While the high-end models might dominate the headlines, plenty of cheaper smartphones can do most of the same things for a fraction of the price. These are the unsung heroes of the smartphone world, all of which will serve you well while saving you a fortune. Let’s count down the best budget phones available.
10 - Samsung Galaxy A55: best mid-range Samsung
Samsung Galaxy A55 specifications
- Display: 6.6-inch AMOLED (2340x1080; 120Hz)
- Chipset: Samsung Exynos 1480
- RAM: 6GB/8GB/12GB
- Storage: 128GB/256GB
- Rear cameras: 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 5MP macro
- Front camera: 32MP
- Battery: 5,000mAh
- Operating System: Android
Samsung Galaxy A55 - Pros and cons
Pros
Great design
Decent battery
Excellent screen
Cons
Disappointing camera
Slow charging speeds
Samsung might be best known for its Galaxy S flagships, but its Galaxy A range has consistently offered superb value for much less coin. The Galaxy A55 is the 2024 entrant, and it keeps the flag flying admirably.
For starters, it looks like it should cost a lot more than it does. Its design might seem a bit vanilla to some, but if you’re after an elegant phone with shiny glass covering its back, the A55 ticks all the boxes.
It’s big too, with a 6.6-inch screen that’s bright and sharp, especially for the price. And its 120Hz refresh rate outguns the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus – handsets that cost twice the price of this.
The 5,000mAh battery is comparable to some flagships and should last you all day. It’s slower to charge than some, though, and there’s no wireless charging, but at this price, compromises must be made.
These compromises really are very small though, resulting in a phone that punches far above its price tag.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy A55 review
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9 - Apple iPhone 13: best full-fat iPhone
Apple iPhone 13 specifications
- Display: 6.1-inch OLED (2532x1170; 60Hz)
- Chipset: Apple A15 Bionic
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB
- Rear cameras: 12MP main, 12MP ultrawide (2x optical zoom)
- Front camera: 12MP
- Battery: 3,240mAh
- Operating System: iOS
iPhone 13 - Pros and cons
Pros
Impressive design
Powerful
Still good cameras
Cons
Short battery life
Low refresh rate screen
Even three years after launching, the iPhone 13 is an impressive piece of kit. Apple no longer sells it, but you can find it from other retailers for around £400-£500 – even less if you opt for a good-as-new renewed model. It offers a lot of bang for your buck.
Given the rapid rate of progress, you might think the A15 Bionic processor would have aged poorly. But not so. It keeps the phone running smoothly, executing tasks as quickly as needed. Even better, it’s compatible with iOS 18, the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system. So you get some – but not all – of the latest features on hardware that’s a fraction of the price of the current models.
In truth, the hardware improvements in recent years have been incremental, with each new model only marginally better than the last. So the iPhone 13 isn’t that much of a step down from the more recent iPhones. True, the battery life isn’t as impressive, and greater strides have been made in the camera performance. It also lacks the Dynamic Island and Camera Control button of the iPhone 16 models. But for a very capable iPhone that does not cost much money at all, the iPhone 13 is hard to beat.
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8 - Google Pixel 8a: best cheap Pixel phone
Google Pixel 8a specifications
- Display: 6.1-inch OLED (2400x1080; 120Hz)
- Chipset: Google Tensor G3
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 128GB/256GB
- Rear cameras: 64MP main, 13MP ultrawide
- Front camera: 13MP
- Battery: 4,492mAh
- Operating System: Android
Google Pixel 8a - Pros and cons
Pros
Great performance for the money
Sensible size
AI on the cheap
Cons
Sub-par battery life
Not the best camera
If you want to see just what Google’s Pixel phones are capable of, this isn’t the phone for you. For that, you need the Pixel 9 Pro XL. But for a taste of stripped-back Android brilliance on the cheap, look no further than the Pixel 8a.
On paper, it’s not that special – it only offers half as much RAM as the Pixel 9 XL Pro, runs the older Tensor G3 chip, and only has two cameras. But in the flesh, it’s a different story. With plenty of the same AI features as its much more expensive sibling, it gives you a glimpse of the smartphone future at a much-reduced fare.
Because Google makes both the hardware and the Android software, the phone is optimised to deliver more processing power and a longer battery life. Android comes with no unnecessary ‘skin’ on top, helping the phone to run more smoothly. And the cameras are perfectly acceptable in this price bracket. An all-round Android bargain.
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7 - Oppo Reno 12 Pro: immense camera specs on a shoestring budget
Oppo Reno 12 Pro specifications
- Display: 6.7-inch AMOLED (2412x1080; 240Hz)
- Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 7300-Energy
- RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 256GB/512GB
- Rear cameras: 50MP main, 8MP ultrawide, 50MP telephoto (2x optical zoom)
- Front camera: 50MP
- Battery: 5,000mAh
- Operating System: Android
Oppo Reno 12 Pro - Pros and cons
Pros
Three rear cameras
Good all-rounder
Great battery life
Cons
Plasticky build
So-so performance
If you ever feel like moaning about the state of the mobile market nowadays, have a look at the Oppo Reno 12 Pro. This smartie offers stunningly complete specs for a very reasonable price. We would say it has come out of nowhere, but Oppo is actually one of the top five biggest mobile makers in the world.
