Nowadays, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to buy a decent smartphone. We have seen a lot of innovation in the mid-range smartphone market, and these smartphones have become extremely good.
You can also find many of last year’s flagship smartphones for half the price, which still packs great value for money features.
Are you looking to buy the best smartphones under $400? then you are in the right place. We have compiled a list of the best smartphones available in this range, so you don’t have to visit various comparing sites and confuse the plethora of available options in the market.
Table of Contents
List of Best Phones Under $400
Note: These smartphones are not arranged in any order. Always buy the Unlocked version of a smartphone to make sure it will work with your choice of carrier.
Some phones come with carrier locks such as AT&T and T-Mobile, and it will work only with those particular carries, whereas an Unlocked phone is free from such restriction, and you can use them in any country, and with any SIM card it supports.
1. Google Pixel 4a
The Google Pixel 4a is a great option if you are in the market for a compact smartphone that doesn’t compromise a lot on the specs. The phone is priced just under 400$, and you will often find some fantastic deals on top of that. Although the phone is made out of plastic, it doesn’t feel cheap.
On the front, it has a 5.81 inch OLED display with 1080×2340 pixel resolution. Great for one-handed use. The display also supports HDR and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The screen has a punch hole notch for the single 8MP front-facing camera. Apart from this, it supports an Always-on display.
Coming to performance, the Pixel 4a comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor, which is a mid-range chipset but still offers some excellent everyday performance. You can also play high-end games on this device. One of the main selling points of Pixel devices is the software experience.
It runs on Android 10, and you can easily expect years of update. Here’s another main selling point, the cameras. On the back, it has a single 12.2MP with dual pixel PDAF, OIS, LED flash, and Auto-HDR support. It can also record 4K videos at @30fps. If you love taking still photos, then this is a great choice.
The video quality is not that great, but it is acceptable at this price. On the back, it has a fingerprint scanner for security. The battery backup is decent; the capacity is 3140mAh, it supports 18W fast charging and USB Power Delivery 2.0. You can grab this phone in two color variants Just Black and Barely Blue.
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Technical Specifications
| SoC | Qualcomm SDM730 Snapdragon 730G (8nm) |
| RAM and Storage | 6GB RAM + 128GB |
| Display and Resolution | 5.81 inch (1080×2340 pixels) |
| Camera | Single Rear 12.2MP | Front 8MP |
| Battery | 3140mAh |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | Bluetooth 5.0 | USB Type-C 3.1 |
2. Motorola One 5G Ace
The Motorola One 5G Ace is an amazing value for money smartphone you can grab in this price bracket. Not only it offers great performance, but it is also future-proof with the addition of a 5G capable chipset. The phone design is very basic; it has a plain plastic back in two color variants Volcanic Gray and Frosted Silver.
Turning the phone around, you get a large 6.7 inches LTPS IPS LCD with a screen resolution of 1080×2400 pixels. The display’s quality is great for the price, and it is HDR10 supported and is also protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass 5. You will also find a punch hole notch for the single 16MP front-facing camera.
It runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor paired with 4GB or 6GB of RAM. It is a mid-range processor and can easily handle all day-to-day needs and heavy gaming. The software experience here is also great. It runs on Stock Android 10 out of the box with some included shortcuts called Moto Action.
On the back, it has a triple camera setup with a combo of 48MP primary sensor, 8MP ultrawide lens, and a 2MP macro lens. The image quality is fantastic considering the price, and it can also record 4k videos at @30fps. The device has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner to make it secure.
The battery backup on the Motorola One Ace 5G is fantastic; it packs a 5000mAh battery, which can easily last you an entire day. The only downside is the 15W Fast Charger. The phone might take more than 2hrs to charge fully.
Technical Specifications
| SoC | Qualcomm SM7225 Snapdragon 750G 5G (8nm) |
| RAM and Storage | 4GB RAM + 64GB | 6GB RAM + 128GB |
| Display and Resolution | 6.7 inch (1080×2400 pixels) |
| Camera | Triple Rear 48MP + 8MP + 2MP | Front 16MP |
| Battery | 5000mAh |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | Bluetooth 5.1 | USB Type-C 2.0 |
3. Samsung Galaxy A71
The next device on the list is the Samsung Galaxy A71; although the device is a little old, it still offers some great value for money at this price point. It has a plastic back with a rectangular pattern design and comes in tons of color variants Prism Crush Black, Prism Crush Silver, Prism Crush Blue, and Prism Crush Pink
On the front, it has a 6.7 inch Super AMOLED display with a screen resolution of 1080×2400 pixels. The quality of the panel is amazing; it is also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It doesn’t have a notch; instead, it has a punch-hole cutout for the single 32MP front-facing camera that clicks amazing selfies.
