Best Android phones under $100 in 2025

Smartphone technology has gotten so mainstream over the years that you no longer have to punish yourself for spending less. Today, you can actually find a variety of best Android phones under $100 that are not potatoes. Sure, you're still going to have to sacrifice things like future OS upgrades, 5G connectivity, and camera quality, but all basic funtionality and app compatibility will be present. Some of the recent offerings even come with the lastest flavor of Android, which is a big point to keep in mind.

Our favorite overall pick right now is the NUU N10. It's sleek, has a massive display, and runs Android 14. That's a lot of smartphone for $100. If you're looking for something cheaper though or more compact, check out all our best picks below.

At a glance

Best overall

Although it costs under $100, the NUU N10 holds its own against phones much more expensive. The smartphone features a 6.6-inch display with a 90Hz refresh rate and an HD+ resolution, but the real impressive feat is the chipset and software. It uses a no-name 1.6GHz eight-core processor, and it's good enough to run Android 14 with Gemini support. There's also zero bloatware, which is uncommon for budget Android phones.

In terms of cameras, there's a 13MP main camera with auto-focus and a 2MP macro lens on the rear. You get a 5MP front-facing camera, too, both of which are serviceable. The device has a 128GB internal storage capacity and that can be doubled with a microSD card. To round things out, there's a 5,000mAh battery for great battery life.

This budget Android phone costs well below $100, but it leaves out CDMA support — restricting buyers to AT&T, T-Mobile, and MNVOs. It leaves Verizon out, but overall, the NUU N10 is still a surprisingly capable option, as we found in hands-on testing with the smartphone.

Best international

The Xiaomi Redmi 13C replaces the 12C that was on our list. It usually costs a little more than $100, but you can get it for less than that during sales and promotions. This Xiaomi phone's design itself is pretty standard for this price range—a plastic body and a small camera cut-out in a waterdrop notch on the front—but you do get a very convenient side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and the camera experience is better than you might expect.

The MediaTek Helio G85 SoC inside offers plenty of performance for everyday use, pushing the boundaries of what a cheap smartphone is capable of. You get multiple memory combos, but the cheapest variant of the Xiaomi Redmi 13C comes with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.

You even get a delightfully large battery rated at 5,000mAh. A single charge could get you two to three days of use. Charging speeds have improved compared to the 12C, and is now 18W. Other upgrades in the 13C include a 90Hz display, more modern design on the back panel, 8MP front camera, Bluetooth 5.3, and a USB-C port.

The 50MP primary camera is the star of the show, delivering the best results of any phone at this price range. Sadly, the Xiaomi Redmi 13C isn't officially available in the U.S. and even if you get your hands on it, carrier support can be a bit problematic. If that doesn't matter to you, it's definitely among the best phones for anyone having a $100 budget.

Best budget

Exquisite design isn't something you see on Android phones in this price range, and while 'exquisite' isn't exactly the word we'd use to describe the BLU G33, it certainly stands out from the rest of the phones on this list. The eye-catching textured design on the back is bold and attractive, as are the color options.

Joining that design is a well-rounded set of specifications, including a 6.26-inch LCD display, a dual-lens rear camera setup with a 5MP unit and a 0.3MP module, a side-mounted fingerprint reader integrated into the power button, upgradable storage, and even face unlock for further security.

The chipset features an octa-core ARM Cortex A55 setup, but the 2GB/16GB option is very poor for RAM and internal storage. It's got some of the worst battery life on this list though, as the 3,000mAh battery probably won't last more than a day. You do get some consolation in the form of the USB-C charging port.

In addition to the phone itself, BLU gives you all of the accessories you could possibly need, right in the box. These include a screen protector, a silicone case, a charger and cable, and even a BLU sticker for you to place wherever you want. All in all, the water-resistant BLU G33 is a great budget phone for well below $100.

Best dumb phone

In case you aren't familiar with the term, dumb phones are essentially just super simple devices that lack all of the bells and whistles found in modern smartphones. There are typically no apps, no touchscreen, and no high-tech camera software; just try to picture the phone you used in 2006. Durable, cheap, and long-lasting, these devices have been witnessing a resurgence in popularity among users who are trying to disconnect from being constantly online. Others might want a dumb phone for privacy reasons or to improve their work/life balance. No matter the reason, the Cat S22 Flip is still among the best dumb phones with Android that costs less than $100, even if the company behind it probably won't be making any more devices.

Now, if you want to get technical, it’s worth noting that the Cat S22 Flip cannot really be called a true dumb phone since it runs Android 11 (Go Edition). If you’re willing to ignore the semantics, it's a great phone powered by the quad-core Snapdragon 215 chipset. You can download simple apps like Facebook and YouTube, the phone has a 2.8-inch touchscreen and a 1.44-inch outer secondary display, and the whole thing is military-grade tough, offering resistance to water, dust and insane temperatures.

The Cat S22 Flip comes with up to 12 hours of battery life, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, USB-C charging, a programmable button, a 5MP primary camera, a 2MP selfie lens, and a microSD card slot for expandable storage.

Best Verizon

While the TCL 30 Z isn't as fancy of a phone as the company's newer TCL 40 XL, it's a solid option in the sub-$100 bracket, despite being a little old at this point. There's something to be said about simplicity, and even though the TCL 30 Z is simple, it still has all the basics of a cheerfully cheap smartphone to keep you satisfied.

Running Android 12 out of the box, the TCL 30 Z has a MediaTek Helio A22 SoC, and pleasantly, 3GB of RAM. You get 32GB of storage onboard and it can be increased up to a whopping 512GB via a microSD card. The smartphone's 6.1-inch HD+ LCD panel is dwarfed by a thick forehead and chin, but it still looks nice and crisp.

There are dual cameras — an 8MP rear sensor and a 5MP front-facing lens. They get the job done, but obviously won't come anywhere close to the best Android camera phones out there. Thankfully, you can expect excellent battery life, even with the small 3,000mAh battery of the phone. Although the microUSB port is a letdown, but at least you get Verizon support, which is hard to come by in this price range.

Best upgrade

At first glance, it hard to believe that the UMIDIGI G9T costs around $100. The sleek design and pleasing summer shades of blue and green makes it look very upmarket. The G9T comes with a decent set of features, the most important ones being Android 14, a 5,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging, a 90Hz display, and a slim and light design.

The phone is powered by a UNISOC T606 octa-core SoC which should be enough for casual app usage. There's 4GB of RAM which can be extended up to another 4GB (virtual RAM that uses part of the storage). Thankfully, you get 128GB of storage which is also expandable via the hybrid SIM slot. The G9T weighs just 189g and is 7.9mm slim, which makes it easy to carry around. The display is massive at 6.75 inches, which wouldn't have been an issue had the resolution been more than HD+. This means text and icons aren't going to look the sharpest but video playback should be good enough.

The other area where you'll have to compromise on is the cameras. Even though it looks like there are two rear sensors, only the main 13MP camera is actually usable for photos. The second one is just a depth sensor. An ultrawide would be nice to have but the quality would have been quite terrible so I don't think it's a huge loss. There's an 8MP camera in the front for selfies.

The UMIDIGI G9T has a fingerprint sensor for safer biometrics, and you get features like FM radio, support for multiple satellite navigation systems like Beidou and Glonass, a headphone jack, and Wi-Fi ac.

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How to choose

There are many junk Android phones that you can buy in this $100 price range, but there are also many great ones, as seen above. Overall, the NUU N10 stands out as the best cheap Android phone that we've managed to find under the $100 price point. When it comes to buying cheap phones, you want to get as many features as possible. Even then, the NUU N10 gives you bang for your buck, complete with a clean Android 14 experience and Gemini AI support.

For Verizon support in the U.S. however, the TCL 30 Z remains our top pick. It costs way less than $100 and comes with a number of decent features including a great screen, plenty of storage, decent performance, expandable storage, and face unlock. The one caveat here is the dated micro-USB port, but it's probably not a big deal at this price point. We also suggest the UMIDIGI G9T, which offers decent specs, a big battery, and even Android 14, all for less than $100.

If none of these phones tickle your fancy and you're willing to stretch your budget a little, we've also gathered the best Android phones under $200 that you can take a look at.

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