next smartphone, we’re here to help. We’ve done extensive research and put together a list of models that we think are some of the best budget phones you can buy in 2026. The list is balanced, including devices from various major smartphone manufacturers and at different price points to ensure you have a device that not only fits your budget, but also meets your needs. You can read more about our selection process at the end of the article in the methodology section for more details.

When looking for a budget phone, iPhones may not come to mind because Apple products are known for being expensive. However, Apple has demonstrated its commitment to introducing iPhones on a budget, and the iPhone 17e is a good choice if you want the latest and cheapest model. The iPhone 17e launched in March 2026 with a handful of upgrades over its predecessor, the iPhone 16e, such as MagSafe charging support and a base 256GB of storage. Under the hood, this iPhone comes with Apple’s A19 chip (the same as a regular iPhone 17), 8GB of memory, and 256GB or 512GB of storage.

There’s just a single 48MP wide camera lens on the back, and you also get a single 12MP camera for selfies. On the front, the iPhone 17e sports a 6.1-inch OLED display with a peak brightness of 1,200 nits. A 4,005mAh battery powers this device with support for MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging. Apple claims the iPhone 17e can charge from 0 to 50 percent in just 30 minutes when used with a 20W or higher power adapter. The iPhone 17e starts at $599, making it the most affordable iPhone you can buy new from Apple.

The Galaxy A series offers the most affordable devices in Samsung’s lineup. For this reason, the Galaxy A series phones are perfect for budget buyers who don’t want to pay the higher asking prices for the flagship Galaxy S and Z series. One budget phone you can consider in the 2026 lineup is the Galaxy A37 5G. It’s not the cheapest Samsung phone you can buy right now (that title goes to the Samsung Galaxy A17 5G), but it’s worth considering if you’re on a budget between $400 and $500. PC Mag gave this device a 4 out of 5, praising it for its premium design, impressive battery life, fast performance, and excellent software support consisting of six years of operating system updates.

The Galaxy A37 5G features a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 6 or 8 GB of memory, 128 or 256 GB of storage, an Exynos 1480 chip and a 5,000 mAh battery. It supports wired charging up to 45W, but there is no wireless charging support. For photography, there is a triple rear camera array with a 50 MP wide, 8 MP ultra-wide and 5 MP macro lens, while the front gets a single 12 MP camera. The Samsung Galaxy A37 5G starts at $450 for the base variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage.

Motorola has increased the price of its affordable 2026 G series phones. As a result, you can consider any model from its 2025 lineup if you don’t want to pay prices inflated by the current memory shortage. For a budget under $200, we recommend the Motorola Moto G 2025, since it only costs around $170. It has a 6.7-inch IPS LCD panel with a resolution of 720 x 1,604 pixels, which isn’t great but not bad for a phone at its price. It is powered by a Dimensity 6300 chip, paired with 4GB of memory and 64GB or 128GB of storage. A nice aspect of this device is that you can expand the storage via a microSD card, which is handy. Using the available microSD card slot, you can add up to 1TB of storage.

The camera system includes a 50 MP main camera aided by a 2 MP macro, while the selfie is a single 16 MP camera. This phone is powered by a 5,000mAh battery and supports fast charging speeds of up to 30W. However, what you need to remember about this phone is that it is as basic as it gets. PhoneArena claims it offers enough performance for basic tasks, and while it doesn’t stand out in its class, its low price makes it one of the best options for those who want a cheap phone.

The Google Pixel 9a was released in 2025 and has since been replaced by the Pixel 10a. While it may seem like an outdated phone for those who like to keep up with the latest gadgets, the Pixel 9a is still worth buying in 2026. We reviewed the Pixel 9a and loved its design, solid camera, good battery life, and value for money. One of the main drawbacks was the lack of a telephoto lens, which could have made the camera setup more versatile. However, we liked the overall package and even named it the king of the mid-range. The Pixel 9a has a 6.3-inch 120Hz OLED display, a Google Tensor G4 chip, 8GB of memory, and 128 or 256GB of storage. You also get a dual camera setup on the back consisting of a 48 MP wide main camera and a 13 MP ultra-wide lens.

The selfie is a 13 MP lens housed in a punch-hole cutout. Google has opted for a 5,100mAh cell for the battery and the phone supports up to 23W wired charging and 7.5W wireless charging. As a Google Pixel smartphone, you get the coveted clean software experience, and the company promises up to seven years of major Android and security updates, which should mean the device will be updated until 2032. The Pixel 9a has launched at a starting price of $499, but you can get it for $465 as of this writing.

If you’re on a budget under $300 and want something better than the aforementioned Motorola Moto G 2025, the Galaxy A26 5G is worth considering. The Samsung Galaxy A26 5G was released in 2025 and the company is yet to release its successor for 2026 as of this writing. Compared to the Moto G, it sports a better 6.7-inch AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and FHD+ (1080 x 2340 pixels) resolution. Launching at a starting price of $300, the Galaxy A26 5G is a budget phone that promises six major Android updates, so you can comfortably buy it in 2026 and not worry about missing out on the latest software releases in the next two years. It is powered by a Samsung Exynos 1380 chipset paired with 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage.

It comes with a 50 MP wide camera, an 8 MP ultra-wide, and a 2 MP macro camera, along with a 13 MP camera on the front. The Galaxy A26 5G is powered by a 5,000mAh battery and supports wired fast charging speeds of up to 25W. Tech Advisor reviewed this device and praised it for its long battery life, long-term software update commitment, and modern design. The site highlights the phone’s camera, screen, and performance under load as weaknesses, but this is a budget phone, so those shouldn’t be a deal breaker.

When choosing these devices, the first question we had to ask ourselves was: what price would be considered the maximum for a budget smartphone? For this, we decided to use $600 as a price cap, as it can be considered to be in the premium mid-range segment, but is not too high to enter flagship territory. Once the price cap was set, our next task was to find phones from different companies released in 2025 or 2026 that fit our pricing requirements.

We’ve done our best to include phones ranging from $200 to a maximum of $600. In addition to price, which was the focus of our selection process, the real value offered by a device was equally important. We based our selection on our smartphone review expertise, as well as reviews from other industry experts. All of the phones on the list can be purchased new as of this writing, but you can also look for refurbished models if you need to save even more money.