So what about those specs? The cameras are ridiculously overpowered, including a 50-megapixel telephoto snapper and a 50-megapixel front-facer. Most phones at this price lack a third rear camera, and their selfie-takers are nowhere near as well-specced.
For the most part, these cameras deliver excellent results as well, although they don’t quite match the quality of the Pixel 8a. Its build is also a bit plasticky compared to the metal-and-glass chassis of the Samsung Galaxy A55, but it is still light and hard-wearing.
Battery life is another highlight—this model should easily last a day. Its screen reaches a ridiculous refresh rate of 240Hz, meaning zero blur. This is a very good phone at a very good price.
6 - Honor 90: staggering specs for under £200
Honor 90 specifications
- Display: 6.7-inch AMOLED (2664x1200; 120Hz)
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 Accelerated Edition
- RAM: 8GB/12GB
- Storage: 256GB/512GB
- Rear cameras: 200MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 2MP depth
- Front camera: 50MP
- Battery: 5,000mAh
- Operating System: Android
Honor 90 - Pros and cons
Pros
Plush design
Great screen
Fast charging
Cons
No wireless charging
Not futureproofed
For quite a lot less than £200, the Honor 90 is a lot of phone. It’s basically the Magic 5 Pro taken down a notch, and at less than a quarter of the price, that seems like quite the deal.
Not only do you get a 6.7-inch AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, but you also get a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra-matching 200-megapixel main camera. At this price, that’s nothing short of staggering.
It doesn’t end there. There are different power and storage options available, but with up to 12GB of RAM at your disposal, the Honor 90 flies through its menus. Admittedly you do only get two years of Android updates, and security support for three, and given that the phone has been available for a while already (having launched in June 2023), that could seriously devalue it as a long-term proposition. But to tide you over, the Honor 90 is a compelling phone with unbeatable value.
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5 - Nokia XR20: best budget rugged phone
Nokia XR20 specifications
- Display: 6.67-inch LCD (2400x1080; 60Hz)
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM4350 Snapdragon 480
- RAM: 4GB/6GB
- Storage: 64GB/128GB
- Rear cameras: 48MP main, 13MP ultrawide
- Front camera: 8MP
- Battery: 4,630mAh
- Operating System: Android
Nokia XR20 - Pros and cons
Pros
Built to last
Emergency button
Headphone port
Cons
Near the end of its software updates
Camera could be much better
If you’re taking your phone out in the field and want it to come back in one piece, the Nokia XR20 could be for you. You could opt for the newer XR21, but that costs significantly more—on a purely hardware level, the XR20 is the real bargain.
Running Android One, the XR20 offers a stripped-back Android experience akin to Google’s Pixel phones. It’s a wonderfully streamlined experience that no doubt helps its slightly lightweight processor cope. Android One also helps to eke more out of the battery.
The screen might look pretty poor on paper, but in action it’s not bad at all, and still remains readable in direct sunlight thanks to its impressive brightness. LCD screens don’t offer the same inky black levels as more modern OLED panels, but because they’re backlit, they can go brighter. So while the XR20 has the seemingly inferior screen technology, it does have its upside.
It’s also 5G, so will offer a quicker connection in areas served by 5G reception, and it’s blissfully free of the ‘articulated lorry’ looks common to most rugged phones.
It also runs the latest version of Android, but that’s your lot for software updates. Hence the low price. But beggars can’t be choosers…
4 - Samsung Galaxy S23 FE: best stripped-down flagship
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE specifications
- Display: 6.4-inch AMOLED (2340x1080; 120Hz)
- Chipset: Samsung Exynos 2200
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 128GB/256GB
- Rear cameras: 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 8MP telephoto (3x optical zoom)
- Front camera: 10MP
- Battery: 4,500mAh
- Operating System: Android
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE - Pros and cons
Pros
Built to last
Good cameras
Powerful
Cons
Old processor
Thick bezels
So-so battery life
FE stands for Fan Edition. Phones in this range offer most of the same features as their non-FE namesakes, but with a few compromises that bring the price down. In this case, it has thicker bezels around the screen and a slightly older processor. Otherwise, it’s pretty much the same experience as the Galaxy S23, Samsung’s flagship phone for 2023.
It also benefits from Samsung’s AI features, which landed as part of Samsung’s OneUI 6.1 update, which means it can compose text messages, generate images, turn photos of people into portraits, and more. Pretty stellar for a phone you can find for under £400.
Samsung’s phones boast some of the best cameras around, and while the S23 FE might not be quite as cutting-edge as the more recent models, they are still pretty fantastic. With three rear cameras and plenty of power, it’s an eminently capable camera phone that gives excellent results in all types of conditions.
This is a phone bursting with features. You get wireless charging, the ability to wirelessly charge other devices by placing them on top of the S23 FE, and fast charging to boot. You can even use it as a replacement for a desktop computer using Samsung’s DeX feature. And it comes in some pretty cool finishes, too.
