Basic And Affordable Android Phones Worth Checking Out In 2023
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There is no denying that flagship smartphones often dominate media and consumer attention. This undue attention is understandable, given that these devices often boast cutting-edge features, high-end specifications, and attractive, eye-catching designs. However, it's important to recognize that affordable, less-flashy smartphones have their own merits and cater to a significant portion of the market that prioritizes practicality, simplicity, and cost-effectiveness over extravagant features. These budget-friendly devices reach a wider audience compared to flagships. And because of their less glamorous and often pedestrian hardware specifications, they remain unnoticed amidst the media frenzy.
Of late, though, the performance and overall usability of basic handsets have improved, making them excellent choices for people wishing to own a no-frills smartphone. If you are someone looking to purchase a new, basic Android smartphone this year, you have come to the right place. To simplify your purchasing decision, we have curated a selection of noteworthy basic Android phones for 2023 that deserve your attention.
Motorola Moto G 5G (2023): The balanced performer
The first handset to make it to this list is the 2023 edition of the Motorola Moto G 5G. Among the newest entry-level devices from Motorola, this phone offers competitive hardware specs and decent overall performance. The phone gets Qualcomm's Snapdragon 480+ 5G capable SoC and comes in a single variant that offers 128GB storage and 4GB of RAM.
The rear-facing dual camera setup consists of a 48MP primary and a 2MP secondary (macro) camera. For selfies, users get an 8MP fixed focus, wide-angle camera. To keep the device under the $300 mark, Motorola has compromised on the display resolution and type, owing to which the device gets by with an IPS LCD panel with a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels.
Being one of Motorola's newest smartphones, the device runs Android 13, the latest stable version of Google's operating system. This inevitably means that Motorola would offer regular software updates for the device for the foreseeable future.
Additionally, with its durable construction, satisfactory performance, clean software, and impressive battery life, the Moto G 5G (2023) makes for a great choice for basic daily tasks such as social media browsing, email management, and messaging. It outperforms many competitors in the same price bracket and certainly competes well as one of the top budget-friendly options of the year.
Samsung Galaxy A03s: As basic as it gets
The next smartphone in our lineup of the best affordable smartphones for 2023 is the Samsung Galaxy A03s. This device presents itself as a viable option among sub-$200 smartphones and makes for a decent entry-level smartphone. It is the most affordable smartphone in Samsung's lineup and is a good entry point into Samsung's Galaxy ecosystem, with the added benefit of One UI.
Despite its entry-level price, the phone gets features like a fingerprint reader, dual-SIM support, and 15W wired charging speeds. The battery capacity — at 5000mAh — is great as well. Also pertinent to note is that the Galaxy A03s has been around for a while, and while it initially launched with Android 11, the phone has, since then, been updated to Android 13
However, the Galaxy A03s falls short in three crucial areas that are essential for a modern smartphone: its processor, the overall camera setup, and the low internal storage. To begin with, the phone is powered by the Mediatek Helio P35 chipset, which is not the latest from MediaTek's stables. The triple camera setup on the device includes a 13MP primary camera and twin 2MP cameras. While Samsung lists a 64GB variant on its website, currently, only the 32GB variant of the phone seems to be available. This is very low by 2023 standards, and we will only recommend going for A03s if you intend to use it as a secondary/backup phone.
While the Samsung Galaxy A03s does make it into this list, it does only because of its current price tag of $159, making it the most affordable device in this list.
Buy the Samsung Galaxy A03s on Amazon
Motorola Moto G Stylus (2023): Note taking on a shoestring budget
A major issue with owning an entry-level smartphone is its sheer ubiquitousness. These smartphones have similar designs, come in bland color options, and usually have no stand-out features. The Moto G Stylus (2023), however, makes for a notable exception in this regard. Aside from featuring an eye-catching design, the phone also comes with its own stylus — making it the only smartphone under $200 to get this feature.
Because the stylus is part of the package and the phone has been built from scratch, keeping note-taking support in mind, the Moto G Stylus (2023) makes for an excellent note-taking device. Motorola has further sweetened the deal by endowing the phone with a 90Hz, 6.5-inch display. As with the Moto G 5G (2023), Motorola has limited the screen resolution to 720 x 1600 pixels, which isn't too bad, given that most users won't be using this device for gaming.
Powering this stylus-toting smartphone is the MediaTek Helio G85 processor, which offers adequate performance. The device comes in a single 4GB RAM + 64GB storage option, with consumers getting the option to expand the storage further using microSD cards. Being a fairly recent device, the phone runs Android 13 out of the box. It scores well on the battery front as well, thanks to its large 5,000 mAh capacity.
Essentially, the Moto G Stylus deserves serious consideration if you frequently engage in sketching or note-taking on your phone.
T-Mobile REVVL 6 Pro 5G: The odd one
While we typically avoid network-locked smartphones in this list, we have to make an exception for the T-Mobile REVVL 6 Pro 5G thanks to the combination of its excellent hardware specs and incredibly low price.
The REVVL 6 Pro uses MediaTek's Dimensity 700 chip, which is not what you typically see on a $200 phone. The rest of the specs include a quad camera setup at the rear consisting of a 50MP primary camera, a 5MP ultra-wide camera, and twin 2MP sensors for depth and macro shots, as well as a large 6.8-inch display with a resolution of 720 x 1640 pixels. The phone is offered in a single 128GB storage variant that ships with 6GB of RAM. Consumers do have the option to augment the storage further thanks to a microSD card slot.
The REVVL 6 Pro 5G, as evident from its name, supports 5G networks as well and also packs in a large 5,000 mAh battery. It is also the only smartphone on this list that supports wireless charging and NFC. Priced at $219.99 (before taxes), there is no denying that the REVVL 6 Pro 5G from T-Mobile delivers incredible value for your hard-earned money, thereby justifying its presence in this list.
Samsung Galaxy A14 5G: Playing safe
Samsung is the only major smartphone brand in the U.S. that offers a semblance of competition to Motorola in the affordable segment. Given that many users may find the first Samsung device in this list — the Galaxy A03s — a bit too basic for their use case, this is a very good alternative for them. The device in question is the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G, which is one of Samsung's more recent launches.
Powered by Samsung's own Exynos 1330 SoC, this device seems to get all the basics right and is offered in a single 4GB RAM + 64GB storage option. The phone also gets a large 6.6-inch LCD panel that supports a 90Hz refresh rate. The camera setup includes a 50MP primary camera, twin 2MP macro and depth sensors, and a 13MP selfie camera.
Like most phones in this list, the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G also features a 5,000 mAh battery. The handset is relatively new and runs Android 13 with OneUI 5.1 at launch. With Samsung assuring four years of Android updates for its smartphones, we can expect the Galaxy A14 5G to remain relevant at least until 2027.
With its $199.99 price tag, the A14 5G is a solid budget smartphone with a compelling set of features.
Buy the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G on Amazon