Smartphone VR is something that is easily within the hands of most consumers.
It’s something you can opt for if you’re on a budget or if you’re somebody that wants to see what VR has to offer.
That’s why today, in this post, we will discuss some of our top picks for some cheap phones for VR that are available on the market currently.
Winner
LG V30
With 64 GB of storage, this smartphone has more than enough to store your favorite VR titles. Not only that but the high resolution ensures you experience stunning and crisp visuals in VR.
Runner Up
Google Pixel 2
When it comes to budget-friendly phones that still pack a big punch, this option is definitely up there. Even though it’s cheap, its specifications would not indicate so.
Also Great
SAMSUNG Galaxy S8
With 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage and a high battery life, this phone is perfect for longer VR sessions. Its high-resolution screen ensures it works with most mobile VR headsets on the market.
Now that you’ve seen what our top picks are, let’s dig deeper to see which option is best for your needs.
Cheap Phones for a VR Headset - Top 5 Reviews
#1: Best Overall Cheap Phone for VR - LG V30 Review
The top phone on our list is the LG V30 and that’s because it’s a phone that gives you the best value for its price.
It comes with a 6-inch screen which is the highest size that is supported by the majority of mobile VR headsets in the market.
Furthermore, it has a high resolution that ensures you can enjoy crisp and stunning visuals that’ll help you immerse yourself in the experience.
The 64 GB of storage is also a welcome feature since it provides you with enough space to store your smartphone VR apps and games. You can also increase this storage further by adding a memory card to it.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy LG V30
Price: When it comes to the price, you can get the LG V30 at a fairly reasonable rate. It’s not expensive at all and definitely a great option if you want a phone to get into VR.
Screen size and resolution: The LG V30 boasts a large 6-inch screen and a resolution of 2880 x 1440 pixels.
Processor and RAM: It has a very speedy octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor as well as 4 GBs of RAM. This is more than enough to run the majority of virtual reality titles available in the market.
- Large screen size
- Speedy processor
- Hefty amount of storage
- High-resolution screen
- Budget-friendly
- Some users have reported issues where the phone does not turn on after a few months of use
Best Overall Cheap Phone for VR
The best overall cheap phone for VR is the LG V30 thanks to its high-resolution screen, great battery life, and affordable price.
#2: Best Cheapest Phone for VR - Google Pixel 2 Review
While this is a fairly older phone, it’s still a great option since it was quite ahead of its time when it came out.
The innovative technology within the Google Pixel 2 allows it to still stay relevant to this day. Also, since it’s old, you can snag it up at a very cheap price.
The fact that it’s an older model actually helps you out since you can use it with older VR headsets that have since been discontinued. Examples of this include the Samsung Gear VR, Google Daydream, and Google Cardboard headsets.
It also has a 6-inch screen which is ideal since it’s as large as it can be while still having support for most mobile VR headsets in the market currently.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Google Pixel 2
Price: As mentioned above, this is the cheapest phone on our list. This is because it’s fairly old and has had newer iterations of it come out since.
Screen size and resolution: As mentioned earlier, the Google Pixel 2 XL features a 6-inch screen which is perfect for any virtual reality headset. Furthermore, it has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.
Processor and RAM: The Google Pixel 2 XL boasts an octa-core Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835 along with 4 GB of RAM. Both of these specifications ensure that it can run virtual reality apps with ease.
- Large screen size
- Sleek finish
- User-friendly
- Fast processor
- Affordable
- Fairly old
Best Cheapest Phone for VR
The best cheapest phone for VR is the Google Pixel 2 XL thanks to its large screen size, powerful processor, and budget-friendliness.
#3: Best Bezel-Less Cheap Phone for VR - Samsung Galaxy S8 Review
When it comes to mobile VR, a phone’s bezels can really be a hindrance since they ruin the immersion of virtual reality.
That’s where this phone shines since it has an infinity display. That essentially means that it has a very minimal bezel that will allow you to experience virtual reality with complete immersion.
Along with that, the Samsung Galaxy S8 also comes with a RAM of 4 GB and storage of 64 GB which is ideal for a VR phone.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Samsung Galaxy S8
Price: When it comes to the price of the Samsung Galaxy S8, it definitely is pricier than some of the other options on our list. That being said, it’s still fairly budget-friendly compared to most of the higher-end phones available on the market.
Screen size and resolution: The Samsung Galaxy S8 boasts a screen size of 5.8 inches along with a screen resolution of 2960 x 1440 pixels. This enables it to provide you with high-quality visuals as you experience VR with your mobile virtual reality headset.
