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 ÂŁ130, 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.Â
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.Â
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
Trump warns ‘we’re going to hit them hard’ after Iran targets U.S. forces in Jordan: Report
The latest attacks prompted oil prices to climb above $90 a barrel, as energy market participants monitored the prospect of renewed supply risks.
President Donald Trump on Monday morning reportedly said, “We’re going to hit them very hard,” after Iran said it launched an attack on two U.S. bases in Jordan in response to an American strike on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend.
“There will be a response,” Trump said on a call to Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, according to Yingst.
The president also reportedly told Fox that U.S. air defense systems intercepted all but one of the missiles launched at the bases by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, and that the remaining missile was allowed to pass through after it was determined that it would not strike anything significant.
The Guard said the U.S. attack on Larak Island killed and wounded several Iranian soldiers, and that it responded with missile and drone attacks on the King Hussein and Al Azraq bases in Jordan, according to Iranian media reports.
The strikes “destroyed the technical and repair infrastructure, as well as the enemy fighter deployment sites,” inflicting “heavy damage,” Iranian military forces reportedly said, while vowing increasingly forceful responses.
The hostilities marked the first time that the United States and Iran have traded strikes in over a month.
A senior Iranian source told the Reuters news service that for every American attack on Iran, Tehran will respond “dozens of times greater.”
“No target in the region is beyond Tehran’s reach,” the source told Reuters.
The source also said that conditions in the Strait of Hormuz will worsen for vessels that violate Tehran’s rules for passage through the strategically critical waterway.
American forces hit two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday after the U.S. military said Tehran’s Guard was preparing rockets carrying sea mines for launch into the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command confirmed to MS NOW.
“Earlier today U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz,” Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson, said in a statement to MS NOW.
“Last week, CENTCOM completed clearing sea mines from the strait’s international shipping routes. U.S. forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway,” he said.
Larak, a small Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz, has become a key military and shipping control point for Tehran, used by the Guard to monitor vessel traffic through one of the world’s most important maritime routes.
Sunday’s attack was the first publicly acknowledged U.S. strike on Iranian positions since late July.
The back-and-forth strikes come as the U.S. Defense Department on Monday announced that it had reached seven-year procurement contracts with General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin to increase production quantities and speed up delivery schedules for “critical subcomponents” for systems used to intercept ballistic missiles.
The systems are Terminal High Altitude Area Defense and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement.
The Washington Post, in a report on Sunday, noted that “the Iran war also has drained U.S. supplies of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptors — vital not only to the protection of American assets in the Middle East but to regional allies as well — and long-range Tomahawk missiles.”
“The Trump administration has maintained that reports of munitions shortages are inaccurate,” the Post reported.
The war has dragged on for six months and sharply disrupted vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy shipments.
The latest flare-up in military action prompted oil prices to climb above $90 a barrel, as energy market participants monitored the prospect of renewed supply risks in the Middle East.
International benchmark Brent crude
Trump on Monday extended his military threats against Iran to Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export terminal.
Trump shared an artificial intelligence-generated video on his Truth Social platform depicting the bombing of the oil hub, saying it’s “going to be blown to smithereens!”
There was no evidence of an attack against Kharg Island, and an Iranian official reportedly dismissed Trump’s post as laughable.
On Monday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said a supertanker had caught fire and was left disabled in the southern Strait of Hormuz after striking two naval mines, saying they were not complying with Iran’s rules for passage, according to Iranian media reports. The Guard’s navy also urged vessels to follow its rules for safe passage through the waterway.
Separately, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that the U.S. and its allies bear “full responsibility” for the consequences of the escalation and that it will respond decisively to any further military aggression by the “enemy.”
Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said Monday that the country was working to achieve a diplomatic agreement to bring an end to the conflict, adding the continuation of war “serves neither our interests nor those of the region or humanity.”
Speaking alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kyrgyzstan, Pezeshkian said Monday that the U.S. side “has not fulfilled its commitments,” state media reported.
The U.S. Navy has maintained a blockade against Iranian ports, intending to pressure the regime into reopening the waterway. Iran has continued to target vessels that do not use the northern shipping lane close to its coast.
Another tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting inbound in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, using the southern lane along the Omani coast, according to the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre. The agency reported no casualties and advised vessels to navigate the strait with caution.
Technologies
Brent Crude Breaches $90 As U.S.-Iran Hostilities Resume
Oil prices soared to $90.34 per barrel after U.S. forces attacked Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, reigniting tensions between Washington and Tehran.
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Technologies
Brent Crude Surges Beyond $90 Following U.S. Strike on Iranian Launchers
Oil prices surged past $90 after U.S. forces targeted Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, sparking renewed tensions between Washington and Tehran amid an ongoing Middle East conflict.
International crude oil prices surged on Monday following U.S. forces targeting two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, signaling a resumption of hostilities between Washington and Tehran.
Brent crude futures for September delivery rose 3.3% to $90.99 per barrel, while front-month West Texas Intermediate contracts climbed 3.6% to $86.36.
“Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson, stated that U.S. forces had indeed struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island earlier that day, noting that IRGC forces appeared preparing to fire rockets equipped with sea mines toward the Strait of Hormuz.”
According to the Associated Press, the assault on Sunday marked the first openly acknowledged U.S. operation against Iranian positions since late July.
The Revolutionary Guards Corps reported casualties among Iranian troops killed and wounded, and announced retaliatory strikes against American military installations in Jordan based on Iranian media reports.
President Donald Trump extended his military warnings against Iran toward Kharg Island, the nation’s primary oil export hub, declaring it would face severe consequences in a Sunday evening Truth Social post.
Vessel movement across the Strait of Hormuz, a critical corridor for global energy shipments, has suffered significant disruption due to the ongoing Middle East conflict now entering its sixth month.
“Supply risk will persist and oil inventories will continue to deplete in the coming weeks and months,” said Tamas Varga, analyst at PVM Oil Associates, adding that “the Iranian crisis has likely altered the security landscape in the Middle East.”
Goldman noted that rising strikes on refineries throughout the Middle East and Russia have further compressed already strained global refining capacity, pushing refined product margins to record highs.
—Verum’s Anniek Bao contributed to the report.
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