Best cheap Samsung phones in 2024

Say what you will about budget phones, but many of them have a penchant for offering fantastic value for the money. Samsung sticks out in this particular market, with its range of affordable Android phones that make it easy to grab a phone that suits your needs. With beautiful displays, stylish designs, good-to-great camera systems, and solid performance, you’d be surprised at what you can get out of Samsung’s A-series smartphones.

Sure, there are a few compromises to make, and the best Android phones come with premium, fancy tricks. But who needs all that if you’re simply making calls, sending messages, and scrolling through social media? It’s best to save your cash for when you need it, and the good news is our pick of the best cheap Samsung phones can do a lot more than just the bare minimum.

The top budget Samsung phones

The latest Galaxy A25 5G scored well in our review, some of which was thanks to its excellent OLED display, respectable camera quality, and solid upgrade path. The Galaxy A25 5G, as the name suggests, supports 5G connectivity. It comes with a sturdy design and a large 6.5-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, making it responsive and smooth to use when scrolling and playing games.

Some of the other useful features include the addition of the 3.5mm headphone jack, which is still present. The phone also supports 25W wired charging, and it has a large 5,000 mAh battery that provides up to two days of use with moderate use, on par with other modern budget devices.

In terms of camera, the Galaxy A25 5G will offer a decent triple camera array for the price, but as you would expect, it won’t be amazing. The shots will be great in good lighting conditions, and while some images might need a bit of fine-tuning, they’ll be fine most of the time, good enough to upload them straight to your preferred social media sites.

If you’re looking for a relatively cheap Samsung phone, the Galaxy A25 5G is one of the best right now. It offers four years of software support, a decent camera, a long-lasting battery, and a beautiful display. While the performance leaves a bit to be desired, it’ll deliver a competitive experience for $300.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE may go beyond what’s considered a “cheap” Samsung phone, but it deserves a mention purely for the big price gap between its Galaxy S24 cousins. From its premium, solid build to its fantastic 120Hz AMOLED display, it has all the makings of a flagship device with a price that’s well below $1,000.

Featuring a vibrant 6.7-inch display that shows off the snappy performance of its Exynos 2400e chip and the apps it can handle (including demanding titles), the S24 FE offers plenty of power to handle your everyday mobile tasks. Even better, its 4,700mAh battery and improved thermals provide a great battery life, so the phone can last a day without needing to charge. You’ll even find the cameras deliver more natural-looking photos, thanks to Samsung’s AI doing some leg work.

It’s not the powerhouse that can rival its pricier counterparts, and you won’t be going anywhere in a hurry thanks to its slow charging speeds, but the Galaxy S24 FE will take you far with its seven years of OS updates, and it’s as close as you can get to a flagship without spending an arm and a leg.

If you’re looking for a smartphone that doesn’t break the bank and lets you use your favorite apps, and even do some occasional light gaming, the Galaxy A15 5G is an excellent device. It sports a 6.5-inch AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, which is sharp, colorful, and responsive enough to carry out anything you want to do – for as long as it’s not too demanding.

The device is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ chipset, coupled with 4GB of RAM. While the device can run a few apps side-by-side, it’s not exactly a multitask champion, and you’ll be unable to play graphics-intensive games on maximum settings. But this phone isn’t made for those tasks.

It’s made to make life easier and more accessible, and for that, it’s perfect. Browsing, using your favorite social media apps, and consuming content is easy and great. Photos are adequate, given the low price tag, and even the battery can last for up to two days with moderate use.

If all you need is a budget smartphone that lets you do the basics, and a little more, the Galaxy A15 5G will do a great job. It has a 3.5mm headphone jack, and even a Dual SIM, so you can carry two SIM cards to make phone calls.

The Samsung Galaxy A35 costs $400, and at that price, it offers a few questionable sacrifices that make us recommend the Galaxy A25 5G over it. It’s more expensive than last year’s model, and the upgrades aren’t easy to justify.

