Flashship phones are rather expensive, but these days good phones are getting cheap, and you can get a decent smartphone in this range which will provide you a good enough smartphone experience whether you want to buy it as your first smartphone or as a secondary smartphone to attend some calls and social media browsing.
So, if you are looking for an affordable phone to buy? Then you are in the right place. We have compiled the list of the best phone available in this budget, so you don’t have to flicker around visiting different websites and comparing specifications. Let’s check out what you can get under $100.
Table of Contents
List of Best Smartphone Under $100
Note: These smartphones are not arranged in any order. Always buy the Unlocked version of a smartphone to make sure it will work with your carrier choice.
Some phones come with carrier locks such as AT&T and T-Mobile, and it will work only with those particular carries, whereas an Unlocked phone is free from such restriction, and you can use them in any country, and with any SIM card it supports.
1. Ulefone Note 8
You might not have heard about this brand, but they are in the market for a couple of years now and has some great value for money smartphone mostly in the budget and mid-range category. The Ulefone Note 8 comes just under 100$ and a great contender for your first or secondary android device.
The device has a 5.5 inch IPS LCD (Which might be one of the best in this price range) with a 442×960 screen resolution. It has a three-sided bezel-less design with a minor chin at the bottom. It also a dewdrop shaped notch for the 2MP front-facing camera and some basic sensors.
Under the hood, it is powered by the Mediatek MT6580 chipset paired with Mali-400 GPU. You can expect a decent performance from this device. It is great for watching Youtube, Browsing the Web, and playing some lite games. It comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of Internal Storage. You can also expand the storage via a Micro SD card.
Flipping the device, it has a dual rear-facing camera setup with a 5MP front camera and a 2MP secondary sensor. The cameras here are just to get the job done, don’t expect great picture quality from this device. Moving on, it has a 2700 mAh battery inside; It is hard to complain in this price range.
Under moderate usage, you can make this last till the end of the day. The Ulefone Note 8 runs on the Go edition of Android 10. So, you only get to use the Go Edition of Google Apps. These are the lite versions of the main app specially made for budget devices. There are also some great color options to choose from, Black, Amber Sunrise, and Midnight Green.
Technical Specifications
| SoC | Mediatek MT6580 (28 nm) |
| RAM and Storage | 2GB + 16GB |
| Display and Resolution | 5.5 inches (442 x 960 pixels) |
| Camera | Dual Rear 5MP + 2MP | Front 2 MP |
| Battery | 2700 mAh |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n | Bluetooth 4.2 | MicroUSB 2.0 |
2. Samsung Galaxy A01
Samsung has quite a few options in the budget segment. The Galaxy A01 sells for just above 100$, and sometimes you might also get it under 100$ during sales or with discount coupons. Despite being so affordable, this smartphone has a lot to offer. It has a plain back design and comes in three solid color variants Black, Blue, and Red.
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On the front, it has a 5.7 inches PLS IPS display with a screen resolution of 720×1520. Although it has a modern design on the front, it still packs a very big chin at the bottom. It also has a dewdrop shaped notch for the single 5MP front-facing camera, speaker grille, and some other sensors.
The Samsung Galaxy A01 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 chipset, paired with Adreno 505 GPU. Social Media, Youtube, and other day-to-day tasks won’t be an issue; however, don’t expect heavy multitasking or gaming from this device. It runs on Android 10 with a new and improved One UI 2.0 Skin.
Turning the phone around, you get a dual rear-facing camera setup with a combo of 13MP main sensor and a 2MP depth sensor for portrait shots. This phone’s images turn out to be decent and similar to other devices in the same price range. Coming to the battery, the capacity is 3000 mAh, which is better compared to some other options.
Although it is not the best looking or best-performing device in this range, you can get this device if you are a little brand conscious. Samsung has one of the best after-sale services compared to other brands on this list, which is one of the main reasons we recommend this device over others.
Technical Specifications
| SoC | Qualcomm SDM439 Snapdragon 439 (12 nm) |
| RAM and Storage | 2GB + 16GB | 2GB + 32GB |
| Display and Resolution | 5.7 inches (720 x 1520 pixels) |
| Camera | Dual Rear 13MP + 2MP | Front 5 MP |
| Battery | 3000 mAh |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n | Bluetooth 4.2 | MicroUSB 2.0 |
3. Moto E6s
The Motorola E6s is another great contender for the best smartphone in this price range. Motorola has released a couple of variants of the same device with minor design changes. It includes a slight change in the camera module and different color options. This one features a gradient back design and comes in two color variants Peacock Blue and Sunrise Red.
On the front, it has a large 6.7 inches IPS LCD with a screen resolution of 720×1560 pixels. It features a bezel-less design on three sides; however, there is a large chin at the bottom. The display quality on this device is good, and since it is a 720p display, it will save some battery.
Powering up the Moto E6s is the Mediatek Helio P22 chipset paired with PowerVR GE8320 GPU. You can grab this device in two memory variants, 2GB + 32GB, and 4GB + 64GB. A 3GB RAM variant would be much appreciated. On the software side, it runs on Android 9.0 (Pie) and is also upgradable to Android 10.
On the back, it has a dual-camera setup with a 13MP primary sensor, paired with a 2MP depth sensor. On the other hand, it has a 5MP camera for taking selfies. The images from this device turn out to be decent and get the basic job done. Surprisingly this device also packs a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.
The battery performance here is great. It has a 3000 mAh battery inside, which is good enough to last you a full day. You should get this device, especially if you are looking for a clean Android experience. We recommend you grab the 4GB RAM variant as it will perform much better and grants you some more storage.
Technical Specifications
| SoC | Mediatek MT6762 Helio P22 (12 nm) |
| RAM and Storage | 2GB + 32GB | 4GB + 64GB |
| Display and Resolution | 6.1 inches (720 x 1560 pixels) |
| Camera | Dual Rear 13MP + 2MP | Front 5 MP |
| Battery | 3000 mAh |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n | Bluetooth 4.2 | MicroUSB 2.0 |
4. Nokia 1.3
Nokia 1.3 is a very basic smartphone. It is only good as a secondary smartphone or if you want to gift this to your children for watching Youtube or playing small games. The device was launched back in March 2020 and features a plain plastic back design in Cyan, Charcoal, and Sand color variant.
On the front, it has a 5.71 inch IPS LCD with Full HD screen resolution and a 19:9 aspect ratio. It has a notch for the 8MP front-facing camera and a small chin at the bottom with the Nokia logo. The display quality is decent, and since it is a lower resolution screen, it will save some battery.
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The Nokia 1.3 is powered by the Qualcomm QM215 Processor paired with Adreno 318 GPU. This is a very low-end processor, and you should not expect a ton from this device. Even the multitasking will be a pain since it only has 1GB of RAM. As said before, it is only good to make some phone calls and browsing social media.
Same thing about the camera. It has an 8MP rear-facing camera with AF, LED Flash, and HDR support. The camera is only great for document scanning and other basic things. Moving on, it has a fairly decent 3000 mAh battery inside paired with a 720p screen; you can expect this to get you through the end of the day.
The Nokia 1.3 runs on Android 10 (Go Edition) out of the box with Android One certification. You get the lite version of all the Google Apps and guaranteed 2 years of Software and security patch updates, which are really appreciated in this price range.
Technical Specifications
| SoC | Qualcomm QM215 (28 nm) |
| RAM and Storage | 1GB + 16GB |
| Display and Resolution | 5.71 inches (720 x 1520 pixels) |
| Camera | Single Rear 8MP | Front 5 MP |
| Battery | 3000 mAh |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n | Bluetooth 4.2 | MicroUSB 2.0 |
5. NUU Mobile A5L
NUU Mobiles is a US-based company and focuses on the budget-oriented smartphone. The NUU Mobile A5L was launched in March 2019 and packs some decent specifications for its price. This can be a great smartphone for your kids or if you are looking for a secondary smartphone for calling and basic needs.
On the front, you have a 5.5 inch IPS FWVGA+ display with a screen resolution of 960×480 pixels. The display has the new 18:9 aspect ratio design and it has 2.5D curved glass. The device runs on Android Oreo (Go edition). You will have to use the Go edition of most of the Google apps which will save you a lot of RAM and Storage Space.
The device is powered by a 1.3 GHz Quad-Core MediaTek processor coupled up with PowerVR GE8100 GPU. The phone comes in only one variant which is 1GB RAM + 16GB Internal Storage. The performance on this phone seems decent with the Android Go. You can also further expand the internal storage up to 64GB via a microSD card slot.
In terms of camera, the phone has a single 8MP rear-facing camera and a single 2 MP selfie shooter. Some other camera features include Beauty Mode, Rear Flash, and HDR Support. You have a decent 2650 mAh battery on this phone which will get you through a full day on light usage.
Connectivity options here on this phone include WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Dual-SIM, 4G LTE, Bluetooth® 4.2 and micro USB. The phone also has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner which is great. You can buy this phone in two color variants – Grey and Silver.
