We rounded up the best phones under $200 because there are plenty of great, inexpensive phones. For anyone on a budget, the steep prices of $1,000 and more phones can be hard to swallow. If you need a new phone but don't have a lot of money, the G20 is our favorite because it has three cameras and a large screen. We are talking about the G20, but also some of the best phones that bring tremendous value to the low-end space.
The phones on this list are not considered expensive, but if you want to spend your money on something reliable, the Nokia G20 is for you. It is the best budget phone in this range at the end of the day. You can get a lot of value from the G20 instead of the cheaper G10
The G20 is larger than its cheaper predecessors because it has a 6.52 inch screen. You get an HD+ resolution of 720x1600, a MediaTek processor, 4GB of RAM, and an impressive 128GB of storage for less. Thanks to the generous 5,050 mAh battery, you shouldn't have to mess with it too much.
You will get two years of upgrades and three years of security patches if you buy the phone from the company. The phone is slated to get both 12 and 13 in the future. The software experience is enjoyable as there is no bloatware.
The textured back of the phone is available in two colors. The IPX2 rating on the G20 makes it splash-proof in nature. A 48MP primary camera is included in the quad-camera setup. The G20 is our top sub-$200 recommendation because it was packed with the right features.
The updated Moto G Play (2021) is the most recent affordable phone under the Play banner, and it is the king of the sub-$200 category. It makes a few compromises to reach this price tag, but it is still a great piece of tech.
The display is a 6.5-inch, 720p HD+ LCD. This phone is a good choice for watching videos or playing light games because of its small waterdrop notch and decent bezels. The 13MP + 2MP dual rear cameras are more noticeable, but they are good for quick uploads to your favorite social media app.
The Moto G Play (2021) has a fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone, which is as fast and reliable as you could ask for. There is a 5,000mAh battery and support for all U.S. carriers. The Moto E has wireless charging, but this device does not.
The biggest downside to the Moto G Play is that it will only get one major platform update, and that is to Android 11! This thing ships with an outdated version of the operating system. At least one update would have been appreciated, as the Moto G Fast is just as strong as the custom take on Android.
It may not have the most cutting-edge specifications, but don't sleep on it. This phone has a 6.82-inch vivid LCD panel, which is the most captivating display under $200. The waterdrop notch looks a little dated, but it is the entire package that bolsters the worth of this phone.
You can get a nice deal with all that screen real estate. You can increase the amount of storage to up to 128GB with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. There is a fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone. The 18W fast charging speed of the TCL 20 SE makes it the fastest phone in this category.
A set of quad cameras has a 48MP primary lens. The TCL 20 SE is powered by a software program. The entire phone will be powered by the Snapdragon 460. The lack of any platform upgrades or any way to waterproof the phone prevents it from being our number one pick. Two years of security updates are promised by TCL.
The Moto G Stylus is at the top of our budget. It is one of the best phones you can buy for this price, and it is not without fault. You can only update it to Android 11 if you run it out of the box. The 2021 iteration of the G Stylus is almost perfect.
The hardware of the Moto G Stylus is better than you would expect for a phone in this price range. It is now available at half the price, which explains the high-quality construction. It feels substantial when held and there is a useful stylus built-in. The 6.8-inch screen has a large canvas with minimal bezels, great colors, and good viewing angles. Considering other options in this list is as sharp as possible because of the FHD resolution. It is a fine screen.
There are four cameras on the back, including a 48MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, and 2MP macro and depth sensors. The 48MP sensor takes surprisingly detailed and vibrant shots, and while the quality dips with the other sensors, it is still a lot of fun to have them for expanded shooting possibilities. Up to two days of use for some people is possible with the 4,000mAh battery. There is no fast charging support here.
The software of the Moto G Stylus is excellent. The user interface is similar to what you would find on an older phone, with a few thoughtful changes that elevate the experience. Moto Actions allows you to chop the phone to open the camera app and Moto Display is the best Always-On display on any phone.
