The fast 5G connectivity - once reserved only for flagship handsets - slowly made its way through midrangers to budget phones now, as almost all handsets now have 5G support for T-Mobile, Verizon, or AT&T's networks, even in the prepaid category. Which are the best budget 5G phones, though?
Mobile carriers around the world are expanding their 5G networks at a rapid pace and 5G devices are now far from the niche products they were just a short time ago, going as low downmarket as the Galaxy A14 5G. That’s largely thanks to Qualcomm’s efforts to pair its 5G modem with some affordable system chips, giving manufacturers more flexibility in terms of pricing, starting 5G phones from as low as the sub-$300 point.
The Galaxy A54 deals are here, and Samsung's new midranger has all the makings of a hit. Samsung lowered its starting price to just $449.99 for 128GB of storage, but added a faster processor and a more elegant design reminiscent of the Galaxy S23 series.
The Galaxy A54 5G has every chance to become Samsung's bestseller on account of the cheap price and what we found to be a well-calibrated, bright 120Hz display, coupled with a long battery life, and a rather great camera set, at least for the sub-$500 price point.
Apple iPhone SE 5G
4.6
Apple iPhone SE (2022)
The Good
Affordable price
Light, thin and compact
iPhone with a button classic vibe
5G connectivity with C-band support
Super fast processor
Camera is great for day shots, video
The Bad
Feels dated
LCD screen instead of AMOLED
Screen feels too small for a modern phone
Battery life is improved, but still below average
Camera lacks night mode, has no ultra-wide lens
Only 64GB base storage
That Apple nostalgia that still keeps the SE line alive resulted in the cheapest 5G iPhone at just $429 starting price. Don't be fooled, though, this baby has an excellent 12MP camera with all the computational imaging power that the scorching fast Apple A15 chipset is able to muster.
Sporting a 6.6'' 1080p 90Hz display, the Galaxy A14 is now the cheapest 2023 5G phone from Samsung in the U.S., but still offers a 50 MP main camera and 5000mAh battery with 25W charging. The handset's full retail price of $200 is arguably not bad either, especially when you consider that the Galaxy A13 5G made its commercial debut stateside at $249.99. Compared to said 6.5-inch predecessor, the 6.6-inch Galaxy A14 5G display is naturally just a tad larger and, far more importantly, significantly sharper.
Google Pixel 7a
5.8
Google Pixel 7a
The Good
Good value for money
Stock Android with tons of AI/ML-powered software features
Google entered the budget 5G phone scene not long ago, and the cheaper Pixel 7a is an awesome value proposition. It comes with Google's own Tensor chipset whose image processing prowess can be found in the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro as well, paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. But you're not buying a Pixel phone for the specs sheet. You're getting it for the software features and the camera. While the camera hardware might be inferior to other midrangers, for instance, it more than makes up for it with the software and is perhaps the best camera phone on this list. Just don't expect zooming without stepping closer to the object.
Motorola One Ace 5G
Motorola also has a $399 entry in the budget 5G segment that is now on sale for $299 even. Not that surprising, considering Motorola has been making some of the best budget phones for the last few years, and our review of the Motorola One Ace 5G found out it's no exception.
The Orbic Myra 5G UW is available for purchase at Verizon for just $350 without discounts. Apart from the fact that it comes with 5G support, we also know Orbic’s phone is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor, 6GB RAM, and 64GB expandable storage (up to 1TB).
Also, Orbic Myra 5G UW sports a large 6.78-inch FHD display, a triple-rear camera (48MP+8MP+2MP), a 16-megapixel selfie snapper, and a massive 5,000 mAh battery with Qualcomm Charge 3.0 fast charging technology. Since this is probably the first Orbic phone to be sold by Verizon, it makes sense to also be the first to feature the carrier’s “Adaptive Sound” mobile audio solution, and, above all, it supports Verizon's ultrafast mmWave 5G network.
The TCL 30 V 5G (or 30 XE 5G on T-Mobile) is another sub-$300 5G phone, this time to fulfil the affordable 5G needs of Verizon or T-Mobile's customers, and is packing pretty decent specs for the price. There's a big, nifty 6.67” FHD+ display, a 50MP main camera, and a big 4500mAh battery. It's free with a plan, but even if you shell out $300 it's one of the most affordable 5G phones on the major carriers.
T-Mobile REVVL 6 Pro
Believe it or not, even at the rock bottom $219.99 price, the T-Mobile REVVL 6 Pro spec sheet is pretty solid. Developed in a close partnership with Google, the REVVL 6 and 6 Pro come with YouTube Premium and Google One subscriptions.
T-Mobile also doubled the phones' warranty to 2 years and now offers a BOGO deal on them. The full retail REVVL 6 Pro price is $219.99. For the REVVL 6 PRO 5G, the down payment for well-qualified customers will be $0 and then $9.17 each month for 24 months, plus tax.
AT&T keeps the bang with one of the cheapest 5G-enabled smartphone to date, the Fusion 5G, and if you can't afford (or simply don't want) to spend a Benjamin and change outright, a straightforward device payment plan will split that into 36 monthly fees of $6.12. That makes this 6.82-inch giant slightly more affordable than AT&T's 6.5-inch Samsung Galaxy A13 5G. The Fusion 5G comes with no less than four rear-facing cameras in tow, including an impressive-sounding 48MP primary shooter, a big 4,750mAh battery, 64GB of built-in storage and Sub-6GHz 5G support. Moreover, the AT&T Fusion 5G supports wireless charging, which is a real added value at its sub$200 price point.
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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
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