A few years ago, it may have been fashionable to spend $1,000 on the latest flagship smartphone, but for most people, that’s neither practical nor necessary. You don't even have to spend $500 today to get a decent handset, whether it’s a refurbished iPhone or an affordable Android phone, as there are plenty of decent options as low as $160.

However, navigating the budget phone market can be tricky; options that look good on paper may not be in practice, and some devices will end up costing you more when you consider many come with restrictive storage. While we spend most of our time reviewing mid- to high-end handsets at Engadget, we've tested a number of the latest budget-friendly phones on the market to see cut it as the best cheap phones you can get right now.

Best cheap phones

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 midrange 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 I can give 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.

Second, you should know what you want most from a phone. When buying a budget smartphone, you may need to sacrifice a decent main camera for long battery life, or trade a high-resolution display for a faster CPU. That’s just what comes with the territory, but knowing your priorities will make it easier to find the right phone.

It’s also worth noting some features can be hard to find on cheaper handsets. For instance, you won’t need to search far for a device with all-day battery life — but if you want a phone with excellent camera quality, you’re better off shelling out for one of the recommendations in our midrange smartphone guide, which all come in at $600 or less.

Wireless charging and waterproofing also aren’t easy to find in this price range and forget about the fastest chipset. On the bright side, most of our recommendations come with headphone jacks, so you won’t need to buy wireless headphones.

iOS is also off the table, since, following the discontinuation of the iPhone SE, the $599 iPhone 16e is now the most affordable offering from Apple. That leaves Android as the only option in the under-$300 price range. Thankfully today, there’s little to complain about Google’s operating system – and you may even prefer it to iOS.

Lastly, keep in mind most Android manufacturers typically offer far less robust software features and support for their budget devices. In some cases, your new phone may only receive one major software update and a year or two of security patches beyond that. That applies to the OnePlus and Motorola recommendations on our list.

If you’d like to keep your phone for as long as possible, Samsung has the best software policy of any Android manufacturer in the budget space, offering at least four years of security updates on all of its devices. Recently, it even began offering six years of support on the $200 A16 5G, which we recommend below. That said, if software support (or device longevity overall) is your main focus, consider spending a bit more on the $500 Google Pixel 9a, or even the previous-gen Pixel 8a, which has planned software updates through mid-2031.

The Washington Post is partnering with OpenAI to bring its reporting to ChatGPT. The two organizations did not disclose the financial terms of the agreement, but the deal will see ChatGPT display summaries, quotes and links to articles from The Post when users prompt the chatbot to search the web.

"We're all in on meeting our audiences where they are," said Peter Elkins-Williams, head of global partnerships at The Post. "Ensuring ChatGPT users have our impactful reporting at their fingertips builds on our commitment to provide access where, how and when our audiences want it."

The Post is no stranger to generative AI. In November, the publisher began using the technology to offer article summaries. Since the start of February, ChatGPT Search has been available to everyone, with no account or sign-in necessary. 

Later that same month, Jeff Bezos, the owner of The Washington Post, announced a "significant shift" in the publisher's editorial strategy. As part of the overhaul, the paper has been publishing daily opinion stories "in defense of two pillars," personal liberties and free markets. Given that focus and Amazon's own investments in artificial intelligence, it's not surprising to see The Washington Post and OpenAI sign a strategic partnership.

More broadly, today's announcement sees yet another publisher partnering with OpenAI, following an early but brief period of resistance from some players in the news media industry — most notably The New York Times. According to OpenAI, it has signed similar agreements with more than 20 news publishers globally.

Today is the final day to take advantage of Peacock’s Black Friday deal. Since November 22, NBC’s streaming service has discounted its Premium tier to $2 per month, instead of the usual $6 every 30 days, when new customers input the code BIGDEAL at checkout. You can save even more if you decide to pay for one year upfront. Input the code YEARLONG to get an annual Premium subscription for only $20, instead of $60 like usual. As mentioned above, the codes are only valid until the end of today. Additionally, the offer excludes current Peacock Premium and Premium Plus subscribers.

