The best budget 5G phones in 2024 [Buyer's guide]

The best budget 5G phones in 2024 [Buyer's guide]
The fast 5G connectivity - once reserved only for flagship handsets - slowly made its way through midrangers to budget phones now, as almost all handsets now have 5G support for T-Mobile, Verizon, or AT&T's networks, even in the prepaid category. Which are the best budget 5G phones, though?

Best cheap 5G phones list:


Mobile carriers around the world are expanding their 5G networks at a rapid pace and 5G devices are now far from the niche products they were just a short time ago, going as low downmarket as the Galaxy A14 5G. That’s largely thanks to Qualcomm’s efforts to pair its 5G modem with some affordable system chips, giving manufacturers more flexibility in terms of pricing, starting 5G phones from as low as the sub-$300 point. 


Samsung Galaxy A54 5G


Samsung Galaxy A54 5G

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G


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The Galaxy A54 deals are here, and Samsung's new midranger has all the makings of a hit. Samsung lowered its starting price to just $449.99 for 128GB of storage, but added a faster processor and a more elegant design reminiscent of the Galaxy S23 series. 

The Galaxy A54 5G has every chance to become Samsung's bestseller on account of the cheap price and what we found to be a well-calibrated, bright 120Hz display, coupled with a long battery life, and a rather great camera set, at least for the sub-$500 price point.


Apple iPhone SE 5G


Apple iPhone SE (2022)
4.6

Apple iPhone SE (2022)


The Good

  • Affordable price
  • Light, thin and compact
  • iPhone with a button classic vibe
  • 5G connectivity with C-band support
  • Super fast processor
  • Camera is great for day shots, video

The Bad

  • Feels dated
  • LCD screen instead of AMOLED
  • Screen feels too small for a modern phone
  • Battery life is improved, but still below average
  • Camera lacks night mode, has no ultra-wide lens
  • Only 64GB base storage
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That Apple nostalgia that still keeps the SE line alive resulted in the cheapest 5G iPhone at just $429 starting price. Don't be fooled, though, this baby has an excellent 12MP camera with all the computational imaging power that the scorching fast Apple A15 chipset is able to muster.

Samsung Galaxy A14 5G


Samsung Galaxy A14 5G

Samsung Galaxy A14 5G


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Sporting a 6.6'' 1080p 90Hz display, the Galaxy A14 is now the cheapest 2023 5G phone from Samsung in the U.S., but still offers a 50 MP main camera and 5000mAh battery with 25W charging. The handset's full retail price of $200 is arguably not bad either, especially when you consider that the Galaxy A13 5G made its commercial debut stateside at $249.99. Compared to said 6.5-inch predecessor, the 6.6-inch Galaxy A14 5G display is naturally just a tad larger and, far more importantly, significantly sharper.


Google Pixel 7a


Google Pixel 7a
5.8

Google Pixel 7a


The Good

  • Good value for money
  • Stock Android with tons of AI/ML-powered software features
  • Display finally has a 90Hz refresh rate
  • Compact and user-friendly size
  • Face Unlock on board
  • Wireless charging
  • Capable camera with lots of features

The Bad

  • More expensive than its predecessor
  • Some slight build quality issues
  • Only a single 128GB storage option
  • Uninspiring digital zoom
  • Charges slowly
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Google entered the budget 5G phone scene not long ago, and the cheaper Pixel 7a is an awesome value proposition. It comes with Google's own Tensor chipset whose image processing prowess can be found in the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro as well, paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. But you're not buying a Pixel phone for the specs sheet. You're getting it for the software features and the camera. While the camera hardware might be inferior to other midrangers, for instance, it more than makes up for it with the software and is perhaps the best camera phone on this list. Just don't expect zooming without stepping closer to the object.



Motorola One Ace 5G


Motorola also has a $399 entry in the budget 5G segment that is now on sale for $299 even. Not that surprising, considering Motorola has been making some of the best budget phones for the last few years, and our review of the Motorola One Ace 5G found out it's no exception.
Motorola One 5G Ace
8.4

Motorola One 5G Ace


The Good

  • Great value for a 5G phone
  • Snappy performance
  • Good camera quality
  • Excellent battery life

The Bad

  • Macro lens doesn’t add much value
  • Build could be sturdier
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Orbic Myra 5G UW



The Orbic Myra 5G UW is available for purchase at Verizon for just $350 without discounts. Apart from the fact that it comes with 5G support, we also know Orbic’s phone is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor, 6GB RAM, and 64GB expandable storage (up to 1TB).

Also, Orbic Myra 5G UW sports a large 6.78-inch FHD display, a triple-rear camera (48MP+8MP+2MP), a 16-megapixel selfie snapper, and a massive 5,000 mAh battery with Qualcomm Charge 3.0 fast charging technology. Since this is probably the first Orbic phone to be sold by Verizon, it makes sense to also be the first to feature the carrier’s “Adaptive Sound” mobile audio solution, and, above all, it supports Verizon's ultrafast mmWave 5G network.


TCL 30 V 5G for Verizon


TCL 30 V 5G

TCL 30 V 5G


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The TCL 30 V 5G (or 30 XE 5G on T-Mobile) is another sub-$300 5G phone, this time to fulfil the affordable 5G needs of Verizon or T-Mobile's customers, and is packing pretty decent specs for the price. There's a big, nifty 6.67” FHD+ display, a 50MP main camera, and a big 4500mAh battery. It's free with a plan, but even if you shell out $300 it's one of the most affordable 5G phones on the major carriers.


T-Mobile REVVL 6 Pro


Believe it or not, even at the rock bottom $219.99 price, the T-Mobile REVVL 6 Pro spec sheet is pretty solid. Developed in a close partnership with Google, the REVVL 6 and 6 Pro come with YouTube Premium and Google One subscriptions. 

T-Mobile also doubled the phones' warranty to 2 years and now offers a BOGO deal on them. The full retail REVVL 6 Pro price is $219.99. For the REVVL 6 PRO 5G, the down payment for well-qualified customers will be $0 and then $9.17 each month for 24 months, plus tax.

  • Screen: 6.82” HD+ display
  • Camera: 50MP + 5MP + 2MP + 2MP RFC with 16MP FFC
  • Battery: 5000 mAh with USB C + 15W fast charging
  • Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 700: Octa Core, 2x A76 2.2GHz, 6x A55 2.0GHz
  • RAM: 6GB
  • Storage: 128GB
  • Dimensions: 173.92mm X 77.8mm X 8.99mm
  • Color: Dark Shadow
  • Security: Face unlock and fingerprint sensor
  • OS: Android 12

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AT&T Fusion 5G


AT&T keeps the bang with one of the cheapest 5G-enabled smartphone to date, the Fusion 5G, and if you can't afford (or simply don't want) to spend a Benjamin and change outright, a straightforward device payment plan will split that into 36 monthly fees of $6.12. That makes this 6.82-inch giant slightly more affordable than AT&T's 6.5-inch Samsung Galaxy A13 5G. The Fusion 5G comes with no less than four rear-facing cameras in tow, including an impressive-sounding 48MP primary shooter, a big 4,750mAh battery, 64GB of built-in storage and Sub-6GHz 5G support. Moreover, the AT&T Fusion 5G supports wireless charging, which is a real added value at its sub$200 price point.


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