What are the best budget Android phones?

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63

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Apr 25, 2020

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Here’s the Deal

4 Options Considered

Best budget Android phones	Price	Display Size	OS
88 Moto G5 Plus	$229.99	5.0''+	-
-- Sony Xperia X Compact	$319.99	4.0''+	Android
-- BQ Aquaris X	$289.90	-	Android
-- Sony Xperia XA	$194.98	-	Android

See Full List

OnePlus X

Xiaomi Mi 5

Moto G (2015)

Xiaomi Mi4i

Moto E 2015

LeEco Le Pro3

Blu R1 HD

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score 17 · Answer 1

Moto G5 Plus

Top Pro

Works out of the box with all four major US carriers (including Verizon)

With both CDMA and GSM LTE radios, you have the widest possible selection for service no matter where you go See More

Top Con

Lacks NFC, preventing using it for tap to pay functions

With pay by phone becoming more and more prevalent, the lack of this functionality is disappointing See More

Peter J. Mello's Experience

It amazes me that we've already come this far with smartphones, that one can be bought new for less than US$250 with functionality that rivals flagship phones of just 2-3 years ago. I happily recommend this phone to friends and family looking for a cheaper option than carrier installment plans, and have yet to hear a single complaint from any of them save regarding the camera. See More

Specs

Display Size:5.0''+

Top Pro

All metal exterior is high-quality and good looking

Aluminum and faux-chrome provides great durability and pleasing hand weight See More

Top Con

Poor camera image quality despite having a 12MP sensor

Without optical image stabilization and lacking much low-light performance, you'll be frustrated if you take a lot of pictures See More

Top Pro

Retains micro USB charging port and 3.5mm headphone jack

Use all your existing chargers and headphones, no need for adapters or upgrades See More

Top Pro

Innovative fingerprint reader also serves as the nav bar using gestures

Tap the sensor to go home, swipe right to go back and swipe left for recent apps See More

Top Pro

Exceptional battery life

With nearly 12 hours of screen-on time per charge at indoor brightness levels, you don't need to pack a charger with you everywhere See More

See All

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score 1 · Answer 2

Sony Xperia X Compact

Top Pro

Performance is good enough for average use

The performance is on par with most mid range phones today, meaning it should be enough for everyday uses. See More

Top Con

Glossy exterior attracts fingerprints

The phone’s outer case is made with a glossy plastic that mimics a ceramic look. Unfortunately, the glossy finish is a fingerprint magnet and scratches easily over time. See More

Specs

OS:Android

Display Size:4.0''+

Top Pro

Able to shoot really high quality pictures

The 23 MP sensor, wide lens and laser autofocus system brings very impressive results. The camera captures plenty of detail, but may lack some saturation (though it’s easy enough to fix in post-processing). The auto mode nails the settings correctly most of the time. The autofocus works great even with moving objects, as the camera continuously tracks the object to maintain a sharp image. See More

Top Con

No fingerprint sensor in the US version

Top Pro

Great for one-handed use

Because of the compact size and the rounded sides, the phone feels very comfortable even if you have small hands. The 4.6-inch screen is just the right size for one-handed use. See More

Top Con

Comes with pre-installed bloatware

Bloatware from Sony pre-installed, but you can disable and remove most of them. See More

See All

score 1 · Answer 3

BQ Aquaris X

Top Pro

Very close to stock Android

The software is very similar to stock Android with no bloatware. See More

Top Con

Feels rather cheap

The back part of the phone is made of cheap plastic which is something you don't see often for smartphones at this price range. See More

Specs

OS:Android

Size:5.0''+

Top Pro

Will receive security updates until 2019

BQ has promised to release security updates every two months until 2019. See More

Top Pro

Takes great pictures especially outdoors

Pictures taken with the Aquaris X have good colour reproduction and a good white balance. This is especially true for pitures taken under bright light where noise is almost non-existent. See More

See All

score 1 · Answer 4

Sony Xperia XA

Top Pro

Good enough performance for basic tasks

The 64-bit chipset built into the phone is good enough for basic tasks. Navigating around the Android UI is lag-free, apps open quickly and most games will perform decently well. See More

Top Con

Display quality is a letdown

The 720p display does not have a high enough resolution to display high-quality images like other modern smartphones. See More