When you think of the best phones, you probably think of devices like the S22 and S22 Ultra, which are big, flashy, and expensive. If you want to own a phone for yourself but need to keep costs low, the A12 is a good choice.
The A12 has an impressive display. The phone is large at 6.5-inches, has a cutout for a selfie camera in the bottom of the frame, and goes edge-to-edge with the phone's left and right frame. If you do a lot of media consumption, the A12 will make your movies and games stand out.
The A12 has a total of four cameras, consisting of a 16MP primary, 5MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro, and 2MP depth sensors. The cameras allow for some image-taking, especially with the ultra-wide camera, even though the image quality isn't great. Other highlights of the A12 include a 5,000 mAh battery, fast charging, and a custom OneUI software that has endless features and settings.
You can upgrade to Android 11 right away, even though the A12 comes with OneUI 3.1. It will be its last major update and it will be received at some point.
Even though it made a name for itself by offering flagship-quality phones at more affordable price points, it wasn't until theNord introduction series that it really started to produce true budget-level phones. The true value phones in the Nord lineup, including the N10 5G and N 100, can be purchased in the U.S. and Canada.
The N 100 is a pretty impressive package, coming in at under $200. It has a 6.52-inch screen, 5,000mAh battery, 64GB of on-device storage, and the ability to expand up to 512GB via the microSD slot. There is a triple camera setup on the back along with a fingerprint sensor and dual stereo speakers up front.
The only downside to the N 100 is that it doesn't ship with OxygenOS. OxygenOS 11 can be updated based on the new version of the phone, but the total of platform updates is more important. This is a great option if you have always wanted a OnePlus phone but couldn't afford it. Alternatively, if you can swing a little more, you can pick up the newer OnePlus N200 5G for around $240.
The Moto G Power was one of our favorite budget phones of 2020 and we were excited when it was announced that it was getting a sequel. After we learned about some of the upgrades featured in the 2021 model, our excitement waned. With the Moto G Power (2022) now available, we can say that you are better off with last year's model despite the downgrades.
The Mediatek processor is slow, but the 662 processor is better. There is no HD+ display on the 2021 variant, but the same model maxes out at 720p so you are not losing out. The Moto G Power has a water-resistance coating, but it doesn't have a headphone jack. The 2021 model only received one major platform update.
The Moto G Power is still a solid, capable, and affordable phone. We were hoping for the second act. If you are looking for a three-camera setup, a bright and big screen, and a giant battery, this is the one for you. It is better than the newer variant that has a lot of lags.
Some phones were designed to be rugged and durable right out of the box, so putting a case on the phone is an excellent way to make sure it stays safe. If you are prone to clumsiness or work in a physically demanding environment, the Blackview BV4900 is a good choice.
The design of the BV4900 makes it clear that it is rugged. You can get a dust/water resistance rating as well as a MIL-STD-810G certification. The BV4900 was tested to survive five feet of drops.
There are many other highlights for the BV5900. It has a huge battery, a charging port, and a payment method. There are also 32 and 3gigabytes of storage that can be expanded to 128 and 128gigabytes, respectively. There is no fingerprint sensor on the pre-installed version of the platform.
Blackview's design of the BV4900 isn't for everyone, but if you know you would benefit from a ruggedized handsets like this, it's worth a good look. The Blackview BV4900 makes a lot of compromises, but it is very attractive.
$200 was not enough to buy you a good phone in the way of the best phones. It is surprising how many options you have in a low price segment. There are a lot of cheap and great phones. Out of all the phones currently available, we think the G20 is the best one under $200. The average person shopping for a new phone will find the G20 to be excellent. The display looks good, the performance is great for most apps and light games, the three rear cameras are a bunch of fun to use, and the 5,050mAh battery is a life saver.
Although there are newer phones out there, the value king of the sub-$200 segment is the Nokia G20. It all depends on the memory options, the side-mounted fingerprint sensor, quad cameras, and face unlock. There is a stock experience with guaranteed upgrades to Android 12 as well as Android 13.
If you want to keep things simple, go with the Moto G Play (2021), it's worth the check out. We think you will be happy with it.
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