Times have changed, and it's now easier than ever for shoppers to find a great Android phone for $400 or less. If that's the budget you're working with, you're in luck: we've gathered all of the best options in that price range below.
You'd be surprised at some of the specs found in these phones. Vibrant 120Hz display? Check. Large 5,000mAh battery? You bet. Many of these devices even come with a 3.5mm audio jack, which is a rarity in phones these days.
No matter what features you prioritize, there are a ton of options for tech lovers of all budgets. Looking for something event cheaper? We also have guides to the best phones under $300 and the best phones under $200.
Patrick is a no-nonsense deal hunter with over 10 years of experience in the eCommerce space. Whether you’re interested in a new wireless carrier, smart home device, or Android phone, Patrick combines hands-on research with practical shopping advice to get you the answers you need.
At a glance
Best overall
With the Galaxy A25 5G, you get a vibrant 120Hz display (which is a rarity for this price point), plus a 5,000mAh battery along with four years of OS support and five years of security updates.
Premium pick
While it's not as premium as some flagships, this Exynos 1380-powered phone has a large AMOLED display, 120Hz support, and an IP67 water resistance rating at a penny under $400.
Best value
Get the power of the Snapdragon 695 processor, plus an elegant design, great battery life, and NFC support, all for less than 400 bucks with the OnePlus Nord N30.
Best with a stylus
Get a massive 6.5-inch 90Hz display, multiple days of battery life, and yes, a built-in stylus for less than $400 with the Moto G Stylus.
Best battery life
If you're looking for battery endurance, the Moto G Power 5G is a great budget buy with a massive 5000mAh battery, a power-sipping MediaTek Dimensity 7020 SoC, and quick 30W charging.
Best international phone
The Nothing Phone (2a) is a unique and attractive phone for budget shoppers. The MediaTek SoC inside is powerful enough to breeze through most apps on Android without costing too much.
Best overall
Samsung's Galaxy S series gets the most buzz and attention as the go-to lineup of Galaxy phones, but they're far from the only ones the company makes. If you're eager to get your hands on a robust smartphone that won’t break the bank, check out the Galaxy A25 5G.
Typically selling for around $300, the Galaxy A25 5G boasts a bounty of specs that wouldn’t seem out of place on a modern flagship. I’m talking about a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a smooth-as-butter 120Hz refresh rate, plus the still very decent Octa-core chipset and a large 5,000mAh battery that should last well over a day on a single charge. The triple-camera array on the back of the phone is impressive for the price, taking some surprisingly decent photos for a sub $300 smartphone, while the microSD support can boost the meager 128GB of storage all the way up to 1TB.
You may want some better cameras overall, but for the price, this phone is an excellent choice and does everything needed for a budget smartphone.
Premium pick
If you're looking for something with a little more power, the Samsung Galaxy A35 could be the right pick with the solid Exynos 1380 SoC with 6GB of RAM. It has a 6.6-inch AMOLED screen with 120Hz support and a fairly bright 1000 nits of peak brightness. The front glass is even Gorilla Glass Victus+, and the whole phone has an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, so you don't need to worry if it gets wet.
The cameras are nothing too special with a slightly larger main sensor than the Galaxy A25, but with decent lighting, you can get some good shots. Luckily, the battery is large at 5000mAh with 25W charging support, so you can take your time getting the right shot.
This phone has Android 14 out of the box and is set to receive four OS updates and five years of security updates, so you can feel confident using it for a few years to come. With strong low and mid-band 5G support, you should also be able to use it on most carriers, so if you find a better deal on service, you can switch carriers without needing to buy a new phone.
Best value
Following the success of the N20, OnePlus had some seriously big shoes to fill with the Nord N30 5G. Lucky for us, they’ve delivered another great smartphone with a wee $299 price tag. The N30 picks up right where its predecessor left off, delivering excellent performance, some upgraded camera tech, and a stunning 6.72-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate.
Under the hood, you get the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695, a chip that’s proven to be a reliable performer in other cheap Android phones. You also get a large 5,000mAh battery with 50W SUPERVOOC fast-charging support. We’ve yet to try it ourselves, but according to OnePlus, this tech should fully juice your phone to 100% in as little as 30 minutes. You even get expandable storage up to 1TB.
To sum things up, it looks like this new mid-range device from OnePlus keeps everything that made the Nord N20 great and improves on it in a few key areas. New issues could still arise as we explore the N30’s capabilities — it’s only been out since early June, after all — but for the moment, it’s one of the best devices you can get in this price range.
Best with a stylus
Motorola's Moto G phones often represent some of the best values the Android landscape has to offer, and that's no different with the Moto G Stylus (2023). Although it still lacks 5G connectivity, the newest Moto G Stylus comes with a surprisingly premium-looking design, a built-in stylus, and reliable, middle-of-the-road specs.