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3 - iPhone SE (3rd generation): more iPhone for less
iPhone SE (3rd generation) specifications
- Display: 4.7-inch LCD (1334x750; 60Hz)
- Chipset: Apple A15 Bionic
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 64GB/128GB/256GB
- Rear cameras: 12MP main (1x optical zoom)
- Front camera: 7MP
- Battery: 2,018mAh
- Operating System: iOS
iPhone SE (3rd generation) - Pros and cons
Pros
Powerful
Small
Gets you iOS on the cheap
Cons
Dated design
Short battery life
Sub-par camera
The third model of iPhone SE launched in 2022. Like its predecessors, it aims to give users the core iPhone experience at a significantly reduced price. In that measure, it’s a success.
Yes, the design is dated – it has a Home button! At 4.7 inches, the screen is much smaller than most modern models and has a much lower resolution too. And its single rear camera is no match for today’s three- or four-lensed rear arrangements. But look past the spec sheet, and you’ll see that it’s an iPhone at heart, just a throwback to a simpler time.
It has 5G for quick connections and is away from Wi-Fi. The A15 Bionic processor is the same featured in the iPhone 13 Pro, meaning it’s surprisingly well equipped for a two-year-old budget phone. The battery life is a little lacking compared to what else is available at the price, and the same can be said of the single rear camera. But if you want iOS in a smaller and cheaper package than the iPhone 13, the third-gen iPhone SE is the one for you.
Read our full iPhone SE review
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2. Nothing Phone (2a): this budget phone goes big on battery life
Nothing Phone (2a) specifications
- Display: 6.7-inch AMOLED (2412x1084; 120Hz)
- Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro
- RAM: 8GB/16GB
- Storage: 128GB/256GB
- Rear cameras: 50MP main, 50MP ultrawide
- Front camera: 32MP
- Battery: 5,000mAh
- Operating System: Android
Nothing Phone (2a) - Pros and cons
Pros
Lightning fast charging
Great price
Cool design
Cons
No headphone jack
Not much water resistance
If you’re looking for a long battery life without the price tag, this phone goes above and beyond. Despite costing a little over £300 SIM free, it promises 29 hours of video playback or more than 14 hours of web surfing. Which should last you a couple of days of average use. That’s better than some flagships which cost three times as much.
But not only does it last a long time between charges, it juices up super quickly, too. 45W fast charging takes you from no battery power to a day’s use in just 20 minutes.
There’s a lot more to the Nothing (2a) than just a big battery though. It boasts Nothing’s Glyph notifications system, which alerts you using a series of flashing lights. This not only looks completely unique and pretty futuristic, but it’s actually useful for letting you know what’s happening at a glance.
Nothing’s operating system is pretty slick, but it is quite different from straight Android or iOS, so could take some adjustment. But once that’s over, you’ve got a great budget phone with an excellent battery life. What’s not to like?
1. OnePlus 12R: best overall budget phone
OnePlus 12R specifications
- Display: 6.78-inch AMOLED (2780x1264; 120Hz)
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 256GB
- Rear cameras: 50MP main, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro (2x optical zoom)
- Front camera: 16MP
- Battery: 5,500mAh
- Operating System: Android
OnePlus 12R - Pros and cons
Great screen
Excellent battery life
Lots of features
No wireless charging
Cameras could be better
Admittedly just under £500 is towards the top end of the budget category. But if that’s what you have to spend, the OnePlus 12R is a wise investment. Its huge 5,500mAh battery lasts in excess of 18 hours of constant use. That’s the largest found in a OnePlus phone and one of the biggest in any phone, including those that cost over twice as much.
It charges completely in around half an hour, and it will be used for around four years before it degrades to 80 per cent capacity—that’s around three times longer than some models.
Impressive stuff. It’s plenty powerful, too. Its screen is bright and sharp, and it’s capable of taking some pretty decent photos. It's a premium phone in all but name.
FAQs
What is the best phone under £500?
The Google Pixel 8a is one of the best phones under £500. Like all of Google’s phones, it runs the Android operating system. iOS fans with this budget should look at the iPhone SE (3rd generation).
What is the best phone under £400?
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is our pick under £400. It offers a lot of the same features as Samsung’s 2023 flagship S23, but with only a couple of compromises. And it’s powerful enough to run Samsung’s AI features.
What is the best phone under £300?
It’s tricky to get anything other than a very basic phone for under £300. Models might also have had their price cut to below this level because they soon won’t support the latest version of their operating system, leaving you without the latest features and possibly vulnerable to security threats. But there are some bargains around.
The Honor 90 has phenomenal value at under £200, while the Nothing (2a) costs only a little over £300, so you could find it cheaper. And some refurbished phones can be under £300. Shop around, but buyer beware.
What is the best value mobile phone?
It depends on how much you have to spend. The cheapest phone to offer incredible value is the Honor 90, while the Samsung Galaxy A55 – albeit a little pricier – is also great value.
Best budget gaming phone
Budget gaming phones tend to not be much good for any other use, so we haven’t included any on this list. But the iPhone 13 is a very capable budget gaming phone, and because it runs iOS, has access to a huge library of games via the App Store.
