Eight Phones Under $800 That Actually Make You Question the iPhone 15
Let's be honest: the iPhone 15 starts at $799. That's not exactly a budget purchase. And yet, Apple keeps selling them by the millions because most people assume the alternatives just can't keep up. We wanted to know if that assumption still holds in 2024.
So we bought eight of the most talked-about phones priced at or under $800 and used them as our daily drivers. We made calls, shot photos at cookouts and concerts, ran apps, played games, and dropped them (accidentally, mostly). Here's what we found — ranked from "close but no cigar" to "genuinely impressive."
The Ground Rules
We focused on phones available in the US through major carriers or unlocked from Amazon and Best Buy. Price had to be $800 or under at time of testing. We weren't chasing specs sheets — we cared about real-world speed, camera output you'd actually post on Instagram, battery life through a full day, and how the phone holds up six months from now based on software support commitments.
8. Motorola Edge+ (2023) — $599
Motorola's flagship-ish contender has a gorgeous 165Hz display and a massive battery. Sounds great on paper. In practice, the camera software is inconsistent enough to be frustrating — shots in mixed indoor lighting look processed in a way that feels more 2021 than 2024. Software updates are also a weak spot; Motorola's track record here isn't inspiring. If you watch a lot of video and rarely leave home, it's a fine couch phone. As a daily driver competing with the iPhone 15? It doesn't quite get there.
7. Samsung Galaxy A54 — $449
This is the phone Samsung sells to everyone who asks "what's a good phone that isn't too expensive?" And for a lot of people, it's a perfectly fine answer. The problem is that at $449, it still gives up too much compared to what you can get for $100–$200 more. The processor lags noticeably in gaming and heavy multitasking, and the camera, while decent in daylight, struggles badly after dark. Four years of OS updates is a genuine selling point. But if you're cross-shopping with an iPhone 15, you'll feel the gap.
6. Nothing Phone (2) — $699
The Nothing Phone (2) gets points for being genuinely different. The Glyph interface on the back is a party trick that somehow becomes useful — LED patterns for different contacts and notifications end up being more practical than they sound. Performance on the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is solid, and the clean software experience is refreshing. Where it loses ground is camera quality. It's good, not great, and against the iPhone 15's computational photography chops, "good" doesn't win. Still, if you want something that stands out from the sea of black rectangles, this one earns a look.
5. Samsung Galaxy S23 — $699 (street price)
Yes, it's last year's flagship. But the Galaxy S23 has dropped to the point where it's a legitimately strong value. Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 performance is still excellent, the camera system punches hard in most conditions, and Samsung's four years of OS updates plus five years of security patches is one of the best longevity commitments in Android. It falls behind the iPhone 15 in video quality and thermal management under load, but for photography-focused buyers who prefer Android, this is a serious option.
4. OnePlus 12 — $799
The OnePlus 12 is a beast. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 50W wireless charging, a Hasselblad-tuned camera system, and a 5,400mAh battery that genuinely lasts two days if you're not hammering it. It wired-charges at 80W, which means 0 to 100 in about 30 minutes. The camera is legitimately excellent in most scenarios, though it can over-sharpen in ways that look a little artificial on close inspection. OxygenOS remains one of the cleaner Android skins. The weak link: software support is only three major Android updates, which starts to feel stingy when Apple's handing out six-plus years. At $799, it matches the iPhone 15's price but offers more raw hardware for the money. Whether that trade-off works for you depends on how long you keep your phones.
3. Samsung Galaxy S24 — $799
Samsung's current base flagship is a tighter competitor to the iPhone 15 than most people give it credit for. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (in US models) is fast, the camera is consistently excellent across lighting conditions, and Galaxy AI features like Circle to Search are genuinely useful in daily life rather than just demo-day gimmicks. Seven years of OS and security updates is the best commitment in Android, full stop — and it directly matches or beats Apple's longevity story. Battery life is the one area where it trails the iPhone 15 noticeably. But if camera quality and long-term software support are your priorities, the S24 belongs in the conversation.
2. Google Pixel 8a — $499
The Pixel 8a is probably the most dangerous phone on this list for Apple's business model. At $499 — three hundred dollars less than the iPhone 15 — it delivers camera quality that trades punches with phones twice its price. Google's computational photography is still class-leading in a lot of scenarios, particularly low-light portraits and action shots. The Tensor G3 chip handles everyday tasks without breaking a sweat, and seven years of guaranteed updates means this phone will still be relevant in 2031. It's not perfect: the display is 60Hz (a real compromise in 2024), and the Tensor chip runs warm under sustained load. But for budget-conscious buyers who care about photos and longevity, the Pixel 8a is almost unfairly good.
1. Google Pixel 8 — $699
If the Pixel 8a is dangerous, the Pixel 8 is a straight-up threat. For $100 more than the 8a, you get a 120Hz OLED display, a slightly improved camera system, and the same seven-year update promise. In our testing, the Pixel 8's camera matched or beat the iPhone 15 in low-light photography and portrait mode consistency. The video quality gap is real — iPhone 15 still leads in cinematic video — but for still photography, the Pixel 8 is genuinely competitive. Add in features like Call Screen, Live Translate, and Best Take, and you have a phone with a software experience that feels thoughtfully designed rather than just feature-stacked. At $699, it undercuts the iPhone 15 by $100 while delivering a premium experience that won't embarrass you.
So Should You Skip the iPhone 15?
Not necessarily. If you're deep in the Apple ecosystem — AirPods, Apple Watch, Mac — the switching cost is real, and the iPhone 15's integration advantages don't show up in spec sheets. iMessage, AirDrop, Handoff, and the overall polish of iOS are worth something, especially if the people in your life are also on iPhones.
But if you're an Android user looking to stay there, or someone genuinely agnostic about platforms, the Pixel 8 and Galaxy S24 are not compromises. They're legitimate alternatives. And the Pixel 8a, at $499, might be the best pure value in smartphones right now — full stop.
The iPhone 15 is still a great phone. It's just no longer the only great phone at its price point. And depending on what you actually use your phone for, it might not even be the best one.
