Technologies
Best Phone Under $200: Cheaper Phones for Just the Basics
Devices that cost less than $200 should still be able to handle most apps, games and simple photography.
Smartphones can be expensive. But even if you’re on a budget, you can still find some great options. These are some of the best phones under $200 and they offer a mix of modern features alongside legacy ports you can’t find on today’s more expensive phones. For example, you can get a phone with a 6.5-inch screen and multiple cameras, plus a headphone jack and expandable storage with a microSD card slot.
However, there are trade-offs to keep in mind. Phones under $200 will likely run slower than their pricier counterparts, lack NFC for contactless payments and may receive only one software update. Most of them won’t support speedier 5G connections, either. But you can have peace of mind knowing that they can support most apps from the Google Play Store and will receive a few years of security updates.
What’s the best phone under $200?
Phones that cost $200 before any discounts are also phones that come with minimal features and many compromises. Of the devices we’ve tested and reviewed, the Samsung Galaxy A12 is our favorite. It nails the essentials, like having a 5,000-mAh battery, four average cameras, and years of software and security updates. There’s the newer Galaxy A13 and the just-released Galaxy A14 (which we need to test), but the A12 still hits that sub-$200 price and can often be found selling for less than $100, or even as a freebie.
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Best phones under $200 of 2023
Samsung’s Galaxy A03S at $160 (roughly £130, AU$240) includes plenty of great features and could be a great fit for someone looking for the cheapest possible phone that can handle most essential tasks. The phone’s 6.5-inch screen, capped at 720p resolution, is great for reading the news, watching videos, and playing games. Despite some performance lag found during our review, the phone is good at multitasking. But the phone’s tiny 32GB of storage space could fill up fast, so if considering this phone, it may be worthwhile to consider expanding the storage with a microSD card.
Samsung also plans to support this phone with at least four years of security updates, which at this price range is as good as it gets. On the software side, it’s less clear how many Android versions are scheduled, but the phone ships with Android 11 to start.
Even though Samsung’s Galaxy A13 has succeeded the Galaxy A12, you can still find the $180 Samsung phone at some US carriers, although it is otherwise discontinued on Samsung’s website. For instance, the Galaxy A12 is available at Straight Talk wireless at a lower $130 price. According to Counterpoint Research, the A12 was the best-selling Android phone of 2021, even outselling Apple’s iPhone SE (2020).
In our Galaxy A12 review, we found the phone took nicer photos than the cheaper Galaxy A03S thanks to its four-camera array with a 16-megapixel main camera, but it was still hindered by the same 32GB of onboard storage seen across all of Samsung’s sub-$200 phones.
While we haven’t tested the Galaxy A13, it’s possible that the $190 4G-only version of that phone is worth considering for its 50-megapixel main camera. But if you do plan to buy the Galaxy A12, know that the phone’s 3GB of memory handled multitasking well during our review, but experienced some lag when shifting between horizontal and vertical screen orientations.
The $130 Samsung Galaxy A02S was released in late 2020, and is still listed on Samsung’s website along with some wireless carriers. The phone originally shipped with Android 10, but has since received an update to Android 12 with Samsung’s One UI 4.1. Even though the Galaxy A02S is the lowest-priced phone in Samsung’s Galaxy line, the continued software and security updates should provide buyers with feature refinements along with protection from vulnerabilities.
During our review, we found multitasking to be the phone’s main shortcoming, along with the tiny 32GB of storage space included. The phone also has no fingerprint sensor, which means a security PIN or pattern will be necessary in order to keep the phone secure.
But the phone does include a microSD card slot for adding additional storage, a headphone jack and a large 6.5-inch 720p screen. If you just need a simple phone primarily for phone calls, texting and taking the occasional photo, then the Galaxy A02S could be a worthwhile choice.
How we test phones
Every phone on this list has been thoroughly tested by CNET’s expert reviews team. We actually use the phone, test the features, play games, and take photos. We assess any marketing promises that a company makes about its phones. And if we find something we don’t like, be it battery life or build quality, we tell you all about it.
We examine every aspect of a phone during testing:
- Display.
- Design and feel.
- Processor performance.
- Battery life.
- Camera quality.
- Features.
We test all of a phone’s cameras (both front and back) in a variety of conditions: from outdoors under sunlight to dimmer indoor locales and nighttime scenes (for any available night modes). We also compare our findings against similarly priced models. We run a series of real-world battery tests to see how long a phone lasts under everyday use.
