Best cheap phones in Australia 2024: the top budget handsets you can buy
Discover the best budget smartphones on the market
The best cheap phones aim to offer a near-flagship experience without the flagship price tag. And, while there was once a stark contrast between the experience of a flagship device and a budget phone, today, there is little to separate the two. In fact, new budget phone releases impress more and more each year.
As prices keep going up for the premium handsets which top our list of the best phones overall, we know that those with tighter budgets want to discover the more affordable alternatives that won't see you miss out on too much in the areas of performance and power.
So to help you discover the top options at approachable prices, we've put a large number of candidates to the test in order to determine the best cheap phones most worth your time. Looking closely at performance, design, cameras and more, you’ll find the right smartphone for you and your budget in the list below.
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.
Best overall
The best cheap phone overall
Boasting an impressive and bright screen, stellar performance, detailed photos and commendable battery life, the Samsung Galaxy A54 offers the best all-round experience at this price.
Best cheap iPhone
The best cheap iPhone
Now that it's more affordable, the iPhone 13 replaces the iPhone SE as our pick for the best cheap iPhone. Super speedy, a good camera and a raft of colour choices make it a solid choice.
Best cheap Pixel
The best cheap Pixel
Offering an affordable entry point into the Google ecosystem, the Pixel 7a is a fine choice. It's not perfect, we have to admit, but there is still a lot it does very well indeed.
Best under AU$500
The best cheap phone under AU$500
Delivering a smartphone experience that seriously belies its low price, the Moto G54 5G is a true return to form for the budget phone king.
Best for photos
The best cheap camera phone
Now it’s seeing discounts, the Moto Edge 30 Fusion is a great choice for budget-minded photographers. Daylight snaps are detailed and sharp and low light images are impressive for the price.
Best for gaming
The best cheap phone for gaming
If you're looking for affordable gaming thrills, the Oppo Find X5 is one of the best, offering a virtually lag-free experience.
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Best for toughness
The best cheap rugged phone
If you spend a lot of time outdoors and don’t want to worry about damaging your phone, the Nokia XR20 is the one to get.
The best cheap phones in Australia 2024
Why you can trust TechRadar
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 phone overall
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Improving on its predecessor (the Samsung Galaxy A53 which had previously topped this list) the latest Samsung Galaxy A54 is an excellent step forward for the brand’s mid-range marvel. The screen of the A54 is marginally smaller than that of the A53, but still manages to offer a brighter (1,000 nits vs 800 nits peak brightness) and more appealing display overall.
What’s powering this display is where the A54 makes its most welcome improvements, with its upgraded CPU offering superior performance and efficiency across the board. Achieving a Geekbench performance benchmark of 2703, the A54 significantly surpasses its predecessor (1903) and also measures in above the likes of the Google Pixel 6a and Oppo Reno 8 below. This improvement to performance also allows the A54 to make better use of its otherwise unchanged battery.
At first glance, the cameras of the latest A5-series model look like a downgrade from last year’s entry, with a 50MP primary lens versus the 64MP main camera of the A53. But closer inspection tells a different story, as the A54’s 50MP primary lens features both a larger sensor (1/1.56-inch, up from 1/1.7-inch) and greater pixel sizes (1.0µm vs 0.8 µm). The result is sharper, more detailed photos taken with the A54’s cameras, even if obviously not quite as impressive as the best cameraphones.
Still, the Samsung Galaxy A54 manages to offer more than enough quality at its price point to earn its title as the best cheap phone overall.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy A54 review
The best cheap iPhone
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
It's now two generations old, but the iPhone 13 is still available to buy, even direct from Apple itself. Its age works in its favour too, as it means it's now more affordable than ever, and can be picked up from AU$1,099. It's technically not the cheapest iPhone you can buy, that title still belongs to the iPhone SE (2022), but for our money it offers a far superior performance.
There's no one single area it outperforms the SE, but across the board the iPhone 13 is a solid choice, offering good battery life and a great camera setup. The A15 Bionic processor is the same as that found in the SE, but it's put to better use in the iPhone 13, such as with image processing.
We also can't forget the fact it's available in a range of fun colours and is far more up-to-date in terms of mod-cons, such as offering Face ID, as opposed to the iPhone SE's Touch ID home button.
Read our full iPhone 13 review
The best cheap Pixel
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
The Pixel 7a arrived as a more affordable option in the Pixel 7 lineup (which comprises the 7 and 7 Pro) yet without sacrificing too much on features. While there certainly are compromises to be made, the low price makes them somewhat justifiable.
The headline grabbing feature here is the camera and since this is realistically one of the features most buyers will be looking at, we felt including the Pixel 7a in this list was an easy decision. At 64-megapixels, coupled with Google's seriously impressive image processing technology (powered by the Tensor G2 chip) you're able to take some stunning shots.
As for the compromises, we struggled to get even a day of use from the battery and support for future OS updates is shorter than those provided by Apple and Samsung. But on the whole, with the Pixel 7a you're still getting a vanilla Android experience that is quick and enjoyable to use on a daily basis.
Read our full Google Pixel 7a review
The best cheap phone under AU$500
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
If you want to spend as little as possible – like really not a lot of money at all – but you want to maximise your smartphone experience, the Moto G54 5G is an excellent choice. You get all the essentials you could need from a smartphone, including 5G connectivity and a beautiful display.
Battery life is also pretty commendable, lasting a day with ease, and it now supports slightly faster charging compared to its predecessor, at 15W. The standout feature for us, however, is the screen, which is much improved over the previous G53. It's bright and vibrant, and you'll find very little to separate it from screens on phones costing six or seven times as much.
And as for the camera, you'll get decent shots, but not class-leading which is to be expected at this price point. You could step up to the Moto G82 and still remain under the AU$500 budget for better photos, although we feel as an overall wallet-friendly package, there is much to like about the Motorola Moto G54 5G.
The best cheap camera phone
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
The Motorola Edge 30 Fusion fuses together an incredibly well-built phone that wouldn't look out of place amongst more expensive devices, with specs and a price tag that makes it accessible to the masses. At least, now that it's received a significant price drop since it first launched, which is what has allowed it to earn a spot on this list.
For less than AU$500 from most retailers, you get a bright OLED display, a metal and glass build and a camera that performs better than the Moto G62 listed above. All in all, as our reviewer put it, the Edge 30 Fusion is "a phone that lets you feel you found a good deal, without needing to hunt down sales or discounts."
The best cheap phone for gaming
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
The Oppo Find X5 is an exceedingly good and enjoyable phone that delivers great performance across virtually all areas. In fact, if it weren't for its slightly inflated price compared to the Galaxy A54, it could have well earned the number one spot on this list, as it offers what is essentially a flagship performance and spec, without the sky-high price tag.
We've chosen it as our mobile gaming champion in the wallet-friendly space, thanks to its lag-free performance and ability to handle more graphic-intensive titles, compared to other entrants on this list. And those games are presented on a gorgeous 6.55-inch AMOLED screen that delivers when it comes to brightness, and one that handles contrast well, too.
Photos taken on the triple lens camera are admirable, even those taken in diminishing light conditions, and selfies taken on the front-facing 32MP won't leave you looking pale as a ghost. We admit, its asking price of AU$799 is going to more towards the top end of what can truly be considered cheap, but when you consider you're not making that many compromises compared to the flagships of the world, we think it's a bargain.
The best cheap rugged phone
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Straight off the bat, the Nokia XR20 won't be for everyone. That doesn't make it a bad budget smartphone. In fact it's arguably one of the best, particularly in the rugged category, but it fits slightly more into niche territory than many of its competitors. As a rugged smartphone, however, with quality durability and competent performance features to match, it's impressive.
5G-enabled, shockproof and water resistant, the Nokia XR20 is a clear choice for the more adventurous types or who require a smartphone they can worry less about damaging. The front screen is a tough Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, while the phone's exterior is verified as military durability quality with a MIL-STD-810 rating. An IP68 water resistance rounds out the XR20's resume in this arena. Add in to consideration Nokia's generous three-year warranty and there's little to worry about with respect to damaging the handset.
2x2 MIMO antenna technology allowing for superior Wi-Fi reception and support for 18W fast charging also elevate the XR20 particularly as a travel option, however the phone's performance does leave a little bit to be desired when stacked up against mid-range and premium smartphones and even many of its better budget competitors. While it's certainly no slouch in the performance department, particularly for a rugged smartphone, it nonetheless lacks an ability to quickly perform the more arduous tasks that might be thrown at it, such as mobile gaming.
The XR20's camera is also a disappointment, particularly when compared to the Oppo Reno8 and Samsung Galaxy A53 above. While these offer triple and quad lenses respectively, the Nokia XR20's rear camera offers only two and with less performance value. The front camera is even worse, offering only an 8MP wide lens which pales in comparison to the 32MP lenses of both the Reno8 and A53.
Still, if you're looking for a rugged smartphone at an approachable price point and which doesn't sacrifice too much with regards to performance and overall value, the Nokia XR20 is a solid option.
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 cheap smartphone?
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, this is the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G.
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 Aussie smartphone picks
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Max is a digital content writer for TechRadar, covering home entertainment and audio, phones, laptops, gaming and virtually anything else that falls under the consumer electronics umbrella. Hailing from the United Kingdom, Max spent a combined five years writing for What Hi-Fi? and Pocket-lint, before moving to Australia in 2018. After a brief stint writing for men’s lifestyle publications, Max is back to working on his first passion of technology.
- James CutlerStaff Writer