Processor and RAM: The Samsung Galaxy S8 boasts a Snapdragon 835 processor along with 4 GB of RAM. This combination is more than enough for the phones to smoothly run VR games as well as VR apps.
- Large screen size
- High resolution
- Sturdy
- Speedy processor
- Minimal bezel
- Relatively expensive
Best Bezel-Less Cheap Phone for VR
The best bezel-less cheap phone for VR is the Samsung Galaxy S8 thanks to its high resolution, powerful processor, and excellent build quality.
#4: Best Slim Cheap Phone for VR - LG G7 ThinQ Review
The LG G7 ThinQ comes with a rather minimal design that looks extremely sleek and polished.
Similar to the Samsung Galaxy S8, the bezel on the LG G7 is also fairly minimal. This ensures that the phone can provide stunning visuals to you in VR without the bezel being any hindrance.
Furthermore, the phone has an extremely large screen of 6.1 inches.
The battery life on the phone is also extremely good which ensures that you can have long VR gaming sessions without worrying about your phone dying.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy LG G7 ThinQ
Price: The LG G7 ThinQ is relatively expensive compared to the first two entries on our list. That being said, it’s still fairly cheap when it comes to the prices of more popular phones that are currently available in the market.
Screen size and resolution: The screen size is 6.1 inches and the resolution is 3120 x 1440 pixels. While the larger screen size definitely helps to provide clear and crisp visuals, it can be a detriment to the phone as well.
This is because most popular mobile VR headsets out there only support phone sizes that range between 4 inches and 6 inches. If you want to opt for this phone, ensure that the mobile VR headset you have can support its size.
Processor and RAM: The LG G7 ThinQ has two Kryo 385 quad-core processors. It also boasts 4 GB of RAM which is enough to run the majority of VR titles available on mobile phones.
- Fast processor
- User-friendly
- High screen resolution
- Sleek and aesthetically pleasing
- Durable
- Relatively expensive; There are cheaper mobile VR options out there
- Larger screen size may not be compatible with some VR glasses and headsets
Best Slim Cheap Phone for VR
The best slim cheap phone for VR is the LG G7 ThinQ thanks to its sleek design, immaculate build quality, and user-friendliness.
#5: Best High-End Cheap Phone for VR - Samsung Galaxy S9 Review
The Samsung Galaxy S9 is still a phone that you can get at a relatively cheap price but it’s definitely the most expensive phone we have on this list.
This price is justified because the features that the Samsung Galaxy S9 boasts are unparalleled compared to the other phones on our list.
It features an infinity display similar to the Samsung Galaxy S8 which is perfect for virtual reality. Furthermore, it also has expandable storage of up to 400 GB.
This is great if you’re someone that’d like to have many VR titles stored inside their phone. It’s also perfectly compatible with many popular mobile VR headsets available in the market including the Samsung Gear VR, the Google Cardboard, and other headsets.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Samsung Galaxy S9
Price: This phone is the most expensive one on our list so you should definitely go for it if you can afford it. That being said, it’s still not as expensive as the most popular phones currently on the market.
Screen size and resolution: The Samsung Galaxy S9 has a bezel-less screen that has a size of 5.8 inches. When it comes to the resolution, it is 2960×1440 pixels which is more than enough for VR.
Processor and RAM: The Samsung Galaxy S9 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 along with 4 GB of RAM. This is more than enough to easily run VR titles available on the Play Store.
- Bezel-less screen
- High-resolution screen
- Easy to use
- Great build quality
- Attractive design
- Relatively expensive
Best High-End Cheap Phone for VR
The best high-end cheap phone for VR is the Samsung Galaxy S9 thanks to its sleek design, a plethora of features, high-resolution screen, and user-friendliness.
Buyers’ Guide
It can be difficult to choose a phone for VR since there are a ton of different options available in the market.
When you opt for a budget phone, you have to be careful since it’ll either be an older model or a model that does not have too many features.
In either case, you must ensure that it has all the features necessary for you to run VR with ease. This includes compatibility with mobile VR headsets as well as VR titles.
Some other factors you must consider and take into account include:
Price
Obviously, that’ll be different for everybody based on whatever your budget is.
However, the important thing to consider when it comes to your budget is that you shouldn’t go too low. Even if you do, it’s very important that you inspect whatever phone you intend to get thoroughly. It’s important to conduct research to ensure it can actually run VR games.
If you opt for an extremely cheap phone, there’s a high chance it might not be able to run virtual reality. In other cases, if you opt for a cheap phone from a lesser-known manufacturer, your phone might be poorly built and may break down within a few weeks.
Then, you’d have to buy another one and in the long run, it wouldn’t exactly be cheap.