We take into account additional phone features, like 5G, fingerprint and face readers, styluses, fast charging, foldable displays, and other useful extras. And we, of course, weigh all of our experiences and testing against the price, so you know whether a phone represents good value.
Read more: How we test phones
Phones under $200 FAQs
Are cheaper phones worth it?
Phones that are under $200 just focus on the essentials, which means you’ll have to make some compromises. You’ll be able to make phone calls, text, video chat, browse the web and run most Android apps on these devices. But you shouldn’t expect NFC for mobile payments, 5G connectivity or — unfortunately — much included storage space.
However, these phones otherwise function well and could be what you’re looking for if all you need is a good communication device. They also include features that are becoming increasingly harder to find in more expensive phones, such as an included charger in the box, a headphone jack on the phone, and a microSD card slot for adding more storage.
That said, if you’re finding that your phone needs go beyond basic communication, you may want to consider phones that are under $300 or phones under $500, if you can expand your budget.
What about phones that are even cheaper, like under $100?
Phones under $100 do exist, but they usually come with significant compromises.
For instance, the TCL 30 Z is one of the cheapest Android 12 phones available, at $90. Though we haven’t tested this phone, I have noticed that it uses the antiquated micro-USB port for charging.
Most other Android phones and wireless headphones, even those in the budget price range, now use USB-C for charging, meaning you might find yourself scrambling for a charger if you misplace it. The phone is also getting only one major software update to Android 13 and two years of security updates, which is short but comparable to some phones sold under $300.
We haven’t reviewed any flip phones recently, but anyone looking for a device made specifically for phone calls should be well-served by most available options. Flip phones support 4G signals and — more importantly — HD Voice for clearer voice calls. Some flip phones even support modern apps like WhatsApp and the Google Assistant, albeit in a more limited way compared with how these services function on a smartphone. The , for instance, is a flip phone running on the brand’s KaiOS, which supports downloadable apps and services.
More phone advice
Technologies
Last Chance: Nab These RayNeo Air 3s Pro AR/XR Glasses for $249 This Cyber Monday
Level up your gaming experience with these smart glasses while they’re $50 off.
Cyber Monday is here for a few more hours, and it’s a great time to save money on the latest tech. If you’re a gamer, there are plenty of deals that’ll save you big bucks. We’ve spotted this pair of RayNeo Air 3S smart gaming glasses for just $249 at RayNeo. This saves you $50 over its usual price of $299.
These RayNeo Air 3s Pro smart gaming glasses are lightweight, include built-in speakers and spatial audio that makes your experience immersive. They’re compatible with Android, iOS and Windows operating systems and consoles such as Nintendo Switch 2.
Love playing for hours on end? These glasses are TÜV SÜD Low Blue Light & Flicker-Free certified, which essentially means they’re gentle on your eyes and can reduce strain associated with being in front of a screen. These RayNeo Air 3s smart gaming glasses are also bright enough to let you see more detail than you’d get playing on a screen.
If you use glasses you can also take the Air 3s to your optician to get prescription lenses installed for a more comfortable view.
CHEAP GAMING LAPTOP DEALS OF THE WEEK
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Why this deal matters
These RayNeo Air 3s Pro AR/XR glasses are compatible with multiple operating systems and consoles. They offer brightness, excellent sound quality and low blue light exposure. On a typical day they cost $299, but this deal brings these smart gaming glasses down to $249. Keep in mind that this deal is live for just a few more hours.
CNET is keeping up with as many Cyber Monday deals as possible so you can make the most out of these deals while they’re still around.
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Technologies
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Dec. 2
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 2.
Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s a fun one, especially if you like carbonated beverages, or what as a native Minnesotan, I will forever just call «pop.» Read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.
If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword
Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.
Mini across clues and answers
1A clue: Fittingly, the letters that bookend «Get along well»
Answer: GEL
4A clue: Coke, e.g.
Answer: DRUG
6A clue: Sprite
Answer: PIXIE
8A clue: Pepsi ___
Answer: COLA
9A clue: Subway scurrier
Answer: RAT
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: Measure of a country’s economic output, for short
Answer: GDP
2D clue: N.Y.C. mayor Adams
Answer: ERIC
3D clue: Vegas casino shaped like a pyramid
Answer: LUXOR
5D clue: ___ monster (venomous lizard)
Answer: GILA
7D clue: Have a bite
Answer: EAT
Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.
