The best cheap phones may not boast the high-end features of the best phones, but they still deliver the complete smartphone experience you'd expect in 2025 – at a lower price.
In this guide, we've rounded up the best cheap phones in Australia from brands including Samsung, Apple, Motorola and Google – drawing on the significant experience of the TechRadar team to bring you a definitive list of quality, budget-friendly handsets.
Even for us, it's hard to define a budget phone versus a mid-range and flagship device. To keep things simple, every phone in this guide retails for less than AU$999, with most devices – from Samsung's best cheap phone to the best camera phone on a budget – costing considerably less.
Of course, if you can spend a bit more, the best Android phones, best iPhones or best camera phones might be a better fit – but one of the eight devices below is sure to meet the needs (and wants) of most people.
The quick list
Below you can find a roundup of our choices for the best cheap phones in Australia. You can quickly jump to a more detailed review of each pick and view the latest deals for each using our price comparison tool.
The best cheap Samsung phone
Considerably cheaper in Australia than other regions, the the Samsung Galaxy A56 offers an impressive display and premium design to go with a clean UI, solid camera and great battery life.
The best cheap Pixel
The Google Pixel 9a is the most affordable way to access Google's impressive suite of AI features, offering excellent cameras and stellar longevity to boot – providing truly incredible value at its price.
The best cheap iPhone
Apple has made some concessions to create this entry-level handset, but its beautiful display, performance, AI power and new C1 modem make it a true member of the iPhone 16 family.
The best alternative cheap phone
The best phone Nothing has made, the Nothing Phone 3a Pro offers an excellent experience with a unique design and feature set for AU$850. What it misses in performance it makes up for in style and a brilliant camera array.
The best cheap phone under AU$500
The cheapest of the Motorola Edge 50 Family, the Edge 50 Fusion offers well-rounded performance and a fast charging, long-lasting battery at an RRP of AU$500 – and it is often much cheaper.
The best cheap camera phone
If a good cheap camera is the most important feature to you, the Motorola Edge 50 Pro is the choice, as it can often be found closer to the AU$500 mark. At AU$999 though – the Nothing Phone 3a Pro, Galaxy A56 and Pixel 9a are superior options.
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The best cheap phone for gaming
The Poco F6 Pro delivers cost-effective performance, a vibrant display and a sleek design that easily makes it the phone to have if you're a budget conscious mobile gamer – easily handling intense graphics and high frame rates.
The best cheap phone for battery life
If battery life is your priority, the Poco X7 Pro's mighty 6,000mAh cell will see you through two days of casual use. The phones chipset is seriously impressive too, making it a great option for mobile gamers.
The best cheap phones in Australia 2025
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Below you’ll find more in-depth reviews for each of the best cheap phones in Australia, along with links to full reviews written by TechRadar’s team of smartphone experts.
The best cheap Samsung phone
Samsung's Galaxy A series smartphones are consistently one of the best Samsung phones – delivering supremely well-rounded (and great-looking) products that offer even better value and that continues with the Samsung Galaxy A56.
Bigger, thinner, lighter and just generally better than its impressive predecessor, the Galaxy A56 is a stunning package that will satisfy all but the most demanding buyers.
Offering plenty of value in other regions, Aussies also get an even better deal. Priced at $499 / £499, in the US and UK the A56 costs the same price as the Google Pixel 9a – which costs AU$849 and offers great value. However, the Galaxy A56 is available for just AU$699 Down Under.
It feels truly premium in some areas, too – starting with its incredible-looking premium IP67-protected glass and metal design, plus its bright 6.7-inch AMOLED display (that outsizes the Galaxy A55) and a long-lasting 5,000mAh battery.
The Galaxy A56 might not be the best camera phone around – and the Nothing Phone 3a Pro, Pixel 9a and Motorola Edge 50 Pro might have it beat for the best cheap camera phone.
However, it has no issue taking quality snaps with its 50MP main snapper, 12MP ultrawide lens and 5MP Macro camera. It also helps that the Galaxy A56 has a considerably lower base price than any of the aforementioned phones.
