Buy a Galaxy S8, LG V30 or LG V35 for less than US $ 400

Angela Lang / CNET

If you only have a limit of US $ 400 to spend on a new phone, you cannot buy an iPhone XS, Pixel 3 or Galaxy S10. Even the Galaxy S10E and the iPhone XR, the cheapest phones from Apple and Samsung, will cost you $ 750. You can buy the excellent Motorola Moto G7, which costs only US $ 300, but it lacks some advanced features such as a large camera, premium screen and wireless charging.

But don't worry, you can buy a new high-end phone from the last two years at a fraction of its original price. I found three phones sold as new that offer premium features and each costs less than US $ 400.

These are the criteria for my choices:

• A phone that, at its launch, had high-end specifications
• Sold as new
• Not recycled or "reconditioned"
• That costs less than US $ 400 on Amazon

Editor's Note: CNET can obtain a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the services shown on this page.

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Samsung Galaxy S8

A Samsung Galaxy S8 is now available at US $ 388.

Josh Miller / CNET

When the Galaxy S8 went on sale in March 2017, CNET editors described it as "the most beautiful cell phone in the world." It is currently available on Amazon for $ 396, which is an absolute bargain for all the features you get.

This particular Galaxy S8 comes with 64GB of storage. It is unlocked and works on GSM operators such as AT&T or T-Mobile. Out of the box, run Android Nougat 7.0, but it can be upgraded to Android 9 Pie. Keep in mind that if you expect to update it to Android Q later this year, Samsung tends to update its phone software quite slowly.

Read our analysis of the Galaxy S8 in this link.

Original price of 2017: US $ 750

Reproducing:
Watch this:

Bixby now hears your voice on the Samsung Galaxy S8

1:56

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LG V35

The LG V35 is just one year old and now it costs you $ 360 new.

Juan Garzon / CNET

It was only last summer when LG launched the V35 ThinQ, a fast cell phone. It is the newest phone on this list and also has the most premium specifications. If you are trying to choose between this and the V30, the V35 is worth the additional cost (US $ 34) for a newer and much faster processor.

This version of the V35 comes with 64GB of storage with an option to expand it through a microSD card. It is unlocked and works on AT&T. It comes with Android Oreo 8.0 installed, but LG is expected to update Android 9 Pie soon. However, like Samsung, LG is not the fastest when it comes to software updates.

Read our analysis of LG V35 in this link.

Original price in 2018: US $ 900