Best Android phones under $400 2025

If you plan on buying one of the best Android phones under $400 soon, you're in for a treat. Thanks to continued improvements in smartphone technology, you can enjoy features such as great cameras, high-refresh-rate AMOLED panels, big batteries with fast charging, and a lot more, all in affordable phones.

We review hundreds of smartphones—across all price segments—at Android Central every year, including all the options we've listed here. Backed by extensive real-world testing, these devices have almost everything you could want from a modern-day Android smartphone and more.

Oh, and if you want something even cheaper, check out the best Android phones under $30. Just know that getting a bad smartphone is tough, and countless choices are available on the market.

Patrick Farmer

Patrick is a no-nonsense deal hunter with over 10 years of experience in the eCommerce space. Whether you’re interested in a new wireless carrier, smart home device, or Android phone, Patrick combines hands-on research with practical shopping advice to get you the answers you need.

At a glance

Best overall

Cheap phones are all about compromise(s), but the CMF Phone 1 by Nothing barely has any, with the kind of specs you'd expect from a mid-ranger like the Pixel 8a for hundreds of dollars less. You get a 6.67-inch FHD display that hits 2,000 nits, whereas some of our other top picks stop below 1,000. Nothing also adds a massive 5,000mAh battery and a strong 50MP primary camera sensor.

In our CMF Phone 1 review, our Senior Phones Editor Nick Sutrich called this thing the "best $200 phone ever, bar none," singling out the great display and 960Hz PWM dimming that prevents the headaches caused by many phones from Samsung and Google phones. Its MediaTek CPU is only available on this phone, and Sutrich praised the "simply legendary" performance, saying that "multitasking was superb with multi-app switching happening instantly" and "games like Minecraft ran flawlessly."

For photography, it sidesteps the issue with many budget phones, which take too long to open the camera app in candid moments. You get a phone that takes quick shots with high-quality results, especially for portraits and selfies. Nothing "nailed the algorithm for separating the foreground from the background."

However, the CMF Phone 1's unique twist is its modular design, which lets you unscrew off the back to swap it for new colors or attach accessories. Sutrich noted that "the 3D printing community on Reddit has already designed several new accessories" and that its modularity is something you rarely find on phones. Of course, it already stands as a solid budget phone, so you don't need to upgrade it unless you want to.

Best software

If the power of the first smartphone is not enough, the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G could be the way to go with the solid Exynos 1380 chipset and 6GB of RAM. It has a 6.6-inch Super 1080 x 2,340 resolution AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 1,000 nits of peak brightness. The front glass is Gorilla Glass Victus+, and the smartphone even comes backed by an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, so you don't need to worry if it gets wet.

The camera setup isn't too unique, with a slightly larger primary sensor than the one on the Galaxy A25. However, with decent lighting, you can get some good-looking photos. Luckily, the battery is large, at 5,000mAh, and supports 25W charging, so you can take plenty of pictures before charging the phone.

The Samsung Galaxy A35 runs Android 14 and has had security patches for the (with One UI 6) out of the box. Samsung provides four OS updates and five years of security updates, so you can confidently use it for years to come. That's the main benefit of using a Samsung phone; even the company's budget phones last five years, while most of our other picks stop getting patched after three.

Moreover, its strong low-band and mid-band 5G support ensures compatibility with most carriers. If you find a better deal for your wireless service, you can switch to a different carrier without buying a new device.

Best value

Following the success of the N20, OnePlus had some huge shoes to fill with the Nord N30 5G. Luckily, they’ve provided another great smartphone with a $299 price tag. We wish that OnePlus had followed it up with the Nord N40 this year, but it's still a strong enough device to keep suggesting for now, so long as you don't mind that Android 14 will remain its last version update.

Our Senior Phones Editor Nick Sutrich noted "just how fast and smooth the OnePlus Nord N30 5G is during everyday tasks," thanks to the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 SoC found in many mid-range Chinese phones, paired with 8GB of RAM. It's not the fastest chipset on this list, but it's very efficient, helping it last two days during his review testing despite the smooth 120Hz refresh rate. And when the battery runs out, you can top it off again in about 30 minutes with 50W charging support.

