1. At a glance
2. Best overall
3. Best mid-range
4. Best battery life
5. Best upgrade pick
6. Best entry-level
7. Best value
8. How to choose
Samsung is a dominant player in the Android phone space, globally, and the company has a wide range of offerings especially on the budget side. While not every model has made it to the U.S. in the past, many of those can be bought from Amazon U.S. and will work just fine on most carrier networks. Samsung's new 2025 budget offerings have begun selling in most global markets, and these new phones mark a pivotal shift in Samsung's long-term commitment to them in terms of software support.
Our best overall pick is the Samsung Galaxy A36 5G which packs plenty of premium features like a glass back, lighter design, more peppy SoC, and six years of software updates. You can now get all this for just $399, making it a great bargain. Samsung has plenty more best Android phones under or around the $500 mark, so check out the the full list below for all our favorites.
At a glance
Best overall
The Galaxy A36 5G is the best overall choice if you want a 5G Samsung phone for less. The Super AMOLED screen has vibrant colors, powerful hardware, a 50MP camera that takes excellent photos, and a battery that should last two days with regular use. Combine that with six years of Android OS updates and you have a fabulous budget phone.
Best mid-range
The Galaxy A56 5G is good upgrade over the A55 as you get a larger display, faster processor, and a slimmer and more refined design. You even get six years of OS upgrades and 45W charging.
Best battery life
It is powered by the Exynos 1380 chip, a 5,000mAh battery, and Android 15 out of the box. You even get an IP67 rating and six years of Android OS upgrades, which is amazing for a Samsung phone at just $299.
Best upgrade pick
The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is what I'd suggest if you want a budget Samsung phone designed for long-term use. You get loads of premium features like a telephoto camera, wireless charging, and a flagship-grade processor. Plus, it will be getting seven major Android upgrades which makes it relevant for years to come.
Best entry-level
Need a basic phone that doesn't miss out on the essentials? You should take a look at the Galaxy A05s. It doesn't have 5G, but you get a familiar design, decent hardware, a large battery, and good software features.
Best value
The Galaxy A16 5G proves you don't need to shell out a lot of cash to get a good phone. It has a modern design, doesn't lag in daily use, and the 50MP camera at the back is good in most situations. The best part is that you get 5G and six promised Android updates, which is unheard of for an entry-level phone.
Best overall
The Samsung Galaxy A36 5G is the 2025 follow-up to the A35 5G. It comes with a bunch of improvements like a larger display, Gorilla Glass Victus Plus over the display and back, a Snapdragon processor, and 45W fast charging. All of this for just $399 makes it a great buy. What's better, Samsung now promises six Android OS upgrades after the default Android 15 which it ships with.
The A36 has a Super AMOLED panel, offering better color vibrancy and contrast levels. The 120Hz refresh rate ensures the screen feels smooth in daily use, and whether it's playing games or streaming videos, the screen is a delight. You also get a more modern looking hole-punch cutout for the front camera and slimmer bezels.
The phone also has much better hardware in the form of the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor, and you'll notice the difference immediately. There's no noticeable lag in daily use, and the phone should be decent enough for gaming.
The Galaxy A36 5G gets IP67 dust and water resistance ensuring it can withstand the elements. It can be dropped in a meter of fresh water for 30 minutes. Other than that, the essentials are intact: the large 5,000mAh non-removable battery lasts nearly two days on a full charge with average use, you get a reliable camera at the back that takes excellent photos in any scenario, and the software is among the best in this category.
Sure, the phone misses out on a 3.5mm jack and you don't get wireless charging, but if you want a solid budget Samsung phone right now, the Galaxy A36 5G is the obvious choice.
Best mid-range
The Samsung Galaxy A56 5G is currently the best Galaxy A series phone there is, and it's a shame that Samsung isn't officially selling it in the U.S. (yet). You can still easily buy the unlocked version off Amazon though. The new model is similar to the A55, but it gets Android 15 out of the box, a newer processor, and faster charging.
The Galaxy A56 5G covers the basics: it has a larger 6.7-inch AMOLED panel with 120Hz refresh rate, terrific cameras, outstanding battery life, and an excellent software package with plenty of features and six guaranteed Android OS updates as well as six years of security updates.
It is also marginally faster than the A55, and the design feels refined as it's slimmer and lighter. Outside of that, this is still one of the best overall packages you get in the mid-range segment.
Best battery life
The Galaxy A26 5G is an outlier in that it uses Samsung's own Exynos designs and is considered one of the best phones for Galaxy fans under $400. The result is that the Galaxy A26 5G offers stable performance to complete your day-to-day tasks. The 5G modem has global connectivity, ensuring the phone has adequate 5G. The phone also finally gets IP67 rating, which was missing from the A25.