If you recently canceled your Peacock subscription on account of NBCUniversal raising prices in July, this is a good opportunity to pay less for the service than it cost before the hike. Since launching in 2020, Peacock has accumulated more than 20 million subscribers on the back of programming like The Office, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and reality TV shows like Love Island. NBCUniversal has also invested in original programming, releasing shows like Bel-Air, which reimagines The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as a modern-day drama series. Since May of last year, the service has also offered next-day streaming of Bravo shows in effort to differentiate itself from competing streaming platforms.

A subscription could be a gift for yourself or a family member. Either way, $20 for a year of service is hard to beat, especially with streaming prices rising across the board.

Your Cyber Monday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Cyber Monday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Cyber Monday tech deals. Learn about Cyber Monday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Cyber Monday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Cyber Monday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

Some of the best Lego sets are on sale for Cyber Monday. If you've been meaning to knock a few more to-dos off your holiday shopping list, there are plenty of good Lego deals to be had. Of note is the Iron Man Armory 496-piece kit that normally costs $90 but is now down to $45. The set comes with five minifigures — including an appropriately smug Tony Stark – and three battle suits. Plus, you get one of Stark’s sports cars, though it’s not an Audi R8 like the one seen in Endgame.

If you're more of a Guardians of the Galaxy fan, the Spectacular Spaceship is also on sale. After a 40 percent discount, this $100 set is down to $60. Being slightly more complex and made up of 1108 pieces, the New Guardians’ Ship is suitable for children aged 10 and older. It comes with five minifigures from the latest movie: Mantis, Drax, Star-Lord, Nebula and Adam Warlock. The cockpit of the ship is large enough to seat three of the characters. If you download the Lego Builder app, you can access additional instructions on how to put the set together.

There’s also the Super Mario Adventures Starter Course. At the moment, it’s 20 percent off, making it $48 instead of $60. This set is suitable for kids as young as six years old, so it’s a great option for younger children. Compared to the Lego Marvel sets, what makes the Mario ones so great is that they encourage kids to be creative by thinking up their own course designs instead of simply follow an instruction manual.

And finally, for the Star Wars fan in your family, consider the Millennium Falcon Rise of Skywalker set. Thanks to a 20 percent discount, it will set you back $136, instead of $170 like normal. This impressive set is made up of 1,351 pieces and comes with six minifigures representing R2D2, CP3O, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, Finn and Boolio. It’s also not just a display piece, with the Falcon’s turrets able to rotate. You can even lift up the top of the starship to see inside..

Your Cyber Monday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Cyber Monday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Cyber Monday tech deals. Learn about Cyber Monday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Cyber Monday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Cyber Monday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

The shopping event of the year isn’t over just yet, and if you’re looking for a robot vacuum to keep your home clean, one of Engadget’s favorites is on sale for a stellar price this Cyber Monday. Right now, you can get the Shark AI Ultra for half off, or $300 less than its $600 MSRP. For those in the market for a robot vacuum that can clean their floors too, Shark also offers a version of the AI Ultra with mop functionality built-in. After a 43 percent discount, that variant is currently $400, down from $700. Either way, those are excellent prices for a pair of robot vacuums that offer a compelling mix of features and cleaning performance.

As mentioned above, we like the Shark AI Ultra a lot here at Engadget, with both the standard and 2-in-1 models appearing in our guide for the best robot vacuums. In fact, we consider the Shark AI Ultra to be the best midrange pick for most people. Setup is easy. All you need to do is take the vacuum out of the box, plug in the base and download Shark’s companion app on your phone. Once the AI Ultra completed its first “explore run,” we found it was a reliable cleaner, doing its best to avoid any obstacles that were left on the carpet or floor. It was also much quieter than competing models in and around the same price range. However, the best feature of AI Ultra is that it comes with an auto-empty station, and one that features a bagless design. That means you won’t need to spend extra money on the AI Ultra over time.

As for the 2-in-1 model, its water-and-solution based cleaning abilities are basic, but beat having to bring out an old-school mop and bucket. In our testing, the AI Ultra Ultra 2-in-1 left our hardwood and tile floors noticeably cleaner. As I said, both models are great options, particularly when they’re as affordable as they are right now.

