The best cheap phones you can buy unlocked on Amazon

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TL;DR Budget phones have never been this good or this affordable. After lots of testing, we found the Moto G5 Plus to be the best cheap phone you can get on Amazon.

Although most people in the US tend to buy their smartphones directly from cell service providers like AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint, bargain hunters and tech geeks are starting to buy their phones unlocked online.

Amazon offers a large selection of unlocked phones from brands big and small. Some of these phones are very cheap, and Amazon is making a small selection of great budget devices even cheaper with Amazon Prime Exclusive phones, which are subsidized with advertisements.

We've rounded up the very best unlocked phones you can get on Amazon for as little as 59.99 or as much as 377.14. We've personally tested some of these phones, and the ones we haven't yet tested are in this guide based on current reviews of the phones, their price, and their spec sheet. It's noted in the copy which ones we've tested and which ones we recommend based on research.

Here's what you need to know about buying unlocked phones from Amazon:

Buying a phone unlocked from Amazon can be intimidating the first time especially if you've always bought your phone from a carrier like AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, or Sprint.

When you buy an unlocked phone, you'll pay the full price all at once. When you buy from your carrier, the company often offers to let you buy the device on a payment plan so you can pay a little bit each month. Good news, though all of the phones in this guide cost between 59.99- 377.

Some unlocked phones may not work on Verizon or Sprint. Sprint and Verizon use a special kind of network called CDMA, but most unlocked phones use the more standard GSM network that both T-Mobile and AT&T use. Don't worry, though we've noted the carriers whose services work on each phone. Amazon also typically says which networks work on the device, too.

Amazon offers discounts on some phones for its Prime subscribers. These Prime Exclusive phones are subsidized by Amazon so you pay a lower price, but the phones have ads and lockscreen offers. We've also included links to the unsubsidized phones if you don't want the ads and can afford to ditch them. You can view all the Prime Exclusive Phones at a discount here or read about the first ones in the program here.

Even though we found the Moto G5 Plus to be the best cheap phone you can buy on Amazon, for various reasons laid out in the slides below, you should also consider the Honor 8, the ZTE Blade V8 Pro, the Moto G4, and the Alcatel A30.The overall best cheap phone on Amazon

Lenovo

Why you'll love it: The Moto G5 Plus is the best budget phone for most people with its low price, solid camera, and clean Android software.

Motorola's Moto G series has produced the uncontested best budget phone year after year since it first launched. The competition may be fiercer and the Moto brand may have been bought by Lenovo, but the Moto G series is still king. The new Moto G5 Plus is an impressive budget phone that ticks all the boxes: metal design check , solid cameras check , fast processor check , great low price check .

Now that Amazon has added the G5 Plus to its list of Prime Exclusive Phones, the online retailer's 184.99 price is even lower than the standard 229.99 price tag it normally wears. Whether you want to put up with Amazon's special offer lockscreens and ads on your phone for a 45 discount is entirely up to you and your budget. Either way, we doubt you'll regret it.

The Moto G5 Plus isn't a showstopper in the looks department, but it is actually made out of metal, which isn't something you can say about most budget phones. It looks and feels good in your hands, though some may find it a bit slippery.

Its 5.2-inch Full HD 1080p screen is sharp and clear, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor is fast when paired with 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage is decent as is the 64GB option, and the 12-megapixel camera doesn't disappoint. Selfie takers will be pleased with the 5-megapixel front-facing camera, too. The battery should last you a full day, and it charges up quickly with Motorola's TurboPower charging, which promises to give you six hours of use after 15 minutes of charging.

Android fans will be thrilled to know it's running very recent software version Android 7.0 Nougat, and Motorola hasn't changed much of the software's look and feel. Moto-branded phones also have a decent track record of getting timely security patches and updates, so you know your phone will stay safe from hackers and malicious bugs.

Reviewers across the board at Business Insider, Digital Trends, The Verge, and Ars Technica agree that the Moto G5 Plus is the best budget phone you can buy. In my short time with the phone, I was impressed with the zippy performance and solid cameras. I always like clean Android software, and I'm a real stickler for timely software updates and security patches. The Moto G5 Plus satisfies all my requirements for best budget phone.

Networks: Works on AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint

Pros: Amazing low price, decent cameras, metal design, fingerprint sensor for security, and quick Android updates

Cons: Design is a bit boring and ads may be annoying to some people

Buy the Moto G5 Plus 32GB storage, 2GB RAM, Prime ads on Amazon for 184.99 You save 49

Buy the Moto G5 Plus 64GB storage, 4GB RAM, Prime ads on Amazon for 239.99 You save 60

Buy the Moto G5 Plus 32GB storage, 2GB RAM, no ads on Amazon for 229.99

Buy the Moto G5 Plus 64GB storage, 4GB RAM, no ads on Amazon for 299.00

Buy the Spigen Rugged Armor Moto G5 Plus Case on Amazon for 12.99 7 off

The best cheap phone on Amazon for less than 350

Honor

Why you'll love it: The Honor 8 may be the most expensive phone in this guide, but its dual-camera tricks, gorgeous design, and stellar performance put it a league above the rest.

