Motorola Moto G Power 5G 2023 for $200: My main issue with the Motorola phones is that they don’t have NFC (6/10, Wired review), which means you won’t be able to use them to pay for flights if you leave your wallet at home. Motorola also only promises one OS upgrade (three years of security updates). You can make better use of the above equipment.However, there are yes Inside the box is a headphone jack, a microSD card for expandable storage up to 256 GB, and a charger.
I tested the Samsung Galaxy A23 5G and found its performance to be annoyingly slow, which shouldn’t be the case for a $300 smartphone these days. I also wouldn’t recommend Motorola’s Moto G Play 2023, Moto G Stylus 2023, Moto G Power 2022, and Moto G Pure 2022, as the phones above beat them in every aspect and aren’t much more expensive.
The Nokia G400 5G (6/10, Wired review) is a decent phone, but its software strategy isn’t as good as the top devices we recommended above, and its performance can falter when you’re juggling multiple apps. Very unstable. Everything works fine on Nokia G100 until the display starts locking up and not accepting touch input. I tried a second unit and had the same problem. I also tested the Doogee S89 Pro, a rugged smartphone. While I didn’t encounter any glaring flaws, it was cumbersome to carry and uncomfortable to hold in my hand. Sure, it has a big 12,000mAh battery, but it doesn’t last as long as I expected. The company also has a spotty record with software updates.
Sort of. Any of our top picks are a good choice, but if you can wait until May or June, we’ll have a wider lineup to choose from. Motorola may soon launch more affordable versions of its Moto G series. TCL will release the 50 series this summer, HMD Global may launch some budget devices in July, and we may see the Pixel 8A at Google I/O in May.
Consider last year’s flagship phones
If none of these phones have the features you want, or they’re not as powerful as you’d like, your best bet is to look for last year’s flagship smartphone, which is likely to be heavily discounted. Sometimes they are easy to find, but the manufacturer may stop selling them entirely. Keep in mind that you’ll lose a year of software support, but that’s usually still better than what’s available on cheaper phones. For example, the OnePlus 11 has dropped to $499. The price of Samsung Galaxy S23 has begun to gradually drop to US$600.
5G is the newest cellular network, and it’s widespread enough that you should try to stick with phones that support it. It doesn’t completely replace 4G LTE, so you’ll see it in the status bar as you roam around the country. You can read more about it here, but in a nutshell, there are two main types of 5G: sub-6 and millimeter wave (mmWave). The latter is usually only available in flagship phones and gives you access to superfast speeds, but you’ll rarely encounter millimeter wave (think specific areas of major cities and certain venues like stadiums and airports). Sub-6 isn’t much faster than 4G LTE, but it has better range and is easier to use these days. Most of the smartphones we recommend here support sub-6 5G, even those priced as low as $200.
Check network compatibility
If you buy an unlocked phone on this list and try to take it to one of your wireless carrier’s retail stores, they may tell you that the phone isn’t compatible with the network. This may well be the case. Just use a paper clip or SIM eject tool to pop the SIM card out of your current phone, then slide the SIM card into your new phone. If it doesn’t work at first, restart your phone or wait a few hours.
If you need a new SIM card, try ordering one online from your carrier, or see if they’ll provide you with a SIM card when you activate your line in store (if you’ve started coverage). Tell them you have a phone number. Many times, a sales representative will want to sell you a phone; this is one potential reason why they might bother you in the store to buy a different device. With that said, make sure any phone you buy will work on your wireless network. Listings from retailers like Amazon should clearly state which networks the device will be compatible with. Also, make sure the listing states that the phone is sold “unlocked.”