Five years ago, a top-end smartphone may have only cost around £500/$500, but the world has changed significantly since then, and now you may well be charged double that if you go for a top-spec model. While the prices of the premium phones have gone up and up, we’ve also seen plenty of improvements in models priced a tier or two below them as well. Features that were considered exclusively high-end just a year or two ago have now made their grand arrival in the sub-$400/£400 section of the market, meaning that affordable phones are more tempting that ever. Nowadays, if you know where to look, you can get greatly improved photography, robust construction quality, wireless charging and highly reliable performance on phones of this price. Of course, there are still plenty of devices that may unfortunately let you down with sub-par battery life and bloated software, so you have to be sure to avoid them. The aim of this guide is to help you steer clear of the array of underwhelming phones that promise too much and deliver too little, and show you towards the real gems that offer fantastic value for money. All of the below devices have been physically tested by one of our reviewers to reliably gauge its performance in key areas including camera performance, build quality and battery life, so you know that you can count on our buying advice. Our definition of “affordable” means any handset retailing for less than £400/$400; however if we do happen to go over this amount then we’ll make our reasoning clear as to why we’ve made an exception. We also have other best lists for those after something a little more specific. Our best camera phone round-up focuses on a device’s photographic and videography skills, while our best mid-range phone lists focusing on slightly pricier devices.
Best cheap phones at a glance
Best budget camera: Google Pixel 6a – check priceBest design: Nothing Phone (1) – check priceBest for fast charging: Realme 9 Pro Plus – check priceBest budget iPhone: iPhone SE 22 – check priceBest big screen: Poco X4 Pro 5G – check price
Pixel phones have long been renowned for their excellent cameras, and once again you’ll find two very good snappers here, which are bolstered by handy tricks such as Magic Eraser and Night Sight in order to remove unwanted objects or improve your lowlight shooting, respectively. That said, this time around the cameras aren’t such a quantum leap above the competition as previous editions have been. One area where the Pixel 6a really does excel over its affordable rivals is in the processor, which is the very same Tensor chip that you’ll find in the Pixel 6 Pro. It might not be an absolute beast in performance terms, but it helps to deliver the great software, post-processing, 5G connectivity, and enhanced security that makes this phone a great all-round package. Though the screen is colourful and punchy, it suffers a bit from not having a refresh rate enhanced beyond the standard 60Hz, so may not seem as smooth as its competitors. Nonetheless, this device is well worth the price when all is taken into consideration. Reviewer: Max Parker Full review: Google Pixel 6a We particularly liked the lush 120Hz display, which is one of the best around at this price point. With HDR support and high levels of brightness, this screen is a joy to use for gaming and more. There are two rear cameras on board, wide and ultrawide, and they both do a pretty good job. Although some snaps can end up looking over-exposed, most of the photos that we took in complimentary lighting conditions turned out very well, while its night shooting was a particular highlight. The 4500mAh battery was plenty big enough to get us through the day, and it’s great to see the wireless charging feature at this price point as well. However, one of the few negatives about this handset were the performance issues, likely down to sub-par software optimisation, which caused some stuttering from time to time. Reviewer: Max Parker Full review: Nothing Phone 1 The 6.4-inch AMOLED screen is also a highlight, with its 90Hz refresh rate and 1080p resolution, while the flashy design gives you a handset that you’ll be proud to hold. In performance terms, the Realme 9 Pro Plus is good enough to run the latest games, and what’s more, it also packs in 5G connectivity like the other phones on this list. The 4500mAh battery gave us enough juice to get through a moderate day of usage without sweating, and it’s supported with seriously snappy 60W fast-charging that can get you all the way up to 100% from zero in just 44 minutes. Reviewer: Jon Mundy Full review: Realme 9 Pro Plus You may have to forgive the depressingly dated design and its associated small screen which measures just 4.7-inches, but if you can get over that then the iPhone SE 2022 does in fact still offer a lot of positives for the price. First and foremost, it runs on the brilliant A15 Bionic chip, which is one of the very best in the business; it’s actually the very same one that you’ll find on the iPhone 13 Pro, so you won’t be wanting for power. Even better, this phone will be in line for Apple’s unparalleled long-term software support, so we wouldn’t even be surprised to see it getting the latest updates seven years from now. On top of that, the newest iPhone SE has one of the best cameras that you’ll find for the price, and it particularly delivers on richly detailed images, so that difficult textures like dog fur or woolly jumpers look especially good. That said, it does miss out on a dedicated Night Mode, which is a real shame, and so if you’re planning to take a lot of pictures when the sun is down then this might not be the best phone for you. The selfie camera also could do with some work, with it not being to the same standard as the main snapper. If you’re looking for an iPhone that gives a good camera and strong performance for a cheaper entry price then this is a good bet, but do bear in mind that the screen is small and underwhelming. Reviewer: Max Parker Full review: iPhone SE 2022 The AMOLED screen measures a generous 6.67-inches with a 1080p resolution, and the headline features is its 120Hz refresh rate, which is brilliant for the price. It’s not auto-adaptive, but if you’re prepared to adjust it yourself then you’ll find that supported content is smoother than ever. Its main 108-megapixel camera is also worth shouting about, as it delivers excellent pictures that are bound to impress for the price. Night Mode does a good job of cleaning up any noise that you might get too, however the accompanying ultrawide and macro lens aren’t up to this same standard. Performance standards are good but not exceptional on this phone, but it does offer 5G connectivity for the latest mobile data speeds. The battery life is brilliant, and we reckon that you could even squeeze two day’s life out of it if you use your phone with some restraint. There aren’t many downsides here, but one would have to be the unsubtle and clunky design, and the other would be its bloatware-stuffed software interface. Reviewer: Peter Phelps Full review: Poco X4 Pro 5G