Technical Specifications
| Soc | Quad-Core MediaTek (Ver. Unspecified) |
| Ram and Storage | 1GB + 16GB |
| Display and Resolution | 5.5 inch (960 x 480 pixels) |
| Camera | Rear 8 MP | Front 2 MP |
| Battery | 2650 mAh |
6. UMIDIGI A5 PRO
The UMIDIGI A5 Pro is a smartphone released by the company Umidigi in April 2019. Umidigi is a Chinese smartphone brand popular for its ultra-budget smartphones. The A5 Pro comes in a nice metal and ceramic body and looks really great. It looks premium and comes in two color variants – Space Grey and Breathing Crystal.
On the front, you have a large 6.3-inch FHD+ LTPS Display with a screen resolution of 2280 x 1080 Pixels. The screen has a 19:9 aspect ratio, very minimal bezels along the sides and a waterdrop shaped notch design for the front camera and the speaker grille.
The A5 Pro is powered by an Octa-Core MediaTek Helio P23 Processor Paired with ARM Mali G71 MP2 GPU. In terms of storage configurations, you have 4GB RAM + 32GB Storage. You can also further expand the storage up to 256GB with the help of a MicroSD card. The best thing about this phone is it runs the latest stock version of Android 9.0 (Pie).
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On the back, you have a triple rear-facing camera setup with a combination of 16MP primary camera with f/1.8 aperture, 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera, and a third 5MP depth camera. Some features of rear camera include Ultra-wide angle mode, Portrait mode, HDR, and Dual LED flash. On the front, you have a 16MP selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture.
Connectivity options on this phone include Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth 4.2, Dual 4G, GPS, and Micro USB. In terms of security, you have a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. The phone packs a large 4140 mAh battery along with 10W fast charging support. You can easily get through a whole day on heavy usage.
Technical Specifications
| Soc | MediaTek Helio P23 |
| Ram and Storage | 4GB + 32GB |
| Display and Resolution | 6.3 inch (2280 x 1080 pixels) |
| Camera | Triple Rear 18MP + 8MP + 5MP | Front 16MP |
| Battery | 4150 mAh |
7. DOOGEE Y8
Doogee is another china based smartphone company and the Doogee Y8 was released in January 2019. The Y8 is a good looking smartphone and packs some decent specification for its price. You have a plastic body with a gradient finish on the back. It is available in three color variants – Emerald Green, Midnight Black, and Phantom Purple.
On the front, you have a 6.1 inch IPS HD+ display with a screen resolution of 1280 x 600 Pixels. You have a 19:9 aspect ratio screen with very minimal side bezels and a small bottom chin. You also have a teardrop-shaped notch design for the front camera and speaker grille.
The device is powered by a Quad-Core MediaTek MT6739 Processor paired with PowerVR GE8100 GPU. You can buy this phone in two configurations – 3GB + 16GB and 3GB + 32GB. Storage expandability is also available here so you can further expand the storage up to 256GB. In terms of software, the phone runs on the latest Android 9.0 (Pie).
Taking a look at the camera we have a dual rear-facing camera setup with an 8MP primary camera and a 5MP secondary camera. The rear camera also features SIngle LED Flash and Auto Focus. On the front, we have a single 8MP camera for taking selfies.
In terms of connectivity, the phone includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, FM Radio, and Micro USB. When it comes to security the phone has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and face unlock. The Doogee Y8 has a decent 3400 mAh battery to power the device. Considering the low res screen the battery will easily get you through a day.
Technical Specifications
| Soc | MediaTek MT6739 |
| Ram and Storage | 3GB + 16GB & 3GB + 32GB |
| Display and Resolution | 6.1 inch (1280 x 600 pixels) |
| Camera | Rear 8 MP + 5 MP | Front 8 MP |
| Battery | 3400 mAh |
8. Nokia 5
The Nokia 5 was launched in February 2017 by HMD Global and it is one of the best phones you can buy in this price range. As most of the phones in this range are Chinese so if you are very brand conscious then you can definitely go for the Nokia 5. The phone has great glass and aluminum built quality and comes in a couple of different colors such as Tempered Blue, Silver, Matte Black, and Copper.
On the front, you have a 5.2 inch IPS LCD display with a screen resolution of 720 x 1280 Pixels. The screen has the old 16:9 aspect ratio design with large top and bottom bezels. You also have Corning Gorilla Glass protection on top.
The phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 Chipset paired with Adreno 505 GPU. You can get this phone in two configurations – 2GB + 16GB and 3GB + 16GB. The internal storage is also further expandable up to 256GB via a Micro SD card slot. When it comes to software the Nokia 5 runs on Android 7.1.1 (Nougat) out of the box but it is upgradable to Android 9.0 (Pie).