We highly recommend that if you opt for a super cheap phone, you should buy one that is made by a reputable manufacturer. Even if it’s made by a reputable manufacturer, you still need to conduct research to ensure it’s powerful enough to run smartphone VR games and apps.
On the other hand, you also need to be careful not to go too high. If you go too high, you may overstep whatever budget you had defined for yourself.
What’s even worse is that the reason why a phone might be so expensive is that it may have excessive features that you don’t even need. We’ve seen it many times where consumers dump money on a phone that has features that they will probably never use.
Don’t be that person.
Conduct thorough research until you find a phone that is within your price range but also has the specifications which are powerful enough to run virtual reality.
Screen Size and Resolution
When it comes to the screen size of your smartphone, it’s very important that you give it careful thought.
This is because certain VR headsets only support phones of certain sizes. Most VR headsets currently available in the market can easily support smartphones that have a size between 4 inches and 6 inches.
If you intend to buy a phone that is larger than that, it’s very important that you opt for a VR headset that can support that larger size.
If you already have a VR headset, then you must look at what sizes it supports and then buy a phone accordingly. You don’t want to spend money on a phone that your mobile VR headset won’t be able to support.
In that case, you’d have to buy another VR headset which would, obviously, not be ideal.
Along with screen size, you also need to think about the screen resolution of the smartphone you intend to get.
When you go for a budget smartphone, you may not get the highest screen resolution but we do recommend that you opt for a phone that at least has 1920 x 1080 pixels.
This screen resolution is high enough for your phone to display crisp and clear images in virtual reality.
If you opt for a phone with a lower screen resolution, this can lead to many issues. First of all, you may find that many VR titles may not run properly on your phone since they are optimized for 1080p resolutions or higher.
Even if the titles do run, the images you will see inside your VR headset will be extremely blurry and unfocused. Not only will this be a disappointing experience in general, but it can also cause you to have eye strain and develop motion sickness.
Accelerometer and Gyroscope
It’s important for the phone you get to have an accelerometer and gyroscope built into it.
Why?
Well, these two sensors are what your smartphone will use to track your movement whenever you run any smartphone VR game or app.
If your smartphone does not have these sensors, then it will not be able to run VR apps and games properly.
Processor and RAM
You don’t need a behemoth of a processor or heaps of RAM to properly run VR apps and games on your phone.
That being said, you still do need a fair amount to ensure that you have a pleasant experience and not a frustrating one.
In our opinion, your smartphone should have at least 4 GB of RAM as well as a processor that has a speed of 1.4 GHz or higher.
Magnetic Sensor
While a magnetic sensor inside your phone is not something that you entirely need but it’s still something that can make your experience a whole lot smoother.
It can help detect whether or not the mobile VR headset is present or not and then activate the screen of your smartphone accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can Any Phone Work in VR?
Not necessarily. As we have detailed above in our buyers’ guide, your phone does need to fulfill certain requirements for a truly immersive VR experience.
This includes at least 4 GB of RAM, a processor that is 1.4 GHz or higher, an accelerometer, and a gyroscope.
Are Cheap Mobile VR Headsets Worth It?
Yes. Cheap mobile VR headsets can definitely be worth it as there are some very cheap options available in the market that are still able to provide a great VR experience.
That being said, you do have to conduct thorough research to ensure that the manufacturer you buy it from is trustworthy.
Most mobile VR headsets are easy to pair with your smartphone and work with a variety of smartphones.
Is Phone VR Worth It?
Yes. Phone VR is definitely worth it if you don’t have the budget for a full-blown standalone VR headset.
It’s also a great option if you are someone that is looking to get into VR but does not know where to start. Mobile VR does a great job of showing off what VR technology can really do.
How Long Should I be in VR at a Time?
It’s very important for you to take regular breaks when you are consuming VR content.
This can oftentimes be hard due to the immersive nature of virtual reality. That being said, it’s important that you keep track of time on your own and ensure you take regular breaks.
We recommend that you spend no more than 1 hour in VR at a time with 15-minute breaks in between.
How Much Screen Resolution Do I Need for a Pleasant VR Experience?
You need a minimum of 1080p resolution to have a passable VR experience on your phone.
If you can get a smartphone with a higher resolution such as 2K or 4K, that would be even better.
However, anything lower than 1080p is a no-go.
Final Verdict
That’s it for our picks for the best cheap phones you can find for VR glasses and headsets.
In the end, we have to say that the LG V30 is definitely the best of the bunch. Not because it has the most features out of all the phones on our list but rather because it provides the best value for what it’s priced at.
It’s definitely the phone to go for if you’re on a budget and want to experience the wonders of virtual reality.
Which phone do you use to experience VR? Let us know in the comments section below.
