Google’s $499 Pixel 10A is our pick for the best overall cheap phone, even though it’s only slightly improved over last year’s Pixel 9A. The new phone’s top-notch camera is unmatched among other handsets priced under $500. Plus, crucially, the company’s promise of seven years of software and security updates means the phone could last long enough to use until it finally gives out. Plus, its ability to send photos and files to an iPhone over AirDrop is a nice bonus, especially for people with friends using iOS handsets. One major caveat to this recommendation is that the base model comes with 1
Best Cheap Phone of 2026: You Don’t Need to Pay a Lot for Your Next Phone… What this means for Google's health vision Taken separately, these look like incremental updates. Together, they outline a clear strategy: an integrated health ecosystem where hardware captures data, software interprets it, and AI coaching becomes a primary selling point. …
… A lack of storage can have a detrimental effect on your phone's performance overall and can also mean there's not enough room available for crucial software updates to be installed. …
… So instead of retiring it, we're keeping it available at a price that reflects the real, ongoing value of the software we're committed to building and maintaining for years to come." Plex's plans Plex's software works for free for those who are streaming media they own or Plex's TV offerings within… …
… AI hardware: Pixels and smart glasses AI hardware has become an increasingly important part of tech companies' plans -- now that the software is increasingly capable, it's time to put it into specific products. …
… The slower hardware and limited memory can be frustrating when trying to do anything beyond calls and texting, but Samsung’s promise of six years of software updates is unmatched at this price. …
… Make sure a cheaper phone gets software updates I review a lot of lower-cost phones, and a major way many of them skimp is by offering only two or three years of software and security updates. …
… According to Valve's software/UI designer Lawrence Yang and electrical engineer Jeff Mucha, who I talked with during my review, they're both on target to arrive this year. Yang acknowledges the RAMpocalypse as a major part of why the hardware's been delayed, and no price has been set yet. …
… The company typically uses WWDC to highlight software updates. …
… That shift signals where Google sees hardware heading overall, with wearables taking a supporting role in Google's main AI story. …
… Media app interfaces, including YouTube Music and Spotify, are also receiving visual updates, breaking out of the standard and familiar Android Auto template we've seen since the software's launch. …