What to Look for in a Cheap Smartphone

Here’s a closer look at some less expensive, if not quite rock-bottom, smartphones.

Cheapest new iPhone, iPhone 16e, keeps some top features

Apple is loath to label any of its new products budget devices, anathema to the company’s brand reputation. At a starting cost of $599, the iPhone 16e may not measure up to your idea of a cheap phone though it is the least expensive new iPhone you can buy.

The prior entry level iPhone, the now discontinued 2022 iPhone SE, cost $429, so the 16e represents a considerable hike. Apple no longer sells the SE, but bargain hunters who can live with a smaller screen may find used models online.

Apple’s least expensive entry into AI. The 16e shares several features with pricier siblings in the iPhone 16 family, most notably Apple’s leap into artificial intelligence (AI). It is fitted with Apple’s A18 chip, a processor that supports what’s known as Apple Intelligence.

While these are early days for Apple’s AI system, and not all the goodies are fully baked, some Apple Intelligence features are similar to what’s found via other AIs, including summarizing and proofreading written material.

A Clean Up feature on the 16e exploits AI to remove distracting elements in the background of a photo that mars an otherwise exquisite picture.

When needed, Apple’s Siri digital assistant can solicit help from ChatGPT.

Bigger screen size, satellite SOS. The new phone houses a 6.1-inch OLED display — the SE screen was way smaller at 4.7 inches — and provides USB-C and wireless charging. Apple claims up to 26 hours of battery life for video playback, which is excellent.

The 16e also has satellite capabilities that will let you message for help if, say, your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere without access to Wi-Fi or cellular. This had been a feature reserved for pricier handsets, both iOS and Android.

Missing home button, other items. So, what’s missing compared to more expensive iPhones? Frankly, not a ton that may matter to a typical older user.

1. It doesn’t have Apple’s best camera, but the single rear 48-megapixel holds its own and is good enough to let you capture fine pics of the grandkids. More avid photographers may lament the lack of an ultra-wide option, features found on Androids in this price range.
2. The 16e has the action button Apple introduced on other iPhone 16 devices, but you can’t use it to control camera settings as you’re taking a picture as on the other 16s.
3. The new phone doesn’t support Apple’s MagSafe magnetic charging with compatible accessories.
4. Also absent is the “dynamic island” cutout at the top of other iPhone screens for displaying notifications. The not particularly useful notch on some earlier iPhones is there instead.
5. The 16e taps into 5G wireless networks, but not every speedy flavor of 5G that some carriers provide in some locales.
6. If you have a nostalgic or physical attachment to a phone with a physical Home button, that’s missing too. Apple retired the button and Touch ID fingerprint scanning, in favor of Face ID facial recognition.

Google Pixel 8a is a top Android alternative

As a favorite among many tech reviewers, the near year-old Pixel 8a shares several features with Google’s more expensive Pixels. It’s officially listed at $499, but you can generally snatch it for around $100 less.

The Pixel 8a has the same size 6.1-inch screen as the iPhone 16e. But unlike the iPhone, it has dual rear cameras, including an ultrawide lens.

AI photo and video tools. Google has gone all in on AI, with the Gemini Nano AI assistant at your beck and call as well as other AI fueled features.

Among them is Magic Eraser, similar to the Clean Up feature on the iPhone that can exorcise objects or people ruining a picture in the background. If you’re keeping score, Google’s Magic Eraser predates the iPhone’s Clean Up.

Among other potentially handy features, the Pixel 8a has something called Audio Magic Eraser, which can remove wind, crowd noise and other unwelcome sounds from videos.

Search interesting objects, screen calls. Circle to Search, which functions as the name suggests, is also found on other devices. You can circle an object on the screen to trigger a Google search. If for example, you like the sunglasses an actor is wearing, you can circle the glasses to find the cost and where they’re for sale without switching apps

An Android Call Screen feature on the 8e as well as pricier Pixels can filter incoming calls from unknown numbers. Callers hear automated messages on your behalf. Any responses from them are transcribed in real time, letting you choose to answer or decline, assuming a spammer didn’t hang up first.

Updates until May 2031. Even if the 8a is priced higher than you were counting on, you might keep it awhile. Google promises seven years of operating system and security updates for the phone with clock having started in May 2024.

You can go even cheaper on smartphones

Despite compromises, other less expensive devices offer a degree of longevity on the inside. Samsung promises six years of software updates for its $300 Galaxy A26 phone. It is coming out later in March.

Some perks in Samsung’s budget-friendly A-series. The A26 can employ Circle To Search and has an Object Eraser feature similar to Apple’s Clean Up and Google’s Magic Eraser.

It also has three rear cameras, including an ultrawide and macro sensor, though the reality is photo quality won’t likely measure up to cameras on pricier handsets, at least for photography sticklers.

All of Samsung’s A-series models carry lower prices than the S-series flagships.

Motorola, OnePlus options. Other phone manufacturers that compete on price with capable devices include Motorola, makers of the Moto G line with its least expensive 2024 model at a penny less than $110, and China’s OnePlus, which also has a sub-$300 model.