How to pick a cell phone based on how you use it
Guided pick
67 new cell phones compared, with today’s price (12/11/2026).
Picks from today’s catalog
- No proven discountThe highest rating · score 6.6score 6.6
Samsung
Galaxy A37 5G$444
checked today
- No proven discountThe best value · score 6.5score 6.5
Samsung
Galaxy A17$659
checked today
Step 1 of 8
Check what you do
Each use asks for something different from the spec sheet.
A cell phone that’s good for gaming costs too much for someone who only texts and watches video, and one that’s too cheap lets a gamer down. Check what you do on your phone. At each step below, the threshold comes with the phones in today’s catalog that pass it.
Step 2 of 8
Chat, social media and video
What most people do: what you already do today, just without lag.
Messaging, social media, video, maps and banking run fine on entry-level phones. What gets annoying after a year is full storage and a battery that doesn’t last until night. Radar’s threshold for this use: 128 GB or more of storage (the space where photos, apps and videos are kept) and a battery of 5,000 mAh or more (the battery capacity).
Of the 67 phones on sale today, 5 meet this criterion: 128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB or more and Battery: 5,000 mAh or more. Half cost $609.00 or less. The cheapest:
With 13 phones with 4 GB of RAM in the catalog, the median price is $237.00; with 8 GB (22 phones), $629.00. RAM is working memory: the more you have, the more apps stay open without reloading. For this use, the difference isn’t needed.
Step 3 of 8
Gaming and lots of open apps
Here the spec sheet matters: chip, RAM and network.
Heavy gaming and lots of open apps call for the chip (the phone’s brain) and RAM. The threshold: 8 GB of RAM or more, 256 GB or more e 5G, because online gaming and big updates need speed.
Of the 67 phones on sale today, 7 meet this criterion: 8 GB or 12 GB or more, 256 GB or 512 GB or more and 5G only. Half cost $1,275.00 or less. The cheapest:
The median price goes from $629.00 for 8 GB phones to $1,191.00 for 12 GB or more (23 phones). If you game only a little, you pay for that step without noticing it.
Step 4 of 8
Photos and videos
The score measures the camera’s spec sheet, not the photos it takes.
Radar’s spec sheet score looks at megapixels, number of lenses and optical zoom. It can’t see real photos, so use it to tell basic from complete and look at test samples before you decide. Photos and videos also take up space: the threshold asks for 256 GB or more.
Of the 67 phones on sale today, 36 meet this criterion: 256 GB or 512 GB or more. Half cost $1,034.00 or less. The cheapest:
The three with the highest camera score on the spec sheet, today:
Step 5 of 8
All-day battery
Capacity in mAh, with a catalog caveat.
Battery capacity is listed in mAh. The threshold to get from morning to night without a charger: 6,000 mAh or more. Real battery life also depends on screen and chip, so capacity is a floor, not a promise.
Of the 67 phones on sale today, 1 meet this criterion: Battery: 6,000 mAh or more. Half cost $797.00 or less. The cheapest:
58 of the 67 phones in the catalog don’t list the battery capacity (iPhones, for example) and are left out of this filter, even when they last all day.
Step 6 of 8
Keeping the same phone for years
For people who replace their cell phone every four years or more.
To last, what matters is memory (RAM and storage), the release year and the software version the phone shipped with. The threshold: 8 GB of RAM or more e 256 GB or more.
Of the 67 phones on sale today, 36 meet this criterion: 8 GB or 12 GB or more and 256 GB or 512 GB or more. Half cost $1,034.00 or less. The cheapest:
The three with the highest longevity score on the spec sheet, today:
Step 7 of 8
When paying more stops paying off
The price rises faster than the score.
Today’s data doesn’t have enough scored units in neighboring ranges to calculate the cost of each point.
Step 8 of 8
The pick
The ones mentioned in the guide, with today's price and the store.
