The Best Cheap AI Phones
Price doesn’t have to get in the way of owing an AI phone. There are plenty of excellent AI-powered handsets that are affordable and powerful to boot. In this guide, we’ll explore the best AI phones that don’t break the bank.
For even more inspiration, take a look through our AI phones range, dedicated to highlighting the leading AI handsets on the market.
Apple iPhone 17e
The iPhone 17e is our recommended handset if you want an affordable iPhone option with plentiful AI features to boot. It offers superb performance – particularly for the price – and comes with some noteworthy upgrades over the preceding iPhone 16e.
Powering the 17e is the A19 processor; the same CPU at the heart of the base iPhone 17. One of the biggest compliments we can give the 17e is that it feels like you’re using an iPhone that costs far more, and that is largely down to that A19 CPU. General performance is silky-smooth and Apple’s AI features function with barely a hitch, thanks to the extra processing power.
We mentioned some upgrades earlier, and these are another reason why we recommend the 17e so highly. Support for Apple’s MagSafe technology is included, enabling you to charge wirelessly on the go with the brand’s magnetic charger. You also receive more base storage space out of the box than the 16e; 256GB rather than 128GB.
Google Pixel 10a
The ‘a’ series has long served as a gateway to Google’s Pixel range, serving up an effective hybrid of premium and budget. The Pixel 10a is a fantastic entry in this series, brimming with some of the most useful AI features on the market.
Being a Google device, the Pixel 10a comes equipped with Gemini and supporting features like Nano Banana. The latter can be used to generate and personalise images with a simple prompt, making the Pixel 10a one of the most affordable ways to experiment with this tech.
It’s worth noting that the Pixel 10a doesn’t support every feature found on other Pixel handsets, such as Pixel Screenshots and Magic Cue, but you’re still getting an extensive feature suite that’s comparable to the best phones in this price range.
HONOR Magic8 Lite
If you’ve never owned an HONOR phone but have been tempted to see what they offer, we highly recommend the Magic8 Lite. Not only does it offer superb performance thanks to the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 CPU and sport a beautiful 6.7” AMOLED display, it’s also packed with artificial intelligence features like AI Eraser for removing unwanted parts of a photo, AI Eyes-Open for fixing subjects that are blinking, and AI Upscaling to automatically improve detail and clarity.
Given the wealth of AI features available on the Magic8 Lite, and its excellent affordability, this really is a gem of a handset; especially if you love taking photos on your phone.
Motorola Edge 70 Fusion
What we love about the Motorola Edge 70 Fusion is how it combines the brand’s historical expertise in the smartphone space with AI innovation. Its appropriately named ‘moto ai’ feature suite can be used to easily summarise notes, find something on your phone with smart tags, and dive into a subject with Gemini integration.
The smart tag feature in particular was a standout. When you save a note or photo, the on-board AI will mark it with a relevant tag; ‘recipe’, ‘holiday’, and so on. You can then ask the AI to find what you need, even with a vague prompt like ‘where is the note I saved on the lasagna recipe’. It worked brilliantly and was a significant time-saver.
OPPO A6 Pro
The OPPO A6 Pro shouldn’t be underestimated, even if you’re unfamiliar with the brand. It comes equipped with some of the most unique and impactful AI features on this list, really setting it apart from the competition.
For gamers, AI GameBoost 2.0 is a remarkable addition. When you’re playing a game, this feature will learn what’s happening on the screen and dynamically enhance the graphics, responsiveness, and more. We found that the experience was greatly improved, with more detailed visuals and smoother framerates.
can download**](https://www.mobiles.co.uk/blog/the-best-ai-apps/), play around with, and make improvements to your productivity.
You can further improve your gaming experience with the AI LinkBoost 3.0 feature. It essentially acts as a booster to Wi-Fi and mobile data connections, helping to reduce latency and improve download speeds. AI LinkBoost also benefits video calls, thanks to the connection optimisations that the feature provides. Bear in mind that you’re not suddenly going to downloading with 5x or 10x faster speeds; think of AI LinkBoost as an optimiser, a way to squeeze a little bit more out of your network connection.
Conclusion
Experimenting with smartphone AI doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg. The handsets we’ve spotlighted here are great examples of this, balancing cost with a wide variety of AI features.
Not only that, there are numerous AI apps you can download, play around with, and make improvements to your productivity.