$250 in today’s market buys you a lower-midrange smartphone with a decent chipset and workable cameras. While these smartphones may not be ideal for heavy-duty tasks, they are perfect for casual users who need a device primarily for communication, web browsing, and taking pictures. So, without further ado, let’s dive into our list of the top 10 smartphones priced under $250 in the USA.
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In This Article
Samsung Galaxy A15 5G
Price: $199.99 on Samsung.com
Key Specs
| Display | 6.5-inch Super AMOLED |
| Chipset | MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Storage | 128GB |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh |
The Samsung Galaxy A15 5G is one of the best smartphones under $250 you can in the USA. The Galaxy A15 features a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and 800 nits of brightness. Under the hood, the smartphone is equipped with the MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ SoC. Out of the box, the Galaxy A14 runs Android 14-based One UI 6. The triple rear camera setup on the smartphone comprises a 50MP primary shooter, a 5MP ultrawide lens, and a 2MP macro sensor.
OnePlus Nord N30 5G
Price: $249.99 on OnePlus.com
Key Specs
| Display | 6.72-inch IPS LCD |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 695 |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh |
Released in June 2023, the OnePlus Nord N30 5G is one of the better affordable/midrange phones out there. Powering the N30 is the Snapdragon 695 SoC, which is a decent chipset in this price category. One of the highlights of this smartphone is the 108MP primary camera. A 2MP macro lens and another 2MP depth sensor join the primary shooter in the N30’s rear camera module. A 16MP selfie camera is housed inside a punch-hole cutout on the display. The front and rear cameras can record 1080p videos at 30fps.
Motorola Edge 2022
Price: $239.99 on Motorola.com
Key Specs
| Display | 6.6-inch OLED |
| Chipset | MediaTek Dimensity 1050 |
| RAM | 6GB |
| Storage | 256GB |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh |
As you’ll see in this list, Motorola has one of the biggest catalogues of affordable smartphones priced under $250 in the USA. To kick us off is the 2022 variant of Motorola Edge. This smartphone rocks a 6.6-inch OLED display with a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz and HDR10+ support. For content-watching purposes, this is one of the best displays you can get in this price category. As far as the rear camera array goes, the 2022 Edge features a 50MP primary shooter, a 12MP ultrawide lens, and a 2MP depth sensor.
Moto G Stylus 5G
Price: $199.99 on Motorola.com
Key Specs
| Display | 6.5-inch IPS LCD |
| Chipset | MediaTek Helio G85 |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Storage | 64GB |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh |
Looking for a smartphone with stylus support? The Moto G Stylus is a good pick. In fact, it is one of the most affordable stylus smartphones in the USA right now. It is powered by the MediaTek Helio G85 and is available in a single 64GB storage + 4GB RAM variant. What the smartphone lacks in internal storage, it makes up for with its support for up to 1TB of expandable memory. Talking about the cameras, the Moto G Stylus gets a 50MP primary shooter and a 2MP macro sensor at the back. Up front, an 8MP selfie camera finds its way inside a punch-hole cutout on the display.
Moto G 5G
Price: $169.99 on Motorola.com
Key Specs
| Display | 6.5-inch IPS LCD |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 480+ 5G |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Storage | 128GB |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh |
If a stylus is not your thing, you might want to consider the Moto G 5G. This smartphone has a 6.5-inch IPS LCD panel with a screen resolution of 720 x 1600p and a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz. Equipped with stereo speakers, watching content on this smartphone is a treat. Unlike its ‘Stylus’ cousin, the Moto G is powered by the Snapdragon 480+ 5G SoC. The rear camera module of the smartphone consists of a 48MP primary lens and a 2MP macro sensor.
Moto G Play (2024)
Price: $149.99 on Motorola.com
Key Specs
| Display | 6.5-inch IPS LCD |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 680 4G |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Storage | 64GB |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh |
The newly introduced Moto G Play (Gen 3) is a decent smartphone under $250. Powered by the Snapdragon 480 4G SoC, this smartphone is available with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of (expandable) internal storage. The camera panel at the back houses a 50MP primary shooter which can record 1080p videos at 30fps. The 8MP selfie camera up front records 1080p footage at 30fps as well. The 6.5-inch IPS LCD panel has a 90Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 500 nits.
