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If you’re after one of the best cheap smartphones you’ll find there’s a lot of choice and a lot of good options, with many handsets now offering surprisingly high-end features for not a whole lot of money.
Of course, what you’ll be able to get will depend on exactly how tight your budget is, and whether you want Android or iOS – the latter being far more restrictive if you’re on a limited budget.
With that in mind we’ve created this guide, covering all the very best cheap smartphones suited to a range of needs, from the iPhone SE (2022) to the Google Pixel 6a, Moto E7 and beyond.
Below then you’ll find all the best options split across a number of categories based on price or operating system, with entries ranked from best to worst in each category.
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In this guide |
Best cheap Android phones
The following handsets are among the best Android phones you can buy. For the most part we’ve kept the budget under around £300, but sometimes slightly pricier entries will be included if we think they’re particularly worth highlighting.
Google Pixel 6a
The Google Pixel 6a may stretch your budget a bit, but if you’re in the position to do that then we think it’s worth considering.
It has a stylish design, similar to the rest of the Pixel 6 range, and it also has the same Google Tensor chipset as those flagship phones, so it’s certainly powerful.
It has one of the slickest takes on Android too, with day one software updates and the promise of years of support, so you won’t have to replace it anytime soon.
Plus, the Google Pixel 6a has an impressive dual-lens camera setup and a 6.1-inch 1080 x 2400 OLED screen.
It’s the best Android phone you’ll find in this article and a strong rival to our top iPhone pick further down, but it’s also the most expensive Android phone we’ve included.
Xiaomi Poco F3
The Xiaomi Poco F3 isn’t a big name, but it is big on specs, packing in a 6.67-inch 1080 x 2400 AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and a very high maximum brightness.
On top of that it has near flagship power from its Snapdragon 870 chipset, plus you get up to 8GB of RAM (though you’ll have to settle for 6GB to keep the price under £300), and either 128GB or 256GB of storage.
There’s a triple-lens camera too, with a 48MP main, 8MP ultra-wide, and 5MP macro sensor, and a decently large 4,520mAh battery. You even get 5G and a glass back – though the sides are plastic.
The Xiaomi Poco F3 is primarily a phone to buy for its impressive screen and power, but the other specs hold up reasonably well too.
Samsung Galaxy A33 5G
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While the Samsung Galaxy A33 5G sits towards the bottom of Samsung’s affordable Galaxy A range, it comes with a lot to recommend it, not least the inclusion of 5G.
The Galaxy A33 5G also has a quad-lens camera, with a 48MP main sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide one, a 5MP macro one, and a 2MP depth one. While those last two aren’t amazing, having four lenses at all at this price is decent, and the Galaxy A33 5G has other great aspects too, such as its big 6.4-inch 1080 x 2400 screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, its large 5,000mAh battery, and its solidly mid-range Exynos 1280 chipset.
The design looks slightly dated, but if you can live that the Galaxy A33 5G is a very solid budget buy.
Best cheap iPhones
After an iPhone? As there aren’t as many iPhones available and Apple typically charges more than other manufacturers, the selection of cheap options isn’t particularly wide, but your best bet is one of the following.
iPhone SE (2022)
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The iPhone SE (2022) is the most recent mid-range iPhone at the time of writing, making it our top cheap iPhone choice.
The main upgrades over the previous model include 5G and a very powerful A15 Bionic chipset (which you’ll also find in the iPhone 13 range).
Beyond that, the iPhone SE (2022) has a premium if slightly dated build, a great – albeit single-lens – camera, and a compact but high-quality 4.7-inch screen.
iPhone SE (2020)
The iPhone SE (2020) is of course the predecessor to the iPhone SE (2022) and as such it’s not quite as good, but it’s also cheaper – if slightly harder to get hold of.
It has the very same chipset as the far more expensive iPhone 11 range, so you get a remarkable amount of power. That said, it’s less powerful than the 2022 SE model, and it lacks 5G.
Still, the iPhone SE (2020) also has a premium build, with a glass back, an aluminium frame, and water resistance, plus a compact 4.7-inch 750 x 1334 screen and a capable 12MP camera.
Best phones for under £200
So the phones above are a bit outside your price range? Not to worry, as below you’ll find a selection of even cheaper phones, all of which are good and can be found for under £200.
