The best Tracfone smartphones and plans in 2023

Founded in 1996, Tracfone has provided reliable service at great prices for about a quarter-century. With monthly plans as low as $9.99, it’s hard to ignore. Even though you can bring your own unlocked phone, Tracfone offers a selection of smartphones to pick from. It’s convenient because you don’t have to look around and see which phones work with Tracfone’s network, but the offerings are mainly for those with very modest needs.

Read on to learn more about the best Tracfone plans as well as the best Tracfone smartphones. 

Consider going with an unlocked phone

As briefly mentioned above, Tracfone doesn’t have the greatest selection of phones. This makes sense as it’s primarily marketed to those looking for cheaper service as a backup, and so flagships probably aren’t in as hot of demand. The good news is you can bring your own phone.

Since Tracfone utilizes GSM technology, it’s compatible with a wide range of phones, including the Galaxy S23, Pixel 7, and iPhone 14. To ensure a specific phone will work with Tracfone, we recommend heading to their website to learn more about supported bands or to check your existing phone for compatibility. Generally speaking, though, if your phone is designed for GSM (most are) and it’s sold in the US, it should play nicely in most cases. 

To learn more about some of the phones you can buy unlocked, check out our best Android phones and best cheap phones guides. 

Best Tracfone Plans

You know what the best Tracfone phones are, but what about the best Tracfone Plans? Let’s take a quick look at the chart below. Keep in mind we only focused on smartphone plans, but Tracfone also supports basic dumb phones. 

First, we need to explain something. While the 30-day plans are straightforward, the 60, 90, and yearly plans might be a bit confusing. Basically, the amount of data and minutes applies to the entire billing period. For example, the $200 plan might last and year and give you 24GB of data, but that’s for the whole year. So this plan is perfect for someone who only uses around 2GB a month and works out to the equivalent of $16.50 a month. 

Now let’s be honest; none of these plans are designed for those who use a lot of data. In fact, the biggest plan is the monthly 8GB option. If you need a lot of data, we recommend checking out our guide to the best prepaid plans, or if you want to spend as little as possible, consult our cheap phone plans guide. 

The best Tracfone smartphones

Editor’s note: We will continually update the list of best Tracfone smartphones.

Samsung Galaxy A53

The Galaxy A53 is a true mid-ranger from Samsung — in fact, it’s probably one of the best bonafide mid-rangers the company released in years. It’s a pretty affordable phone, though, which means there are some sacrifices to be had. You won’t get a powerful processor, but the phone can do well running your casual apps. It also comes with no 4K 60fps video recording.

All that said, it’s a pretty cool phone considering the price. You get a large, fluid display, a large 5,000mAh battery that lasts a long time, and plenty of lenses. Additionally, the phone comes with Samsung’s three-year update commitment.

Galaxy A53 specs:

Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2022)

The Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G teeters on the edge between mid-range and entry-level. Its price is pretty low, and some of its specs are fairly weak, but one essential addition makes it an appealing device to those who want specific features on a tight budget. This is the most affordable way to add a handy stylus to your everyday gear, and you can jot down notes in seconds.

The Snapdragon 695 and 6-8GB of RAM are not impressive, but they will get the job done for casual users. That said, you get other benefits. Aside from the stylus, you’ll also enjoy 5G speeds, good hardware, excellent battery life, and a pretty good screen. It’s definitely among the best affordable Tracfone smartphones.

Moto G Stylus 5G specs:

Samsung Galaxy A13 5G

We’re not done with Samsung phones, as the next entry is the Galaxy A13. This is a lower-end device. It’s still a great handset, though! The device offers excellent performance for the price, the 5,000mAh offers two-day battery life, and even 5G support.

We wish the display was brighter, and the device chargers rather slowly, but these sacrifices are reasonable considering the lower price point. The performance boost you get from the MediaTek Dimensity 700 chipset and 4GB of RAM make up for the downsides.

Galaxy A13 5G specs:

Apple iPhone SE (2022)

An Android-centric website like Android Authority recommending the Apple iPhone SE might seem like blasphemy but put away your pitchforks and torches. There are many good reasons you’d want to consider the iPhone SE, the first being that the list of Tracfone smartphones is minimal.

The iPhone SE is a lot of phone for the price. A few hundred dollars will get you a very nicely built device with a metal frame and a glass back. It has pretty powerful specs, including the same A15 Bionic chipset you find in the iPhone 13 series and the non-Pro versions of the iPhone 14 lineup. It has neat features like wireless charging, an IP67 rating, and a camera that’s considered above average.

This device is definitely one of the best Tracfone smartphones around, even if it comes from Apple.

iPhone SE specs:

Apple iPhone 12 Mini

The iPhone 12 Mini might be a bit behind the times, with the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 series already out, but it’s still among the best Tracfone smartphones you can get from Apple. It’s also a great high-end option for those who like smaller handsets.

The device comes with a pocketable 5.4-inch display with a 1,080p resolution. You’ll find an A14 Bionic processor and 4GB of RAM. The rest of the experience is what you can expect from a premium Apple device. The glass and metal design is great-looking, and performance is nothing to scoff at. Not to mention Apple cameras are very well-respected in the industry.

iPhone 12 Mini specs:

Samsung Galaxy A32 5G

Samsung’s Galaxy A32 5G packs five cameras, a massive 5,000mAh battery, and 64GB of expandable storage. The 6.5-inch HD+ display comes complete with a small Infinity-V notch that also houses a 13MP selfie shooter.

You get a MediaTek Dimensity 720 processor to work with, and the display is made from durable Gorilla Glass 5. The Galaxy A32 5G hangs onto the headphone jack, which is always nice to see. It comes in four colorful finishes — Awesome Black, Awesome Blue, Awesome White, and Awesome Violet.

Galaxy A32 5G specs: