X

Article updated on January 4, 2021 at 12:00 PM PST

Best phones to give as gifts: iPhone 12, Galaxy S20 FE, Pixel 4A 5G and more

If you're thinking of buying a phone for someone, consider CNET's top 10 picks.

Our Experts

Written by 
Lynn La
Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement
Lynn La Senior Editor / Reviews - Phones
Lynn La covers mobile reviews and news. She previously wrote for The Sacramento Bee, Macworld and The Global Post.
Why You Can Trust CNET
16171819202122232425+
Years of Experience
14151617181920212223
Hands-on Product Reviewers
6,0007,0008,0009,00010,00011,00012,00013,00014,00015,000
Sq. Feet of Lab Space

CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.

Our Picks

$313 at Amazon
iPhone 12
Apple iPhone 12
View details
View details
$449 at Amazon
samsung-galaxy-s20-fe-5g-8023
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
View details
View details
$450 at Best Buy
google-pixel-4a-5g-8974
Google Pixel 4A 5G
View details
View details
$349 at Amazon
oneplus-8-0763
OnePlus 8
View details
View details
$100 at Amazon
Motorola One 5G
Motorola One 5G
View details
View details
$729 at Amazon
64-apple-iphone-12-mini-5g-verizon-2020.png
Apple iPhone 12 Mini
View details
View details
$350 at Amazon
Samsung Galaxy A51
Samsung Galaxy A51
View details
View details
$329 at Amazon
google-pixel-4a-4696
Google Pixel 4A
View details
View details
$210 at eBay
iphone-se-2020-21
Apple iPhone SE (2020)
View details
View details
$297 at Amazon
015-motorola-g-stylus
Motorola Moto G Stylus
View details
View details

The holidays may be over, but if you're looking to start the year by gifting a new phone to a loved one, or nabbing one for yourself, 2020 gave us an abundant supply of fantastic phones with relatively affordable prices. Yes, high-end phones still exist, like the iPhone 12 Pro Max and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. But as we become more cost-conscious during the COVID-19 pandemic, phone-makers have responded by launching phones at lower prices. 

Most of these phones are variants of well-known flagships and may skip out on some features. But overall these 2020 phones to give as gifts offer top-notch performances and are packed with great cameras, fast processors and brilliant screens. Many of them also connect to the next-gen mobile wireless network, 5G

To see our top picks from 2020 models to give in 2021, check out the list below. Note that you can almost get a better deal on these phones if you purchase through a carrier, as they often have promotions and discounts. But if you want a quick and easy way to gift a phone, getting an unlocked version is the best way to go -- just swap in an existing SIM card and you should be good to go. We've linked to the unlocked version of each phone in this gift guide, and they should run on most of the big four US wireless carriers, unless specified otherwise.

$313 at Amazon

Apple iPhone 12

Starting at $829 (£799, AU$1,349), the iPhone 12 isn't the cheapest of Apple's new iPhone 12 variants. That title would go to the iPhone 12 Mini (more on that below). But the iPhone 12 has a bigger screen and features the A14 Bionic processor, dual rear cameras and 5G.

Editors' choice
$449 at Amazon

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE

As the "fan edition" of Samsung's flagship Galaxy S20, the S20 FE packs many premium specs like triple rear cameras, water resistance, a powerful processor and 5G. But this device pick is much more affordable than the original S20, and costs $699 in the US (or £699, AU$1,149 in the UK and Australia for the 5G models).

Editors' choice
$450 at Best Buy

Google Pixel 4A 5G

If you want an affordable 5G phone, Google's Pixel 4A 5G is worthy of consideration. The $499 (£499, AU$799) handset has solid battery life, great dual rear cameras and robust software support from Google. 

Editors' choice
$349 at Amazon

OnePlus 8

The OnePlus 8 is one of our favorite OnePlus phones of 2020, and we prefer this Android phone model over pricier OnePlus devices like the 8 Pro and 8T. This Android device features 5G, a 90Hz display, an enduring battery life and a top-of-the-line processor. The unlocked model is currently on sale from OnePlus and costs $699 (£549, or about AU$1,000) for 256GB of storage.

$100 at Amazon

Motorola One 5G

Available in the US for $445, the One 5G is one of the best, most affordable 5G phones available for Android users. This cheap smartphone option has a total of six, yes six, cameras, a 90Hz high-refresh rate display and fast-charging technology. This device is available now in the US on AT&T and is coming to Verizon at a later date.

Editors' choice
$729 at Amazon

Apple iPhone 12 Mini

Priced at s $729 (£699, AU$1,1999), the iPhone 12 Mini is the cheapest and smallest iPhone 12 you can get. It features a comfortable 5.4-inch display but has nearly identical specs as the iPhone 12 including the new MagSafe feature, the A14 processor, wireless charging and water resistance.

$350 at Amazon

Samsung Galaxy A51

In addition to its main Galaxy S20 phones, Samsung has a more cost-conscious A series line of phones. In 2020 it launched the Galaxy A51 5G, which has four cameras including a selfie camera, an in-screen fingerprint sensor and expandable memory. CNET reviewed the non-5G version that originally went for $399 (£329, AU$599) though we've seen it go on sale in the US for as low as $280.

$329 at Amazon

Google Pixel 4A

Released in August, Google's Pixel 4A costs $349 (£349, AU$599). The 5.81-inch Google Pixel phone only comes in one color (black) and features a headphone jack, excellent camera, slightly larger screen and a bigger battery than the older Pixel 4 and 128GB of storage right off the bat.

$210 at eBay

Apple iPhone SE (2020)

After a four-year gap between the 2020 iPhone SE and the previous one, Apple packed its most budget phone with a bunch of upgrades. That includes wireless charging, better camera specs and water resistance. (Unfortunately, if you prefer wired headphones, this device doesn't have a headphone jack.) If you're looking for a new iPhone but want to save as much money as possible, the $399 (£419, AU$749) iPhone SE is your best bet.

$297 at Amazon

Motorola Moto G Stylus

If you're looking for a cheaper Note 20 alternative, the Moto G Stylus features a stylus that you can store inside the phone along with a built-in Notes app to help with productivity. Available in the US and currently priced at $250 from Motorola, the phone also features triple-rear cameras, 128GB of storage and a robust 4,000-mAh battery.