Technologies
Samsung’s Galaxy Z TriFold Is Coming to the US Early Next Year
This triple-display foldable looks like a slim phone-tablet hybrid. It’ll first arrive in Korea later this month.
After months of teasing a triple-display foldable phone, Samsung is gearing up to launch what it’s calling the Galaxy Z TriFold — because foldables with just one hinge are so last year.
The phone is slated to become available first in Korea on Dec. 12, and will then launch in other locations including China, Taiwan, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. It’ll arrive in the US in the first quarter of 2026.
To get this caveat out of the way: a trifold phone doesn’t actually fold three times. Rather, devices like the Z TriFold have a main screen with two hinges, allowing the phone to fold into three sections. They appear to be more of a hybrid between a phone and, when unfolded, a tablet. The Z TriFold boasts a 10-inch display when unfurled and a 6.5-inch cover display.
«The company’s decade-long experience in foldable category innovation inspired Galaxy Z TriFold’s uniquemulti-folding form factor, which uses an inward-folding design to protect the main display,» Samsung said in a blog post. «The foldingmechanism has been precisely engineered for easy opening and closing, with an auto-alarm alerting the userof incorrect folding through a series of on-screen alerts and vibrations.»
A Galaxy of features comes together
The Galaxy Z TriFold appears to borrow elements from two of its siblings: the Galaxy S25 Edge and the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Both phones are impressively thin, with the Edge measuring 5.8mm and the Z Fold 7 measuring 4.2mm thick when unfolded.
The Z TriFold goes one step further. It’s just 3.9mm thick «at its thinnest point,» Samsung says. Reading the fine print reveals that measurement excludes «the camera and the preinstalled protective film.» The thickest panel is the center one, which measures 4.2mm. The panel with the side button is 4mm thick. Still, that should all help to reduce bulk when the three screens are stacked shut on top of one another.
The rear triple-camera system includes a 200-megapixel wide-angle camera, similar to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, S25 Edge and Z Fold 7. There’s also a 12-megapixel ultrawide and 10-megapixel telephoto camera. For selfies, you’ll find 10-megapixel front-facing cameras on both the cover and main screens.
Like Samsung’s other premium phones released this year, the Z TriFold is powered by a custom Snapdragon 8 Elite processor. It also has a 5,600-mAh three-cell battery — a nice upgrade over the 4,400-mAh battery on the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Samsung notes this system «has been placed ineach of the three panels of the device for balanced power delivery and all-day endurance.» The phone supports 45-watt super-fast charging.
The Z TriFold has two different-sized hinges, «creating a smoother, more stable fold despitevarying weight and components across the device,» Samsung notes. This also helps to reduce the gap between the screens. The titanium hinge housing «resists wear over time,» and the phone’s Advanced Armor Aluminum frame should also help with durability, while preventing the screens from touching when folded shut.
The Z TriFold borrows another trait from the Z Fold 7: an IP48 rating. That means the phone can be submerged under 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes and is protected against solid particles larger than 1 millimeter, but not against dust. Meanwhile, Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold boasts an impressive IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.
Samsung’s triple-display foldable has Corning’s Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 on the front, while the back is made of ceramic-glass fiber-reinforced polymer.
Why would someone buy the Galaxy Z TriFold?
So what’s the point of a phone that unfolds into a giant 10-inch display? Samsung says the Z TriFold is ideal for multitasking.
«Users can use the screen with endless versatility — they can create across three different portrait-sized apps side-by-side without interruption, resize apps inmulti-window to view the most important information clearly, or hold it vertically when reviewing documents forimproved focus,» the company notes.
Samsung also says a wider screen can be good for watching movies and TV shows. And if you’re watching a YouTube video, you can simultaneously read the comments on the neighboring display. Samsung notes that «minimized creasing on the device keeps content seamless anduninterrupted.» That’ll be a crucial element.
The phone’s AMOLED cover and main screens have a refresh rate up to 120Hz. The cover display boasts 2,600 nits of peak brightness, while the main screen features a peak brightness of 1,600 nits.
The Galaxy Z TriFold will arrive with Android 16 and One UI 8. It’s not clear how much the phone will cost, but given the Z Fold 7’s $2,000 starting price, it’ll probably be a pretty penny.
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