Ten Smartphones You Can Buy For $200

We round up the best Apple and Android smartphones you can find for around $200

Credit: RealMe

Sometimes you need a new phone, and sometimes you don’t want to spend that much money. Thankfully, with the gulf between the low and high-end of the smartphone markets continuing to contract, the amount of value and features you can find in smartphones that cost less than $200 is significantly greater than what it was even only a few years ago.  

Sure, you must be willing to make some compromises when it comes to camera and processing power. But, in terms of the overall experience and features involved, buying a budget smartphone that doesn’t suck is much easier than it used to be.  

If our round-up of the best Apple and Android smartphones you can find for under $400 and $300 wasn’t good enough for you, here’s our latest list of the top 10 best Android and Apple phones you can find for under or around $200.  

Vivo Y12

Vivo Y7Credit: Vivo
Vivo Y7

Vivo’s Y12 is a thrifty option for those who want an Android phone under $200 without too many compromises. A byproduct of Vivo’s ambitions to carve out a slice of the Australian smartphone market for itself, the device features a 6.35-inch display with thin bezels, a 5000mAh battery, 64GB of storage, 3GB of RAM and a triple-lens rear camera.  

Pros:

  • Huge battery
  • Triple lens camera

Cons:

  • 64GB storage doesn’t give you much to work with
  • Low resolution screen      
  • Cheap processor 

Where to buy?
In Australia, you can buy the Vivo Y12 through:

Alcatel 3

Alcatel 3Credit: Alcatel
Alcatel 3

If even $200 is too dear and you need to go even cheaper, the Alcatel 3 is an option worth considering. Priced at around $99 or so, the device features a Snapdragon processor, 32GB of on-board storage and 3GBs of RAM. It’s hard to sing too many praises given the clear compromises made here but the 5.9-inch display and clean design help it stand out among the competition in this end of the market. 

Pros:

  • Nice display
  • Snappy processor

Cons:

  • Only 32GB storage
  • Dual-lens camera isn’t great

Where to buy?

In Australia, you can buy the Alcatel 3 through:

Nokia 2.3

Nokia 2.3Credit: Nokia
Nokia 2.3

HMD Global’s revived Nokia brand has been making solid cheap handsets for a while now and the Nokia 2.3 is unlikely to break that streak. Like other Nokia devices, it runs on a streamlined version of Android and features a 6.2-inch HD display, 2GB of RAM and a dual-lens rear camera.  

Pros:

  • Has a headphone jack and MicroSD slot
  • Appealing design

Cons:

  • Limited RAM
  • Meagre display

Where to buy?
In Australia, you can buy the Nokia 2.3 through:

Oppo A52

Credit: Oppo A52

The Oppo A52 is probably gonna cost you a little more than the $200 limit we’ve set but it’s well-worth considering if you can stretch your budget that little bit further. This device features a 12-megapixel quad-lens camera, a 6.4-inch 1080p display and 64GB of on-board storage. In both look and feel, the Oppo A52 is also a decent-looking handset and with a 5000mAh battery on-board, you’re unlikely to run short anytime soon.

Pros:

  • Massive battery
  • Multi-lens camera
  • Appealing aesthetics

Cons:

  • More expensive than the other phones on this list
  • ColorOS isn’t for everyone

Where to buy?
In Australia, you can buy the Oppo A52 through:

Nokia 1.3

Nokia 1.3Credit: Nokia
Nokia 1.3

Though most budget smartphones feel like a compromise in one way of another, the nature of the Nokia 1.3, which runs a slimmed down version of Android called Android 10: Go Edition, means that it’s more than capable of getting you through the day - even if it won’t be playing any particularly taxing games or taking particularly stunning selfies anytime soon.

The Nokia 1.3 features a thrifty 3000mAh battery, a Qualcomm 215 mobile processor and a 3D nano-textured design.  It’s not going to blow your mind, but it will save you some money.

