2026년 최고의 저렴한 휴대폰

Source: Engadget

Best cheap phones

(List of specific models was not included in the source material.)

What to look for in a cheap phone

For this guide, our top picks cost between $100 and $300. Anything less and you might as well go buy a dumb phone instead. Since they’re meant to be more affordable than flagship phones and even mid‑range handsets, budget smartphones involve compromises; the cheaper a device, the lower your expectations around specs, performance, and experience should be. For that reason, the best advice is to spend as much as you can afford. In this price range, even $50 or $100 more can get you a dramatically better product.

Prioritize your needs

• Camera vs. battery life – You may need to sacrifice a decent main camera for longer battery life, or trade a high‑resolution display for a faster CPU. Knowing your priorities will make it easier to find the right phone.
• Feature availability – Some features are hard to find on cheaper handsets:
  • All‑day battery life is common, but excellent camera quality usually requires a higher‑priced mid‑range phone (typically $600 or less).
  • Wireless charging and waterproofing are rare in the sub‑$300 segment.
  • The fastest chipsets are also unlikely to appear at this price point.
• Headphone jack – Most budget recommendations still include a headphone jack, so you won’t need to buy wireless headphones.

Operating system considerations

• iOS is effectively off the table in this price range. After the discontinuation of the iPhone SE, the cheapest Apple phone is the $599 iPhone 16e, which exceeds the budget limit.
• Android is the only viable option under $300. Google’s Android OS is mature, and many users prefer it to iOS.

Software support

• Android manufacturers often provide limited software updates for budget devices. Some phones may receive only one major OS upgrade and a year or two of security patches (e.g., certain OnePlus and Motorola models).
• Samsung offers the most robust support in the budget space, promising at least four years of security updates on all its devices and six years on the $200 A16 5G.
• If long‑term software support is a priority, consider spending a bit more on a device like the $500 Google Pixel 9a or the previous‑gen Pixel 8a, which has updates planned through mid‑2031.