5 old Android phones to buy instead

The RAM crisis has led many new android phones shoot price in 2026. However, we have also seen some companies take a different approach, offering minimal upgrades over the previous generation. And even in those cases, prices can still go up.

Either way, I’d say this is a year when it’s often better to buy last year’s phone than the latest model. Don’t you believe me? Here are five older phones worth buying compared to the current generation.

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

You won’t be missing much if you opt for the old flagship either. The Galaxy S25 still comes with a powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, the same triple rear camera system as the Galaxy S22, and the same glacial 25W wired charging. People who appreciate pocketable phones will also be happy to know that the S25 is a little smaller than the S26.

You can definitely find the Galaxy S25 at a reasonable price nowadays. Samsung’s website still lists the original price of $800, but the global model is listed at ~$700 on Amazon. Basically, you get 95% of the Galaxy S26 for $200 less.

He Moto G Stylus (2026) It launched at $500, making it $100 more expensive than the 2025 model. What do you get for the extra money? Well, basically you’ll get an active stylus, a brighter screen, a slightly larger battery, and a IP69 rating somewhat gimmicky. That’s all.

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

It is worth noting that the 128 GB Moto G Stylus 2025 It’s hard to find at some retailers, but the 256GB model is still available at a pretty attractive price of $350. I should also point out that Motorola’s older budget phones aren’t great if you want a long update policy. But if all you want is a cheap, simple phone with a stylus, this is still a great option.

With the $500 Pixel 10aGoogle bucked the increasingly common trend of RAM-related price increases. It’s great news, but it came at the expense of substantial improvements over the Pixel 9a.

It would be difficult to tell the difference between the two phones. Both devices have a capable Tensor G4 processor, a 5,100mAh battery, a 6.3-inch OLED panel, a 48MP + 13MP rear camera pairing, an IP68 rating, and wireless charging support. The only major improvements you get with the new phone are faster charging speeds, much newer Gorilla Glass protection, and a brighter screen.

Perhaps the deciding factor in favor of the Pixel 9a is that it is available for ~$440 on platforms like Amazon. That’s a small chunk of change that can instead go toward a phone case or charger. Or again in your wallet.

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

Also not helping the Galaxy A57’s case is the fact that it started at $550 compared to the previous phone’s $500 launch price. You can even find international Galaxy A56 models for ~$400 on Amazon, making it an ideal purchase if you’re on T-Mobile. Either way, you’ll save some money by opting for the older device.

The Galaxy A56 5G has a 5,000 mAh battery with 45W wired charging, IP67 rating, a sleek design, and six years of OS updates. We weren’t fans of the chipset or the secondary cameras, but the Galaxy A57 5G doesn’t really improve things in this regard. So if you really want a mid-range Samsung phone, you can also get one that’s a little older.

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

The new Razr 2026 brings some improvements for the extra money. There’s a higher-resolution ultrawide camera and a larger battery, while the chipset is essentially the same as last year’s foldable. But are these upgrades worth at least an extra $100? Not in my book.

Motorola’s Razr 2025 also comes with 256GB of base storage compared to 128GB on the new model. Yes, you will get more storage when you buy the older phone. Add in the same IP48 rating, the same screens, and the same wired/wireless charging capabilities, and the old phone is a no-brainer.