The 9 Best Straight Talk Phones to Buy at Walmart in 2021

Best Overall, Apple: Apple iPhone SE (2020)

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Shoppers who are considering sizing down on their gadgets will be persuaded by the Apple iPhone SE (2020), which packs a powerful punch in a petite and hardy package (it’s dunkable in 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes). Though it’s powered by the ultra-fast, new A13 Bionic chip, which is also featured in the much larger iPhone 11 Pro, it’s closer to the size of the iPhone 8. Though small, it performs many of the same feats as larger and newer iPhones, including support for Wi-Fi 6 and wireless and quick charging. For $350, Straight Talk Wireless customers can enjoy 64GB of storage and the lightning-fast processor that’s suited for everything the device can do, especially all of the advanced photography tricks. 

Apple says that it has the most advanced single-camera system on the market, and it’s easy to see why. The single camera on the SE rivals the quality of the much larger and costlier iPhone 11 Pro, which has three cameras. The slight downside for some is that there are no night-mode camera settings like you’ll find on the 11 Pro. 

If you don’t require low-light picture mode, you’ll be pleased by how closely these two models measure up. The SE also offers Portrait mode, six different lighting settings to choose from, and the Smart HDR feature provides appropriate relighting to capture professional portraits. You’ll also get 4K video quality and extended dynamic range support, which means the camera will pick up on highlights and shadows in greater detail.

Best Overall, Android: Samsung Galaxy A50

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While it’s not the latest and flashiest option from the Samsung smartphone lineup, the Galaxy A50 is a solid pick for Android users at an affordable price—around $250. It features a 6.4-inch Infinity Display, which means that you’ll see more of what’s on screen since it extends from edge to edge of the AMOLED display. If you like the idea of multiple cameras found in iPhone models, the Galaxy A50 offers its own three-camera system: one main camera, a selfie camera, and a third wide-angle camera. Automatic adjustments in low light and 4K video are also supported, and there’s a neat Flaw Detection feature that alerts you to blurriness or blinking so you can snap a quick re-do.

The Samsung Galaxy A50 also offers a solid 35 hours of battery life on a single charge, so you can definitely count it to get you through the day without powering up again. If you do need to add some juice, this device supports fast charging with a 15-watt charger. And though Straight Talk only offers this model in black and with the base storage of 64GB, you can easily expand this to 512GB via an external microSD. Touch ID and intuitive interface are also there to support faster access and interactions.

Best Display: Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra

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The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G bundles practically everything you’d want in a handheld smart device, though the feature list could be more than what most users need—or want to pay for. Even with Smart Talk, you’ll shell out more than $1200 for this device, and that’s not without reason. 

The camera renders 8K video quality, which the brand coins as “director-grade” and the large 6.9-inch, AMOELD Infinity-O Display is the largest and sharpest (at a refresh rate of 120Hz and a resolution of 3088x1440) you’ll find from Samsung phones. This large smartphone also features a handy stylus with numerous applications, high-end brushed metal finishings, and what the brand calls the toughest Gorilla glass found in any smartphone. 

If you can stomach the steep price, this could be a worthy investment for power users who rely on their device for most tasks. With 128GB of storage, 12GB of RAM, 5G capability, and the fastest Snapdragon processor in Samsung phones, the Note20 is well-equipped to keep up with heavy and daily use for shoppers who essentially want a PC in their pocket.

Best Budget: Motorola Moto E

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Are you interested in spending about $100 on a capable smartphone? The Motorola Moto E delivers in all the ways that many smartphone shoppers expect. It has a solid, attractive build and also comes with a trusty headphone jack for wired headphone fans. 

The dual 13MP camera system supports fun effects like blurring and Bokeh mode in portraits. Picture quality in low light could suffer and you won’t find any of the advanced dark mode or portrait settings on iPhones or Samsung models. But the Moto E offers an edge over its camera-savvier competitors when it comes to battery life. You’ll get up to 2 days on a single charge, which means more time texting, calling, and streaming without being interrupted. In fact, Motorola claims that the Moto E has enough longevity to stream music for 103 hours or movies for up to 11 hours. 