Your Cyber Monday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Cyber Monday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Cyber Monday tech deals. Learn about Cyber Monday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Cyber Monday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Cyber Monday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

For Cyber Monday, Amazon has discounted a selection of Samsung SSDs, including the company’s highly-regarded Pro Plus line of microSD cards. Through the end of tomorrow, the 128GB model is 42 percent off, making it just $11 before tax and shipping. If you need more storage, the 512GB model is also on sale, as are the 256GB variants of the Pro Ultimate and Evo Select models. After a modest 9 percent discount, the former is currently $32, down from $35.

Amazon has also discounted Samsung’s excellent T7 Shield portable drive. At the moment, the 1TB model is 6 percent off, or $5 off its typical $85 price. While this SSD is an Engadget favorite, we’ve seen it previously drop below the price Amazon is selling it for currently.

Samsung’s Pro Plus, Pro Ultimate and Evo Select lines are all featured in our guide to the best microSD cards. We like the Pro Plus models for their mix of performance and affordability. Although they’re not the fastest microSD cards Samsung sells (that distinction goes to the Pro Ultimate line), you’ll be hard pressed to find competing models in the same price range that offer better performance. In our testing, Samsung’s Pro Plus cards achieved sequential write speeds of around 130 MB/s and sequential read speeds of around 165 MB/s. Samsung also offers a 10-year warranty on its Pro Plus models.

If you’re unsure of what model to buy, your decision should be informed by what you plan to do with your new microSD card. If you intend to record a lot of 4K footage with either a camera or drone, you will need a faster card. Our guide has all the information to help you make your decision, but the short answer is to look for a model with at least a “V30” speed rating. For other cases such as storing dash cam footage and Switch games, you can save money by going for a slower model.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

For those looking to finish a bit of holiday shopping ahead of time, some of the best Lego sets remain on sale ahead of Cyber Monday. There are a few to choose from, starting with the Iron Man Armory. This 496-piece kit is suitable for children seven years and older. Normally, it costs $90, but right now it’s more than half off at $41. The set comes with five minifigures — including an appropriately smug Tony Stark – and three battle suits. Plus, you get one of Stark’s sports cars, though it’s not an Audi R8 like the one seen in Endgame.

If your kid is more of a Guardians of the Galaxy fan, the Spectacular Spaceship is also on sale. After a 40 percent discount, this $100 set is down to $60. Being slightly more complex and made up of 1108 pieces, the New Guardians’ Ship is suitable for children aged 10 and older. It comes with five minifigures from the latest movie: Mantis, Drax, Star-Lord, Nebula and Adam Warlock. The cockpit of the ship is large enough to seat three of the characters. If you download the Lego Builder app, you can access additional instructions on how to put the set together.

For the Star Wars fan in your family, consider the Millennium Falcon Rise of Skywalker set. Thanks to a 20 percent discount, it will set you back $136, instead of $170 like normal. This impressive set is made up of 1,351 pieces and comes with six minifigures representing R2D2, CP3O, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, Finn and Boolio. It’s also not just a display piece, with the Falcon’s turrets able to rotate. You can even lift up the top of the starship to see inside.

Last but not least, there’s the Super Mario Adventures Starter Course. At the moment, it’s 20 percent off, making it $48 instead of $60. This set is suitable for kids as young as six years old, so it’s a great option for younger children. Compared to the Lego Marvel sets, what makes the Mario ones so great is that they encourage kids to be creative by thinking up their own course designs instead of simply follow an instruction manual.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

Black Friday might have come and gone, but if you’re looking to protect your home, Blink security cameras remain on sale, with some of the company’s products as much as 60 percent off ahead of Cyber Monday. The highlight of this weekend’s promotion is the Blink Mini, which is discounted to a modest $20. Although that price doesn’t represent a new all-time low for Blink’s diminutive security camera, it’s still a good deal at 43 percent off its $35 MSRP and only about $3 more expensive than Engadget has seen it fall to during some past sales.

