In the modern age, choosing a smartphone is a smart move. Sure, a basic mobile phone for calling and texts will keep you in the loop with your nearest and dearest; but the best budget smartphones come with much more than that. You can effortlessly stay connected with loved ones and capture life's special moments, no matter where you are.
And it's not all about calls and cameras. Just the same as you'll find on the family's tablet computers, popular smartphone apps let you easily keep up with the news, use your social media, go shopping and more. They also provide a wealth of entertainment like TV on the go, and games - we love Candy Crush as much as the next person.
The best budget smartphones at a glance:
• Best overall budget smartphone: Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 - View on Xiaomi
• Best budget smartphone under £200: Honor 70 Lite - View on Amazon
• Best budget Apple smartphone: Apple iPhone 8 256GB (Renewed) - View on Amazon
However, if you're looking for the newest, and best-performing tech some smartphones can seem extremely expensive for what they are. Many carry a hefty price tag around 500 and over, making finding the best budget smartphones seem a daunting or even impossible task. We've looked at phones costing less than £300 - that might leave you with enough cash for some wireless earphones to go with it.
There's a guide at the bottom of the page to help you find great options that won't break the bank. They may compromise a little here and there compared to a high-end smartphone, but they'll suit your spending limit. Most of our top picks are phones under £200 that come from a range of familiar brands. Plus they still provide a huge number of fantastic features. Our pick of the smartest and cheapest are waiting for you, below.
Please note: All prices correct at time of writing. Prices, stock and deals subject to change without notice.
Best budget smartphones of 2024
Best overall budget smartphone
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Description
This is our top pick for a budget smartphone, and while it comes in close to the £200 price mark, there are plenty of reasons that make it worth that little extra. It has a large battery capacity, dual stereo speakers, and a 50MP camera. There's also a 6nm Qualcomm Snapdragon processor which gives a powerful performance. The display is AMOLED with a high refresh rate of 120hz - ideal for high-mobile use and gaming.
The camera boasts four lenses to capture everything including depth and ultra-wide angles. We'd recommend this smartphone for anyone looking to use their phone regularly, especially using for entertainment such as playing mobile games or streaming TV and video. There's plenty of storage too, with 128GB built-in.
Pros
- 120Hz AMOLED display
- Good camera system
- Powerful processor
- Practical size
- Range of colours
Cons
- Better sound can be found on more expensive phones
Best budget Samsung smartphone
Description
Samsung, probably Apple's biggest rival in the smartphone market, has a pretty cool-looking contender in the Samsung Galaxy A14. Yes, there are Samsung smartphones a little cheaper, but not with triple cameras including a 50MP main camera, an Octa-core processor and 64GB of storage. You can even slot in a MicroSD card to bring that up to a whopping 1TB of space.
Typically for Samsung, the screen doesn't cut any corners - it's a 6.6-inch FHD+ display, ideal as a gaming phone and also for movies. It packs great battery life with the 5,000mAh battery, plus we love the stylish, sleek design available in four colours. With all this packed into a low-price smartphone, this Samsung device is fantastic value for money.
Customer review: "Very good phone, does everything I need it to do, very good price as well, easy to use even for an old fella like me, my son liked it so much he's bought one himself and is very pleased with it."
Pros
- Samsung built quality
- Large, smooth display
- Three cameras plus selfie camera
- Stylish design
- Easily upgradeable storage
Cons
- Charging speed is a bit sluggish
Best budget Apple smartphone
Description
If you're a member of the Apple fan club or want an Apple iPhone after hearing all the wonderful things, you may be wondering how to get one yourself on a budget. Well, luckily you can get a renewed iPhone on Amazon for under £200!
This pre-owned device will have been checked over by the Amazon-qualified suppliers, and will work and look like new - it even comes with a one-year Amazon Renewed Guarantee should anything so pear-shaped, so you have nothing to worry about!
This iPhone 8 comes with 64GB of storage and access to the iCloud for added storage solutions so you shouldn't run out of space anytime too quickly. Powered by an Apple A11 Bionic processor, it's 24 per cent faster than the prior model, though you'll need to accept that it won't compete in performance with the newest Apple products. It has features including a Touch ID Home button, glass body, wireless charging and is IP67 water and dust-resistant.
Customer review: "Perfect, exactly as described. Really happy with the phone and would buy again from this seller. Thanks so much."
Pros
- Access to iCloud and other Apple services
- Apple build and design
- Great for those already used to Apple iOS
Cons
- As renewed, the battery capacity may not reach 100 per cent (though 80 per cent guaranteed)
- Not great battery life compared to others
Best budget smartphone under £200
Description
If you're determined to stick to that £200 budget, then this is the next best budget smartphone. The Honor 70 Lite packs in a whopping 52 hours of call time on a single charge and has 128GB of built-in storage for all your apps, images, and songs, which is pretty amazing for the price.
With the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, it promises lag-free performance, and the 50MP triple camera system will help to capture everything from portraits, to landscapes, and close-ups. We'd recommend this pick if you're looking for a smartphone with impressive battery life and great storage capabilities built-in.
Customer review: "Easy to set up. Be aware that Android Auto is now embedded into the latest OS versions so you may need to consult the internet to see how to use it with this phone. Phone is very fast and has 5g capability if available in your area. Screen controls can be old style or 100% gesture based. GPS can operate with US, EU, Chinese or Russian satellites . Fingerprint sensor is bult into the side power button and works well. Recommended brilliant for the price."
Pros
- Impressive long-lasting battery life
- Four good cameras
- Excellent 6.5-inch display
Cons
- Screen visibility not the best in very bright sunlight
5.