Our main criticism of the Galaxy A56 lies with its Exynos 1580 chipset. While you will have no problem with regular activities like streaming, scrolling and texting, it simply can't handle graphically demanding mobile games.
But, that's not what this phone is designed for and there's better cheap gaming phones out there. We think the Samsung Galaxy A56 is the phone for most people as a long-lasting, feature-packed everyday handset that feels like a premium device.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy A56 review
The best cheap Google Pixel
Google's Pixel A series of phones hardly needs any introduction in the budget phone space. It's almost accepted that they are Google's best phones for the value they provide, though you’ll undoubtedly get better performance with the Pro models.
The Google Pixel 9a is no different – offering a bright display, versatile camera array and helpful Google AI features packed into an attractive, premium design (that comes in several colours).
However, if you're a fan of Google's design featuring a camera bar then the Google Pixel 8a is still the Pixel to have in 2025, especially now that it's regularly discounted.
That's because, despite offering an overall improved performance, the Google Pixel 9a has removed the traditional camera-bar that Google Pixel phones have become known for. Our reviewer was not a fan at all – stating it "would be the perfect bargain phone if it wasn’t so dang ugly".
Its aesthetics are completely subjective, though. In every other department the Pixel 9a is hard to beat – especially compared to other cheap phones.
It boasts the cleanest version of Android to date (complete with plenty of useful software features like call screening and AI transcription), a supremely bright 6.3-inch Actua display and a 5,100mAh battery that lasts all day.
Our favourite thing about the Pixel 9a is its cameras, which are some of the best in this price range. If we didn't have a dedicated Pixel category in this list, there's no doubt that it would be our pick for the best cheap phone camera.
While it lacks zoom capabilities, Google’s latest budget Pixel is a macro photography champion and its 48MP main lens deserves special mention, too.
Unsurprisingly, Google's Tensor G4 chipset lags well behind faster chipsets from the likes of Apple and Qualcomm. However, the Pixel 9a won't have any trouble sailing through everyday smartphone tasks.
It will only be an issue if you plan on using it for mobile gaming or intense productivity tasks, as we only noticed slowing when using the AI image generator for long periods.
Read our full Google Pixel 9a review
The best cheap iPhone
The iPhone 16e has an attractive design and performs well enough that it feels like a true addition to the iPhone 16 family, unlike the iPhone 5c or previous SE models that have sat adjacent to the main series of iPhones.
However, while we think it's very good, it's hard to call it great when it's brought back the iPhone 14's notch and sports a sole 48MP camera. Cheap Android phones in this list offer much bang for fewer bucks, including larger screens and multiple rear cameras.
They're not iOS handsets though, and that counts for something. Apple has dedicated customers that love the seamless integration offered between Apple devices and don't feel comfortable making the switch to an Android phone – even if it makes more financial sense.
So, any iPhone that offers premium services at a less-than premium price is a welcome addition for Apple users who find themselves waiting a year to grab the new iPhone once it has started to see discounts.
The iPhone 16e sports a display that's almost the best Apple has to offer, with only the notch and slightly larger bezels holding it back from competing with its flagship siblings.
The main 48MP Fusion camera is also very good and shoots high-quality stills and videos. However, don't be fooled by the claims of 2x zoom – it is actually a 12MP crop on the middle of the 48MP sensor.
One thing that the iPhone 16e has introduced is the C1 chip. Apple says this is the most efficient cellular modem it's ever put in an iPhone and it helps its performance, which promises 26 hours of video playback – and stayed true to its promise in our testing.
We liked everything about this phone – except perhaps the lack of colourways. It looks good, feels better, runs well and it's the cheapest avenue into a top-tier iPhone.
But, if you're shopping for a sub-AU$1000 phone, there are cheaper phones that perform similarly, if not better, like the Nothing Phone 3a Pro and Google Pixel 9a.
Read our full iPhone 16e review
4. The best alternative cheap phone
The Nothing Phone 3a Pro is a standout option for bargain hunters, offering a distinctly unique smartphone experience for AU$849 that brings it right into competition with the Google Pixel 9a.
