In this video we’re breaking down the five best budget smartphones in 2021. I’ve included options for every type of consumer. Whether you’re looking for a more basic model that has a few really good features or a more premium budget smartphone that has an outstanding display and camera to take impressive shots I’ll have the product for you.
The fifth product on our list is the Moto G Power. This is our best budget smartphone for battery life. The Moto G Power is a budget smartphone with incredible battery life and it’ll run you around 170 dollars. In addition to the outstanding battery life this affordable phone also gives you a solid LCD screen, intuitive software and gesture-based shortcuts in a well-designed phone.
I think the best feature is the 5000 MAH battery which can last up to three days and this endurance is rare in any smartphone, never mind a sub 200 smartphone. The 6.6-inch LCD display is solid with a 720 by 1600 resolution. While there are better and brighter displays out there for the price it does the job well enough.
You get an 8-megapixel front camera and a triple rear camera system with a 48-megapixel wide camera, 2-megapixel macro lens and 2-megapixel depth sensor which gives you some bright colors, solid portrait shots and admirable low light photos with the night vision mode.
While colors can sometimes look washed out, I believe it’s adequate for most situations. Moto’s my UX software is easy to use, and it brings back gesture-based shortcuts which let you activate the flashlight or run apps simultaneously with just an action. Another feature I think you’ll find useful is the multi-purpose power button which has a baked in fingerprint reader and moto action which when enabled allows you to easily launch apps.
Unlike many modern smartphones the moto g power retains a headphone jack. The call quality is loud enough to hear in noisy environments. It comes with three gigabytes of ram and 32 gigabytes of storage, and you can upgrade to four gigabytes of RAM and 64 gigabytes of storage for a bit more money.
The snapdragon 662 chipset adequately meets most requirements, but the Moto G Power only supports LTE. The affordable price does require some sacrifices, but I think this phone offers a pleasant user experience overall.
The Moto G Power is a budget smartphone that offers the best battery life at this price point. The 5000 MAH battery has an impressive lifespan, the display is solid, and the camera performs admirably. While this phone lacks some premium features it is perfect for those on the go a lot.
The fourth product on our list is the TCL 10L. This is our best budget smartphone for the money. At a price of 250 the TCL 10L gives you a wealth of features and I think it’s a great budget smartphone that gives you great bang for the dollar. TCL gives you an outstanding display for rear cameras NFC for google play support, a solid design and good performance at an affordable price.
I think the best feature of the 10L is the 6.53-inch lcd display with next-vision screen technology which provides realistic colors, increased contrast and support for HDR video content. You can also adjust the color temperature to optimize the display.
It has four rear cameras which includes a 48-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, a 2-megapixel macro camera, a 2-megapixel depth camera and a hole punch front-facing camera which gives this phone plenty of versatile photography capabilities. Unfortunately, the camera lacks a night mode for low-light environments.
It also has a respectable amount of storage at 64 gigabytes that can be expanded further with a micro-SD card. It should also run smoothly with its snapdragon 665 processor and six gigabytes of RAM. The 4000 MAH may not be as large as the moto g power but still lasts over a day with typical use.
You’ll find the smart key button useful as it allows you to customize your TCL 10Lto access any dedicated app or feature with the press of a button. There’s also face unlock and a fingerprint sensor on the back. I think the app cloner is an interesting perk which lets you have a duplicate version of your chosen apps in case you have multiple accounts. One caveat is that the speakers are mono instead of stereo and aren’t the clearest sounding but not a deal breaker in my books.
The TCL 10L provides a lot of value and can handle most tasks you’ll give it you get a crisp and high-resolution screen with impressive contrast, solid storage and respectable performance while cool features like the smart key enhance your experience.
The third product on our list is the Samsung Galaxy A51. This is our best budget Samsung smartphone. If you’re a Samsung loyalist but are shopping on a budget I would recommend considering the Samsung Galaxy A51. At a reasonably affordable 400 you get benefits like an excellent high-resolution ammo, LED display, an impressive camera, better than expected storage and plenty of battery life.
The six and a half inch 1080 by 2400 resolution Amoled display gives you vibrant colors and ultra-high contrast while most competitors only have LCD screens. This phone also has four rear cameras with a 48-megapixel wide angle primary shooter, a 12-megapixel ultra wide camera, a 5-megapixel depth camera and a 5-megapixel macro lens giving you solid pictures with good lighting conditions.
