Best Prepaid Phone of 2024: Value Picks for Cheaper Plans [CNET]

Our Experts

Prepaid phone carriers are constantly touting deals and promotions on cellphone plans. Most prepaid phone operators are owned by or closely affiliated with AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon. This means phones that work on postpaid plans generally also work on prepaid plans. For instance, T-Mobile is the owner of Mint Mobile, AT&T owns Cricket and Visible is owned by Verizon Wireless. Other prepaid phone carriers like Boost Mobile and Google Fi give you access to those same networks along with competitive pricing and perks. This allows for a lot of flexibility when you sign up for a prepaid plan, because nearly any unlocked phone can be brought over.

Most prepaid phone carriers also sell devices, and while their promotions aren’t necessarily anywhere close to a “free iPhone,” you can still get smaller discounts when switching to a prepaid phone carrier. For this list, we took into account phones that are available directly from prepaid carriers, alongside value-filled phones you can buy unlocked.

Read more: Best Prepaid Phone Plans

What is the best prepaid phone of 2024?

Like with any phone choice, the best device is going to depend on what you are valuing the most from your phone as a communication device and as a camera. However, if device cost is the most sensitive issue alongside getting a cheaper prepaid phone plan, then the $200 Samsung Galaxy A15 5G is the option I can most recommend. 

While prepaid phone carriers sometimes offer even cheaper options than the Galaxy A15, this Samsung phone is the lowest-cost way to get a device that includes 5G compatibility and NFC for contactless payments. Samsung provides the A15 with four major software updates along with five years of security updates, making it a secure phone to use for several years. That said, the device is a little sluggish in performance and the camera isn’t great, but if cost is the highest priority then the A15 is otherwise a great entry-level option for a prepaid phone plan.

Best prepaid phones of 2024

my review, the Pixel 8A raises the bar for what a $500 phone should be. That also means I’ll be expecting more from the Pixel 9 this fall.

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The Pixel 8A is so good it makes the regular Pixel 8 almost feel irrelevant. It shares so much in common with its pricier sibling, from its selection of AI-powered features like Circle to Search to its cool aesthetic and powerful Tensor G3 processor, that it’s hard to see why anyone would buy the Pixel 8 instead.

The Pixel 8 does offer a marginally better camera system, a slightly larger screen and the ability to charge other phones and accessories wirelessly on the back of the device. But those features don’t feel significant enough to impact the buying decision for most people. As I wrote in my review, the Pixel 8A raises the bar for what a $500 phone should be. That also means I’ll be expecting more from the Pixel 9 this fall.

Samsung Galaxy S24 isn’t the new Galaxy AI features, brighter screens or solid cameras. It’s the battery life. After testing, I can say the larger battery in the Galaxy S24 has no trouble plowing through a long day of use on a single charge.

The S24 is a wonderful, well-built phone that is excellent right out of the box just as the nearly identical S22 and S23 were before it. This similarity to the S22 and S23 can be viewed as either a strength, because the design reflects three years of refinements, or a weakness, because features like the camera hardware are essentially identical to what came out in 2022. But all of this is overshadowed by the great battery life. You’ll never hear anyone complain about getting too much battery life. Read our Samsung Galaxy S24 review.

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What impresses me the most about the Samsung Galaxy S24 isn’t the new Galaxy AI features, brighter screens or solid cameras. It’s the battery life. After testing, I can say the larger battery in the Galaxy S24 has no trouble plowing through a long day of use on a single charge.

The S24 is a wonderful, well-built phone that is excellent right out of the box just as the nearly identical S22 and S23 were before it. This similarity to the S22 and S23 can be viewed as either a strength, because the design reflects three years of refinements, or a weakness, because features like the camera hardware are essentially identical to what came out in 2022. But all of this is overshadowed by the great battery life. You’ll never hear anyone complain about getting too much battery life. Read our Samsung Galaxy S24 review.

iPhone 15 is being sold at a discount — $100 off. That means that the iPhone 15 now starts at $699. And you might be able to find steeper discounts throughout the coming weeks and months. With the Dynamic Island, a USB-C port for more convenient charging and a high resolution camera and a sharper digital zoom, the iPhone 15 is a significant upgrade for those with older iPhones.

The iPhone 15 is available in two size options: the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 and the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Plus. They run on the same chip as iPhone 14 Pro, the A16 Bionic, which should bring notable performance upgrades to those with an iPhone that’s several years old. These phones also have Apple’s second-generation ultra wideband chip, enabling a new feature that makes it easier to find friends or family members in a crowd.