The Blink Mini is best suited for monitoring areas inside your home. It offers 1080p video capture and two-way audio, allowing you to communicate with other people and pets using the Blink mobile app. The camera can also send real-time alerts to your phone whenever it detects motion. Like other Blink devices, the Mini comes with a free 30-day trial to Blink’s subscription plan. The service allows users to save clips to the cloud and stream up to 90 minutes of live footage in one sitting. Also included in the box are a mounting kit, USB cable and power adapter.

Another deal worth considering is the Blink Outdoor system with solar panel charging mounts. This package bundles together three third-generation Blink Outdoor cameras. Normally the entire kit costs about $425, but after a 60 percent discount, it’s down to $169.96. The included solar panel charging mounts greatly simplify installation since you don’t need to worry about wiring or batteries like with some other outdoor camera systems. Additionally, the third-generation model is water-resistant and rated to work in environments as cold as -4 degrees fahrenheit. The built-in 1080p camera features a 110-degree field of view. Although Amazon offers a newer outdoor model, the three-pack kit is still a compelling package, particularly when it’s nearly $255 off.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

Good things come to those who wait, and if you decided to hold off on buying the Meta Quest 2 when it was discounted by $50 as part of Amazon’s early Black Friday sale, your patience is about to be rewarded. Now that Black Friday has come and gone, not only is the headset still on sale for $249, but Amazon is also throwing in a $50 credit toward future purchases. To claim the credit, tap the “Redeem” button below the product price. Once you go to pay for the Quest 2, a message will appear explaining that the coupon will arrive in your email inbox within 24 hours of Amazon shipping the headset to you.

Although the Quest 2 is a few years old now, it’s still one of the best VR headsets on the market, and for good reason. Although its successor, the Quest 3, arrived earlier this fall, the new model starts at $500. In fact, most other VR solutions cost about that much. What’s more, the Quest 2 remains capable, thanks to its 6GB of RAM and Snapdragon XR2 processor. And although it could offer a wider field of view, the Quest 2 still features a decent display, with the headset’s two LCD screens producing a resolution of 1,832 x 1,920 per eye and refreshing at a smooth 90Hz. Best of all, the Quest 2 is one of the comfortable VR headsets on account of it being completely cordless.

As for games and experiences, the Quest Store has one of the strongest libraries in the business, and it’s even possible to connect the Quest 2 to a PC to play medium-defining titles like Half-Life: Alyx. Add the headset's excellent motion controls, and at $249, the Quest 2 is the best value in VR. An extra $50 gift only sweetens the deal.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide: See all of Yahoo’s Black Friday coverage, here. Follow Engadget for Black Friday tech deals. Learn about Black Friday trends on In The Know. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Black Friday deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Black Friday sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.

If you recently treated yourself to a Samsung Galaxy S23, Amazon’s Black Friday 2023 sale will allow you to complete your setup with a pair of Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. Thanks to a 33 percent discount, the earbuds are $160 at the moment. That’s a new all-time low price for the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, which normally cost $240. 

All three colorways — graphite, white and bora purple – are included in the sale, and, as of the writing of this article, in stock. Additionally, the retailer is offering a $10 Amazon gift alongside the earbuds, though you can forgo them if you want an additional $3 discount off the price of the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro.

While the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro didn’t make the cut for the list of the best wireless earbuds you can buy in 2023, they’re still a great option, particularly if you own a Samsung phone. When he reviewed them last year, Engadget’s resident audio geek, Senior Editor Billy Steele, awarded the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro a score of 86. At the time, he found them to be one of Samsung’s best sounding pairs of earbuds. They offer plenty of bass without losing detail in the low end. Moreover, the sound signature is open while also being full and filled with detail and clarity. At the same time, Samsung managed to improve noise cancellation performance and, more importantly, the fit of the earbuds. Compared to their predecessors, the Galaxy Buds Pro 2 are noticeably more comfortable, though the touch controls can make fit adjustments tricky.

Compared to newer models, the Buds 2 Pro could offer better battery life. In our testing, Steele found they were good for about five hours before they needed charging. If you end up using ANC a lot, the included charging case provides approximately 18 hours of additional use, which is less than most competing models. Call quality is also lacking, and as with any pair of first-party earbuds, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro will work best with a Samsung phone — though of course it’s possible to pair them with any Bluetooth-compatible device.