Nothing is aware of that though and the 3a Pro directly challenges the uninspired, boring designs of too many cheap phones with its transparent back and functional Glyph LED lights.
The Phone 3a Pro truly punches above its weight class for budget-conscious buyers when it comes to its arsenal of features. You get a large 6.77-inch, 120Hz AMOLED display with a 8GB/12GB RAM and 256GB/512GB storage configuration that beats much of what rivals offer.
Notably – and most noticeably in its design – the Phone 3a Pro possesses a versatile camera system, including a 3x optical zoom lens that is incredibly rare for the very best cheap phones, allowing for more photographic flexibility than the setups on other budget handsets.
NothingOS also offers the same clean, unique look offered by its physical design, delivering a unique, complete experience that feels different from any other smartphone.
The phone's mid-range Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset is fine for daily tasks and casual gaming, but it can lead to noticeable lag and stuttering under a heavier load.
Furthermore, perhaps even more importantly, it fails to match the IP67+ water- and dust-resistance rating offered by many of the best budget phones. The 3a Pro's IP64 rating means it's only splash resistant.
Still, the Nothing Phone 3a Pro offers great value. Its combination of a truly unique design, a versatile camera setup for the price, excellent battery life and generous memory/storage configurations make it a compelling package.
Read our full Nothing Phone (3a) Pro Review
The best cheap phone under AU$500
Delivering solid all-round performance, the Fusion performs seamlessly when completing everyday tasks, snaps excellent photos and excels with its long-lasting battery. Plus, adding some high-end flair is the incorporation of useful (and fun) AI functionality.
Its main competitor under AU$500 is the Samsung Galaxy A35, although the Galaxy A36, retailing at AU$549, is yet to be reviewed. While we think the Edge 50 Fusion is the choice, there is one key area the Galaxy A35 has it beat – software support.
The Edge 50 Fusion will only be supported with updates until 2027 (and 2028 for security patches) while the A35 will be supported through 2030.
Boasting an attractive, contoured design available in three colours, with a luxurious 6.7-inch display that curves seamlessly into the coloured metal frame, the Fusion screams class – making it the phone to buy at this price.
Those aforementioned AI tools even allow for personalising wallpapers based on your own photos, adding a fun layer of customisation and letting you craft a background based on your favourite artwork or outfit.
However, its Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chip struggles with high-performance tasks, stuttering even after long periods within the camera app or when taking photos in quick succession.
Otherwise, the Edge 50 Fusion performs excellently in the photo department thanks to its 50MP main camera that ensures sharp, vibrant images and a versatile 13MP ultrawide option. It also sports a 32MP front camera that beats the selfie cameras of some of the best phones.
The one real drawback on the Fusion, apart from some small concessions made to keep its price down – as it is with the Pro – is three years of OS updates and four years of security patches.
However, the Fusion stands out as one of the best budget options on the market today with a great camera, fast-charging and long-lasting battery and smooth daily performance – you even get a protective case in the box – for less than AU$500.
Read our full Motorola Edge 50 Pro review
The best cheap camera phone
While it has comfortably resided in this position for quite some time, it's fair to say that the Motorola Edge 50 Pro is probably no longer the best cheap phone camera offering.
The Google Pixel 9a and Nothing Phone 3a – and perhaps the Samsung Galaxy A56 – almost certainly offer a camera experience that matches, if not beats, the Edge 50 Pro.
However, they were more applicable to different categories and the Motorola Edge 50 Pro is still one of the best budget phones on the market – especially now that it's regularly discounted.
Coming in three colourways – the vegan leather Luxe Lavender and Black Beauty, and sleek Moonlight Pearl – the Edge 50 Pro is an incredibly stylish handset, emphasised by its aluminium frame and curved-edged display. That focus flows into its software with AI-generated personalisation options.
Its camera is the star, though. There's a reason it's still in the conversation for the best cheap camera phone despite heavy competition. Whether you're using the trio of rear cameras or the 50MP front-facing selfie camera, you really have to try to take a bad photo with the Motorola Edge 50 Pro.
