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Upgrading your phone can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be. While the flagship phones from the likes of Samsung, Apple, and Google are usually the ones that grab everyone's attention, you don't need to splurge on any of the premium devices. That's because while flagship phones have never been more powerful or capable, you certainly don't need all those bleeding-edge specs on your phone for everyday use. Unfortunately, the ongoing memory crisis has forced companies such as Samsung to raise prices on various tech products, making shopping for budget phones challenging. 

So if you have a budget of $600 or less to spend on your next smartphone, we're here to help. We have done extensive research and rounded up a list of models that we think are some of the best budget phones you can buy in 2026. The list is balanced, including devices from various major smartphone manufacturers and at different price points to make sure you have a device that not only fits in your budget but also meets your needs. You can read more about our selection process at the end of the article in the methodology section for further details.

When you're shopping for a budget phone, iPhones might not cross your mind since Apple products are known to be expensive. However, Apple has demonstrated its commitment to introducing iPhones on a budget, and the iPhone 17e is a good pick if you want the latest and cheapest model. The iPhone 17e was launched in March 2026 with a handful of upgrades over its predecessor, the iPhone 16e, such as MagSafe charging support and 256 GB base storage. Under the hood, this iPhone ships with Apple's A19 chip (the same one in a regular iPhone 17), 8 GB of memory, and either 256 GB or 512 GB of storage. 

There's only a single 48 MP wide camera lens on the rear, and you also get a single 12 MP camera for selfies. On the front, the iPhone 17e sports a 6.1-inch OLED display with 1,200 nits of peak brightness. A 4,005 mAh battery powers this device with support for both MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging. Apple says the iPhone 17e can charge from 0 to 50 percent in just 30 minutes when using a 20 W or higher power adapter. The iPhone 17e starts at $599, making it the most affordable iPhone you can buy brand-new from Apple.

The Galaxy A series offers the most affordable devices in Samsung's lineup. For that reason, Galaxy A series phones are perfect for budget buyers who don't want to pay the premium asking prices for the flagship Galaxy S and Z series. One budget-friendly phone you can consider from the lineup in 2026 is the Galaxy A37 5G. This isn't the cheapest Samsung phone you can buy at the moment (that title goes to the Samsung Galaxy A17 5G), but it's worth considering if you have a budget of between $400 and $500. PC Mag has rated this device with a score of 4 out of 5, praising it for its premium design, impressive battery life, speedy performance, and excellent software support made up of six years of OS updates.

The Galaxy A37 5G features a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, 6 or 8 GB of memory, 128 or 256 GB of storage, an Exynos 1480 chip, and a 5,000 mAh battery. It supports up to 45 W wired charging, but there's no wireless charging support. For photography, there's a triple rear camera array with a 50 MP wide, 8 MP ultrawide, and 5 MP macro, while the front gets a single 12 MP camera. The Samsung Galaxy A37 5G starts at $450 for the base variant with 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage.

Motorola raised the price of its affordable 2026 G-series phones. As a result, you can consider any model from its 2025 lineup if you don't want to pay prices inflated by the ongoing memory shortage. For a budget of less than $200, we recommend the Motorola Moto G 2025, since it only costs about $170. It has a 6.7-inch IPS LCD panel with 720 x 1,604-pixel resolution, which isn't great but not bad for a phone at its price. It's powered by a Dimensity 6300 chip, which is paired with 4 GB of memory and either 64 GB or 128 GB of storage. One interesting bit about this device is that you can expand the storage via a microSD card, which is handy. Using the available microSD card slot, you can add up to 1 TB of storage. 

The camera system includes a 50 MP primary camera aided by a 2 MP macro, while the selfie is a single 16 MP camera. This phone is powered by a 5,000 mAh battery, and it supports fast charging speeds of up to 30 W. However, what you should remember about this phone is that it's as basic as it can get. PhoneArena says it offers enough performance for basic tasks, and while it isn't a standout in its category, its low price makes it among the best options for those who want a cheap phone.

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The Google Pixel 9a came out in 2025 and has since been replaced by the Pixel 10a. While this might seem like an outdated phone for those who like to keep up with the latest gizmos, the Pixel 9a is still worth buying in 2026. We reviewed the Pixel 9a and loved its design, solid camera, good battery life, and value for money. One of the main letdowns was the lack of a telephoto lens, which could've made the camera setup more versatile. However, we liked the overall package and even named it the midrange king. The Pixel 9a has a 6.3-inch 120 Hz OLED display, Google Tensor G4 chip, 8 GB of memory, and 128 or 256 GB of storage. You also get a dual camera setup on the rear made up of a 48 MP wide main camera and a 13 MP ultrawide lens. 

The selfie is a 13 MP lens which is housed in a punch-hole cutout. Google went with a 5,100 mAh cell for the battery, and the phone supports up to 23 W wired and 7.5 W wireless charging. As a Google Pixel smartphone, you get the coveted clean software experience, and the company promises up to seven years of major Android and security updates, which should mean the device will be updated until 2032. The Pixel 9a launched at a starting price of $499, but you can get it for $465 as of this writing.

If you have a budget of less than $300 and want something better than the aforementioned Motorola Moto G 2025, the Galaxy A26 5G is worth considering. The Samsung Galaxy A26 5G came out in 2025, and the company is yet to release its successor for 2026 as of this writing. Compared to the Moto G, it sports a better 6.7-inch AMOLED panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate and an FHD+ resolution (1,080 x 2,340 pixels). Launched at a starting price of $300, the Galaxy A26 5G is a budget phone that promises six major Android updates, so you can buy it comfortably in 2026 and not worry about missing out on the latest software releases for the next couple of years. It's powered by a Samsung Exynos 1380 chipset paired with 8 GB of memory and 256 GB of storage. 

It comes with a 50 MP wide, 8 MP ultrawide, and a 2 MP macro camera, as well as a 13 MP camera on the front. The Galaxy A26 5G draws power from a 5,000 mAh battery and supports up to 25 W wired fast charging speeds. Tech Advisor reviewed this device and praised it for having long battery life, long-term software update commitment, and a modern design. The site highlights the phone's camera, display, and performance under load as weaknesses, but this is a budget phone, so those shouldn't be dealbreakers.

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While picking these devices, the first question we had to ask ourselves was: what price would be considered the maximum for a budget smartphone? For that, we decided to use $600 as our price ceiling, as it can be considered to fall into the high-end midrange segment but isn't too high to enter into the flagship territory. With the price ceiling set, our next job was to find phones from different companies released in 2025 or 2026 that fall within our price requirement. 

We've tried our best to include phones going for as low as $200 to a maximum of $600. Besides the price, which was front and center in our selection process, the actual value that a device offers was equally important. We based our selection on our expertise in reviewing smartphones, as well as the opinions from other experts in the industry. All the phones in the list can be bought brand-new as of the time of this writing, but you can also look for refurbished models if you need to save even more cash.