Best Android phones under $400 in 2024

If you're planning 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 get features like high-refresh rate AMOLED panels, big batteries with fast charging, great cameras, and a lot more, all in devices that won't break the bank. And the best part? Many of these affordable smartphones are discounted even further during Black Friday and other festive-season sales.

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

Oh, and if want something even cheaper, make sure to check out the best Android phones under $300 as well. Just know that it's very hard to get a bad smartphone these days, and there are countless choices available in 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, where some of our other top picks stop below 1,000 nits, along with a big 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 in this phone, and Sutrich praised the "simply legendary" performance, how "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—taking quick shots with high quality results, especially for portraits and selfies. Nothing "nailed the algorithm for separating the foreground from the background."

The CMF Phone 1's truly unique twist, however, 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 almost never find on phones these days. Of course, it already stands on its own as a solid budget phone, so you don't need to upgrade it unless you want to.

Best software

If you're looking for a smartphone with a little more power, the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G could be the right pick with the solid Exynos 1380 chipset and 6GB of RAM. It has a 6.6-inch Super 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 anything too special with a slightly larger main sensor than the one on the Galaxy A25 but with decent lighting, you can get some good-looking photos. Luckily, the battery is large at 5,000mAh with 25W charging support, so you can take plenty of pictures before the device needs to be charged.

The Samsung Galaxy A35 runs Android 14 (with One UI 6) out of the box and is set to receive 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 budget phones from the company last five years with security patches, when most of our other picks stop getting patched after three.

Moreover, with strong low-band and mid-band 5G support, you'd be able to use it on most carriers so if you find a better deal for your wireless service, you can switch to a different carrier without needing to buy a new device.

Best value

Following the success of the N20, OnePlus had some seriously big shoes to fill with the Nord N30 5G. Lucky for us, they’ve delivered another great smartphone with a wee $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 recommending 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 noted how the "front-facing camera was always excellent," although the macro lenses aren't especially useful because of their low resolution. The 6.72-inch display 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 that offers nifty features like a 3.5mm audio port and stereo speakers, and the few limitations don't really matter that much.

Best with a stylus

Motorola's smartphones have always been known for offering solid value for money, but with the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024), the brand has really hit it out of the park. Even though it usually costs just a penny shy of $400, you can get the smartphone for a lot less during sales and festive-season promotions.

So, what exactly is it that makes the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) an amazing package? According to our managing editor Derrek Lee, 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, not to mention the 120Hz refresh rate and display bezels that are "smaller than those of 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 full 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 of 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 cheap performance, in other words.

Best battery life

The Motorola G Power 5G 2024 is more of a budget device than the G Stylus. Despite the name and battery focus, it has the same capacity as the pricier Motorola phone. Its Dimensity 7020 is more of an endurance chipset, and you downgrade from OLED to LCD with bigger bezels. Mostly, you should consider this option if the battery life is your main concern, and you'd rather save money than get more perks and extras.

Our Moto G Power 5G 2024 reviewer Derrek Lee, who also reviewed the Moto G Stylus 5G 2024, praised the same vegan leather design upgrade and the "quite capable" SoC that rarely stuttered thanks to the 8GB of RAM and extra RAM Boost as a backup. He found that it typically lasted eight hours with constant screen-on usage and will probably last much longer for everyday use in standby mode.

Unlike the previous generation, this phone comes with fast 30W charging, although you'll need to supply your own fast USB-C charger. It supports fast 15W wireless charging too, which is rare at this price.

That said, to hit a lower price point, Motorola compromised on the cameras, gaming performance, and display. Don't expect anything beyond serviceable photography, and our reviewer disliked how dim the Moto G Power is (it's 700 nits lower than the Stylus). And while normal apps worked well, he needed to enable lower graphics settings to avoid dropped frames for several Android games.

This phone supports 5G on the major U.S. carriers, so you should get strong network speeds in most areas. The phone ships with Android 14; it'll only receive just one OS update, but that's pretty standard for Motorola's non-flagships and thus, applies to the Moto G Stylus as well.

Best international

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

The Phone 2a is powered by a quick MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro SoC, 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, there's a large 5,000mAh battery with support for 45W wired charging, good enough to hit 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 that put all their focus on the main camera, the Nothing Phone 2a has dual 50MP cameras for main and ultrawide, both of which show "minimal noise levels and plenty of detail" for low-light photos and capture plenty of details in well-lit areas. It struggles with "overly saturated colors" at times, but it's still better than most of our other picks on this list.

The phone comes in at $350 and is available in the U.S. too, provided you're willing to join the US Developer Program (Don' worry, there's no coding required!) It's also worth noting that the phone lacks some common 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 now exists with an updated SoC and a revamped selfie cam, but the same design and display. It's generally sold a little more than $400 on Amazon, but if you can find one at its original price then we would 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.

We'll also point out that some sub-$500 2023 phones like the Pixel 7a and Galaxy A54 are likely to get on sale that'll drop them near the $400 price point, especially during deal events like Black Friday. Keep an eye out!

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 both extremely competitive and a little confusing, but there have never been more options in 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 as two well-reviewed options on our list. The CMF, in particular, costs well below $400, while still 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 both longevity and fresh Android tricks while the other models fall out of date and lose the latest security patches.

Motorola is another mainstay on this list, and if we have to pick one of their phones to recommend, it'd be the Moto G Stylus 5G 2024, even if you don't care about the stylus. The upgrades to the display and performance compared to the Moto G Power are definitely worth paying the extra $100.

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 were considered fast; others use mid-range chips designed for that year specifically, which we generally find to be better in areas like efficiency. Look up benchmarks for your prospective phone if you're concerned, and pay attention to efficiency, as well as power.
• RAM: 8GB is the new standard for phones in this range; 6GB is only decent, and you can find some with 12GB now. More RAM isn't just for gaming; it's also for app multitasking.
• Cameras: Don't get fooled by useless secondary macro cameras, or by main sensors with huge resolution numbers like 108MP or 200MP. 50MP is fine; what matters most is post-photo processing, quality of the sensor, and other intangibles like exposure. Try to find reviews with photo samples.
• Ingress rating: Finding an IP68 rating on a non-flagship phone can be tricky. Check the spec sheet and see if the phone is somewhat water-resistant, at least, 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 in particular.
• Bloatware: Check our reviews for more details on specific models, but some cheap phones force you to keep their own apps in your limited storage that you may have no intention of using. It's bad 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 of them (the CMF Phone 1 being one example). Some people depend on Google Wallet and leave their physical cards at home, so don't assume every phone has it.
• Battery life: 5,000mAh is pretty standard for phones in this range; all six of our picks stick with that number. If you're really concerned about battery life, other secondary factors like the CPU's efficiency could make a real difference.
• 5G / carriers: Make sure that 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 on some U.S. networks better 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 of the other criteria you'd expect over the course of weeks, so we don't miss anything. We try to use phones as regular consumers would use them, so we know what will satisfy or frustrate 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 for the overall experience.

When it comes to 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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