This phone’s performance is decent; it runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor coupled up with 6GB or 8GB of RAM. Great for everyday use and heavy gaming. We suggest you grab the 6GB variant; it will be sufficient for heavy multitasking. In terms of software, it runs on Android 10 based on One UI 2.5 skin on top.
The camera’s here are also top-notch and one of the best among the devices on this list. On the back, it has a Quad camera setup with a combo of 64MP primary sensor, 12MP ultrawide lens, 5MP macro lens, 5MP depth sensor.
The Samsung Galaxy A71 is secured by an under-display fingerprint scanner and also features face unlock. It has a 4500mAh battery along with 25W fast charging support. You can easily get a day of battery life on light usage, and the device might take 1 to 1.5hrs to fully charge.
Technical Specifications
| SoC | Qualcomm SDM730 Snapdragon 730 (8nm) |
| RAM and Storage | 6GB RAM + 128GB | 8GB RAM + 128GB |
| Display and Resolution | 6.7 inch (1080×2400 pixels) |
| Camera | Quad Rear 64MP + 12MP + 5MP + 5MP | Front 32 MP |
| Battery | 4500mAh |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | Bluetooth 5.0| USB Type-C 2.0 |
4. Google Pixel 3a
The Pixel 3a is a budget offering from Google in the Pixel 3 Lineup. It was launched in May 2019, and basically, it is a toned downed version of the Pixel 3 and has a front and back glass design with a two-toned color on the back. Three color variants are available named Just Black, Clearly White, and Purple-ish.
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You have a 5.6-inch OLED display with a screen resolution of 1080×2220 Pixels. The phone doesn’t try to be bezel-less at all; instead, it has a large top and bottom chin for dual stereo front-firing speakers. The display is also protected by Asahi Dragontail Glass Protection.
The device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 Processor paired with Adreno 615 GPU. It has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of Internal Storage. As a Pixel device, you have the latest Android 9.0 (Pie) running out of the box with Guaranteed updates for several years.
On the back, you have a single 12.2MP rear-facing camera with dual pixel PDAF, OIS, Dual LED Flash, and HDR Support. You also have a fingerprint scanner for security. On the front, you have an 8MP wide selfie camera. Google is known for great cameras in their smartphone and
Connectivity options on this phone include Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, aptX HD, NFC, USB 2.0, and Type-C 1.0 reversible connector. The phone has a 3000mAh battery inside along with 18W fast charging support.
Technical Specifications
| Soc | Qualcomm SDM670 Snapdragon 670 (10nm) |
| Ram and Storage | 4GB + 64GB |
| Display and Resolution | 5.6 inch (1080×2220 pixels) |
| Camera | Rear 12.2MP | Front 8MP |
| Battery | 3000mAh |
5. Samsung Galaxy A70
The Galaxy A70 is a mid-range smartphone from Samsung which was launched in March 2019. The phone has some really great specifications with great cameras and displays. This phone is great if you consume a lot of media on your phone. You have a plane plastic back design on this phone with many color variants such as Coral, Blue, Black, and White.
You have a large 6.7 inch Super AMOLED with a screen resolution of 1080×2400 Pixels. The screen has a 20:9 aspect ratio and a dewdrop style notch for the front camera and speaker grille. The fingerprint scanner is under the display, and the display is also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Protection.
The device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 Chipset paired with Adreno 612 GPU. The phone comes in a couple of different configurations such as 6GB + 128GB and 8GB + 128GB. The device runs on Android 9.0 (Pie) based on One UI skin on top.
On the back, you have a triple camera setup with a 32MP primary sensor with PDAF, 8MP Secondary Ultrawide Sensor, and a third 5MP depth Sensor. On the front, you have a 32MP camera for clicking selfies. Other features of the camera include LED, flash, Panorama, HDR, and Beauty Mode.