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The iPhone 15

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With the launch of the iPhone 16, the regular iPhone 15 is being sold at a discount — $100 off. That means that the iPhone 15 now starts at $699. And you might be able to find steeper discounts throughout the coming weeks and months. With the Dynamic Island, a USB-C port for more convenient charging and a high resolution camera and a sharper digital zoom, the iPhone 15 is a significant upgrade for those with older iPhones.

The iPhone 15 is available in two size options: the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 and the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Plus. They run on the same chip as iPhone 14 Pro, the A16 Bionic, which should bring notable performance upgrades to those with an iPhone that’s several years old. These phones also have Apple’s second-generation ultra wideband chip, enabling a new feature that makes it easier to find friends or family members in a crowd.

$630 Samsung Galaxy S23 FE takes the best specs of the Samsung Galaxy S22, including a fast (aging) Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor alongside a 50-megapixel main camera, and places it inside a colorful aluminum body that highlights a 6.4-inch 1080p display. The result is a phone with an entry-level price.

The Galaxy S23 FE is a nice step up from Samsung’s A-series of phones with its power and photography. However, the Galaxy S23 FE’s battery life is shorter than I would prefer, but its 25W wired charging can help for a quick midday charge when needed.

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The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE.

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Editor’s note: Samsung announced the Galaxy S24 FE. It has a higher price of $650. We are testing the new phone for a full review and will update this guide with our findings.
The $630 Samsung Galaxy S23 FE takes the best specs of the Samsung Galaxy S22, including a fast (aging) Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor alongside a 50-megapixel main camera, and places it inside a colorful aluminum body that highlights a 6.4-inch 1080p display. The result is a phone with an entry-level price.

The Galaxy S23 FE is a nice step up from Samsung’s A-series of phones with its power and photography. However, the Galaxy S23 FE’s battery life is shorter than I would prefer, but its 25W wired charging can help for a quick midday charge when needed.

$599 iPhone 13 is currently the most up-to-date yet affordable option the company offers in its phone lineup, which includes a larger 6.1-inch screen with Face ID, 128GB of storage and all of the features included in iOS 17. While you can get a new iPhone SE at $429 that includes the same processor as the iPhone 13 with many equivalent features, it does so inside of a dated design that includes a smaller 4.7-inch screen and a comparatively small 64GB of storage space.

While I’d like to see Apple bring back a $499 iPhone option — perhaps by reviving the iPhone Mini design — for now Apple’s $599 iPhone 13 is one of the lower-priced ways to buy a larger-screen iPhone in new condition and get access to Apple’s services like iMessage.

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Apple’s $599 iPhone 13 is currently the most up-to-date yet affordable option the company offers in its phone lineup, which includes a larger 6.1-inch screen with Face ID, 128GB of storage and all of the features included in iOS 17. While you can get a new iPhone SE at $429 that includes the same processor as the iPhone 13 with many equivalent features, it does so inside of a dated design that includes a smaller 4.7-inch screen and a comparatively small 64GB of storage space.

While I’d like to see Apple bring back a $499 iPhone option — perhaps by reviving the iPhone Mini design — for now Apple’s $599 iPhone 13 is one of the lower-priced ways to buy a larger-screen iPhone in new condition and get access to Apple’s services like iMessage.

Pixel 9, from its respectable camera to its classy new design and lengthy 7-year timeline for software updates. But Google’s phones have always shined for their clean, slick software, and that once again applies to the Pixel 9 series. Pixels are also among the first to get new software updates, making them an ideal choice for those who want to get their hands on the latest version of Android first. Aside from Android updates, Google also brings new features to Pixel phones throughout the year through updates it calls Feature Drops.

The Pixel 9 comes with a few new AI tricks that you may find useful, like the ability to search for content in screenshots, generate images from scratch in the Pixel Studio app and add new objects in photos. These features aren’t must-haves, and they’re not without flaws. Plus, at a starting price of $799, the Pixel 9 has a higher bar to live up to. But the Pixel 9 feels like it belongs in that class of device.

” page-position linktext linkurl like=”~Beautiful design ~Fun and somewhat useful AI features ~Better ultrawide camera ~7 years of software updates” dislike=”~More expensive ~Doesn’t feel that different from Pixel 8″ additional-author additional-date additional-time can-collapse=”false” can-truncate=”false” truncate-on-page-load=”false” offer=”{“id”:”57e54bd6-45c4-4ff5-a073-0b033dbab3c9″,”label”:”Google Pixel 9″,”slug”:”google-pixel-9″,”edition”:[“us”],”imageId”:”c317440e-4aa9-45f9-93bc-c4250f5cf285″,”imgUrl”:”https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/63bcef1d15d7f4c9b3a9c3034b9a9b6e2e1980a2/hub/2024/08/21/c317440e-4aa9-45f9-93bc-c4250f5cf285/6587885-sd.jpg?auto=webp&width=300&height=300&fit=crop”,”imageHeight”:0,”imageWidth”:0,”typeLabel”:”Series”,”objectType”:”content_product_series”,”icon”:””}” techobjectinfo=”{“uuid”:”57e54bd6-45c4-4ff5-a073-0b033dbab3c9″,”slug”:”google-pixel-9″,”name”:”Google Pixel 9″,”productType”:”SERIES”,”updateType”:”PRISM”,”mod”:1727461939846}” overridecredit overridecaption imagegroup=”{“uuid”:”3debd650-2aec-4431-ba1a-cf6e3bbc594a”,”alt”:”Google’s Pixel 9 mobile phone”,”caption”:”

“,”credits”:”James Martin/CNET”,”imageData”:{“id”:”3debd650-2aec-4431-ba1a-cf6e3bbc594a”,”filename”:”google-pixel-9-4-2.jpg”,”path”:”https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/01f71ce9bb0805cc0cd7d57a2a92aa445893d510/hub/2024/08/20/3debd650-2aec-4431-ba1a-cf6e3bbc594a/google-pixel-9-4-2.jpg?auto=webp&height=500″,”dateCreated”:{“date”:”2024-08-20 19:07:48.000000″,”timezone”:”UTC”,”timezone_type”:3},”primeColor”:null,”hasWarning”:false},”size”:””,”float”:””,”lightbox”:false,”imageUrl”:”https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/01f71ce9bb0805cc0cd7d57a2a92aa445893d510/hub/2024/08/20/3debd650-2aec-4431-ba1a-cf6e3bbc594a/google-pixel-9-4-2.jpg?auto=webp&height=500″,”imageCaption”:”

“,”imageCredit”:”James Martin/CNET”,”imageAltText”:”Google’s Pixel 9 mobile phone”,”imageFilename”:”google-pixel-9-4-2.jpg”,”imageWidth”:4000,”imageHeight”:2250,”imageDoNotCrop”:false,”imageDoNotResize”:false,”imageWatermark”:false,”imageDateCreated”:”2024-08-20″,”imageParallax”:””,”imageCrop”:””,”imageEnlarge”:false}” usepricing=”false” ng-block=”{“id”:”y95d9w6tgwzl0gq”,”type”:”cross-content-listicle”}” edition=”us” data-key=”cross_content_listicle__c683abf2-5b3a-4eb3-893a-ba37d07d5d00″ contenttype=”Best List – Precap” pagelayout=”FAQ Markup + BL Precap” tagslugs=”google,lenovo,motorola,samsung,samsung-galaxy,apple,oneplus” isbestlistredesign=”true” imagecredit imagealttext=”Google’s Pixel 9 mobile phone”>

There’s a lot to like about the Pixel 9, from its respectable camera to its classy new design and lengthy 7-year timeline for software updates. But Google’s phones have always shined for their clean, slick software, and that once again applies to the Pixel 9 series. Pixels are also among the first to get new software updates, making them an ideal choice for those who want to get their hands on the latest version of Android first. Aside from Android updates, Google also brings new features to Pixel phones throughout the year through updates it calls Feature Drops.

The Pixel 9 comes with a few new AI tricks that you may find useful, like the ability to search for content in screenshots, generate images from scratch in the Pixel Studio app and add new objects in photos. These features aren’t must-haves, and they’re not without flaws. Plus, at a starting price of $799, the Pixel 9 has a higher bar to live up to. But the Pixel 9 feels like it belongs in that class of device.

read our Pixel 8A review here. If you’re buying a Pixel 7A make sure it’s on sale.

Google’s budget phone took a leap forward in 2023 with the Pixel 7A, which offers many of the same benefits as the Pixel 7 but at a cheaper price. Like the Pixel 7, the Pixel 7A runs on Google’s Tensor G2 processor, meaning it has many of the same photo editing and language translation features as its pricier sibling. The Pixel 7A’s 64-megapixel camera also takes excellent photos that rival the Pixel 7’s in quality. 

While we still like the Pixel 7, the Pixel 7A’s lower price makes it a better deal for most people. Otherwise, the main differences between the Pixel 7 and 7A come down to the former’s more durable build, slightly faster charging and its ability to wirelessly charge compatible accessories. The Pixel 7 also has a larger camera sensor that’s more sensitive to light, according to Google, but CNET’s Lisa Eadicicco didn’t notice much of a difference.