It utilizes Samsung’s own Exynos 9611 chip which is 10 nanometer octa-core processor, 4 gigabytes of ram and 128 gigabytes of storage. While performance can be a bit sluggish if overworked it still runs adequately for most and its solid 4000 MAH battery should get you through your day.
Another feature I really like is that you get Samsung’s one UI software which gives you useful additions like the ability to capture scrolling screenshots and the ability to store media in password protected folders.
Instead of a rear mounted fingerprint sensor the a51 has an in-display optical sensor that works well provided the screen is dry and speaking of water this smartphone is not water resistant. While the speaker quality is fine the treble can be a bit overpowering at high volumes and it lacks a stereo array which should not be a deal breaker for most.
The Samsung Galaxy A51 is an affordable galaxy phone that offers you a lot of solid specs great storage and solid battery without the high-end price tag. This is a great option for anyone looking for an affordable Galaxy smartphone with a crisp amoled display, four rear cameras and Samsung’s useful one UI software giving you some capabilities that are rare at this price.
The second product on our list is the iPhone SE. This is our best budget iPhone. Now if you’re an Apple faithful the iPhone SC is the best option if you’re not looking to break the bank with a 400-price tag you get a smartphone with a premium build an impressive camera IP67 water resistance and performance that rivals higher ended models like the iPhone 11 Pro for a fraction of the price.
I think the 4.7-inch 1334 by 750 resolution lcd retina display is great and renders finer details well and provides accurate colors and the true tone feature automatically adjusts the color temperature based on the ambient lighting conditions.
I would have liked to see a larger screen with smaller bezels but it’s more than acceptable for the price. You should also appreciate the build quality which is made from glass and aluminum instead of plastic.
The iPhone SE has a 12-megapixel rear camera and a 7-megapixel front camera, and it gives you many useful features like smart HDR to bring out highlights and portrait mode, so photos are impressive. It can also shoot 4k video at 60 frames per second.
I believe what makes this phone such a great value is how well the a13 bionic chip and three gigabytes of ram perform which is comparable to premium apple offerings.
The battery life should last you around 9 hours and the lightweight design makes it easy to use with one hand. I think another standout feature is the ip67 water resistance meaning you can submerge it for up to 30 minutes in a meter of water.
The SE brings back the multi-purpose home button and it also revives touch id which you can set up to open Apple Pay. I also like that it supports wireless charging which is rare at this price. While the camera is good the lack of night mode really shows in low light environments, and it does lack 5g connectivity.
The iPhone SE priced at 400 is an excellent affordable apple option. You get a good display, a premium and waterproof build, some 4k filming capability and the impressive A13 bionic chip enhances performance. Consider this smartphone if you want an affordable iPhone or an introduction to the apple ecosystem.
The first product on our list is the Google Pixel 4a. This is our best overall budget smartphone. If you’re looking for the best budget option available you should consider the impressive Google Pixel 4a with a wallet friendly 350 price. You get an outstanding display, lots of storage, impressive picture quality and a wealth of features in a lightweight design.
I think the screen of the pixel 4a is impressive which is a 5.8-inch full HD oled display and this gives you realistic colors inky blacks plenty of brightness and other settings to increase color saturation. The 3140 MAH battery is solid, and it charges quickly. Under the hood it sports the snapdragon 730g chipset and six gigabytes of RAM which is better than the snapdragon 665 of the Moto G power and TCL 10L although it’s slightly slower than the iPhone SE.
I believe the camera quality alone makes up for any performance shortcomings of this smartphone. You get a 12-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front camera which includes super res zoom to intelligently fill in areas of the frame and improve sharpness live HDR plus to increase image quality and night mode which enhances shadow details.
The 128 gigabytes of storage is robust. For those looking for 5g the pixel 4a comes in a 5g option but for a higher price. Google gives you many features and support for android apps. The call screen feature is useful which filters out robocalls, telemarketers and other spam calls. The recorder app transcribes voice to text effectively and the now playing feature lets you identify unknown songs easily.
It also has a new power menu with easy access to google pay and it has a rear mounted capacitive pixel imprint scanner on the back. I would have liked to see some upgraded design features like waterproofing or wireless charging.
The Google Pixel 4a gives you solid functionality, a beautiful display and an unmatched camera at an extremely reasonable price point. Plus, you also get android support and guaranteed software updates. The Pixel 4A is a top budget smartphone especially if you intend to take lots of pictures.
