The Pixel 3a XL is the best affordable Android phone: it features a clean and fast Android experience the way Google intended it to be and it has the best camera in its class, beating the competition by a big margin, especially in low light.

The XL also features good battery life, it is guaranteed to get software updates for years to come and get them days after they are released, while other budget phones never get updated or wait for months and often a year to get an update.

All of this makes, the Pixel 3a XL an easy pick if you are on a budget. The downside here is the plasticky build quality and the uninspiring looks.


If you are on a tight budget, the $250 Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro is one of the most generous offers in terms of specs and value for the money.

Starting with the beautiful, refined design, atypical at this price range, going to the quite good camera performance, and finishing with the whopping 4500mAh battery that will last you two days, this phone is great if you can get it. The downside here is MIUI which might be hard to get used to and might have some issues with over-zealously killing background apps.