If you’re on a tight budget, you can still get a great smartphone. You don’t have pay too much money to get one with cool features that premium phones were boasting about a couple of years ago.
The best budget phones under £200 come with advanced camera features and the ability to shoot in low light conditions. The best budget phones under £100 have decent cameras and colourful displays. So, work out how much you can afford to spend, and let’s take a look at the best budget phones available right now…
The best budget Android phone
Designed by Google, Android is an easy-to-use operating system that gives you access to all of Google’s services and over 3 million apps in the Google Play store. It’s also very customisable, so you can change colours, themes, wallpapers and lots more. Android runs on most non-Apple phone brands including Samsung, Xiaomi, Honor, and Google phones.
Samsung does great budget Android phones, and the Galaxy A14 is a solid choice. It’s packed with impressive Samsung tech including a fingerprint scanner, 6.6-inch Full HD+ display, and a triple camera setup with dedicated lenses for wide panoramas, portraits, and super close-up macro shots.
The cheapest iPhone
iPhones are the best mobiles around, so expect to pay a premium price for Apple’s latest flagships. But check out older iPhone models with smaller screen sizes, and you might be surprised at how affordable they are.
The iPhone SE (2022) is massively popular. It’s not big (display size is a dinky 4.7-inches), but that’s something that people love about it. You can use it with one hand, and easily slip it into a small bag or pocket. It has the same powerful A15 Bionic chip that's in the iPhone 13, so apps loads in a flash, graphics are smooth and the advance camera system takes shots full of detail.
Best cheap Google Pixel phone
If you’re looking for a cheap Google Pixel phone, it’s a similar story to iPhone. The latest Pixel flagships are brilliant phones famous for their cameras, and the Pro versions will set you back over £800. So, you’ll need to look for older and less premium models if you’re on a budget.
Our pick for the best cheap Google Pixel phone is the Google Pixel 6a. It really is smart – by learning what apps you use and when, it can adapt to last for over 24 hours on a single charge.
The Pixel 6a is also our pick for the best budget camera phone. The two 12 MP cameras give you pin-sharp photos and has a great night mode. Our favourite feature has to be ‘Magic Eraser’, which gives you the god-like power of rubbing out unwanted photobombers and other distractions from the background of your photos. So satisfying.
Best cheap big screen phone
Small price doesn’t have to mean a small screen. If you’re into entertainment and want a seriously sized display for your fave games, video and movies, you can do it on a budget.
Say hello to the Honor 90 Lite. This is a big phone, so if you’ve got small hands it might not be for you. But if you can handle it, there’s a huge bezel-free 6.7-inch Full HD+ to make everything you do look epic. And with a 90hz refresh rate, it’s perfect for smooth gaming and speedy scrolling. It also has built-in technology to reduce harmful blue light, so your eyes are protected at all times.
The best budget phone for battery life
Battery life is an area where budget phones actually have a bit of an edge over premium phones. With no dazzling displays or power-hungry AI tech to worry about, they’ll happily keep going all day on a single charge.
The Motorola Moto E30 has a huge amount of stamina. It’s also one of the cheapest phones on this list, at under £100. With a whopping 5,000 mAh capacity, you can watch shows and use apps that would typically drain your battery, without having to worry about running out of power. In fact, this phone’s amazing battery life gives you over 40 hours of power on a single charge.
FAQs
How do I choose a budget smartphone?
When you’re choosing a budget smartphone, think about how you’ll be using it and the things that will be most important to you. Ask yourself these questions, and it’ll help narrow down your choices to the phone you really, really want:
What size of display do you prefer?
Is a good camera important? If so, what kind of photos do you take?
Are you an Apple or Android person?
How long do you need the battery to last?
What are the most important features of a budget smartphone?
The most important features in a budget smartphone obviously vary depending on the type of owner. But in general, here are a few important things to look out for:
Display size and quality. You’ll want a screen with a decent resolution.
Camera system. Look for multi-lens setups that let you take different shots.
Memory. Anything above 64GB gives you a serious amount of storage space.
Battery life. The best budget phones can keep going for more than a day.
Software updates. These ensure that your phone stays secure and bang up to date with the latest features.
What is the best budget phone ever?
The best ever budget phone? There are so many great choices available that there’s no clear winner – although owners of the famous Nokia 3310 might disagree. If you choose a budget phone from a major brand, you can’t really go wrong - because most of the time you’ll get a phone with the tech that was on their much more expensive models not all that long ago.
Any more questions?
Is there anything else you’d like to know about choosing a new phone? Check out our 10 truths you need to know about your phone, or find out what to do with your old phone. If you want to talk to an expert, feel free to pop into one of our stores for a chat.
It pays to trade-in. Kerching!
We offer trade-in for most types and makes of devices, even if they’re damaged and non-working.
If you’re interested, head to our trade-in page and check that your old tech is eligible for trade-in. You’ll also see a handy calculator that’ll give you an instant valuation.
Then bring your device to one of our stores and we’ll confirm its value, take it off your hands, and give you a gift card to spend on the tech you really want. Easy.
