However, it’s not perfect. It’s easy to ignore the low-res screen, but it doesn’t get very bright, so reading the display on a sunny day can be difficult. The device itself feels very malleable and attracts a lot of fingerprints on the back, so you’ll want to clean it regularly. The main camera takes some decent photos during the day, but it’s pretty bland in low light. Overall, these flaws don’t detract from the value of the Galaxy A13 5G. It’s a very cheap phone that works just fine.
Available on all three major US carriers.
This OnePlus (7/10, recommended by WIRED) doesn’t work on Verizon and only supports 4G LTE on AT&T, but it’s a great 5G phone with impressive specs. That includes an AMOLED screen (a rarity at this price) and great performance. It has a headphone jack, NFC and a MicroSD card, plus it will get three years of security updates. shortcoming? The camera will only pass, and the A13 will only be updated to Android 12.
Best Under $200 (and Best Battery Life)
Want the longest battery life possible? Judging by the Pixel 5A above or the Galaxy A32 5G above, two days is pretty good, but Motorola’s Moto G Power (2021) can last about three days on a single charge, thanks to its 5,000 mAh battery. It used to retail for $250, but now it’s almost always $150, which makes it a better value.
A Snapdragon 662 chip with 4 GB of RAM inside is enough; you’ll be able to run all your apps and most games just fine. The 720p LCD display isn’t quite as good as our other picks, but it’s still bright enough to see it outdoors in sunny conditions. Likewise, the rear camera system is good in daylight, but not as good as the Pixel 5A in low light.
It only has 64 GB of storage, so you’ll need to use a MicroSD card to add more space. There’s also a headphone jack and a fingerprint sensor, but no NFC. That means you can’t use the phone to make contactless payments through services like Google Pay. Biggest downside? Motorola will only provide security updates for one year, and this device will not be updated to Android 12. This could be a deal breaker for you, which is totally understandable.
You might be wondering why I don’t recommend the newer Moto G Power 2022.That’s because after running benchmarks, I confirmed my suspicions that the newer phone was significantly underperforming the 2021 version (Motorola switched to a smaller MediaTek chipset). It was Very It was sluggish, and the camera results also felt like a downgrade.it Do It’s been three full days, but as long as the 2021 Moto G Power is still available, I think it’s a better option.
Available on all three major US carriers.
Not to be confused with the Moto G Stylus 5G, the Moto G Stylus 2022 is a smaller version that lacks 5G support and NFC for contactless payments. As I pointed out in my review, this is a very good phone, but it’s not an upgrade over its predecessor by any means. It’s powerful enough to run most apps and games, you get nearly two days of battery life, and you’ll get three years of security updates (but one OS upgrade to Android 12).
Only two phones in this guide support wireless charging: iPhone SE 2022 and Nokia XR20 (7/10, recommended by WIRED). If you want the convenience of not having to plug in a charger to charge your phone, that’s a good reason to choose the XR20. (Read our guide to the best wireless chargers for some suggestions.) It also happens to be a rugged The smartphone doesn’t look too fancy or too thick. I dropped it on the pavement three times during my testing and it was barely worn (though that’s no guarantee it’ll survive every drop).
It regularly drops to $500 or lower, which is why it deserves a place in this guide. When I tested the XR20 in late 2021, I was very surprised. With the Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 5G, day-long battery life, bright LCD screen, and dual-SIM support, you get pretty solid performance, which isn’t common on most phones sold in the US. There’s even a headphone jack, a rarity on expensive phones, and an IP68 water and dust resistance rating.