The cameras on this phone are not so great, you get a single 13MP rear-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture, dual-tone LED flash and HDR support. On the front, you get an 8MP selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture.
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Connectivity options in this phone include Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, NFC, FM radio, micro USB 2.0, and USB On-The-Go. For security, the phone has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and it comes with a 3000 mAh battery to power it up.
Technical Specifications
| Soc | Qualcomm MSM8937 Snapdragon 430 (28 nm) |
| Ram and Storage | 2GB + 16GB & 3GB + 16GB |
| Display and Resolution | 5.2 inch (720 x 1280 pixels) |
| Camera | Rear 13 MP | Front 8 MP |
| Battery | 3000 mAh |
9. Ulefone S10 Pro
Ulefone S10 Pro is released by the Chinese company Ulefone. The phone looks very stylish and premium and offers some good specifications. The phone body is entirely made from plastic and has a plane color design on the back. You have three colors to choose from – Gold, Black, Auroreous.
On the front, you have a 5.7 inch with a screen resolution of 1498 x 720 Pixels. The screen has the 19:9 aspect ratio design and 90% screen to body ratio. You have the old-styled notch here for the camera, speaker grille and some other sensors.
The device is powered by the MediaTek MT6739WA Processor paired with PowerVR GE8100 GPU. It comes in only 1 storage and ram configuration which is 2GB + 16GB and you can also further expand the storage up to 128GB via a microSD card slot. When it comes to software the Ulefone S10 Pro packs Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box.
A camera on this phone seems great, you have a dual rear-facing camera setup with 13 MP Primary sensor with f/2.0 aperture and a 5MP secondary sensor. On the front, you have an 8MP selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture. The front camera also features Beauty Mode here.
The phone has a decent 3500 mAh battery here and in terms of security, you get a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, as well as face, unlock feature. Connectivity options on this one include Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth® 4.0, Dual Sim, GPS, FM Radio, Micro USB 2.0.
Technical Specifications
| Soc | MediaTek MT6739WA |
| Ram and Storage | 2GB + 16GB |
| Display and Resolution | 5.7 inch (1498 x 720 pixels) |
| Camera | Dual Rear 13 MP + 5 MP | Front 5 MP |
| Battery | 3500 mAh |
10. OUKITEL C12 Pro
The Oukitle C12 Pro was launched last year in August 2018 by the Chinese smartphone brand Oukitel. The C12 Pro is a good looking device with some decent specification. The phone is entirely made of plastic and has a clean colored black panel design. It comes in multiple color variants such as Black, Gold, and Purple.
On the front, you have a 6.18 inch IPS LCD display with a screen resolution of 480 x 996 Pixels. The screen has the 19:9 aspect ratio design with a notch for the front camera, speaker and some sensors. You also have 2.5D curved Glass with Asahi Dragontail Protection.
Inside, the phone is powered by a Quad-Core MediaTek MT6739 Processor paired with PowerVR GE8100. The phone comes in only one variant which is 2GB + 16GB. You also have the option to expand the storage up to 256GB via a MicroSD card slot. The device runs on Stock Android 8.1 (Oreo) out of the box which is a good thing.
When it comes to cameras the phone won’t impress you. It has a dual rear-facing camera setup with an 8 MP Primary sensor and a 5 MP secondary sensor. on the front, you have a 5MP camera for taking selfies. Other camera features include Beauty Mode, HDR support and LED Flash.
In terms of connectivity, the phone includes Wifi, Bluetooth, GPS, FM Radio, and Micro USB 2.0. For security, it has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and the face unlock feature. Lastly, the phone packs a decent 3300 mAh battery which might get you through a full day on light usage.
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Technical Specifications
| Soc | MediaTek MT6739 |
| Ram and Storage | 2GB + 16GB |
| Display and Resolution | 6.18 inch (480 x 996 pixels) |
| Camera | Rear 8 MP + 5 MP | Front 5 MP |
| Battery | 3300 mAh |
Final Words
So there you have it. The best smartphones you can buy under $100 this year. As most of these smartphones have similar specifications the question arises here is how can you choose the best one?
Well, you have to check for what you want the most. If you want performance and multitasking then try to pick something which has at least 3GB of RAM and a decent processor.
If you want a long-lasting phone then check for bigger battery capacity and if you want to consume media then check for a bigger screen and resolution.
We hope this article was helpful for you if you still have a doubt or suggestion feel free to let us know.
Our List of Best Smartphones (International Edition)