Our review registered the "front-facing camera was always excellent," although the macro lenses aren't handy because of their low resolution. The 6.72-inch IPS LCD display with a 1080 x 2400 pixel resolution is certainly large enough, but you may resent the lack of OLED compared to some of our other picks. Still, this is a very well-priced smartphone with nifty features like a 3.5mm audio port and stereo speakers, and the few limitations don't matter much.

Best with a stylus

Motorola consistently delivers smartphones with outstanding value, but with the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024), the brand has hit it out of the park. Even though it usually costs just a penny shy of $400, you can get the smartphone for much less during sales and festive-season promotions.

So, what exactly is it that makes the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) a fantastic package? Our managing editor, Derrek Lee, says it "does its best to emulate the flagship experience while retaining its low price tag." Its vegan leather design keeps it feeling soft and cool in your hand, and the 6.7-inch P-OLED panel offers "incredibly vibrant" colors that beat out your typical budget Motorola LCD smartphone. The phone also has a 120Hz refresh rate and display bezels "smaller than the $699 Google Pixel 8."

The real highlight of the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) is the integrated stylus (hence the name!) that lets you doodle, jot down notes, and do a lot more with ease. Lee felt the stylus had an "S Pen-like aesthetic" and noted the "larger contact area and updated software to make it more responsive on the display," though he did wish it had some of the same perks as the Galaxy S24 Ultra stylus. Since the latter costs nearly a complete grand more, though, that'd be a tall ask.

In terms of hardware, you get a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB or 128GB and 8GB of RAM onboard storage, and there's even a microSD expansion slot. Lee says the Moto G Stylus 5G "has no trouble opening and juggling apps while playing games like Honkai Star: Rail seems like a cakewalk for the chipset, even on the highest quality settings." It won't feel like a cheap performance, in other words.

Best battery life

The Samsung Galaxy A16 5G is a budget device worth considering. It features a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset and a Super AMOLED display for daily tasks. Consider this option if battery life is your primary concern and you'd rather save money than get more perks and extras.

This model supports 25W wired charging, but Samsung didn't add wireless charging. Samsung gave this smartphone IP54 and a sharp 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display, but it doesn't support HDR video. The Galaxy A16 5G has thin bezels and 128GB or 256 GB storage options that are expandable through microSD. This option gives you a taste of the flagship phones with this option's One UI 6.1 on top of Android 14.

The Samsung Galaxy A16 5G also features a 50MP wide-angle, 5MP ultrawide, and 2MP macro camera. Selfie lovers will also appreciate the 13MP selfie camera. It doesn't have the latest features of the flagship phone but covers the basics.

Best international

Samsung, Motorola, and OnePlus offer plenty of cheap-to-midrange phone options, but Nothing has excitingly disrupted this category. Senior Asia Editor Harish Jonnalagadda, who reviews dozens of phones across Android brands yearly, titled his Nothing Phone 2(a) review "Why would you buy anything else?" which speaks to its quality.

The quick MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro SoC powers the Phone 2a, which we found to be 20% faster than the Snapdragon 778G+ found in the original Nothing Phone 1 flagship. Paired with 8GB of RAM in the 128GB version or up to 12GB in the 256GB version, the Nothing Phone 2a has "absolutely no lag whatsoever" and "much better-sustained [gaming] performance than any other budget phone."

Speaking of power, the large 5,000mAh battery supports 45W wired charging and can reach 50% in 25 minutes. Our reviewer found that it "easily lasts over a day," and he never had to worry about charging it every night, "even with heavy use."

Unlike most budget phones, which focus on the primary camera, the Nothing Phone 2a has dual 50MP cameras for the primary and ultrawide. Both show "minimal noise levels and plenty of detail" for low-light photos and capture plenty of details in well-lit areas. Although it struggles with "overly saturated colors" at times, it surpasses most of our other picks on this list.

The phone costs $350 and is available in the U.S., too, provided you're willing to join the US Developer Program. (Don't worry—no coding is required!) It's also worth noting that the phone lacks some typical 5G bands used in the U.S., like T-Mobile's band n71 and n25 and Verizon's n2, so you'll likely see more LTE than a true U.S. phone would.

As a side note, the Nothing Phone 2a Plus ($399) also has an updated SoC and a revamped selfie cam, but the same design and display. It's generally sold for a little more than $400 on Amazon, but if you can find one at its original price, we suggest the Plus model over the standard 2a.