TCL 40 X 5G
Price: $179.99 on TCL.com
Key Specs
| Display | 6.56-inch IPS LCD |
| Chipset | MediaTek Dimensity 700 |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Storage | 64GB |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh |
Like Motorola, TCL has an extensive range of smartphones priced under $250 in the USA. The TCL 40 X 5G is one of the best in this bracket. This smartphone has a 6.56-inch IPS LCD panel with a 90Hz refresh rate and a screen resolution of 720 x 1612p. Powering the 40 X 5G is the Dimensity 700 SoC by MediaTek. Handling the OS duties is Android 13 with the TCL UI skin on top. The triple camera setup at the back of the TCL 40 X comprises of a 50MP wide lens, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor.
TCL 30 5G
Price: $161.99 on TCL.com
Key Specs
| Display | 6.7-inch AMOLED |
| Chipset | MediaTek Dimensity 700 |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Storage | 128GB |
| Battery | 5,010 mAh |
TCL 30 5G makes some key improvements over the 40 X 5G. First off, it gets a 6.7-inch AMOLED display, which is better than the IPS LCD panel on the 40 X. While both smartphones are powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC, the TCL 30 has a bigger internal storage space at 128GB. The storage on this smartphone can be expanded to 1TB using a microSD card. The rear camera panel on the smartphone houses a 50MP primary shooter, a 2MP macro lens, and another 2MP depth sensor.
Samsung Galaxy A03s
Price: $159.99 on Samsung.com
Key Specs
| Display | 6.5-inch PLS LCD |
| Chipset | MediaTek Helio P35 |
| RAM | 3GB |
| Storage | 32GB |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh |
The $159.99 Samsung Galaxy A03s is a good buy for the price. It sports a 6.5-inch PLS LCD panel with 720 x 1,600p resolution and an 81.8% screen-to-body ratio. Powering the smartphone is the MediaTek Helio P35 chipset. With a hybrid SIM slow that can also accommodate a memory card, the storage capacity of the Galaxy A03s can be pushed to 1TB. Talking about the cameras, the vertical camera array at the back of the smartphone consists of a 13MP primary shooter, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor.
TCL ION V
Price: $59.99 on TCL.com
Key Specs
| Display | 6-inch HD+ |
| Chipset | MediaTek 6762V |
| RAM | 3GB |
| Storage | 32GB |
| Battery | 3,000 mAh |
Closing the list is the ultra-affordable, entry-level TCL ION V, which is currently available with a 40% discount on the official TCL website. You can get this smartphone for $59.99 right now. It sports a 6-inch HD+ display with a screen resolution of 1440 x 720p. Covered with thick bezels on all four sides, the ION V has a screen-to-body ratio of 85%. The smartphone runs on MediaTek 6762V chipset and comes with Android 13 out of the box. As far as camera specs go, the smartphone has an 8MP primary shooter at the back and a 5MP selfie camera up front.
Honorable Mentions
Moto G Play (2023)
Price: $99.99 on Motorola.com
Key Specs
| Display | 6.5-inch IPS LCD |
| Chipset | MediaTek Helio G37 |
| RAM | 3GB |
| Storage | 32GB |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh |
Moto G Play is one of the cheapest smartphones (under $250) that you can buy in the USA right now. The 6.5-inch IPS LCD panel on the smartphone has a refresh rate of 90Hz. An internal storage of 32GB is far from ideal, but a microSD slot on the smartphone allows for memory expansion up to 512GB. The vertical triple camera array at the back of the smartphone consists of a 16MP primary shooter, a 2MP macro lens, and another 2MP depth sensor. Under the hood, the Moto G Play is powered by a MediaTek Helio G37 SoC.
TCL 40 XL
Price: $89 on TCL.com
Key Specs
| Display | 6.75-inch IPS LCD |
| Chipset | MediaTek Helio G37 |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Storage | 128GB |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh |
The TCL 40 XL is currently available with a 40% discount on the official TCL website. The smartphone features a 6.75-inch IPS LCD panel with a 90Hz refresh rate and a 180Hz touch sampling rate. Powering the 40 XL is the MediaTek Helio G37 SoC. OS duties are handled by Android 13 with TCL UI on top. The rear camera module of the smartphone houses a 50MP primary shooter, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor.
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Conclusion
These were our picks for the top 10 smartphones under $250 in the USA. If you think we missed out on a smartphone that deserves to be on this list, give it a shout-out in the comments! If you’re willing to expand your budget, check out our list of the top 10 smartphones under $500 in the USA.