Pros:
Android 10: Go Edition
Small display

Cons:
Single-lens camera
Only 16GB of on-board storage

Where to buy?
In Australia, you can buy the Nokia 1.3 through:

Moto E6S

Moto E6SCredit: Motorola
Moto E6S

Motorola’s chops in the value-for-money segment of the Australia smartphone market are well-established and the Moto E6S sees them notch up another win. The Moto E6S features a slick 6.1-inch display, a 13-megapixel rear-lens camera, 2GB fo RAM and 32 of on-board storage. 

Pros:

  • Appealing design
  • Slick software experience

Cons:

  • Limited camera hardware
  • Low RAM

Where to buy?

In Australia, you can buy the Moto E6S through:

RealMe C11

RealMe C11Credit: RealMe
RealMe C11


Like Vivo, RealMe are currently hungry to eat up some of the marketshare surrendered by Huawei, following their unceremonious exile from the Android ecosystem. To that end, they’ve equipped the colorful RealMe C11 with a 5000mAh battery, a6.5-inch display a dual-lens rear camera.

Pros:

  • Appealing aesthetics
  • Large battery
  • Dual SIM

Cons:

  •  Only dual-lens camera 

Where to buy?

In Australia, you can buy the RealMe C11 through:

Nokia 5.1 Plus

Nokia 5.1 PlusCredit: Nokia
Nokia 5.1 Plus

Winding back the clock a year or two lets you jump up several hundred dollars in launch RRP when it comes to most Android brands and Nokia is no different. The Nokia features a 5.86-inch IPS display, a 13-megapixel dual-lens camera, a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor plus an 8-megapixel selfie camera.

The iPhone X-styled notch on the Nokia 5.1 Plus doesn’t really house any sort of facial recognition tech but it does look surprisingly clean and polished for a mid-tier handset and you are getting the same near-stock Android experience found across the Nokia lineup.

Pros:

  • Build quality
  • Thin bezel display

Cons:

  • Older processor
  • RAM limits

Where to buy?

In Australia, you can buy the Nokia 5.1 Plus through:

Huawei Y5 (2019)

Huawei Y5 (2019)Credit: Huawei
Huawei Y5 (2019)

The Huawei Y5 does come with a few cons but, if you’re willing to live with the drawback of not being officially part of the Android ecosystem, there’s some value to be had in the hardware here. The Huawei Y5 (2019) features up to 32GB of on-board storage, 2GB of RAM, a MediaTek processor, a 5.7-inch LCD display and a 13-megapixel rear camera.  

Pros:

  • Leather design
  • Decent specs

Cons:

  • Not part of the Google Android ecosystem
  • Single-lens rear camera

Where to buy?

In Australia, you can buy the Huawei Y5 (2019) through:

IPhone 6 (refurbished)

iPhone 6Credit: Apple
iPhone 6

If you’re looking to snag an iPhone for under $200, a refurbished iPhone 6 is probably the best you’re find. Though the usual caveats of buying a device this old (even if it’s refurbished) apply, there’s still some value to be found here.  

The iPhone 6 is kitted out with a 4.7-inch LCD display, up to 128GB of storage, 1GB of RAM, a fingerprint sensor and an 8-megapixel single-lens rear camera. You also get the benefits of the iOS and Apple ecosystem through stuff like iCloud, Apple Music and Apple TV.  

Pros:

  • Sleek software
  • Compact form-factor


Cons:

  • Aging hardware

Read more: 5 foldable phones we expect to see in 2019

  • Weak camera

Where to buy?

In Australia, you can buy the iPhone 6 through:


 Related: Top 10 best Android and Apple smartphones for under $700 

Related: Best mid-tier 2018 smartphones 

Related: Best budget smartphones 

Related: Best smartphones of 2018  

Related: Top 10 best Android and Apple smartphones for under $600 

Related: 10 Best phones of 2016 

Related: Best budget smartphones 2016 

Related: Which phones have the best cameras? 

Related: Top Rated Android Phones in 2016 

This article was originally published in January 2019 but updated in December 2020.

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