” page-position linktext linkurl like=”~Excellent camera for the price ~Attractive design ~Wireless charging, face unlock and high refresh rate” dislike=”~Screen is dim outdoors ~Only three generations of Android OS updates” additional-author additional-date additional-time can-collapse=”true” can-truncate=”true” truncate-on-page-load=”true” offer=”{“id”:”3848b88e-5fb9-411c-a86d-c6f7223606ab”,”label”:”Google Pixel 7a”,”slug”:”google-pixel-7a”,”edition”:[“us”],”imageId”:”8490076d-654e-42f9-8c3e-8a04467a074e”,”imgUrl”:”https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/645fc19acf5a009dcc230c9413bdc2bbfc84978b/hub/2023/05/11/8490076d-654e-42f9-8c3e-8a04467a074e/6539925-sd.jpg?auto=webp&width=300&height=300&fit=crop”,”imageHeight”:0,”imageWidth”:0,”typeLabel”:”Series”,”objectType”:”content_product_series”,”icon”:””}” techobjectinfo=”{“uuid”:”3848b88e-5fb9-411c-a86d-c6f7223606ab”,”slug”:”google-pixel-7a”,”name”:”Google Pixel 7a”,”productType”:”SERIES”,”updateType”:”EZMONEY”,”mod”:1727461939810}” overridecredit=”James Martin/CNET” overridecaption=”

The Pixel 7A

” imagegroup=”{“uuid”:”31dfdcf2-1ac3-4320-b40c-4c356300f06e”,”alt”:”Google’s Pixel 7A phone”,”caption”:”

“,”credits”:”James Martin/CNET”,”imageData”:{“id”:”31dfdcf2-1ac3-4320-b40c-4c356300f06e”,”filename”:”google-pixel-7a-phone-14.jpg”,”path”:”https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/690ad0a97cf8fc98f3cf851e7b149d2ffc5b171e/hub/2023/05/04/31dfdcf2-1ac3-4320-b40c-4c356300f06e/google-pixel-7a-phone-14.jpg?auto=webp&height=500″,”dateCreated”:{“date”:”2023-05-04 17:51:25.000000″,”timezone”:”UTC”,”timezone_type”:3},”primeColor”:null,”hasWarning”:false},”size”:””,”float”:””,”lightbox”:false,”imageUrl”:”https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/690ad0a97cf8fc98f3cf851e7b149d2ffc5b171e/hub/2023/05/04/31dfdcf2-1ac3-4320-b40c-4c356300f06e/google-pixel-7a-phone-14.jpg?auto=webp&height=500″,”imageCaption”:”

“,”imageCredit”:”James Martin/CNET”,”imageAltText”:”Google’s Pixel 7A phone”,”imageFilename”:”google-pixel-7a-phone-14.jpg”,”imageWidth”:3000,”imageHeight”:2000,”imageDoNotCrop”:false,”imageDoNotResize”:false,”imageWatermark”:false,”imageDateCreated”:”2023-05-04″,”imageParallax”:””,”imageCrop”:””,”imageEnlarge”:false}” usepricing=”true” ng-block=”{“id”:”3d7lcdnrfkgvsra”,”type”:”cross-content-listicle”}” edition=”us” data-key=”cross_content_listicle__56713c32-32e8-4219-a960-2ecf8302a445″ contenttype=”Best List – Precap” pagelayout=”FAQ Markup + BL Precap” tagslugs=”google,lenovo,motorola,samsung,samsung-galaxy,apple,oneplus” isbestlistredesign=”true” imagecredit=”James Martin/CNET” imagealttext=”Google’s Pixel 7A phone”>

Editor’s note: Google released the Pixel 8A, also $500. You can read our Pixel 8A review here. If you’re buying a Pixel 7A make sure it’s on sale.

Google’s budget phone took a leap forward in 2023 with the Pixel 7A, which offers many of the same benefits as the Pixel 7 but at a cheaper price. Like the Pixel 7, the Pixel 7A runs on Google’s Tensor G2 processor, meaning it has many of the same photo editing and language translation features as its pricier sibling. The Pixel 7A’s 64-megapixel camera also takes excellent photos that rival the Pixel 7’s in quality. 

While we still like the Pixel 7, the Pixel 7A’s lower price makes it a better deal for most people. Otherwise, the main differences between the Pixel 7 and 7A come down to the former’s more durable build, slightly faster charging and its ability to wirelessly charge compatible accessories. The Pixel 7 also has a larger camera sensor that’s more sensitive to light, according to Google, but CNET’s Lisa Eadicicco didn’t notice much of a difference.

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