Cheapest phone with telephoto, IP68, eSIM or a stylus: from $249.99
The cheapest phone with a telephoto lens, IP68, eSIM, a stylus pen, 256GB or long updates, with the maker's October 15, 2026 prices and the next-cheapest option.
The cheapest phone with a telephoto lens is the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro at $499, with a 3.5x camera. The cheapest phone with IP68 is the moto g power (2026) at $399.99, and the cheapest phone with a stylus pen is the moto g stylus (2026) at $499.99. The cheapest phone with eSIM is the moto g play (2026) at $249.99, which is also the cheapest phone with a microSD slot.
Prices below are the makers' list prices on October 15, 2026, for phones on sale. Discounts are not counted, and the iPhone Duo is left out because it has not shipped.
| Feature | Cheapest phone | Price | Next cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telephoto lens | Nothing Phone (4a) Pro | $499 | motorola edge (2026), $599.99 |
| 5x telephoto | Pixel 10 | $799 | Pixel 11, $899 |
| IP68 or better | moto g power (2026) | $399.99 | Galaxy A37 5G, $489.99 |
| eSIM | moto g play (2026) | $249.99 | Galaxy A17 5G, $269.99 |
| 120Hz or faster screen | moto g play (2026) | $249.99 | moto g (2026), $299.99 |
| microSD slot | moto g play (2026) | $249.99 | Galaxy A17 5G, $269.99 |
| Physical SIM slot | moto g play (2026) | $249.99 | Galaxy A17 5G, $269.99 |
| 256GB base storage | iPhone 17e and Nothing Phone (3), tied | $699 | motorola razr (2026), $799.99 |
| Security updates to 2032 or later | Galaxy A27 5G | $379.99 | Galaxy A37 5G, $489.99 |
| Built-in stylus | moto g stylus (2026) | $499.99 | Galaxy S26 Ultra (built-in S Pen), $1,399.99 |
What is the cheapest phone with a telephoto lens?
The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro lists a 50MP 3.5x periscope telephoto camera next to its 50MP main camera, and it launched at $499 in March 2026. The next cheapest telephoto phone is the motorola edge (2026), which lists a 10MP 3x telephoto camera at $599.99. That is $100.99 more.
If you want 5x zoom, the Pixel 10 is the cheapest at $799, with the Pixel 11 next at $899. The Pixel 10 starts at 128GB and the Pixel 11 at 256GB.
Check carrier support before you buy the Nothing. The maker itself calls its Verizon support limited, so read how to check a phone on Verizon first: will an unlocked phone work on Verizon.
What is the cheapest phone with IP68?
The moto g power (2026) is rated IP68/IP69, and the maker listed it at $399.99. The next cheapest is the Galaxy A37 5G at $489.99 with IP68. Nothing cheaper than the moto g power reaches IP68: the Galaxy A27 5G is IP64, the Galaxy A17 5G is IP54, and the moto g play and moto g carry no IP rating, only a water-repellent design.
The moto g power launched at $299.99 in January 2026, so the list price is $100 higher than at launch. Its security updates end in January 2029. More detail is on the moto g power (2026) page.
For IP68 on a phone from Google or Apple, the cheapest are the Pixel 10a at $599 and the iPhone 17e at $699.
What is the cheapest phone with eSIM?
Every phone we cover lists eSIM support, so the cheapest phone with eSIM is the cheapest phone, the moto g play (2026) at $249.99. It adds one nano-SIM slot and a microSD slot, and it lists a 120Hz screen and 5200 mAh. Its base storage is 64GB, the lowest of the phones we cover. Motorola also ran it at $199.99 in its October Deals, but sales are not counted here.
The Galaxy A17 5G is next at $269.99 and has the same combination of eSIM, a nano-SIM slot and microSD, with a 90Hz screen. The moto g (2026) at $299.99 is the next phone with a 120Hz screen.
Every iPhone we cover sold in the US is eSIM only, so a physical SIM slot means an Android phone. The details of setting up an eSIM are in eSIM in the US.
What is the cheapest phone with a stylus pen?
