Best prepaid cell phones 2024

When you buy one of the best prepaid cell phones, you're essentially getting an unlocked phone that'll work flawlessly with any of the several no-contract wireless service providers and MVNOs out there. These phones are available across all price segments - ranging from budget devices to flagships - but if your aim is to get the most bang out of your buck(s), we suggest taking a look at the options that cost around $400 or less. That way, you can be certain of getting a phone that'll have all the basics like a big display, solid battery endurance, and in some cases, even extras like years of software support.

Among the currently available prepaid cell phones, the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G is our top pick. It sports a vibrant 6.5-inch Super AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, a decent rear camera setup, expandable storage, and a 5,000mAh battery that can easily go for up to two days on a full charge. You also get Android 14 out of the box, along with four years of OS and security updates, all for a mere $300. We also quite like the OnePlus Nord N30 5G, which comes with a big 6.72-inch IPS LCD screen, stereo speakers, and expandable storage. Sure, it's a bit old and won't be updated beyond Android 14, but considering you can get genuinely useful features such as a 3.5mm audio port, and super-fast 50W charging for just $250, there isn't much to complain about. Do check out the Moto G Stylus 5G 2024 too, which gives you a stunning vegan leather back panel, an integrated stylus, and even wireless charging, all for a very reasonable $400 asking price.

Namerah Saud Fatmi

Namerah enjoys geeking out over accessories, gadgets, and all sorts of smart knickknacks. After writing about consumer tech for nearly a decade, she has become an expert in the Android accessories space. She spends her free time guzzling coffee, writing some more, casual gaming, and cuddling with her furry best friends.

At a glance

Best overall

When most folks are trying to pick a prepaid smartphone for less than $400 (or even $350), they often come down to older OnePlus, Motorola, or Samsung phones. After spending a long time at the top, OnePlus has been knocked down by Samsung in the sub-$350 category thanks to the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G. The OnePlus Nord N30 5G follows close behind, thanks to some outstanding hardware and an accessible price tag.

The Samsung Galaxy A25 5G has the same Exynos 1280 chipset as the Galaxy A53, which is still a great phone. The Galaxy A25 5G sports a vibrant 6.5-inch 120Hz Super AMOLED panel and a large 5,000 battery that’ll easily last a full day (or even two) on a single charge. It comes with 6GB or 8GB of RAM, expandable storage up to 1TB, and a 3.5mm audio port. You also get the benefits of Android 14 with support with four OS updates and five years of security updates, which means you can use this phone for years to come before it's time to upgrade to a new one.

Typically priced at $300, the Galaxy A25 5G is a bit more expensive than the OnePlus Nord N30 5G, but it’s important to note here that the phone is set to receive updates and security patches for years, which is not something seen very often at this price. If device longevity is important to you, the Galaxy A25 5G is an excellent phone to be paired with some of the best MVNO carriers in the country.

Best runner-up

The OnePlus Nord N30 5G feels like a return to form for the company with hardware specs that exceed expectations for the price. Build quality also feels strong, with an attractive utilitarian design that makes it look like it costs more than it actually does. The IPS LCD screen may not have the deepest black levels, but still features a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth interaction with on-screen elements.

The Snapdragon 695 chipset in the Nord N30 5G may not be the fastest thing out there, but it's more than capable of handling everyday use tasks like web browsing, media streaming, and even some gaming. Then there's the big 5,000mAh battery, which easily lasts a full day (and then some) with moderate usage. Like Google's low-cost Pixel smartphones, the Nord N30 5G reminds us that an affordable phone can still have solid image quality with its 108MP primary shooter, even if the other two 2MP (one macro and one depth) sensors aren't particularly exciting. In fact, we were thoroughly impressed by the photos in our OnePlus Nord N30 5G review, so do check that out.

Even if you're a heavy user who can put the battery through its paces, you can top it up in a snap with support for 50W SUPERVOOC charging, which is much faster than what some flagships costing hundreds of dollars more can manage. Apart from that, this phone ships with Android 13 with an eventual update to Android 14 but won't get any OS updates after that. It also supports sub-6 5G on T-Mobile's network which includes the vast majority of its coverage including the faster band 41.

Best with stylus

Motorola's smartphones are renowned for offering exceptional value for money, and the Moto G Stylus 5G 2024 is no different. It packs in a truckload of features, many of which are usually found in phones that are much more expensive. Priced just under $400, it offers significant upgrades over the last-gen model.

As the name suggests, the biggest highlight of the Moto G Stylus 5G 2024 is its integrated stylus, which lets you take notes, doodle, or simply interact with on-screen UI elements with effortless ease. The smartphone's 6.7-inch pOLED screen comes with a resolution of 1080x2400 pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate, which make it ideal for multimedia consumption, gaming, and much more. Under the hood, the 2024 version of the Moto G Stylus 5G features Qualcomm's Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC, complete with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, and there's even an expansion slot that can take up microSD cards of up to 2TB in size. Sure, this is not top-tier hardware, but it's more than enough for handling everyday tasks. You get a very capable dual-lens rear camera setup with a 50MP primary sensor and a 13MP ultrawide unit, as well as a 32MP front-facing camera.

