Best Phones Under $200: Our Top Picks Check All the Boxes

Best Phones Under $200: Our Top Picks Check All the Boxes

Our overall recommendation is one of the most functional phones we’ve used under $200.

Phones priced under $200 are becoming more functional than ever. The latest phones in this price range, such as the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G, are starting to incorporate 5G support for faster data and NFC for contactless payments. Other phones, like Motorola’s Moto G Stylus, are better media machines, providing stereo speakers to improve audio quality while including a camera that takes good pictures.

These cheaper phones have a significant trade-off: They typically run slower than more expensive phones, and while they’ll usually ship with the latest version of Android, there may be only a short window for security update support. That last issue is especially important to keep in mind when shopping in this price range, as it is risky to use a phone that is no longer protected from security vulnerabilities by its manufacturer.

While we wouldn’t consider any of these options to be productivity machines, these phones will likely be more useful than you’d expect for the price. Also, some of these devices may end up being “free” when signing up with a phone carrier’s subsidy program — usually requiring a two-year commitment to get cost coverage.

What’s the best phone under $200?
The $200 Samsung Galaxy A14 5G is our current top pick for the best phones under $200. This is largely due to the inclusion of 5G support for faster data, NFC support for contactless payments, and a relatively cheap software and security support timeline compared to other phones in this price range. Samsung will provide two years of software updates and five years of security updates to the Galaxy A14 5G, making it a phone that you can safely use for several years if you want.

We’re not crazy about its photography, though, and if that’s more important to you than 5G, you should also look at the $200 Moto G Stylus for better camera quality.

If you need a cheaper phone, we’ve also kept the around $160 Galaxy A03S on this list. The device is still supported by Samsung, but keep in mind that it only has a measly 32GB of storage space.