7. TCL 20S
Not everyone needs a premium flagship phone, and even a budget phone can be a delight to use these days. If your budget is sub-$300, and you are on the hunt for the best bang for your buck, the $250 TCL 20S will defy your expectations for what a budget should look and feel like.
You might recognize the TCL brand from its popular budget smart TVs, where its screen expertise is what makes the TCL 20S’s vibrant, 6.67-inch 1080p screen a standout. The 20S has a layer of fingerprint-resistant, “micron-sized prismatic crystals’’ on its back that gives it a subtle shimmer. It has a quick fingerprint sensor that is built into its power button, as well as face unlock as an additional security option.
While the 20S’s camera system is nothing to write home about, its 64-megapixel main camera and 15-megapixel front camera are both more than capable of taking detailed photos in good lighting conditions — just don’t use them for night or macro photography.
For a budget phone, the 20S has no noticeable lag in performance, thanks to its Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor and 4GB of RAM. By default, it comes with 128GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a 5,000mAh battery that lasts for around two days without a recharge.
The TCL 20S is proof that even a $250 can buy a good phone without many compromises. It just nails all the basics that anyone would want from a phone: good performance, a good screen, good battery life, for a good price.
8. GOOGLE PIXEL 5A
The Google Pixel 5A is a bit like the hidden track on the b-side of an album: those who are in the know love it, but most casual Android users may not even know it exists. It’s only available from Google’s online store because carriers don’t carry the Pixel 5A, but it’s worth the effort to get this hidden gem of a $450 5G phone.
The Pixel 5A has made some key upgrades from the discontinued Pixel 5: its screen is now a bit bigger at 6.3 inches, it has a slightly bigger battery at 4,680mAh, and it provides some dust and water protection (IP67). Otherwise, it has the same beloved camera sensor, Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor, 6GB RAM, as well as 5G connectivity (sub-6GHz 5G).
Like its predecessors, the Pixel 5A’s main claim to fame is its camera, which can go head-to-head with flagships that cost $1,000 or more. That’s because Google does so much of the image processing in software — the sensor itself is actually a few years old now. It means the Pixel 5A can take night photos, do astrophotography, and has a passable portrait mode. It can’t hang with the iPhone SE for video but beats it for photos every time.
One of the benefits of getting a Pixel is that it’ll be first in line for the latest Android updates. Google has committed to providing three years of OS and security updates to the 5A. Android 12 is already available for it, and it will be one of the first models to get the next version after that.