The 50MP main camera, 13MP ultrawide and 10MP telephoto lens provide plenty of versatility and fun in a variety of scenarios, including macro close-ups and long exposures.
We did find some small instances where the processor struggled a touch with more demanding games and long-periods within the camera app, but its all-day battery charges quickly – making it hard to complain about small performance issues.
It retails as one of the more expensive phones in this guide and while we love its 6.7-inch display, premium design, smooth performance, five-star camera and long-lasting battery it simply doesn't offer the value to demand that price.
If you can find it for less than AU$700 though, it's an excellent pick-up for those wanting smooth daily performance and one of the best cameras cheap phones can offer.
Read our full Motorola Edge 50 Pro review
The best cheap phone for gaming
Xiaomi's sub-brand Poco aims to provide customers with "everything you need, nothing you don’t" and the Poco F6 Pro is its most high-end offering – branded as an "all-around flagship that closes the gap on high-end performance phones," and we found it succeeded in many ways.
If you're a mobile gamer in Australia, there is arguably no better phone you could buy on the market for its price.
While it retails for AU$999, it's regularly available for less than AU$700. Even at that more expensive price though, it's well worth considering for gamers over a phone like the Pixel 9a.
That's because not only does it handle casual gaming, but it excels when it comes to more demanding games – running flawlessly at 60FPS on high graphics settings and even running 90FPS.
Its gaming power isn't its only drawcard, either. This cheap gaming phone boasts a large, bright 6.67-inch WQHD+ display with sharp, vibrant colors. And, while its 120Hz refresh rate makes gaming smooth, it (combined with the 3200 x 1440 resolution) makes using the best streaming services a joy. Perhaps most impressive, though, is its 4000-nit peak brightness.
If excellent camera results are crucial to your lifestyle, the Poco F6 Pro is likely not for you. However, its 50MP main camera, 8MP ultrawide lens and a 2MP macro camera makes a solid setup for casual photographers – producing sharp, well-defined images, even in incredibly dark environments, where it's assisted by AI to restore details and deliver clear images.
The worst aspect of the Poco F6 Pro, similar to the X7 Pro model below, is the amount of bloatware it possesses. The Poco F6 Pro comes loaded with an abundance of applications, from duplicates with the Google suite to random games and third-party apps that clutter the app drawer.
Worse yet, you can't mass-delete them, forcing you to take time to delete each application individually.Additionally, ads appear within system apps and while they can be disabled, the fact they exist at all will be reason enough for many to avoid this cheap phone.
Still, once beyond the initial setup pains, you're left with a stunning display, powerful performance and all-day battery life within a premium build. Poco even includes USB-C cable and a surprisingly high-quality phone case in the box.
It performs well enough for most casual users, but there are better options in this guide for those just looking for a quality everyday device. If you're a mobile gamer looking for a bargain though, there's no better choice.
Read our full Xiaomi Poco F6 Pro review
The best cheap phone for battery life
Xiaomi doesn’t make as much noise about its budget sub-brand Poco as it does about phones produced by Redmi, and the Poco X7 Pro is a great example of why it should.
The Poco X7 Pro has a price that firmly puts it in the cheap phone category, costing less than half the price of a new iPhone. However, it offers enough useful features that you might consider putting down your Apple mobile or Samsung Galaxy S device for this budget blower.
Like many other Poco handsets, the X7 Pro is designed with power in mind – offering the same processing power as many flagships, combined with a ton of RAM and storage.
In our time with it, gaming was just as quick and smooth on the X7 Pro as on some of the best Android phones. The display is fantastic-looking too, squeezing extra pixels compared to most Android phones and offering higher peak brightness.
It's not the only phone in this list that boasts a great battery life – cheap phones excel at the basics – but the Poco X7 Pro shines here too with a 6,000mAh battery. That’s one of the biggest power packs you’ll find on a phone that’s not designed for building sites or wilderness survival, and it’ll make sure the average user can text for days without needing a recharge.