- No proven discountscore 6.6score 6.6
Samsung
Galaxy A37 5G$444.00
Best price at Amazonchecked today
Why
Who it’s forChat, social media and video
ProseSIM · NFC · fast charging
Consthe RAM 6 GB · below average
- No proven discountscore 6.3score 6.3
Samsung
Galaxy A57 5G$499.75
Best price at Amazonchecked today
Why
Who it’s forChat, social media and video
ProseSIM · NFC · fast charging
Consthe storage 128 GB · below average
- No proven discountscore 6.3score 6.3
Samsung
Galaxy A57 5G$608.95
Best price at Amazonchecked today
Why
Who it’s forChat, social media and video
ProseSIM · NFC · fast charging
ConsNo wireless charging
How much memory and battery each use needs
- 67cell phones in the catalog
- 12/11price date
Each use needs a minimum of memory and battery. Chat, social media and video do fine with 128 GB and a 5,000 mAh battery: 5 cell phones in the catalog meet it, starting at $444.00. Gaming, photos and using a phone for many years need more memory, and the price goes up with it.
| If you mostly use it for | You need | Cell phones that meet it | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chat, social media and video | 128 GB and a 5,000 mAh battery | 5 of 67 | $444.00 |
| Gaming and lots of open apps | 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB and 5G | 7 of 67 | $609.00 |
| Photos and videos | 256 GB or more | 36 of 67 | $235.00 |
| All-day battery | 6,000 mAh or more | 1 of 67 | $797.00 |
| Keeping the same phone for years | 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB | 36 of 67 | $235.00 |
The best by price range
Next step
See the phones that fit you
Each point is a new cell phone, by price and spec score.
Frequently asked questions
How much RAM do I need in a cell phone?
For messaging, social media and video, 4 GB is enough: in the 12/11/2026 catalog, 4 GB phones have a median price of $237.00. Heavy gaming and lots of open apps call for 8 GB or more, with a median of $629.00 for 8 GB phones. RAM is the phone’s working memory.
Is it worth paying more for a cell phone?
It depends on the range. The overview shows how much each score point costs when the data has enough units.
How can you tell if a cell phone is good without knowing about processors?
Use Radar’s spec sheet score, from 0 to 10. It combines chip, memory, screen, camera, battery, connectivity and release year with public weights. Compare phones at a similar price and look at the component that matters for how you use it. The score doesn’t measure real-world photos or durability.
Which cell phone has the biggest battery?
In today’s catalog, the largest listed capacity is the Motorola Edge 60 Pro, with 6,000 mAh, for $797.00. Capacity isn’t battery life: screen and chip change how long the battery lasts. 58 phones don’t list the capacity.
Which cell phone has the best camera for the price?
The spec sheet score measures the camera’s spec sheet, not the photos. By the spec sheet, the highest camera scores today are Motorola Edge 60 Pro ($797.00), Motorola Razr 70 ($1,275.00), Samsung Galaxy A37 5G ($444.00). To decide based on real photos, look at test samples for each model.
How do I read the chart?
Each dot is a new cell phone. The farther right, the more expensive; the higher up, the better the spec sheet score. Price uses a logarithmic scale: each step is worth more dollars than the last, so the cheap phones don’t get crowded together. The line connects the phones that no other filtered phone beats on both score and price.
Where does the score come from?
From the phone’s spec sheet: chip, screen, camera, battery, connectivity and release year, with public weights. It shows what the spec sheet promises, not how the phone holds up in use. The full math is in How we calculate the score.
Why do some phones show no score?
Because the catalog doesn’t list enough spec sheet components. We’d rather leave it without a score than make one up. Those phones stay off the chart and remain in the table, with the price and the button to compare stores.
Is the price on the chart what I’ll pay?
This is the lowest price from a trusted Amazon seller on the date we checked (official store, or a top seller rating with 100 sales or more). It changes without notice. The buy button goes straight to the store, where the price of the day applies.
Read next
Where the numbers come from
Each threshold is a Radar criterion, not a standard: we chose floors for storage, RAM, battery and network that fit the use described. The numbers (how many phones pass, median price, the cheapest) come from the collected catalog, from trusted Amazon sellers.
The guide helps you decide and doesn’t recommend a phone for you: the final price is the one at the store, and the spec score doesn’t measure real-world photos or durability.
Data from 12 Nov 2026.