The best budget 5G phones in 2026 [Buyer's guide]

By Victor Hristov

Updated: Mar 04, 2026, 8:22 AM

The best budget 5G phones in 2026 [Buyer's guide]

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?

Best cheap 5G phones list:

Under $600:

iPhone 17e – The entry-level iPhone is finally good.
Galaxy S25 FE – A flagship Android experience at a mid-range price.

Under $500:

Google Pixel 10a – Strikes best balance of features for the price and has amazing camera.
OnePlus 13R – Great phone if you value performance and fast charging, but camera is one step below Pixel.

Under $400:

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G – Samsung's best budget phone.

Under $300:

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G – Best option for this dirt cheap price.

Other buying guides:

Under $600:

iPhone 17e

At $599, the iPhone 17e is Apple’s most affordable new iPhone and one of the easiest entry points into the iOS ecosystem. The phone runs on Apple’s new A19 chip, delivering flagship-level CPU performance for a mid-range price.

Apple also doubled the starting storage to 256 GB, which makes the base model far more competitive than before. Battery life should comfortably last a full day thanks to the efficiency of the new C1X modem and iOS power management. Charging includes MagSafe and Qi2 wireless support at up to 15W, a major upgrade over the previous generation.

The camera setup relies on a 48 MP Fusion camera that supports 2x optical-quality zoom, along with 4K Dolby Vision video recording and improved Portrait mode processing. While the single-camera setup lacks the flexibility of rivals with ultrawide lenses, Apple continues to rely heavily on computational photography for consistent results.

The phone features a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display, a familiar notch design, Ceramic Shield 2 durability, and an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.

Read mor: iPhone 17e release date, price, specs, and must-know features

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE

The Galaxy S25 FE offers incredible value for the money.

With a large screen, big battery and a flagship grade chipset, it delivers most of the Galaxy S25 Plus flagship experience at a much lower price.

The S25 FE retails for $650, but you can often find it discounted to as low as $500, and at that price, it is very tempting.

Some compromises have been made, as you'd expect. First, the phone comes with 8 GB of RAM (less than the 12 GB on premium models) and the base version only has 128 GB of storage.

Read more in our Galaxy S25 FE review

Under $500:

Google Pixel 10a

The Pixel 10a takes the place of the Pixel 9a as Google's newest budget phone, and it continues to offer one of the best value packages in this price category.

It keeps the same excellent camera system with a 48MP main camera and 13MP ultra-wide, but now comes with improved charging speeds. Wired charging reaches up to 30W, allowing the phone to reach around 50% in roughly 30 minutes with Google's recommended charger.

The Pixel 10a also keeps the Tensor G4 processor, which delivers smooth performance for everyday use and enables Google's AI-powered features.

Another highlight is the display. The phone retains the same 6.3-inch OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate but now gets higher brightness, reaching up to 3,000 nits peak.

Finally, the Pixel 10a continues Google's tradition of long software support, offering seven years of Android updates and security patches, which is exceptional for a phone in this price range.

The biggest drawback remains the fairly thick display bezels, which make the design look less modern compared to some rivals.

Read more: Google Pixel 10a release date, price, specs, and must-know features

OnePlus 13R

The OnePlus 13R is a bigger phone than the Pixel, so it has a bigger screen, bigger battery and stronger performance. And it charges super fast too!

If you don't obsess over the absolute best camera, it's an easy recommendation, but those who value the camera experience should probably go for the Pixel instead.

Read more in our OnePlus 13R review

Under $400:

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G

Samsung's $400 Galaxy A36 5G is a great phone for the money.

It doesn't quite have the fast performance of the Pixel 9a or OnePlus 13R, but it is more than adequate and it has a very decent camera. The screen quality, as always with Samsung, is great. You get a beautiful Super AMOLED screen on board.

Read more in our Galaxy A36 review

Under $300:

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G

The Galaxy A16 5G is a $200 phone, so you cannot expect perfection, but if you want something super cheap, it's a good option.

It arrives with an Exynos 1330 chipset, but only has 4GB of RAM, so you can expect a bit of stutter here and there.

The battery life, however, is solid, and the camera performance is surprisingly good for such a cheap phone, thanks to a 50MP main camera sensor. Video quality is limited to 1080p resolution, but at least video stabilization is nice.

Read more in our Samsung Galaxy A16 5G review

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Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.

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