Not everything is sunshine and rainbows here and, Poco drops the ball in the camera department. It doesn't perform terribly, but photos often look denatured and there aren’t many features you can use to level-up its results. The phone is also chockfull of bloatware when you boot it up.
While hampered by two small but impactful annoyances – bloatware and subpar camera performance – the Poco X7 Pro is one of the best budget mobiles you can buy.
Read our full Poco X7 Pro review
FAQ
How to choose the best cheap phone for you
It's no secret that the best cheap phones don't have it all, as their low price means there are almost always compromises to be made. So the first step to choosing one is deciding which aspects of the phone are most important to you, and what you can live without.
Do you need excellent battery life? A bright and vivid screen? Or a well-performing camera? Perhaps you require a high refresh rate, or consider 5G to be vital.
Another consideration, which isn't specifically price related, is the screen size – a smaller screen makes it easier to use with one hand, and easier to fit in small pockets, while a bigger screen can make apps, games and videos more pleasant to watch and interact with.
Whatever the case, once you've decided what you do and don't need, you can read through the entries above to find a phone that fits. Whatever balance you ultimately decide on there's likely to be an ideal option above, and we've tested all of these phones extensively, so you can be sure they're good.
What is the best 5G phone under AU$400?
If you're strictly looking for the best phone under AU$400, your options are going to be limited as not many phones retail at that price. Still, there are some devices worth snagging at this price like the Nothing CMF Phone 1, Oppo A80, Samsung Galaxy A16 and Motorola moto G85. However, another option is an older, refurbished device like the 2022 model iPhone SE or iPhone 12.
However, if you're happy to wait for a deal that brings a AU$500-AU$700 phone closer to your price range, there's many more attractive choices. The Motorola Edge 50 Fusion is regularly available for less than AU$400, while its premium sibling – the Motorola Edge 50 Pro – can be snagged for close to AU$500. More 5G-enabled handsets to look for deals on are the Nothing Phone 2a, Samsung Galaxy A55, Samsung Galaxy A35 and Motorola Moto G54.
What are the cheapest phone plans?
You can find our guides to the best phone plans and best SIM-only plans. However, there is one key thing to remember when looking at the cheapest phone plans, and that's that the major telcos – Optus, Telstra and Vodafone – are rarely going to be offering competitively affordable plans, and won't be offering the cheapest. For the cheapest plans, you'll want to stick with MVNOs like iiNet, TPG, Spintel and Yomojo.
What is the best budget phone?
The best cheap smartphone regularly changes and is somewhat subjective, but our pick for the best cheap option is whatever's currently in the number one spot on the list above. At the time of publishing, it's hard to decide what the best overall cheap phone in Australia is – as the Samsung Galaxy A56, Google Pixel 9a and Apple iPhone 16e all have a strong argument for the title.
What is the cheapest new iPhone
While we've gotten used to iPhone SE models accounting for iPhone fans with tighter budgets – and before that the iPhone 5c – the newest cheap iPhone is the iPhone 16e. While it's not exactly cheap – coming in at AU$999 and just AU$300 less than the iPhone 16 – the iPhone 16e cuts costs in small ways like opting for the notch rather than the Dynamic Island, a 2-in-1 fusion camera, slightly lower quality display and Camera Control button.
What is the world's cheapest phone?
The cheapest phone that we have used is the Mara X1, however it's not available in Australia. If all you need is calls and texts, you can get a cheap flip phone for under AU$50. However, in terms of smartphones that are still recommendable and super cheap, there are various phones under AU$200 like the Motorola Moto g04 and Samsung Galaxy A06.
How we tested
We only include a handset on this best cheap phones list once we've fully reviewed it, so you can be assured that every entry has been tested in full.
Our testing process involves using the phone as our main handset for days or even weeks, and testing all the key factors, from the power to the battery life, the cameras, the screen, and beyond.
That means we know exactly how each of these performs in reality - not just on paper, and we use that knowledge to rank them, while factoring in the all important price and value.
- Check out how these cheaper models compare to our overall top smartphone picks