Specs

OS:Android

Size:5.0''+

Top Pro

Comfortable to use with one hand

There's almost no bezels surrounding the small 5-inch screen of the Xperia XA, making it very easy and comfortable to use even one-handed. See More

Top Con

Limited storage

The 16GB storage is rather limited and will be quickly filled up by apps, images, and videos. See More

Top Pro

The camera is capable of taking good outdoor shots

Colours are accurate and vibrant, and the resolution is sufficient to make your shots look crisp when they're posted to social networks, but fine details look pretty fuzzy when you start to zoom in. See More

Top Con

Battery does not last a full day

The 2300mAh battery is very disappointing. According to benchmarks it lasts an average of 8 hours on a single charge. See More

Top Con

Lots of bloatware out of the box

Even though the Android experience on this phone is very close to stock Android, Sony still filled the Xperia XA with lots of unneeded software such as a PlayStation app, Xperia Lounge App and third-party software like AVG Antivirus, Koo eBooks app, and Amazon's shopping app. See More

See All

score 6 · Answer 5

Asus Zenfone 3

score 1 · Answer 6

Lenovo Moto G4

score 5 · Answer 7

Blu Life One X (2016)

score 1 · Answer 8

Sony Xperia XA

score 1 · Answer 9

Motorola Moto G (2014)

score 1 · Answer 10

Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3

score 1 · Answer 11

Zenphone 2 (Z551ML) (2gbRam version)

score 1 · Answer 12

Alcatel Idol 4

score 1 · Answer 13

4 Options Considered

My Recommendation for Moto G5 Plus

My Recommendation for Moto G5 Plus

Works out of the box with all four major US carriers (including Verizon)

Lacks NFC, preventing using it for tap to pay functions

All metal exterior is high-quality and good looking

Poor camera image quality despite having a 12MP sensor

Retains micro USB charging port and 3.5mm headphone jack

Innovative fingerprint reader also serves as the nav bar using gestures

Exceptional battery life

My Recommendation for Sony Xperia X Compact

My Recommendation for Sony Xperia X Compact

Performance is good enough for average use

Glossy exterior attracts fingerprints

Able to shoot really high quality pictures

No fingerprint sensor in the US version

Great for one-handed use

Comes with pre-installed bloatware

My Recommendation for BQ Aquaris X

My Recommendation for BQ Aquaris X

Very close to stock Android

Feels rather cheap

Will receive security updates until 2019

Takes great pictures especially outdoors

My Recommendation for Sony Xperia XA

My Recommendation for Sony Xperia XA

Good enough performance for basic tasks

Display quality is a letdown

Comfortable to use with one hand

Limited storage

The camera is capable of taking good outdoor shots

Battery does not last a full day

Lots of bloatware out of the box

Don't see your favorite option? Add it.

My Recommendation for Asus Zenfone 3

My Recommendation for Asus Zenfone 3

My Recommendation for Lenovo Moto G4

My Recommendation for Lenovo Moto G4

My Recommendation for Blu Life One X (2016)

My Recommendation for Blu Life One X (2016)

My Recommendation for Sony Xperia XA

My Recommendation for Sony Xperia XA

My Recommendation for OnePlus X

My Recommendation for OnePlus X

My Recommendation for Xiaomi Mi 5

My Recommendation for Xiaomi Mi 5

My Recommendation for Moto G (2015)

My Recommendation for Moto G (2015)

My Recommendation for Xiaomi Mi4i

My Recommendation for Xiaomi Mi4i

My Recommendation for Motorola Moto G (2014)

My Recommendation for Motorola Moto G (2014)

My Recommendation for Moto E 2015

My Recommendation for Moto E 2015

My Recommendation for Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3

My Recommendation for Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3

My Recommendation for Zenphone 2 (Z551ML) (2gbRam version)

My Recommendation for Zenphone 2 (Z551ML) (2gbRam version)

My Recommendation for LeEco Le Pro3

My Recommendation for LeEco Le Pro3

My Recommendation for Alcatel Idol 4

My Recommendation for Alcatel Idol 4

My Recommendation for One Plus One

My Recommendation for One Plus One

My Recommendation for Blu R1 HD

My Recommendation for Blu R1 HD

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