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Getting a solid Android phone doesn't necessitate spending a small fortune. The best budget models strike a great balance between price and performance, giving you smooth everyday use without cutting too many corners. Whether you're scrolling social media, streaming your favorite shows or snapping photos of a night out, there's an affordable Android phone that can handle it all.
Cheaper phones have come a long way in recent years. Many now feature bright, fast displays, reliable cameras and battery life that lasts well into the next day. You might miss out on top-tier extras like the latest processor or ultra-high-resolution zoom, but what you get instead is value that makes sense. Some models even surprise with cameras that rival far pricier flagships, making them ideal for casual photographers or anyone who just wants to capture a great shot on the go.
We've tested budget Android phones from brands like Google, Samsung and OnePlus to find the ones that deliver the most for less. These are the models that prove you don't need a flagship price tag to get a dependable Android phone.
Best budget Android phones for 2026
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 West Virginia's Attorney General JB McCuskey today announced a lawsuit against Apple, accusing the company of knowingly allowing iCloud to be used to distribute and store child sexual abuse material (CSAM). McCuskey says that Apple has opted to "do nothing about it" for years.
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 Meta is set to release its first smartwatch this year featuring health-tracking and built-in Meta AI, reports The Information.
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Google's Pixel 10A phone is now available for preorder, featuring a small feature refresh in a design that looks quite similar to last year's Pixel 9A.
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 A reported hardware failure affecting Apple's new in-house C1X 5G modem in the iPhone Air has surfaced online, marking the first known real-world incident involving the company's own baseband technology.
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 Apple's older MacBook Air with the M1 chip is now out of stock on Walmart's website in the U.S., amid rumors of a new lower-cost MacBook coming soon.
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The office of the Attorney General for West Virginia announced Thursday that it has filed a lawsuit against Apple alleging that the company had "knowingly" allowed its iCloud platform "to be used as a vehicle for distributing and storing child sexual abuse material." The state alleges this went on for years but drew no action from the tech giant "under the guise of user privacy."
In the lawsuit, the state repeatedly cites a text from Apple executive Eric Friedman, in which he calls iCloud "the greatest platform for distributing child porn" in a conversation with another Apple executive. These messages were first uncovered by The Verge in 2021 within discovery documents for the Epic Games v. Apple trial. In the conversation, Friedman says while some other platforms prioritize safety over privacy, Apple's priorities "are the inverse."
The state further alleges that detection technology to help root out and report CSAM exists, but that Apple chooses not to implement it. Apple indeed considered scanning iCloud Photos for CSAM in 2021, but
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Wes Ott covers today's biggest tech stories, including Apple's March 4 event, where product reveals are expected. Amazon's Ring calls off its partnership with Flock following backlash from a controversial Super Bowl ad. Plus, Netflix is rolling out vertical video features for mobile this year.
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