Best Phones Under $1,000
OnePlus
Apple
Nothing
Motorola
RedMagic
Xiaomi
15
iPhone 17
Phone (3)
Razr (2025)
11 Air
Pixel 10 Pro
17
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Spending under $1,000 is a big deal — but it no longer means you can necessarily get the best of the best. Phones have gotten more expensive over the years, and these days, the best phones usually cost at least $1,200 or so. But, for that kind of money, you can still get an excellent device.
The OnePlus 15 takes the top spot as the best overall pick, pairing a high-refresh AMOLED panel with fast sustained performance and reliable battery life. For those in the Apple ecosystem, the iPhone 17 offers a well-rounded package with tight software integration. If photography is the priority, the Nothing Phone (3) stands out with versatile rear optics and strong computational processing. And the Motorola Razr (2025) proves foldables have become genuinely competitive below this price threshold.
Whether you want a compact flip phone, a large-screen gaming device like the RedMagic 11 Air, or a phone tuned for media consumption, this list covers a range of needs. Rankings update automatically as new phones launch and scores shift.
Best Overall Under $1,000
There are a few things that make the OnePlus 15 a great device, but the battery life is top of the list. Forty-six hours of video playback is a number that requires a second look. The OnePlus 15's 7,300mAh battery lasts longer on a single charge than almost anything else in our database, and when it does run down, 120W wired charging recovers 88% in 30 minutes — the fastest wired charging speed we've measured at any price. The Samsung Galaxy S26 costs the same and gets to 58% in that same window, a gap that's hard to ignore if you travel without a charger nearby.
Performance is similarly strong. Multi-core and AI benchmark results place it among the top five phones in our database, and sustained performance holds up under extended load.
The display sits in the lower half of phones we've tested in this price range — the Xiaomi 17 is a clear step up there, though it costs more. Camera output is the more significant concern — main camera color accuracy is poor, with skin tones noticeably off from reference in good light. The Samsung Galaxy S26 produces considerably more accurate color at the same price. If imaging is central to how you use your phone, the OnePlus 15 is the wrong choice. If battery life and charging speed are your priority, nothing in this price tier comes close.
Best iPhone Under $1,000
The iPhone 17 puts up competitive numbers across most of the categories that matter day-to-day without leaning heavily on any single one. Multi-core performance sits well ahead of the Nothing Phone (3) at the same $799 price — and CPU efficiency translates to real-world endurance. The iPhone 17 holds above 22 hours of continuous video playback and burns through under a quarter of its battery during a web session. That's not class-leading — the OnePlus 15 runs nearly twice as long on video — but it's fine for the price tier.
The display peaks above 3,000 nits in HDR, which holds up in direct sunlight. Touch latency is slower than most Android rivals at this price, though the difference isn't something most users will notice in daily use.
Camera is the clearest weakness, compared to some of the Android competition. Main camera sharpness in good light trails the Nothing Phone (3) noticeably, and overall imaging ranks in the bottom third of the phones in our database. Buyers who prioritize photography will find better at $799.
What the 17 offers instead is a phone that covers its bases with capable performance, reasonable battery, a clean software experience, and full continuity with Apple's ecosystem. It doesn't lead any single category, but it doesn't fall short of expectations in ways that matter for most users.
Best Camera Phone Under $1,000
If photography is your priority, then it’s worth looking at the Nothing Phone (3). The Nothing Phone (3)'s front camera is the sharpest we've measured at this price, and it holds that clarity across lighting conditions in a way that most $799 phones don't. The ultrawide produces accurate hue across a broad range of subjects, and the main lens captures significantly more tonal detail in high-contrast scenes than the iPhone 17 at the same price. Telephoto sharpness is also high, outpacing the Xiaomi 15T Pro's telephoto by a clear margin even though both phones cost $799.
Compared to the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, the Phone (3) meaningfully improves main lens sharpness in daylight, along with gains in telephoto clarity and front camera resolution. The (3a) Pro costs $340 less and lands close in overall camera ranking, so the upgrade is a judgment call, but the sharpness improvements are real and measurable.