While you won’t hand over a lot of money upfront for this smartphone, one feature that’s noticeably absent is NFC support. If that’s not a big deal to you, the Moto E’s battery life and expandable storage are winning traits. The 32GB of onboard storage isn’t overly generous but can be supplemented with a microSD for up to 512GB of extra space as you need it.

Best Mid-Range: Samsung Galaxy A51

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The Samsung Galaxy A51 is a nice mid-range Android smartphone for just under $300. Like many higher-tier Galaxy smartphones, the A51 features a 6.4-inch Infinity Super AMOLED that’s vibrant and renders an expansive edge-to-edge view. The generous screen shines when you use the quad-camera system, which is made up of a main camera, depth camera, macro camera for up-close details, and an ultrawide camera made for vivid landscape shots.

The main camera is also 48MP and well-suited to grabbing great shots even when there’s not a lot of available light. You won’t have to worry about having enough space for your photos or performance hiccups either, thanks to a generous 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM. This phone also has microSD support for an additional terabyte of room for all of your extra media and files.

There are a couple of features the A51 doesn’t offer, such as water and dust resistance. If you’re rough on your devices, this could be a drawback against this phone. Fans of wireless charging won’t find compatibility with the Galaxy A51 either, but it is capable of fast charging in a pinch and at least a solid day of battery life.

Best Ultra-Budget: Samsung Galaxy A01

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The truly budget-minded shopper could find a great match in the Samsung Galaxy A01, which is available through Straight Talk for $59 at Walmart. While it starts with a limited 16GB of storage, users who mostly use their smartphone for the basics like texting and calls with some web browsing and light app use won’t have any complaints.

As you’d expect from this modest price point, the dual-camera system is modest. It consists of a 13MP main camera and a 2MP depth camera, which means it’s game for casual snapping and sharing. The A01 is also capable of almost getting through a full day depending on how you use it—up to 19.7 hours. That makes it pretty modest compared to other Samsung phones that can last for up to 2 days on a single charge. Again, if app and media usage is limited, this should stretch further. And if you find yourself needing some extra storage, there’s a handy microSD slot for expanding capacity.

Best Battery: Motorola Moto G Power

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Battery life is the standout feature of the Motorola Moto G. The 5,000mAh battery lasts for up to three days before requiring a recharge. According to Motorola, that translates to 150 hours of music streaming or 23 hours of video streaming. This extends further to an impressive 27 days in standby mode if you’re interested in getting the most out of the large battery. 

And if you’re an avid music or movie streamer, this phone has dual Dolby stereo speakers for solid audio quality. The generous 6.4-inch full HD+ display is a perfect complement to the speaker setup if you like a cinematic viewing experience even on a smartphone display.

The camera system is made of three cameras, a selfie camera, and a macro and ultrawide angle for both large panoramic and close-up detailed shots. The front-facing camera is small and discrete and placed in the upper left-hand corner so that it’s out of the way. This flexibility with snapshots is appealing, but photos won’t be as professional-looking or crisp as higher-priced phones. But for about $182, the Moto G’s battery life and solid all-around performance are great reasons to consider this straightforward and inexpensive phone.

Best for 5G: Apple iPhone 12

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If you want one of the latest flagship models from the Apple brand, Straight Talk currently offers shoppers the 64GB iPhone 12 for around $830. Arguably the best iPhone ever, it’s lighter and thinner than prior models but also features the exceptionally speedy and pioneering A14 Bionic chip processor, lightning-fast 5G capability, and a slew of handy magnetic accessories, including compatibility with the MagSafe wireless charger that makes owning an iPhone even more convenient. 

The most impressive aspects surround the display and camera quality. The display is an extremely vivid OLED, called Super Retina XDR, that makes dark shades and light colors punchier and produces greater overall contrast and a noticeable difference in brightness. 

You also get incredibly crisp photos via the dual-camera system (wide and ultrawide) that also has night mode and all the magic of portrait mode and Smart HDR lighting adjustments along with 4K HDR Dolby Vision video recording. Of course, all of this comes with a pretty hefty investment, but if you’re ready to own one of the newest iPhones with a low monthly service plan, it’s hard to beat this option.