The Greatest Finances Android Cellphone of 2026


A Samsung Galaxy A17 5G smartphone displayed on a dark yellow background.
 Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter

Prime choose

The Greatest Finances Android Cellphone of 2026 1

The newest addition to Samsung’s funds A-series line gives a vivid show and prolonged battery life. Samsung guarantees software program and safety help by way of 2031, longer than many of the competitors.

The Samsung Galaxy A17 5G is one of the best telephone to purchase in order for you a telephone that can final for years to come back and don’t wish to spend a lot. Samsung guarantees six years of safety updates, which is considerably longer than any of the opposite telephones we examined, which might assist the Galaxy A17 final you into 2031.

It additionally has an AMOLED display screen (a uncommon characteristic within the funds class), a 5,000 mAh battery that ought to final greater than a day’s use, and handy options like NFC for tap-to-pay and a fingerprint sensor.

You gained’t have to consider getting a brand new telephone for some time. Six years of safety help is rather a lot. That’s about twice so long as most individuals dangle on to the common smartphone, so in case you’re searching for a tool you should purchase and neglect about for some time, that is it. The Galaxy A17 may also see six years of Android software program updates, so your model of Android shouldn’t lag behind both.

It has the display screen of a way more costly telephone. The Galaxy A17’s 6.7-inch AMOLED display screen with a 90 Hz refresh fee is a top-shelf providing for a funds telephone. Most telephones on this value class nonetheless provide LCD screens, which don’t have as excessive a distinction ratio however can appear brighter. I watched a couple of totally different reveals and films on this display screen and was impressed; Bridgerton’s unnaturally brilliant pastels and jewel tones popped fantastically, and The West Wing’s nostalgic glow shone by way of like candlelight. Video games regarded good, too, and although it’s not a gaming powerhouse I used to be in a position to play Diablo Immortal on the Galaxy A17 with no issues.

Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter

You possibly can’t go fallacious with the worth. Paying $200 for a smartphone that can carry out all the essential capabilities you want and look good within the course of is a steal, particularly while you have in mind how lengthy you possibly can conceivably use it. It has a fingerprint scanner, NFC, expandable reminiscence, and an IP54 ranking in opposition to mud and splashes; you possibly can spend much more than $200 and get rather a lot much less.

Its battery is a beast. Over the course of some days, I used the Galaxy A17 to play hours of YouTube movies and podcasts, navigate with Google Maps to lunch with a buddy, textual content always, make amends for my Netflix, and play demanding cellular video games. I by no means wanted to plug it in throughout the day, and the fast-charging characteristic labored properly at night time, powering the machine again as much as full energy in a bit of over an hour.

Flaws however not dealbreakers

It was generally sluggish or laggy. Although the Galaxy A17 is a superb possibility for individuals who don’t need to spend so much or simply want a fundamental smartphone, we predict it’d frustrate smartphone superusers sooner or later. The Galaxy A17 often took a second for an app to open or shut or for a faucet to register, which will be irritating in case you’re used to a really immediate response or in case you’re multitasking in a number of home windows.

The Galaxy A17 has 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, and it saved up with my every day duties simply wonderful. Nonetheless, the Galaxy A17’s preliminary sluggish efficiency in spots makes me involved that responsiveness and loading instances will worsen over the following six years because the storage fills up with updates.

It doesn’t have a headphone jack. The Galaxy A17 doesn’t have a headphone jack, and the audio system aren’t stereo and have a barely tinny high quality to them. Finances telephones aren’t identified for his or her audio system so the latter isn’t a dealbreaker, however no headphone jack limits you to Bluetooth units or a USB-C–to–3.5 mm adapter, which is inconvenient.

Related Articles

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest Articles