Cheap/budget phones have always been a fun talking point in the Android space, but especially in a year like 2020, they became more important than ever before. Money is tight, people are keeping a close eye on their spending, and this allows more affordable devices to really shine.
Handsets like the Pixel 4a, Moto G Power, and others stand out strong as some of the best cheap Android phones available right now, and looking ahead at the coming year, even more are on the horizon.
A few of our AC forum members recently got to talking about the whole budget phone segment, saying:
I think they're great as long as you buy one with the right expectations like you did ;) My wife loves her Moto phones that I can pick up new directly from Moto for $150-$200 on clearance. She's not concerned about security or os updates (which are overrated and Moto phones don't get many of), has never had any issues with the phones or security (she's careful), and the phones look and feel way...
J Dubbs
Budget phones have been solid options for most people for a few years now, I think we've just hit a point where even entry level hardware is powerful enough to run Android and most apps smoothly. I've got a Note 20 Ultra and I bought it specifically for the camera, for the most part I'd be happy using one of Samsungs much cheaper phones.
L0n3N1nja
Budget phones keep getting better and better each year. Also if you do not game a lot budget phones last easily 2-3 years these days. Also camera performance in daylight seems to be getting better and better with each year as well.
worldspy99
I think budget phones are very good today.
mustang7757
This got us to wondering — What do you want to see from budget phones in 2021?