The moto g stylus (2026) is the cheapest phone with a built-in stylus: $499.99, the same as its launch price in April 2026. The stylus has its own 4 mAh cell, and the 192.3 g weight Motorola lists includes the stylus.
Beyond the pen, the moto g stylus lists an IP68/IP69 rating, a 5200 mAh battery, 68W wired charging, 128GB of storage and a microSD slot for cards up to 1TB. Motorola's security updates end in April 2029.
What is the cheapest phone with 256GB of storage?
Two phones tie at $699: the iPhone 17e and the Nothing Phone (3). The iPhone 17e launched at $599 in March 2026, so it rose by $100. The Nothing Phone (3) launched at $799 and sat $100 lower on October 15. The next cheapest with 256GB is the motorola razr (2026) at $799.99. Most phones under $700 start at 128GB, and the moto g play starts at 64GB.
What is the cheapest phone with 7 years of updates?
No phone under $400 promises seven years. Looking at the exact end dates that makers publish, the cheapest phone with security updates until 2032 or later is the Galaxy A27 5G at $379.99, with support until July 31, 2032. The next is the Galaxy A37 5G at $489.99, with support until March 31, 2032.
The cheaper phone ends later because Samsung counts from the launch date and the A27 launched in July 2026, three months after the A37. The catch is carrier support: AT&T does not list the A27, and Verizon and T-Mobile support is not confirmed.
Apple, Google and Nothing publish no exact end date, so they are not ranked here. Google promises seven years for the Pixel 10a counted from March 2026, which is about March 2033, but it costs $599. To compare cost against years of support, see the price per year of updates and how long phones get updates.
How these were counted
A phone counts if the table lists the feature for it, at the price the maker listed on October 15, 2026. "IP68 or better" includes IP68/IP69. "120Hz or faster" includes the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro at 144Hz, which costs more than the moto g play. Ties are shown as ties.
Sources
- Phone (4a) Pro: us.nothing.tech/products/phone-4a-pro
- Phone (4a) Pro: us.nothing.tech/collections/phones
- Phone (4a) Pro: cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0376/5420/0459/files/5G_Compatibility_of_Phone_4a_Pro.pdf
- Phone (4a) Pro: nothing.community/d/53745-phone-4a-pro-has-arrived
- Phone (4a) Pro: nothing.community/d/54849-phone-4a-pro-available-now
- moto g power (2026): motorola.com/us/en/p/phones/moto-g/moto-g-power-2026/pmipmjb42mv
- moto g power (2026): motorola.com/us/en/family/g
- moto g power (2026): motorolanews.com/introducing-the-moto-g-power-2026-where-design-meets-durability
- moto g power (2026): web.archive.org/web/20251216163950/https://motorolanews.com/introducing-the-moto-g-power-2026-where-design-meets-durability
- moto g power (2026): en-us.support.motorola.com/app/software-security-update
- moto g power (2026): en-us.support.motorola.com/app/software-upgrade-guide/g_id/1949
- moto g play (2026): motorola.com/us/en/p/phones/moto-g/moto-g-play-2026/pmipmja42mq
- moto g play (2026): motorola.com/us/en/family/g
- moto g play (2026): motorolanews.com/meet-the-new-moto-g-and-moto-g-play-designed-for-streaming-snapping-and-staying-powered-up
- moto g play (2026): web.archive.org/web/20251105012913/https://motorolanews.com/meet-the-new-moto-g-and-moto-g-play-designed-for-streaming-snapping-and-staying-powered-up
- moto g play (2026): en-us.support.motorola.com/app/software-security-update
- moto g stylus (2026): motorola.com/us/en/p/phones/moto-g/g-stylus-2026/pmipmjg43mp
- moto g stylus (2026): motorola.com/us/en/family/g
- moto g stylus (2026): motorolanews.com/introducing-moto-g-stylus-2026-and-moto-pad-2026-where-ideas-take-shape-across-screens
- moto g stylus (2026): web.archive.org/web/20260407190829/https://motorolanews.com/introducing-moto-g-stylus-2026-and-moto-pad-2026-where-ideas-take-shape-across-screens
- moto g stylus (2026): en-us.support.motorola.com/app/software-security-update