Moto G62 5G
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The Moto G62 5G packs in a solid assortment of specs, including not just 5G but also a 6.5-inch 1080 x 2400 screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, a big 5,000mAh battery, and a triple-lens camera, including a capable 50MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide one, and a 2MP macro one.
The design is fairly modern and sleek too, and there’s a respectable 128GB of storage packed in.
Where the Moto G62 5G falls down slightly is on the power front, as its Snapdragon 480 Plus chipset and 4GB of RAM aren’t special, but there are always compromises to be made at this sort of price.
Nokia X10
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The Nokia X10 stands out through offering 5G, a big 6.67-inch screen, and a quad-lens camera.
That screen has a high resolution too at 1080 x 2400, though it’s stuck with a standard 60Hz refresh rate.
As for the camera, there’s a 48MP primary sensor, a 5MP ultra-wide one, a 2MP macro one, and a 2MP depth sensor.
The RAM is respectable too at 6GB, though its Snapdragon 480 chipset isn’t special, and its 4,470mAh battery is middling.
Samsung Galaxy A12
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The Samsung Galaxy A12 is one of Samsung’s more affordable phones, but there’s still a lot to recommend about it beyond the price.
For one thing, it has a 5,000mAh battery, which while not quite the biggest around is still larger than most, and translates into long life.
The Samsung Galaxy A12 also has a 48MP+5MP+2MP+2MP quad-lens camera, a reasonably large 6.5-inch 720 x 1600 screen, and expandable storage. Plus, for some people the big brand name is a bonus.
Don’t buy this if you want lots of power, as on that front it’s fine but not great, but otherwise it’s a good all-rounder at an even better price.
Best phones for under £100
We’re now into the territory of the truly cheap. The following are all great examples of some of the cheapest phones you can get that are still actually any good. If you’re on a budget of £100 or less, then one of these could be for you.
Moto E7
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Motorola has long been the champion of super-affordable phones, and while the likes of Xiaomi are increasingly challenging it, Motorola is still the brand for double-digit handsets, with the Moto E7 being a prime example.
This phone has a 6.5-inch 720 x 1600 screen, a dual-lens camera with a 48MP main snapper and a 2MP macro one, a 4,000mAh battery, expandable storage, and, well, not much else of note, but even those specs we’ve just listed are pretty good for the money.
Power is lacking, as it is on many phones at this end of the market, but the Moto E7 can handle the basics just fine.
Nokia 2.4
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The Nokia 2.4 packs in a sizeable 4,500mAh battery, which is good for a day and a half of life with moderate use. On top of that, it also has a 6.5-inch 720 x 1600 screen, which is a decent size and resolution for a phone of under £100.
There’s also a microSD card slot and a slick, near-stock take on Android 11, ensuring the interface is intuitive and appealing.
With a dual-lens 13MP+2MP camera too, a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, and up to 64GB of storage, this is a solid rival to the cheapest Motorola phones.
Moto E7i Power
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The Moto E7i Power is about as cheap as smartphones get, and yet somehow, remarkably, it has a 5,000mAh battery. That’s the same size as the one you’ll find in the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra – a phone that costs upwards of 12 times more.
On top of that, the Moto E7i Power also has a 6.5-inch 720 x 1600 screen, a dual-lens (13MP+2MP) camera, expandable storage and a fingerprint scanner. The remaining core specs are very basic, but if you want a dirt cheap phone that you won’t have to constantly charge, this is the one to go for.
Conclusion
Hopefully if you’ve read this article in full you’ll now have a good idea of what phone to go for, as there’s something for almost anyone on a budget here.
Our top pick if you want an Android phone is the Google Pixel 6a, followed closely by the Xiaomi Poco F3, then the Samsung Galaxy A33 5G.
If you’re after an iPhone then the iPhone SE (2022) is the clear winner, followed by the older iPhone SE (2020).
On a budget of £200 or less? Then the Moto G62 5G is our top pick, followed by the Nokia X10 and then the Samsung Galaxy A12. And if you’re on a super restricted budget then the Moto E7 is a top option, but the Nokia 2.4 and Moto E7i Power are also worth considering.