The 6.6-inch AMOLED display looks stunning, and while the bezels are quite large, that’s to be expected from a midranger. It can’t be perfect, but as long as there are some fair compromises, it should be good enough for most people. The device is powered by Samsung’s own Exynos 1380 chipset, which we found to be a bit slow. We also found that it heats up rather quickly, making the overall experience less than stellar.

Now, you can still use multiple apps simultaneously and multitask without a hitch. Still, gaming and using anything that’s more demanding will not be as smooth as on some other midranger in the same price category. Where the Galaxy A35 shines is in its longevity, as the phone can easily last a full day on a single charge.

The camera quality is also adequate, enabling you to take great photos in most lighting conditions. Sure enough, some tweaking may be necessary in challenging situations, but it’ll do well most of the time. To summarize, if you’re looking for a great budget device that offers decent overall performance and all you need is a reliable phone to consume content on, the A35 will be a great alternative.

Make no mistake, the Galaxy A03s is not a high-performing device, nor was it ever meant to be. It exists solely to shoehorn the Samsung experience into a bare-bones piece of hardware, and at that, it does a good job. It does not deliver the same slick interface, camera, or general processing performance as any of its relatives. It’s also cheaper than nearly every other phone we review, especially if you can find it on sale.

Compared to mid-range and high-end phones, it lacks most redeeming qualities. It did recently receive an Android 13 update in most markets, and while that’s its last full iteration, it’ll get security patches for another two years or so. It runs most Android apps reasonably well (although internal storage is severely limited) and takes pictures. Not exactly good pictures, but usually pictures that allow you to still identify the subject.

But where it really shines is the price. If you can find it on sale or tied to a carrier for less than $100, it makes a competent backup phone and does an OK job of imitating other, more powerful Galaxy smartphones.

Where are all the other cheap Samsung phones?

There are several reasons why the US sees fewer budget-friendly Samsung Galaxy devices, and some of it comes down to demand and market saturation by other key players. Many other A-series devices are only available in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Can I import a foreign-market Samsung smartphone?

In theory, it is possible to import a Galaxy A55 or other A-series devices from other markets. However, you definitely shouldn’t if you plan to use the phone in the US. Despite some retailers’ claims, most foreign-market Samsung phones don’t support the necessary cellular bands to run on US networks. And even if one should happen to support enough 4G bands to work OK, it’s extremely unlikely you’ll find a US carrier that approves it for use.

Which cheap Samsung phone should I buy?

Budget smartphones are no longer synonymous with poor performance and underwhelming cameras, and our pick of Samsung’s best budget phones shows this in spades. It’s a “trickle-down” effect of sorts; as flagship phones get stronger, more affordable handhelds get the juicy leftovers. That’s good news for the phone’s performance and your wallet.

A shining example is the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G, which will only set you back $300 (or less) while still providing all the essentials and beyond. Whether you’re surfing the web, checking email, or doing some light gaming, it can do it all without a hitch. That’s all while boasting a decent camera and long-lasting battery life, but its AMOLED display is the real showstopper here. It’s not premium, but it doesn’t need to be at this low price.

Check out the excellent Galaxy S24 FE if you have extra funds in the bank, as its flagship potential shouldn’t be sneezed at. It can handle demanding apps and games, offers great battery life, and can even take some decent photos with its cameras. It’s nearly everything you can get out of a regular S24 without flying too close to that $1,000 sun.

Just need a solid smartphone that can get you through texts, calls, and internet searches without collapsing? The Galaxy A15 5G is more than up for the task, and you’ll get to do it all on its fantastic 6.5-inch AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. That also makes it great for streaming shows and watching content, and you’ll even get a few adequate snaps from its camera. Just don’t go throwing too many apps at it at once.

Affordable phones aren’t the only department where Samsung thrives. If you’re looking for an equally valuable tablet purchase, the best cheap Samsung tablets have you covered.