Running Android 14 out of the box, the Moto G Stylus 5G 2024 offers nearly all major connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, multi-band 5G, and even NFC for easy contactless payments. Among other features are stereo speakers, a 3.5mm audio port, and a gorgeous vegan leather back panel that's available in two funky colors. The whole package is backed by a 5,000mAh battery with 30W wired charging, and even 15W wireless charging support.

Best under $200

The Samsung Galaxy A15 5G is exactly a penny shy of $200, and it hits the mark on nearly every spec, which makes it one of the best cheap Android phones you can get right now. Having a very good 90Hz Super AMOLED display, it's powered by the same MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ chipset that's found in other phones at this price point, so you have enough power for most use cases, except for heavy gaming.

It also comes with a large 5,000mAh battery and even though the 25W charging isn't exactly the fastest, it gets the job done. The A15 5G's primary 50MP camera can take some decent images with good lighting but struggles in low-light conditions.

Where the Galaxy A15 5G starts to make up some ground is its software. Samsung promises four years of OS updates for this phone, so your Galaxy A15 5G will be up to date for years to come, as long as its hardware can handle the software. Perhaps even more important are the four years of security updates and Samsung's 'Knox' security platform, which can keep sensitive information secure with a multi-layered security approach in the event of theft or loss. This cheap phone punches above its weight and will be a great companion for a prepaid carrier.

Best entry-level

It's nice that Nokia doesn't get carried away with changes to Android and chooses to stick much closer to a stock experience. The Nokia C210 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 SoC, and while it isn't going to top any benchmarks, it has enough power to handle most Android apps with ease and can even do a bit of gaming if you keep your expectations in check. This chipset also sips less power, thus making even the small (by modern-day standards) 3,000mAh battery going all day. That said, the 15W charging speeds mean that you'll need a bit of patience to get it topped up.

The C210 runs Android 13 out of the box but can (and likely should) be upgraded to Android 14 eventually. Nokia sticks to a clean and fuss-free version of Android and that's a good thing. However, given the low price, we're not sure if this phone will get much in terms of software and security updates.

It's also worth mentioning that the phone doesn't support 5G. However, it's nice to see a device that has a decent 6.3-inch IPS LCD display and solid battery life coming in at just around $100, which is extremely affordable. Moreover, you can often get it for even less than that.

Best upgrade

Looks aren’t everything, but when it comes to something you’ll be carrying with you nearly everywhere you go for the next few years, there’s nothing wrong with picking something you like. Compared to cheaper Samsung phones, the Galaxy A35 almost looks like a flagship with its hole-punch cutout for the front camera and a nice large 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display. This panel can hit a peak brightness of 1000 nits, so it's easy to use even in bright light, and you get a 120Hz refresh rate as well.

This phone is powered by an Exynos 1380 chipset that’s obviously not going to hold a candle to a top-of-the-line hardware, but for basic everyday use and even occasional gaming, you should not face any issues. Even so, the efficient chipset paired with the large 5000mAh battery means you should easily make it to the end of the day with a full charge. You can expand the storage with a microSD card too, so you can take all your favorite apps, music, and movies with you. However, there's no 3.5mm audio port so you'll have to get one of the best wireless earbuds for media consumption.

 When it comes to carrier support, the Galaxy A35 isn’t brilliant, with a couple of low-frequency 5G bands like n71 and n2 missing, but it has strong support for mid-band 5G on bands n41 and n77. Long story short, if you spend most of your time inside the city limits, coverage should be solid. On the other hand, if you live in the country, you may want a phone with a bit more extensive band support, such as the Moto G Stylus 5G 2024 discussed above. One last area where Samsung has nailed it with this phone is software support, as you get Android 14 out of the box, along with years of software and security updates.

• Back to the top ^

How to choose

What prepaid phone is best?

More and more people are looking to leave contracts behind, especially if they know how to switch carriers, and prepaid carriers offer a lot of value. In fact, most of the cheap Android phones will work on just about any prepaid carrier. Most  phones we have listed above will work on any carrier with LTE, but 5G compatibility can be a bit less predictable. Even so, software has gotten a big boost on cheap phones, thanks to more manufacturers committing to multiple years of updates.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G delivers the best overall experience with very little compromises. While it's clearly not the best Galaxy A series phone, it's still an awesome value. The phone supports 5G on all US carriers and the mix of specs beats other phones at this price. The Galaxy A25 5G will get OS updates until Android 18 as well as five years of security updates, which means you can keep using it for years to come. You can also take a look at the OnePlus Nord N30 5G, which is powered by a very good Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset and offers goodies like a big IPS LCD panel, stereo speakers, a 3.5mm audio port, and super-fast 50W charging support.

• MVNO deals: Mint Mobile | Visible | Boost | Tello | Cricket Wireless