Connectivity options in this phone include Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC, FM radio, USB 2.0, and Type-C 1.0 reversible connector. The phone has a large 4500mAh battery inside, along with 25W fast charging support. So you can expect it to last you a full day on heavy usage.
Technical Specifications
| Soc | Qualcomm SDM675 Snapdragon 675 (11nm) |
| Ram and Storage | 128GB + 6GB RAM and 128GB + 8GB RAM |
| Display and Resolution | 6.7 inch (1080×2400 pixels) |
| Camera | Triple Rear 32MP + 8MP + 5MP | Front 32MP |
| Battery | 4500mAh |
6. Nokia 7.2
The Nokia 7.2 is a camera-centric smartphone from Nokia which was launched in September 2019. The phone has a very good-looking design and decent specifications. The build quality here feels very premium; it has front and back glass and comes in three different color variants: Cyan Green, Charcoal, and Ice.
You have a 6.3 inch IPS LCD with a screen resolution of 1080×2280 Pixels. The quality here is great; you have a 19:9 aspect ratio with 400 PPI density. There’s a dewdrop-shaped notch for the front camera and some sensors. You also have HDR10 Support, and the display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
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The device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 Processor paired with Adreno 512 GPU. You can choose from three different storage variants 4GB + 64GB, 6GB + 64GB and 6GB + 128GB. The Nokia 7.2 runs on Stock Android 9.0 (Pie) out of the box with Android One support, so you can expect faster and quicker android updates.
Talking about the cameras, you have a triple rear-facing camera setup with a 48MP primary wide-angle sensor, an 8MP secondary Ultrawide sensor, and a 5MP depth sensor. Some other features include Zeiss Optics, LED flash, and HDR support. On the front, you have a 20MP selfie camera also with Zeiss Optics and HDR support.
Connectivity features here include Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, aptX, GPS, NFC, FM radio, USB 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector, and USB On-The-Go. The phone has a fingerprint scanner for security and has a decent 3500mAh battery inside. You also have 10W fast charging support.
Technical Specifications
| Soc | Qualcomm SDM660 Snapdragon 660 (14nm) |
| Ram and Storage | 64GB + 4GB RAM, 64GB + 6GB RAM, and 128GB + 6GB RAM |
| Display and Resolution | 6.3 inch (1080×2280 pixels) |
| Camera | Triple Rear 48MP + 8MP + 5MP | Front 20MP |
| Battery | 3500mAh |
7. Xiaomi Mi 9
Xiaomi Mi 9 was launched in March 2019 and offers great value at a really low price. Starting with the design, the phone looks very premium; you have a front and back glass design with an aluminum frame. The back has a gradient color shift to it and comes in Lavender Violet, Ocean Blue, and Piano Black color variant.
We have a 6.3 inch Super AMOLED display with a screen resolution of 1080×2340 Pixels. The screen has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and has a notch for the front camera and the earpiece. The display has DCI-P3 and HDR10 Support. It is also protected by Corning Gorilla Gass 6 Protection.
The device is very powerful as it features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Processor along with Adreno 640 GPU. It comes in few different configurations such as 64GB + 6GB RAM, 64GB + 8GB RAM, 128GB + 6GB RAM, and 128GB + 8GB RAM. It runs on Android 9.0 (Pie) based on MIUI 10.
The camera’s on this phone are also impressive. On the back, you have a triple camera setup with a combo of 48MP Primary sensor, 12MP Secondary telephoto, and a 16MP ultrawide sensor. Other features include 2x optical zoom, HDR, and Laser AF. On the front, you have a 20MP selfie camera.
Connectivity features on the Mi 9 include Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth 5.0, aptX HD, GPS, NFC, Infrared port, USB 2.0 Type-C 1.0 reversible connector. In terms of security, the phone has an under-display fingerprint scanner. The only major con here is the small 3300mAh battery, which comes with 27W fast charging support.