Although the Honor 8 is the priciest phone in this buying guide at 330 and up, it is also the most powerful device we've included. If you have the extra 100- 150, the Honor 8 is well worth the price bump. This is the budget phone for people who have a little bit more cash to play with.

The stunning multi-layered glass design is just so pretty. Even though I'm not terribly partial to glass-backed phones because they break too easily and pick up fingerprints terribly, the Honor 8's shimmering glass design impressed me. The multiple layers of glass and the reflective pattern used on the back makes it less of a fingerprint magnet -- especially if you pay a bit more for the gorgeous blue color option.

I recommend you get this clear case from Spigen to protect the Honor 8 from drops and scratches. It may not be the most rugged case, but at least it won't hide the phone's lovely design, and it'll give yo enough protection against everyday wear and tear.

Enough about the Honor 8's looks — on to what really matters: specs! It's got a sharp 5.2-inch Full HD 1080p screen, Huawei's zippy Kirin 950 chip with 4GB of RAM, 32 or 64GB of storage, and decent battery life. The Honor 8 has nearly flagship specs that are close to on-par with phones like the Samsung Galaxy S7, which costs upwards of 500.

The Honor 8's killer feature is its dual-camera technology. There are two camera sensors on the back — just like on the iPhone 7 Plus — and both are 12-megapixel sensors. The cameras can shot in monochrome or in full color, create fun blurred background effects that mimic a DSLR camera, and offer a manual mode for getting the perfect shot. No other phone on this list offers a camera this great.

Reviewers across the board at Business Insider, Digital Trends, TechRadar, and Android Authority agree that the Honor 8 is an impressive phone, and those reviews came out when it cost 400. Now that it's down to 330 and up, it's an even better deal than it was before.

Although Honor isn't always quick with software updates, the Honor 8 is upgradeable to Android 7.0 Nougat, and the Emotion User Interface on top of Android isn't as annoying as it once was. The only real downside here is that Verizon and Sprint customers can't use the Honor 8 on their carriers' respective networks.

Networks: AT&T and T-Mobile

Pros: Gorgeous design, great dual-camera tech, a zippy processor, nearly flagship specs, and a fingerprint sensor for security

Cons: Glass back may break if you're not careful and it's pricier than the rest

Buy the white Honor 8 32GB storage on Amazon for 330.00 You save 69.99

Buy the black Honor 8 32GB storage on Amazon for 331.85 You save 64.14

Buy the blue Honor 8 32GB storage on Amazon for 358.14 You save 40.86

Buy the gold Honor 8 64GB storage on Amazon for 377.14 You save 72.85

Buy the Spigen Liquid Crystal Honor 8 Case on Amazon for 11.99 You save 1

The best cheap dual-camera phone on Amazon for 230

ZTE

Why you'll love it: The ZTE Blade V8 Pro gives you dual-camera tech on the cheap in a basic, but solid, budget phone.

ZTE is rather well known among budget phone buyers as a no-frills option, but its cheap phones have gotten a lot better over the years. The Blade V8 Pro is perhaps its best budget phone yet with a 229.99 price tag and dual-camera features.

Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor and 3GB of RAM, the Blade V8 Pro offers strong performance for a budget phone. Just to give you an idea of how well it should keep up with everyday smartphone tasks, ZTE's phone has the same processor as the Moto G5 Plus, but it has an extra 1GB of RAM that ought to improve multitasking performance.

The battery ought to last you a day to a day and a half, depending on your usage, and you can juice it up quickly with Qualcomm's Quick Charge 2.0 technology.

However, the real highlight here is the dual-camera setup on the back of the phone. Apple's iPhone 7 Plus made dual cameras popular again, and although the lenses on the Blade V8 Pro certainly aren't up to Apple's standards, they are very impressive for such a cheap phone.

The two 13-megapixel cameras can create blurred background bokeh effects and ZTE's editing software gives you more control over how much blurring goes on in the background and where your point of focus is located.

If you like larger screens, the V8 Pro's 5.5-inch Full HD 1080p screen will appeal to you even if the overall design doesn't. ZTE stuck with a simple, barebones design on the Blade V8 Pro. It's got a rubbery, textured back and a sturdy metal frame. It feels good in your hand, and it isn't slippery like glass or metal phones can be.

Your color choices are black and black, so if you were hoping for some fun colors or even just one other option, you're bound to be disappointed. However, you really can't expect much more from a basic budget phone at this price point.

Reviewers at CNET, PhoneArena, and Android Central gave it good marks for a phone in this price range. Digital Trends was also favorably impressed after initial testing. My first impressions of the phone were positive as well when I saw it at CES and played around with it for a few days. It's always impressive to see high-end features on such a cheap phone.

Networks: T-Mobile and AT&T

Pros: Dual-camera sensors, zippy processor, very low price, good battery life, and a fingerprint sensor for security

Cons: Bland design feels a bit cheap

Buy the ZTE Blade V8 Pro on Amazon for 229.99

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