- Why you should trust us
- Why get a budget phone?
- How we picked and tested
- Top pick: Moto G Power (2025)
- Budget pick: Samsung Galaxy A16 5G
- What to look forward to
- The competition
A budget phone can be a badge of thrifty honor or a pitiful brick that won’t stay charged and strains to run the simplest of apps. We can help you tell the difference. If you’re looking for a phone that does everything you want in a premium-feeling package, we recommend the Moto G Power (2025). If you just need something to text, call, and play some music on, we suggest the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G.
Everything we recommend
Top pick
Moto G Power (2025)
Top performance for a limited time
The Moto G Power (2025) has a large screen and long-lasting battery, and it accomplished every task with ease. But it comes with only three years of security updates.
Buying Options
Budget pick
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G
Long-term security for less
Though we experienced some slight lag and slow performance, the value is the best we’ve seen. Samsung will also roll out software and security updates through 2030, a prodigious span that beats out most of the competition.
Buying Options
DATE . Apr/24/2025