Best Android One phones 2024

Nokia 8.3 5G standing upright on a table with its backside shown off
(Image credit: Android Central)

The best Android One phones were meant to get the latest Android updates on time and offer a clean interface. If you're looking for an Android One phone in 2022, your options are limited to Nokia's older devices. Most manufacturers haven't released a new Android One phone in a while. The Nokia 8.3 is the best choice right now, but you can find other options at various price points. Here are some of our top choices to consider.

Meet the best Android One phones

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Nokia 8.3 5G on a table

(Image credit: Android Central)
The best Android One phone you can buy

Reasons to buy

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Powerful hardware
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Outstanding battery life
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Bloat-free software
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Reliable cameras
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3.5mm jack

Reasons to avoid

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60Hz screen doesn't cut it
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No wireless charging
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Updates taking longer than usual

With the Nokia 8.3, HMD Global has a device that goes up against the best cheap Android phones. The phone has a massive 6.81-inch Full HD+ display backed by a powerful Snapdragon 765G chipset with 5G connectivity, and the 4,500mAh battery ensures you get at least two days of battery life.

There's also a 3.5mm jack, and the 64MP camera at the back takes great photos in most lighting conditions. The Nokia 8.3 gets a lot right, and the fact that it runs clean software without any bloatware gives it an added edge. That said, Nokia hasn't been the best at software updates lately, and the Android 11 update for the Nokia 8.3 didn't show up until after five months of its availability and Android 12 only just made its way to the phone. Sadly, that's the last major update promised for the Nokia 8.3.

The Nokia 8.3 also misses out on a 90Hz or 120Hz screen, and there's no wireless charging. So while the phone doesn't quite hold its own against the Pixel 6a or the Galaxy A53 5G, it is the best choice right now for Android One.

Nokia 5.4 on a rocky ground

(Image credit: Jeramy Johnson / Android Central)
A great Android One phone for under $300

Reasons to buy

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Two-day battery life
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Decent cameras
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Clean software
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NFC

Reasons to avoid

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Still on Android 10
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720p display

The Nokia 5.4 is powered by the Snapdragon 662 chipset, comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, NFC, and a massive battery that lasts two days between charges. It's HMD Global's tried-and-tested formula in the same old industrial design favored by most of its budget smartphones.

The camera is much better than its predecessor, and the 48MP module takes decent photos in its category. That makes the Nokia 5.4 that much more enticing as a budget phone, and the 16MP camera at the front also holds its own.

The Nokia 5.4 has a 6.39-inch screen, but the resolution itself is a stale 720p. That's not too bad as the screen feels fine in daily use, but a 1080p panel would have made the phone a much better option. But the biggest issue is that the Nokia 5.4 only just received Android 12 in July 2022 and there's no word on when it's slated to receive Android 13.

Nokia 7.2 standing upright leaning against a tree outdoors showing off its back

(Image credit: Android Central)
Still a decent buy

Reasons to buy

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Premium glass build
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HDR10 display
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Great battery
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128GB of storage out of the box
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3.5mm jack

Reasons to avoid

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Large bottom bezel
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Rear cameras are just fine
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Won't get Android 12, let alone 13

The Nokia 7.2 debuted quite a few years ago, but it is still a decent enough option in 2022 with the new lowered price. However, stock is hard to find these days. Nokia phones have a legacy of being well-built, and that point holds 100% true with the Nokia 7.2. It has a durable aluminum frame with a sleek glass back that looks and feels incredible.

Around the front, the 6.3-inch display is a joy to look at. Not only is it crisp with a 2220x1080 resolution, but its ability to natively play HDR10 content and convert SDR videos into HDR ones means everything is brimming with color and vibrancy at all times.

What else helps the Nokia 7.2 stand out? Its battery life is fantastic, an NFC chip enables contactless payments with Google Pay, USB-C is used for charging, and you can expand the generous 128GB of base storage up to an additional 400GB if you plan on storing a bunch of local files.

There weren't many downsides to the Nokia 7.2 at launch, but the story has taken a turn now. The triple rear cameras are simply OK and the bottom bezel below the screen is on the large side of things. All these issues are digestible, but the fact that it won't even get Android 12 is a buzzkill.

Nokia 3.4

(Image credit: Nokia)

Nokia 3.4

Spend even less

Reasons to buy

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Great value
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Large battery
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Clean software without any bloat
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3.5mm jack

Reasons to avoid

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720p panel
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No more platform updates after Android 12

In the last five years or so, HMD Global has focused heavily on the budget and entry-level segments, and the Nokia 3.4 is a testament to that. The phone delivers the same industrial design aesthetic as the rest of Nokia's phones, making the device stand out in the budget category.

On the hardware side of things, the Nokia 3.4 has a 6.39-inch 720p display, Snapdragon 460 chipset, and a 4,000mAh battery that easily lasts two days. There's a 13MP camera at the back, and while it won't win any awards, it takes decent enough shots in daylight conditions.

The main reason for buying the Nokia 3.4 is the clean software. It's a rarity to see a device in the budget segment with bloat-free software, and that alone makes the Nokia 3.4 worthy of consideration. That said, the phone just moved on to Android 12 in July 2022, which is the end of the line as far as OS updates go for this model.

Nokia 1.4

(Image credit: Nokia)

Nokia 1.4

Just the essentials

Reasons to buy

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Powered by Android Go
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Reliable in daily use
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Minimalist design
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Amazing battery life

Reasons to avoid

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Cameras are limited
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No fast charging
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Still waiting for Android 12

Want the most amount of phone for just over a hundred dollars? Then you'll want to take a look at the Nokia 1.4. The phone is powered by Android Go — a lightweight version of Android that's designed for entry-level devices with limited memory and storage.

So even though the Nokia 1.4 has just 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, it runs just fine in daily use. Android Go offers a lite version of most Google services, and they offer the same feature set while taking up barely any storage. The phone touts a 6.39-inch 720p panel powered by the Snapdragon 215. It also has an 8MP camera and a 4,000mAh battery that runs for nearly three days between charges.

Yet again, the biggest flaw in HMD Global's potentially great Android One phone is the slow update rollout. As of November 2022, users are still waiting for the OTA Android 12 update on their Nokia 1.4 devices.

Android One phones bring clean software in affordable packages

The list of Android One phones continues to dwindle in 2022, and your only realistic option is Nokia. The Nokia 8.3 is a solid choice if you're looking for a phone with clean software. It's powered by the Snapdragon 765G and has 5G, and you get a large screen coupled with decent cameras and two-day battery life.

It misses some of the more exciting changes we've seen in recent devices — like a high refresh rate display — and HMD Global hasn't done a good job delivering software updates. The Nokia 8.3 made the switch to Android 12 only in the second quarter of 2022. A lot of other Nokia devices are still waiting for updates to roll around, and that's not a good look for a brand whose entire software premise relies on timely updates.

So if you really want an affordable 5G-enabled device that has a clean interface and will get updates faster than any other phone, do yourself a favor and pick up the Pixel 6a. If you're in the market for a more budget-focused option, the Pixel 6a is the ultimate value-packed choice in 2022.

Harish Jonnalagadda
Senior Editor - Asia

Harish Jonnalagadda is a Senior Editor overseeing Asia at Android Central. He leads the site's coverage of Chinese phone brands, contributing to reviews, features, and buying guides. He also writes about storage servers, audio products, and the semiconductor industry. Contact him on Twitter at @chunkynerd.