The best Straight Talk phones of 2020

Straight Talk Wireless is a great solution for people who want a cellphone without being locked into a contract.

Available both online and at Walmart, Straight Talk offers mobile phone service with no contracts, no credit checks and no activation fees. While an initial service plan is required with the purchase of a phone, you do not have to sign any long-term contracts. All of the service plans are prepaid and most are 30 days in duration.

Straight Talk offers 76 cellphones from all the major brands, including Apple, LG, Motorola and Samsung. There are phones available for people in every price range, from the free LG Stylo 3 up to the top-of-the-line Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G and iPhone 11 Pro.

Free Straight Talk phones

LG Stylo 3

Straight Talk’s cheapest point of entry is the free reconditioned LG Stylo 3. The 5.3-ounce LG Stylo 3 has a 5.7-inch touch display, an 8 MP camera and 16GB of internal storage. It provides up to 20 hours of talk time and up to 13 days of standby time.

Cheap Straight Talk phones

Straight Talk offers 21 cellphones under $50. Some are reconditioned, while others are new out of the box.

Samsung Galaxy J7 Crown

The Straight Talk phone offering the largest savings is the reconditioned Samsung Galaxy J7 Crown. Available for $19.99, it is $110 off its regular price. The 6.38-ounce phone offers a 5.5-inch display and dual 13 MP cameras — the primary camera in the rear of the phone and the front-facing selfie camera. Talk time lasts up to 24 hours, while it has up to 27 hours of standby time.

LG Journey LTE

At $39.99, dropped from its original price of $79.99, the 5.18-ounce LG Journey LTE is one of Straight Talk’s top sellers. With a 5.45-inch display and an 8 MP autofocus rear camera, the LG Journey LTE offers up to 14 hours of talk time and 13 days of standby time.

TCL A1X

At the top end of the spectrum in Straight Talk’s cheaper line is the TCL A1X at $49.99. Weighing 4.62 ounces, this phone features a 5.5-inch display and dual rear cameras. It provides 20 hours of talk time and up to 450 hours of standby time.

Moto G7 Optimo

Reconditioned, the Moto G7 Optimo goes for $49.99, $50 off the price of a brand new phone. At 5.9 ounces, the Moto G7 Optimo offers a 5.7-inch display, with up to 40 hours of talk and standby time. A 13 MP rear camera includes an LED flash. You can preview notifications and updates without unlocking the phone.

High-end Straight Talk phones

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Straight Talk offers 27 phones that run $300 or more, including 14 iPhone and 13 Samsung Galaxy models.

iPhone SE

One of Straight Talk’s top sellers in this category is the iPhone SE. It encompasses the technology of the iPhone 11 Pro in the smaller frame of the iPhone SE. Weighing 5.22 ounces, it offers a 4.7-inch display, 13 hours of talk time and 10 days of standby time. It has a 12 MP rear camera and a 7 MP front, selfie camera, which offers portrait mode to blur the background and bring you into the photo’s primary focus. You can purchase it outright for $349.99 or pay $14.58/mo. over 24 months.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G

At 6.9 inches, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G offers the largest display of any phone on this list. Weighing 7.83 ounces, it offers 37 hours of talk time and 15 days of standby time. It has dual 12 MP cameras — on both its back and front. It also features 8K Video Snap, improving the quality of the video captured on the phone. It runs $58.29/mo. for 24 months or $1,399 in one payment.

iPhone 11 Pro

The newest iPhone, the 256GB iPhone 11 Pro, offers a 5.8-inch display and 18 hours of talk time. Weighing 6.63 ounces, the iPhone 11 Pro has three rear 12 MP cameras — ultra wide, wide and telephoto. It comes with ear pods with a lightning connector and a lightning to USB cable. It’s available for $1,149.99.

Straight Talk flip phones

For people who want a basic phone, primarily for making and receiving phone calls, Straight Talk offers two flip phones.

Alcatel MYFLIP

The lightest Straight Talk phone on our list, the Alcatel MYFLIP, priced at $29.99, comes in at only 2.8 ounces. It offers up to 6.5 hours of talk time and 12 days of standby time. While it’s not a smartphone, it does have a 2 MP front-facing camera and provides you with access to email, your calendar and the web. A reconditioned version is available for only $9.99.

ZTE Z233

For $9.99, you can purchase Straight Talk’s 4.59 ounce ZTE Z233. It provides eight hours of talk time, 12 days of standby time and includes a 2 MP camera.

Straight Talk prepaid plans

Straight Talk Wireless offers five 30-day service plans that do not require a contract.

• $30 Basic All You Need Plan: 1,500 nationwide minutes, unlimited nationwide texts and 100 MB of data
• $35 Unlimited Plan: Unlimited nationwide talk, text and data, with the first 5GB at high speeds, reduced to 2G speeds for remainder of the 30 days
• $45 Unlimited Plan: Unlimited nationwide talk, text and data, with the first 25GB at high speeds, reduced to 2G speeds for remainder of the 30 days
• $55 Ultimate Unlimited Plan: Unlimited nationwide talk, text and data, 10GB hotspot data, video typically streams at DVD quality
• $60 Unlimited International Plan: Unlimited nationwide minutes, unlimited texts and the first 25GB of data at high speeds, reduced to 2G speeds for remainder of the 30 days, plus unlimited international calling to mobile phones in Mexico, Canada, China, India and more than 1,000 landline destinations

Straight Talk also offers three Extended Plans — instead of renewing every 30 days, prepaid extended plans can be purchased. Like the monthly plans, these extended plans offer unlimited nationwide talk, text and data, with the first 25GB at high speeds, reduced to 2G speeds for the remainder of the 30 days.

• 3 months: $130
• 6 months: $255
• 1 year: $495

Straight Talk trade-in program

Straight Talk Wireless will pay you cash for your old iPhone or smartphone. Start by entering details of your phone on the Straight Talk website, including brand, model, condition, carrier and if you’re including the charger. You’ll instantly receive the trade-in value of your old phone. Then, you simply ship the phone to Straight Talk at no charge to you and receive a check within two to four weeks.

By Laurie Garrison