The Super AMOLED screen on the Galaxy A25 5G goes up to 120Hz. With this technology, you get a more advanced technology that features touch sensors on a single layer. Unlike LCD screens, Super AMOLED uses less power and gives you more vivid images.
The cameras are also reliable with a 50MP (OIS, PDAF) wide lens, an 8MP ultrawide lens, and a 2MP macro lens. Under the hood, the A26's 5,000mAh battery should last two days between charges. You also get the latest software package along with six generations of OS upgrades on the A26 5G. Overall, it is a great option to consider if you want a good phone for $300.
Best upgrade pick
The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE isn't exactly a part of the Galaxy S Series, but that means it's a great contender for the best cheap Samsung phones. The now reduced $550 price tag is very attractive though, to say the least.
Samsung has promised a solid seven years of Android updates as well as seven years of security updates. And the best part is that Samsung rolls out monthly security updates to the phone, making sure that it gets all the essential patches on a timely basis.
Then there's the hardware itself: the Galaxy S24 FE has a sublime 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel, cameras that take great photos, and decent battery life to get you through the day with average use. Sure, it isn't quite as good as the Galaxy A36 or Galaxy A56 with its 4,700mAh battery, but it still does a decent job.
What makes the Galaxy S24 FE tick is the fact that it brings the latest features and a flagship processor, so you never miss out on the latest and greatest from One UI. The rest of the specs and features are not too different from the Galaxy S23 FE, but now that the prices of both phones are similar, it just makes sense to get the newer S24 FE.
Best entry-level
The Samsung Galaxy A05s is a decent upgrade from its predecessor, with a larger screen and better resolution. There is also a new chipset, and you don't have to wait too long to top up your phone thanks to faster charging.
With this budget phone, you get a 6.7-inch 1080p PLS LCD screen with a 90Hz refresh rate. Meanwhile, it retains the classic design of the screen and bezels without the home button. The Galaxy A05s will appeal to those who have a minuscule budget but still want something that looks familiar from Samsung.
The brightness is better than its predecessor, reaching 470 nits. Unlike the latest S Series models, the Galaxy A05s comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack. For biometric security, you get a highly responsive side-mounted fingerprint reader.
Unless you have to save large files constantly, the phone's onboard 128GB storage is a good option, but it also offers expandable storage. Unfortunately, the internal storage is the eMMC 511 variety and not the speedier UFS (Universal Flash Storage) storage. Its processor is two years old, but it is still an improvement from the previous Exynos 850 model. With this model, Samsung brings a trio of 50MP, 2MP, and 2MP cameras to the table.
Best value
If you want a Samsung phone that delivers the essentials, the Galaxy A16 5G (the successor to one of the best Android phones under $200) may be the ideal choice. The phone has 5G connectivity, so you can easily watch your favorite videos at lightning speed when streaming over mobile data, and it comes with reliable hardware that's decent for daily use. There is also a massive 5,000mAh battery that lasts two days between charges with average use.
There's also a larger 6.7-inch Super AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate. You'll love looking at this screen with its 800 nits of brightness at High Brightness Mode, and you can also count on high and standard Motion Smoothness modes. Even though it has an energy-efficient chipset, keeping the brightness to a standard also saves battery power.
The software has many features, and Samsung will deliver six Android OS updates to the phone which is nearly as good as its current flagships. The A16 5G also gets an IP54 rating making it more resilient to water and dust than its predecessor.
How to choose
If you want to live in the Samsung world without paying a premium price tag, then the Galaxy A36 5G is your best bet. It delivers all the essentials while still being affordable and is guaranteed to get long-term updates. If you want to spend less but still have amazing battery life, the Galaxy A26 5G is a great choice. It has the same 5,000mAh battery as the rest but is priced lower.
But if you're willing to cough up some extra cash, you can go for the Galaxy A56 5G and take advantage of its more premium features. If you need powerful hardware and better cameras, you should also turn to the Galaxy S24 FE. This phone gets seven years of updates, and now that it's been in the market for nearly a year, you can find lucrative deals for it too.
On the other side, if you want an entry-level option that nails the basics, the Galaxy A05s is a solid pick. Samsung improved a lot of the features from the previous model, making it more attractive to Samsung fans with very limited cash at hand. The Galaxy A16 5G improves on the features of the A15 by adding IP54 rating and a larger display, making it one of the best cheap Android phones to buy.