Nokia G21
Best budget smartphone under £150
Description
We're creeping down in price points now to the Nokia G21 which provides strong performance, boasts a long-lasting three-day battery life, and 64GB of internal storage which is upgradable to 512GB using a MicroSD card if you needed to. One reason this smartphone comes in well under £200 is that it has a lower resolution screen than most; at 720p it's not going to deliver the high definition that a top iPhone or Samsung will give you - but it's fine for most budget users.
In terms of the main camera, this G21 has a great 50MP resolution. It also has a front-facing selfie camera and a special third lens for close-up macro shots. Colours are not perfectly accurate for photography buffs, but suitable for a budget phone. All in all, this is a basic, lightweight but highly functional smartphone with phenomenal battery life.
Customer review: "Perfect for my requirements. Excellent value for money. Lovely size screen. Excellent photos. Easy to use. Easy to transfer everything from my old phone. I have nothing negative to say. Fast delivery. Very happy."
Pros
- Big battery
- Reliable basic performance
- Very affordable
Cons
- Camera colour a little biased
6.
Nokia G11
Best budget smartphone under £100
Description
Got a budget of £100? We've got you covered. With the Nokia G11, you can enjoy a large 6.5-inch HD screen and a huge three-day battery life. With a durable design, something Nokia is well-known for, and robust technology, you can use the Qualcomm chipset and fingerprint sensor to keep your phone protected.
Whilst the camera is more limited than other models, you can still enjoy a rear, triple and selfie camera. You can up the storage up to 32GB with the option to up it by 512GB with a Micro SD card and choose between an ice blue or charcoal grey back.
Customer review: "Really pleased with this phone, does everything I need it to do. Great price too."
Pros
- Super low-cost
- Good battery and fast-charging
- Durable
Cons
- Weaker rear camera compared to more expensive models
7.
OPPO A54 5G
Best underdog budget smartphone
Description
For a brand you may have never heard of before, this phone is one of our favourites.
Like Samsung, the OPPO is another cool-looking phone with a beautiful reflective back. Powered by the Qualcomm 5G SoC processor, the OPPO boasts fantastic performance for the running of apps, games, and videos and downloading of apps or files. And it has a quad-camera with AI Screen Enhancement 2.0 and AI Beautification for better photos.
It also has amazing features including (but not limited to) ColorOS 11.1 which lets you lock apps to maintain privacy when someone borrows your phone, lets you retrieve your private files from the cloud and FlexDrop for easy multitasking on your device.
Customer review: "No complaints, does everything so much better than my previous phone. Fast, great display and a reasonable camera too. Charges reasonably quickly and lasts for over two days for me."
Pros
- Fab battery life and fast-charging
- Excellent performance for a budget smartphone
- Fast 33w charging
- Gorgeous design
Cons
- Some found the processor to be slightly slower compared to other smartphones
Best budget smartphones: FAQs
We don't all want to spend serious money on a top of the line Apple or Samsung. When it comes to finding the best on a tight budget, its important to select the features you love. Here's some of your questions answered to help you choose:
What is the best budget smartphone camera?
If you're looking to share photos with family and friends, you'll want to pick a smartphone with a decent camera. Although, if photography is your main interest you might consider getting one of the best compact cameras as well. As for smartphones, the camera quality will depend on how many megapixels (or MP) the device has. The larger the megapixel count, the sharper and clearer the images will be.
However, it's worth considering that the higher the megapixels on your camera, the larger your image file size will be. You'll need to make sure your phone has decent storage to back it up too; there's no use having amazing camera quality if your phone is struggling to store your apps and images.
What is the best resolution?
Similarly for resolution, the higher the number of pixels on the screen, the clearer and sharper the image.
If you like to watch videos or TV, or flick through photos, we'd recommend going for a higher screen resolution. Most cheaper smartphones have a screen resolution of 1280 x 720 (High Definition), but for a crisper image, look for Full HD - 1920 x 1080.
What is the best storage?
The more storage your phone has, measured in Gigabytes (GB), the more your phone can hold. This includes everything such as images, videos, music, apps, games, and contacts and in your phone's settings, you can see where most of your memory gets eaten up.
Don't worry if you're favourite pick only has 16GB of memory - most phones come with a microSD memory card slot where you can upgrade your phone's storage capabilities - make sure to look out for this before buying if you think storage may be an issue.
What is the best battery life?
As many of us find ourselves glued to our phones scrolling games, apps, and social media, batteries can drain quickly. Unfortunately, budget phones aren't equipped with the best battery life compared to higher-end models, but you can still look out for the best available if you use your phone often throughout the day. Look out for the phone's mAh (Milliampre per hour) - the higher the mAh capacity, the longer you can expect your phone to last before its next charge.
What is the best operating system?
Operating systems are the software that allows your mobile phone to run all its applications and functions much like a mini-computer. The main two different operating systems available are iOS, only available on Apple devices, and Android, owned by Google and available on most other devices.
The choice is down to preference. Many life-long Android and iOS users can readily list why theirs the best for usability and capabilities. But, it's worth mentioning that just because an operating system is capable of a lot of things, it doesn't mean you have to use all of them. Some of best mobile phones from Doro are designed to be simple devices to handle and use, but still run on Android. However, if you are looking to use all of the functions and apps and launch yourself into the smartphone world, any of our picks above are great choices.
We'd recommend picking the operating system you're used to. If you're a tablet user you may find you're more comfortable with Android over Apple, or vice versa. Some of the best budget tablets that are easy to use are Android as its affordable and fast.
So, if you're buying a budget smartphone for the first time, we recommend an Android device. This will build up your confidence and means you'll more easily switch to another Android device later.
Eleanor Weaver is the Deputy Homes & Garden Product Editor for Yours, specialising in home décor, furnishings and appliances. Having worked commercially on Yours magazine and Yours.co.uk for the past six years, she's previously hosted Yours Live events and loves looking for home inspiration online.