Best Foldable Under $1,000
At $599.99, the Motorola Razr (2025) is well below the $1,000 price range, but the majority of foldables cost more than our cutoff price. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad phone though — it’s not. The 6.9-inch 165Hz OLED folds down to pocket size and the cover display handles notifications and quick tasks without opening the phone. The display itself measures well — peak HDR brightness reaches 3,221 nits, which is higher than the Razr Ultra's 2,850.
Everything else is a clear compromise though. The Dimensity 7400X chip scores roughly a third of what the Razr Ultra posts in multi-core performance, and it shows in sustained workloads. Battery life gets you through a day of typical use — around 24 hours of continuous video on the inner screen, closer to 26 on the outer — but a flatscreen phone like the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro, which costs $100 less, runs noticeably longer on a charge and has a substantially better camera. Color accuracy from the Razr's main camera is noticeably off from reference, worse than most phones in this price range.
If foldable form isn't the feature you're buying, the trade-offs here are significant. But for $599.99, the Motorola Razr (2025) is the way to go.
Best Gaming Phone Under $1,000
Under $1,000, the RedMagic 11 Air is the phone to get for gaming. Its Wild Life Extreme score is roughly three times what the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro puts up, and sustained performance holds well across extended sessions — a meaningful gap when frame consistency matters in longer play. Touch latency is under 12 milliseconds, which is fast enough that input feels immediate. The 7,000mAh battery loses only 37% charge during an hour of GPU-intensive gaming, and video playback runs close to 29 hours. For $529, the performance floor here is high.
The downsides are that the camera sits near the bottom of our database for this price tier — it's a secondary system, not a competitive one. The speakers are among the weakest we've measured across any phone in the database, which matters for a device that markets itself on immersion. Charging reaches about half capacity in 30 minutes on 80W wired, which is average rather than fast. Biometrics are slow relative to peers.
If you want a more complete phone and have the budget, the OnePlus 15 at $899 is better in nearly every category outside touch response. But for raw gaming performance at $529, the RadMagic 11 Air is the way to go
Phone with the Best Display Under $1,000
Peak HDR brightness on the Pixel 10 Pro reaches 3,428 nits — higher than the Samsung Galaxy S25+ (2,932 nits) and the standard Pixel 10 (3,089 nits). Touch response is fast enough that the display feels immediate in normal use.
The display leads over the Xiaomi 17, which sits just below the Pixel 10 Pro in our display rankings, is narrow. Both phones share essentially the same color accuracy floor, and the Xiaomi 17 edges ahead on HDR brightness.
Where this phone falls short is in battery life, which sits near the bottom of our database, hitting around 22 hours of video playback, compared to nearly 30 hours for the Galaxy S25+. Sustained performance under load is also weak relative to comparably priced phones — the Tensor G5 trails the Snapdragon chips in the S25+ and Xiaomi 17 by a wide margin in multi-core workloads. If display quality is the priority, the Pixel 10 Pro holds up. If battery or performance matter equally, the trade-off is steep.
Phone with the Best Speaker Under $1,000
The Xiaomi 17 reaches maximum volume levels that sit below the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and Google Pixel 10 Pro, but it produces cleaner audio at loud volumes than either — distortion at peak output is noticeably lower than the Pixel 10 Pro's, which makes sustained loud playback more comfortable over time. Bass extension is a clear strength too — the Xiaomi 17 reaches produces better bass than the majority of other phones out there. Frequency response across the midrange and treble is also even, with no significant dips or peaks that would make voices or instruments sound colored.
Compared to the Samsung Galaxy S26, distortion levels and frequency evenness are closely matched. The Xiaomi 17's advantage is its bass reach, which is stronger than the S26.
Against the Galaxy S26 Ultra — the top-ranked speaker in our database — the gap is real but not large. The Ultra is cleaner at high output and gets louder, but costs $300 more.
Battery life is a weakness though. At just over 26 hours of continuous video playback, it trails most phones in this price range. Microphone quality also ranks in the lower third of our database, which matters for calls and video recording.
Related
Apple
iPhone 17
Pixel 10 Pro
Xiaomi
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Nothing
Phone (3)
RedMagic
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OnePlus
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Motorola
Razr (2025)
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Apple
iPhone 17 Pro Max
Xiaomi
17 Ultra
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Apple