Technical Specifications
| Soc | Qualcomm SDM855 Snapdragon 855 (7nm) |
| Ram and Storage | 64GB + 6GB RAM, 64GB + 8GB RAM, 128GB + 6GB RAM, 128GB + 8GB RAM |
| Display and Resolution | 6.39 inch (1080×2340 pixels) |
| Camera | Triple Rear 48MP + 12MP + 16MP | Front 20MP |
| Battery | 3300mAh |
8. Xiaomi Mi Mix 3
People love the Xiaomi Mi Mix series for bringing the bezel-less trend. The device was launched in October 2018 and featured a completely bezel-less design with a unique front camera solution. The phone has a ceramic back with an aluminum frame and comes in four color variants ade Green, Sapphire Blue, Onyx Black, and Forbidden City Blue.
You have a 6.39 inch Super AMOLED display with a screen resolution of 1080×2340 pixels. The screen has a bezel-less design and has a sliding mechanism for the front camera. The display is HDR rated and comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection.
The Mi Mix 3 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Processor Paired with Adreno 630 GPU. The device runs on Android 9.0 (Pie) based on MIUI 10 Skin. You also have a lot of different variants to choose from 128GB + 6GB, 128GB + 8GB RAM, 256GB + 8GB RAM, and 256GB + 10GB RAM.
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On the back, you have a dual rear-facing camera setup with a combo of a 12MP primary sensor and a 12MP telephoto lens. The rear camera also features Dual Pixel PDAF, 4-axis OIS, and HDR support. On the front, you also have a Dual Manual Pop-up camera with a combo of a 24MP primary sensor and a 2MP secondary depth sensor.
The phone offers Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth 5.0, aptX HD, GPS, NFC, and USB Type-C 1.0 reversible connector. The phone has a decent 3200mAh battery along with 18W Qualcomm Quick Charge 4 support. In terms of security, you have a fingerprint scanner and face unlock feature.
Technical Specifications
| Soc | Qualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845 (10nm) |
| Ram and Storage | 128GB + 6GB, 128GB + 8GB RAM, 256GB + 8GB RAM, 256GB + 10GB RAM |
| Display and Resolution | 6.39 inch (1080×2340 pixels) |
| Camera | Dual Rear 12MP + 12MP | Dual Front 24MP + 2MP |
| Battery | 3200mAh |
9. Samsung Galaxy S8+
The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus also packs a great value in this price range. The device was launched in March 2017 and a front and back glass with an aluminum frame. The phone has IP68 dust and water-resistant, which is another plus point. It comes in various color variants Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver, Coral Blue, Maple Gold, and Rose Pink.
On the front, it has a 6.2 inch Super AMOLED display with a screen resolution of 1440×2960 Pixels. The screen has an 18.5:9 aspect ratio with a minor top and bottom chin. The display also features HDR10 Support and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 Protection.
Talking about performance, the device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC paired with Adreno 540 GPU. The device runs on Android 7.0 (Nougat) Based on OneUI skin on top. Although the device runs on the older Android version, the Android 9.0 (Pie) update is already out. There are two configurations to choose from 64GB + 4GB RAM, and 128GB + 6GB RAM.
On the back, you have a single 12MP camera with dual pixel PDAF, OIS, LED flash, and auto-HDR support. On the front, you have an 8MP selfie camera also with auto HDR support. In terms of security, the phone has Iris Scanner and Fingerprint scanner. You also have a Heart rate sensor, Samsung Dex, and ANT+.
Connectivity features includes Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth 5.0, aptX, GPS, NFC, USB 3.1, and Type-C 1.0 reversible connector. You have a decent 3500mAh battery along with 15W fast charging support. It also supports Wireless Charging. This device has packed lots of amazing features and great for consuming media and overall day-to-day usage.
Technical Specifications
| Soc | Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835 (10nm) |
| Ram and Storage | 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM |
| Display and Resolution | 6.2 inch (1443×2960 pixels) |
| Camera | Rear 12MP | Front 8MP |
| Battery | 3500mAh |
Final Words
So, these are our top picks for the best smartphone under $400 available on Amazon. Now choosing the right smartphone for your needs depends upon a lot of factors. If you are more into watching movies and tv shows on your smartphone, consider buying a phone with a large display and resolution.
If you like gaming, then consider buying something with the latest processor and a larger battery. The same goes for cameras; if you love clicking pictures, pick something with great cameras. There is no fit-for-all device, so you have to focus on the things you need the most.
Always read reviews online, check what others are talking about the smartphone, visit a nearby store and get a better hands-on experience before buying a smartphone. This will help you make a better buying decision.
Our List of Best Smartphones (International Edition)