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Honorable mentions & international phones

Some of the best Android phones under $400 aren't available in every region; others sell out quickly, leaving only third-party resellers that repackage used phones without telling you.

If our picks above don't work for you, for whatever reason, we're also including a few other affordable picks below that we reviewed and liked, for both U.S. and international buyers. They hit that low-to-midrange price window, whether or not you're paying in dollars, rupees, or any other currency.

How to choose

What are the best Android phones under $400?

The sub-$400 market is highly competitive and confusing, but there have never been more options at this price point among the best Android phones readily available. Need something even cheaper? We've got you covered there, too, with our best Android phones under $300 buying guide.

Nothing has emerged as our favorite budget option in recent years, with the CMF Phone 1 by Nothing and Nothing Phone 2a being two well-reviewed options on our list. The CMF, in particular, costs well below $400 while offering specs on par with the other entries that cost twice as much.

That said, there's a reason why Samsung phones always have a top place on this list. The Galaxy A35 5G will receive four OS updates after Android 14, while most of our other picks stop at Android 15 or 16. That gives it longevity and fresh Android tricks, while the other models fall outdated and lose the latest security patches.

If you're looking for a phone with a long battery life, consider the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G, which has a massive 5,000mAh battery. The phone also has a bigger display and thinner bezels than last year's model.

These are the main factors to weigh before choosing a sub-$400 phone

When choosing the best Android phone under $400, consider these ten key factors:

• Display quality: Most phones in this price range have FHD resolution, but only higher-end models upgrade from LCD to AMOLED and offer 1,000 nits of brightness or more.
• CPU: Some mid-range or budget phones use last-gen chips that are considered fast; others use mid-range chips designed for that year specifically, which we generally find to be better in areas like efficiency. If you're concerned, look up benchmarks for your prospective phone, and pay attention to efficiency and power.
• RAM: 8GB is the new standard for phones in this range; 6GB is only decent, and you can now find some with 12GB. More RAM isn't just for gaming; it's also for app multitasking.
• Cameras: Don't get fooled by useless secondary macro cameras or primary sensors with huge resolution numbers like 108MP or 200MP. 50MP is fine; what matters most is post-photo processing, the quality of the sensor, and other intangibles like exposure. Try to find reviews with photo samples.
• Ingress rating: It can be tricky to find an IP68 rating on a non-flagship phone. Check the spec sheet to see if the phone is somewhat water-resistant, and be careful about submerging it in water.
• Updates: Any phone in this range should offer at least one Android version update and three years of security. More than that is rare unless you get a phone from Samsung, Google, or Nothing; you should also look into the speed of updates, as Motorola can be pretty slow.
• Bloatware: Check our reviews for more details on specific models, but some cheap phones force you to keep their apps in your limited storage that you may have no intention of using. It isn't good because most of them usually cannot be uninstalled. You may end up needing to expand your storage with a microSD card.
• NFC: Most $300–400 phones have contactless payments, but not all (the CMF Phone 1 being one example). Some people count on Google Wallet and leave their physical cards at home, so don't assume every phone has it.
• Battery life: 5,000mAh is standard for phones in this range; all six of our picks stick with that number. If you're concerned about battery life, other secondary factors like the CPU's efficiency could make an actual distinction.
• 5G / carriers: Make sure your phone's modem is ready to handle your network of choice, especially if you try importing a cheap phone from another country. The CMF Phone 1, for example, works better on some U.S. networks than others.

How we test

When we test phones at Android Central, we make sure to use them as our daily driver for the review period. We check app and gaming performance, battery life, call quality, and most other criteria you'd expect over weeks so we don't miss anything. We try to use phones as regular consumers would, so we know what satisfies or frustrates you.

Specifically, we do benchmarks, camera tests, and longevity tests compared to other popular Android phones in the same price range. We try to catch things that won't appear on a spec sheet like build quality or haptics, that make a real difference in the overall experience.

Regarding budget phones, we put them through the same tests as we do with flagship phones from big-name brands. For example, we run demanding apps side by side or run graphics-intensive games and see how it affects battery life or if it overheats the device. You can check out our guide to how Android Central tests and reviews phones to learn more.

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