The writer tested five affordable 2025 phones and found the experience surprisingly decent.

Battery Life and Charging Details

See the PhoneArena Battery Score page for more information on battery and charging tests for all phones.

Battery Life Estimates:

* Motorola Moto G Play (2026): 5200 mAh battery, estimated 9h 27min browsing, 24h 57min video, 12h 57min gaming, 10h 16min overall.

* Samsung Galaxy A16 5G: 5000 mAh battery, estimated 6h 12min browsing, 9h 43min video, 11h 13min gaming, 9h 52min overall.

Charging Times:

* Motorola Moto G Play (2026): 5200 mAh, full charge in 1h 54min (wired), 29% charge in 30min (wired).

* Samsung Galaxy A16 5G: 5000 mAh, full charge in 1h 43min (wired), 37% charge in 30min (wired).

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Specs: 6.7-inch display, triple camera, 5000 mAh battery, 4GB RAM, available for $115 at Amazon.

Performance and Usability: The CMF Phone 2 Pro offers smoother performance, faster app loading, and improved multitasking compared to cheaper phones, but performance is bottlenecked on cheaper phones. The Galaxy A16 can feel laggy, and both the A16 and Moto G Play have slow loading times. The Moto G Play has only 4GB of RAM, impacting switching between apps.

Camera Quality: The Moto G Play and Galaxy A16 cameras are adequate for snapshots in good lighting. Video quality and low-light performance are poor due to stabilization issues and resolution limits (no 1080p 60FPS or 4K).

Display Quality: The Galaxy A16's display is sharp but dim in sunlight. The Moto G Play has uneven bezels and lackluster brightness, though it has a 120Hz refresh rate.

Display Measurements:

* Moto G Play (2026): 947 nits max brightness (20% APL, Poor), 1053 nits max brightness (100% APL, Good), 2.8 nits min brightness (Average), 6364 Color temp, 2.32 Gamma, 2.5 Delta E rgbcmy (Good), 5.92 Delta E grayscale (Average).

* Galaxy A16 5G: 736 nits max brightness (20% APL, Poor), 733 nits max brightness (100% APL, Average), 1.6 nits min brightness (Good), 6350 Color temp, 2.13 Gamma, 2.83 Delta E rgbcmy (Good), 6.82 Delta E grayscale (Average).

Spending $100 More: The CMF Phone 2 Pro ($200-$300 range) offers a noticeably smoother experience, a brighter display suitable for outdoor use and a more capable camera system with a 50 MP main and 50 MP telephoto lens. Battery life is comparable to the Moto G Play (2026), with the added benefit of 33W fast charging.

Premium Budget Phones: The Nothing Phone (3a) and Galaxy A36 offer brighter displays and better camera performance in low light. The Galaxy A36 reached 1700 nits in tests. The Nothing Phone (3a) has vibrant colors and detail, while the A36 has a typical Samsung look. Video quality and HDR are improved.

Cameras at this price point have smaller sensors and some lag. Battery life and charging times are similar to the CMF Phone 2 Pro. The Nothing Phone (3a) (Snapdragon 7s Gen 3) and Galaxy A36 (Snapdragon 6 Gen 3) offer smoother performance than cheaper models.

* Nothing Phone (3a): 6.8-inch display, triple camera, 5000 mAh battery, 8GB RAM, $430 at Amazon.

* Samsung Galaxy A36 5G: 6.7-inch display, triple camera, 5000 mAh battery, 6GB RAM, $191 at Amazon.

Budget Tier Recommendations:

* Around $200: Suitable for basic use, ideal as backup phones or for children.

* Around $300: Offers a sweet spot with smoother performance, more reliable cameras, and usable displays.

* Around $400: Provides excellent displays, stable performance, usable video, and fewer compromises.

The basic smartphone experience is increasingly accessible. The biggest issue with the cheapest phones tested was display brightness, but overall, the experience was surprisingly acceptable.

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