The performance of the MediaTek Helio G85 processor is respectable, but it's hard to argue with the price Moto sells this phone at. You'll also be getting a 90Hz display, which helps the phone feel smoother and a bit faster than it actually might be.
The Moto G Stylus (2023) is also packed with a large 5,000mAh battery, Android 13, and, of course, Motorola’s My UX, the software interface that allows helpful gestures like a double-chop to toggle the flashlight or double-twist to launch the camera. The phone even comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is swiftly becoming a rarity in smartphones. All things said and done, the Moto G Stylus excels at being a budget phone that doesn’t look like a budget phone, and that’s worth celebrating.
Best battery life
Motorola has kept its eye on the ball with the Moto G Power 5G with a large battery, solid specs, and 5G support. This 2024 model gets upgraded to 8GB of RAM which helps the phone keep up with basic apps on Android 14. It's powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7020 SoC, which isn't winning any awards for performance, but is a good fit for endurance thanks to its low power usage.
Speaking of power, the Moto G Power 5G 2024 comes with a 5000mAh battery like the previous generation. Unlike the previous generation, this phone comes with fast 30W charging, though you'll need to supply your own fast USB-C charger. It also supports fast 15W wireless charging, which is rare at this price. It uses basically the same main 50MP camera sensor, with an upgraded 8MP ultrawide camera. Even if we weren't exactly blown away by the results in our Moto G Power 2024 review.
This phone supports 5G on the major U.S. carriers, so you should get strong network speeds in most areas. The phone ships with Android 14, which is nice, but Motorola isn't known for providing many updates for its cheaper phones.
Best international phone
Samsung, Apple, Motorola, and OnePlus have done a solid job covering most price points with safe solid options, but if you're looking for something unique with the right price, the Nothing Phone (2a) could be a great choice. This phone comes in at $350 retail, and is available in the U.S. if you're willing to join the US Developer Program, don't worry, there's no coding required. It's also worth noting that this phone lacks some common 5G bands used in the U.S., like T-Mobile's band n71 and n25, and Verizon's n2, so you'll likely see more LTE than a true U.S. phone would.
The phone is powered by a quick MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro, which our hand-on found is 20% faster than a Snapdragon 778G+. Paired with 8GB of RAM in the 128GB version or up to 12GB in the 256GB version, this phone has plenty of power for Android 14, and even some light gaming. Speaking of power, there's a large 5000mAh battery with support for 45W wired charging.
The back still has some LED lighting, though it's not as cool as the Nothing Phone (2)'s Glyph lighting. You'll also find the lenses for main 50MP camera and the 50MP ultrawide camera which are solid performers in this price category.
How to choose
What are the best Android phones under $400?
Why you can trust Android Central Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
The sub-$400 market is both extremely competitive and a little confusing, but there have never been more options in this price point among the best Android phones readily available. Need something even cheaper? We've got you covered there, too, with our best Android phones under $300 buying guide.
The Galaxy A25 5G from Samsung is an excellent choice overall with solid camera performance for the price, wide carrier compatibility, and a large 5000mAh battery. This phone release with Android 14 and Samsung has promised four major OS updates, so you'll be up to date for years as well.
If you're looking for something with a little more power, the Galaxy A35 5G has a quicker Exynos 1380 SoC inside as well as a slightly improved camera. Samsung is also giving this phone four OS updates, and since it launched on Android 14, it should stay up-to-date for a few years.
Get enough power for your needs
Most people don't need the power of a flagship phone, but that doesn't mean they want to cope with lag and freezing. You'll find a wider range of SoCs at this price with options from MediaTek, Samsung, and Qualcomm. Samsung's phones tend to stick with its own Exynos chips for the most part with the Exynos 1280 in the A25 and the Exynos 1380 in the A35 performing well enough for everyday apps, including some gaming, but may chug a bit switching between apps since neither have much RAM.
RAM is short term storage used by apps that you have open. While it can overflow into your storage a bit, that can lead to slowdown that's irritating to those that multitask frequently. If you switch between apps a lot, you should consider a phone with 8GB of RAM as a minimum as you'll likely experience some slowdown with less.
As for your battery, many of these phones come with a fairly standard 5000mAh battery, which is a good fit for the lower-power SoCs used in budget phones. The charging speed can vary a lot, however, with OnePlus standing above the rest with 50W charging on the Nord N30. Samsung comes in a distant second place with 25W charging supported on many of its phones, though users report long charging times regardless.
Finally, 5G support is a good idea for a new phone so it can get access to a network's best speeds. Low-band and mid-band 5G support is adequate for most people, and luckily, most budget phones are 5G or have a 5G variant available. Similarly, it's a good idea to get your phone unlocked if you can afford it so you can bring it with you to another carrier if you find a better deal.
