5 best cheap Android smartphones in UAE, for 2024

The best Android smartphones embrace futuristic artificial intelligence (AI) features and chase high-end levels of performance in all aspects, whether in battery power, gaming or productivity tasks. But budget phones these days are benefiting from a trickle-down effect. At an affordable price, you’ll find Android phones with powerful mid-range chipsets and impressive camera software that are well-suited to your everyday needs.

The phones in our curated list below are based on top-rated reviews on Amazon, and are all priced under Dh1,600. Pick up your favourite with Prime, and get it as early as tomorrow.

1. Best Overall: OnePlus 12R 

Pros

Cons

If you’re looking for top-end specifications at a price that won’t burn a hole in your wallet, don’t hesitate to get the OnePlus 12R. It has everything you’d expect in a premium Android phone: a fast and responsive Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, a beautiful 120Hz AMOLED display with Dolby Vision, Wi-Fi 7 support, and an elegant design with a sturdy build quality. The 12R also has one of the quickest charging capabilities in this segment – 100W wired charging for its large 5,500mAh battery. However, do note that it doesn’t support wireless charging. Reviewers say the phone performs smoothly and reliably, whether they are gaming or multitasking. Its camera system includes a 50MP Sony main camera that delivers excellent results in both daylight and low-light conditions. Overall, there’s very little to be disappointed about – the OnePlus 12R is one of the best budget Android phones you can snag this year.

Bonus: Buy with 0% installments and pay Dh131.67 for 12 months with select banks.

Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty by Salama Care for Dh114, one-year accidental damage protection for Dh190, and two-year damage protection with one-year extended warranty for Dh242.

2. Best Design: Nothing Phone (2a) 

Pros

Cons

Nothing’s first-ever budget smartphone has the same look and feel as its pricier siblings. Glyph lights and a transparent back still turn heads with this smartphone, and its 6.7-inch AMOLED display offers bright, vivid visuals. An advanced Mediatek Dimensity 7200 Pro chipset makes the phone fast and smooth, especially for productivity tasks, and an Android 14 operating system offers excellent personalisation features. Reviewers say the 50MP front cameras and 32MP selfie camera operate well for a budget phone – optical image stabilisation (OIS) and AI-based photography algorithms work to transform every picture into its best possible version. The 5,000mAh battery supports 45W fast charging, as well. But in terms of drawbacks, the phone is missing an audio jack, and it doesn’t support wireless charging.

Bonus: Buy with 0% installments and pay Dh116.58 for 12 months with select banks.

Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty by Salama Care for Dh86, one-year accidental damage protection for Dh143, and two-year damage protection with one-year extended warranty for Dh182.

3. Best Value: Samsung Galaxy A55 

Pros

Cons

If you’re looking for a reliable phone that checks all the boxes, including good battery life, camera specs and storage space, Samsung’s Galaxy A55 is the phone to get. Released earlier this year, it features a 6.6-inch OLED (organic LED) panel with FHD (full high definition) resolution and 120Hz peak refresh rate. Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus+ covers the front and back of this device, offering toughened glass protection and IP67 water and dust resistance. The phone’s trio of cameras are placed in a vertical row, and include a 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 5MP macro and 32MP front camera, with OIS and HDR (high dynamic range) 4K videos. While the phone features 256GB of internal storage, it’s expandable via a microSD card up to 1TB. The only downside in this phone, according to reviewers, is its Exynos 1480 chipset, which doesn’t perform as well as others in this range. Still, for the average user, the phone experience is smooth, as long as you don’t try to play demanding mobile games or engage in graphics-heavy tasks.

Bonus: Buy with 0% installments and pay Dh103.29 for 12 months with select banks.

Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty by Salama Care for Dh86, one-year accidental damage protection for Dh143, and two-year damage protection with one-year extended warranty for Dh182.

4. Best for Artificial Intelligence: Honor 200 Lite 5G 

Pros

Cons

Launched this year, Honor’s new 200 Lite is an affordable AI-powered smartphone that’s slim, lightweight and beautifully designed. Although its 6.7-inch AMOLED screen has a refresh rate of just 90Hz, it still offers hi-res content and a relatively fast response time, if you’re not gaming. The camera system is fantastic – the main camera features a whopping 108MP lens, a 5MP ultrawide lens and 50 MP front camera, with features like 2D facial recognition for secure unlocking, and clear selfies. A new MediaTek Dimensity 6080 chipset helps deliver AI tech through additions like the all-new Magic Capsule – a pill-shaped interactive bar that makes interactions a breeze – along with Magic Portal, which brings users intelligent shortcuts that make life easier. A 4,500mAh battery, with charging speeds of 35W, help make this device a stellar budget AI smartphone to own this year.

Bonus: Buy with 0% installments and pay Dh73.83 for 12 months with select banks.

Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty by Salama Care for Dh57, one-year accidental damage protection for Dh95, and two-year damage protection with one-year extended warranty for Dh121.

5. Best Budget: Samsung Galaxy A25 5G 

Pros

Cons

A phone with a clean design that offers an excellent blend of performance and value, Samsung’s Galaxy A25 has several features that might surprise you at this price point. First, its 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display, with up to 1,000 nits of brightness, can compete with the best of phones. Its 120Hz panel is also ideal for mobile gaming, with smooth transitions and seamless app switching. 5G capabilities mean the phone is capable of better data speeds than its predecessor, which only featured 4G. Its 256GB of storage is expandable by up to 1TB with a microSD card. While its camera system isn’t the fanciest, a 50MP main camera and 13MP front camera still achieve high-quality images with good lighting. The best part, reviewers say, is its large 5,000mAh battery – but do note that it doesn’t charge as quickly as other phones in this range – and the fact that it has a 3.5m headphone jack for people who still love their wired headsets.

Bonus: Buy with 0% installments and pay Dh64.08 for 12 months with select banks.

Our recommendations are independently chosen by Gulf News editors. If you decide to shop through links on our website, we may earn an affiliate commission, as we are part of Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.