If the phone supports the bands for the underlying carrier, it's possible to use it with a pre-paid carrier. One of the most expensive phones on the market can be used with a pre-paid carrier. If you want the best value for money, these phones under $350 are the right place to start. The N20 has all of the right features with fast hardware, good cameras, and support for sub-5G.

OnePlus Nord N20 5G

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

The hardware specifications of the N20 feel like a return to form for the company. The attractive design of the build quality makes it look like it is more expensive than it is. The display is only 60hertz, but with a high resolution, it looks great.

With enough power to keep things running smoothly, and the efficiency to make the battery last all day with ease, the Snapdragon 695 is the perfect fit. The N20 reminds us that a cheap phone can still have great cameras with its 64MP main shooter, 2MP macro camera, and 2MP mono sensor. The photos in our review made us very happy.

If you're a proficient phone photographer who can put a battery through its paces, you can top up the battery in a snap with support for 33 watt charging. To keep it feeling modern for a bit longer, this phone ships with the promise of an upgrade to the next version of the operating system in the future. The majority of T-Mobile's coverage is in the faster band 41, which is supported by sub 6 5G.

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Samsung Galaxy A32

(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)

The AT&T network powers several of the best pre-paid carriers including Cricket. Most other networks will work on this phone. It's not the most powerful in the world but it will work fine with most day-to-day activities.

It has a large 2400x1080 display that can be refreshed in 90 seconds. There is a 48MP main camera with an 8MP ultra wide camera and a 5MP macro camera. The 5,000mAh battery is enough to keep the phone running all day. This is a good choice if you're looking for a device with enough speed and battery life.

Years of updates for the A32 5G is one of the best records for keeping its phones up to date.

Nokia G50

(Image credit: Nokia)

It's good that the company doesn't get carried away with changes to the operating system and sticks to a stock experience. If you keep your expectations in check, the G50 has enough power to handle most apps and can even do a bit of gaming, even though it isn't going to top any benchmark. You'll need a bit of patience to get it up to 100% since the 18W charging means you'll need to wait a bit.

The phone will be out of the box but will need to be upgraded to a newer version of the operating system. It's a good thing that the company sticks to a clean build of the phone's operating system. Two years of OS updates and three years of security monthly updates are promised by the company. We don't like the pre-installed apps on the phone, but for the price, it's not hard to remove them.

The phone supports 5G in the sub 6 band. The major U.S. carriers have support for T-Mobile's faster 5G speeds. It is included in this phone, unlike other phones with this processor.

OnePlus Nord n200 5G

(Image credit: Samuel Contreras / Android Central)

There is a lot of phone for the price with good build quality and a huge battery. In our in-depth review of the N200, the processor performed well. The large display makes this phone feel better to use. It only comes with 64 gigabytes of storage, but there's plenty of room to grow.

You can immediately update the phone to the newer version of the operating system. We don't expect this phone's OS to be upgraded further, but it will get three years of security updates so you can use it with confidence. Oxygen OS is fast and clean, which makes it a good choice for most people.

The cameras are one of the clearsacrifices. The main 13MP sensor was not up to par in our review. Images are useful as long as you don't use your phone for social media. It has the endurance to get even heavy users to the end of the day, with a 5000mAh battery. It would have been better if the brick could deliver more power.

TCL Stylus 5G notes app

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

The Stylus 5G isn't a replacement for the Note, and with a price that's about 25% of the Note's, it shouldn't be expected to be. Our Stylus 5G review did not find the stylus to be great. The problem is that the phone doesn't differentiate between writing with a stylus and writing with a finger. It's nice to have something in the bottom of the phone if you want to make it easier to input.

The screen is large at 6.81 inches and has a high resolution and refresh rate. If you have good lighting, the main 50MP camera will still produce good images. In our review of the TCL Stylus 5G platform, we found that some games wouldn't work at all.

This version of the phone is for T-Mobile and can be found at Metro by T-Mobile. The phone has full support for T-Mobile's 5G network. The platform is compatible with 5G.

Samsung Galaxy A13 5G

(Image credit: Samsung)

The display on the A13 5G isn't up to par, and it's not the only thing that doesn't impress. This is where most of the criticism stops. This phone is powered by the same chipset found in other phones at this price range, so it will have enough power for most applications.

It has a 5,000mAh battery and 15W charging speed, but it's not fast. The main 50MP camera of the A13 5G can take some decent pictures in good lighting but will struggle in low light.

The phone is in the software. There will be two OS updates for this device, one of which will make it to the phone. Four years of security updates is more important. In the event of a theft or loss, multi-tiered security can be put in place by the company. The cheap phone punches above its weight in software and performance and can be a good choice for a carrier.

Buy it unlocked to try out a new carrier whenever you want

If you know how to switch carriers, you can leave a contract behind and get a new one. Most of the cheapest phones on the market will work on any carrier. The majority of these phones will work on any carrier with the exception of 5G. Thanks to more manufacturers committing to multiple years of updates, the software on cheap phones is getting a boost.

The best overall experience is delivered by the N20 5G from the OnePlus. It only works on T-Mobile's network, but it's still an amazing value. The phone supports 5G on T-Mobile's fastest bands, and it's the only phone at this price that does that. Three years of security updates means you can use it with confidence.