5 old Android phones to buy instead

RAM crisis led many innovations Android phones to fly Price in 2026. However, we’ve also seen some companies take a different approach, offering minimal improvements over the previous generation. And even then, prices can still go up.

Either way, I’d argue that this is a year where it’s better to buy last year’s phone than the latest model. Don’t you believe me? Here are five old phones worth buying from the current generation.

The Galaxy S25 It’s one of the better old phones you can buy in 2026, and you just have to look at it Galaxy S26 price to understand why. The new phone finally ditches 128GB of primary storage in favor of 256GB, but now costs $900. In contrast, the 128GB Galaxy S25 sold for $800, and the 256GB model for $850. In other words, you’re paying $50 more than last year’s phone for the same amount of storage.

You also missed a lot by opting for the old flagship. The Galaxy S25 still comes with the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, the same triple rear camera system from the Galaxy S22, and the same glacial 25W wired charging. People who value pocket-friendly phones will also be pleased to know that the S25 is slightly smaller than the S26.

You can definitely find the Galaxy S25 at a reasonable price these days. Samsung’s website still lists the original $800 price tag, but the global model sells for ~$700 on Amazon. So you get 95% of the Galaxy S26 for under $200.

The Moto G Stylus (2026) Retailing for $500, it’s $100 more than the 2025 model. What do you get for the extra money? Well, you just get an active stylus, a brighter screen, a slightly bigger battery, and a slightly gimmicky IP69 rating. That’s it.

Otherwise, the two phones share the same Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chip, the same wired and wireless charging speeds, and the same cameras. Both phones are also available in 8GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB flavors. Power users will be happy to know that you get a microSD card slot and a headphone jack, no matter which device you choose.

It should be noted that 128 GB Moto G Stylus 2025 it’s hard to find at some retailers, but the 256GB model still sells for a pretty tempting $350. I should also mention that Motorola’s older budget phones aren’t great if you want a long update policy. But if all you want is a cheap, no-frills phone with a stylus, it’s still a great choice.

with $500 Pixel 10aGoogle has bucked the increasingly common trend of RAM-related price hikes. That’s great news, but it’s come at the expense of major improvements Pixel 9a.

You’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the two phones. Both devices feature a capable Tensor G4 processor, 5100mAh battery, 6.3-inch OLED panel, 48MP+13MP rear camera pairing, IP68 rating and support for wireless charging. The only major upgrades you get with the new phone are faster charging speeds, newer Gorilla Glass protection, and a brighter display.

Perhaps the deciding factor in the Pixel 9a’s favor is its ~$440 on platforms like Amazon. It’s a small change that could go towards a phone case or charger. Or back to your wallet.

We just reviewed Galaxy A57 5Gand his colleague Rushil Agarwal thought it lacked major improvements Galaxy A56 5G. In fact, he felt that most of the complaints about the Galaxy A57 5G also apply to the older phone.

It also doesn’t help that the Galaxy A57 starts at $550, versus the $500 retail price of the older phone. You can even find international Galaxy A56 models for ~$400 on Amazon, making it an ideal buy if you’re on T-Mobile. In any case, you save money by choosing an old device.

The Galaxy A56 5G features a 5,000mAh battery, 45W wireless charging, an IP67 rating, a sleek design, and six years of operating system upgrades. We weren’t fans of the chipset or the secondary cameras, but the Galaxy A57 5G doesn’t improve on that. So if you really want a mid-range Samsung phone, you might as well buy a slightly older one.

Is this the easiest recommendation on our list? It’s hard to argue, since it’s $100 cheaper than its successor, the $699 Motorola Razr (2025). In fact, the older model is currently on sale for $599 through Motorola’s website and Amazon.

The new 2026 Razr brings a few updates for the extra money. There’s a higher-quality ultra-wide camera and a bigger battery, while the chipset is the same as last year’s foldable. But are these upgrades worth at least $100? Not in my book.

Motorola’s 2025 Razr also comes with 256GB of primary storage, compared to the new model’s 128GB. Yes, you get more storage by buying an older phone. Throw in the same IP48 rating, the same screens, and the same wired/wireless charging capabilities, and the old phone is a no-brainer.