Only having a limited budget to play with should never prevent you from being able to upgrade your phone. While there are plenty of premium handsets out there, you’d be surprised by just how many great, low-cost options are available, which is why we’ve collated the very best cheap phones into this list.
In 2025, even if you only have a budget of around £250/$250 or less, you can still get a smartphone with outstanding value that even brings a handful of features that used to be reserved for the best phones. We’re talking OLED displays, high refresh rates and the luxury of having more than one rear-facing camera. It’s a very different landscape to what it used to be, but this just makes things even better for consumers.
The one downside is that quite a few companies are vying for your attention at this end of the market, and when you only have a small budget to work with, you want to make sure that the money you do spend is going towards a good device that can last you well into the future. To save you from the nightmare that can come with comparing specs and features, we’ve done all the hard work for you by using our comprehensive reviews to make this accessible guide that can pair you with the right phone to suit your needs.
Whether it’s a cheap phone or a handset that costs more than £1000/$1000, we put all of these devices through the same testing process to see how they perform in chipset benchmarks, battery draining and charging exercises. Only when we’re pleased with the performance of a given phone in all of those categories and more will it then find its way to this very list.
If you’re thinking about holding off on a purchase with the intent of saving up a bit more for a better phone down the line, then our guide to the best mid-range phones has plenty of inspiration to get you started. Alternatively, if you’d rather keep the budget buying going then we also have you covered with the best cheap smartwatches and the best cheap earbuds.
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Learn more about how we test mobile phones
Every phone we review goes through a series of uniform checks designed to gauge key things including build quality, screen accuracy, battery life, performance and camera prowess.
These include formal synthetic benchmarks and scripted tests, plus a series of real-world checks, such as how much battery it loses per hour streaming video.
We also make sure to use every phone we review as our primary handset for at least 4 days to ensure our review is as accurate as possible. You can see a more detailed breakdown of our testing methodology in our how we test phones guide.
Pros
- One of the best screens at this price range
- 256GB storage as standard
- Longer duration of software support
Cons
- There are some downgrades compared to the Honor 200
- AI features still need some work
- No wireless charging
Pros
- Incredibly competitive price for the spec
- Multi-day battery life
- Big, bright screen
Cons
- Cameras remain a weak point for Poco
- HyperOS is packed full of bloatware
Pros
- Great bright display
- Good main camera performance
- Excellent battery life and charging
- Great IP69 protection
Cons
- Some performance foibles
- Curved screen is a bit dated now
- Moto AI isn’t that exciting
- Apps tray clutter
Pros
- Distinctive, attractive design
- Cohesive software experience with useful widgets
- Strong battery life
- Vibrant, colour-rich and bright display with smooth refresh rates
Cons
- Only IP64 water-resistance
- Ultrawide camera is quite poor
- Only 3 years of major software updates
Pros
- Good screen
- Interesting design
- Versatile cameras
Cons
- Not the absolute best photo quality
- Other smartphones are more powerful
- Side buttons are a little small
Pros
- Plenty of power
- Excellent charging speeds
- Great value for money
Cons
- Bloated software
- Average camera performance
- Some connectivity concerns
Pros
- Greatly improved cameras
- Brighter screen with better colours
- Slightly quicker
- NFC Payment support
Cons
- Only IP54 rated
- Back isn’t replaceable
- Essential Space could cost money soon
Pros
- An eye-catching design
- All-day battery life
- Just about powerful enough to game on
Cons
- 720p resolution
- 2MP macro lens isn’t great
- Plenty of pre-installed bloatware
Pros
- Lovely screen
- Good main camera
- IP68 rated
- Affordable price point
Cons
- No headphone jack
- A lot of bloatware
- Slower charging than its predecessor
One of the best screens at this price range
256GB storage as standard
Longer duration of software support
There are some downgrades compared to the Honor 200
AI features still need some work
No wireless charging
The Honor 400 is one of those phones that provides such great value for money that it elevates the budget market as a whole. Anyone who’s been following our coverage will already know that Honor makes some of the best affordable and mid-range handsets out there, but the Honor 400 kicks things up a notch in quite a few areas to the point where it becomes an immediate must-buy over all of its predecessors.
The one feature to know about the phone, above all, is that it has an absolutely stunning display. The 6.55-inch AMOLED panel can reach a peak brightness of 5000 nits which makes even some flagship phones look dim by comparison. Everything from social media apps to Netflix pop with next-level intensity, and you’ll never have any issues with using the phone outdoors against direct sunlight.
Compared to previous Honor phones, your money will go further too as the brand now promises six years of software and security updates from the time of launch for this device. That’s quite a rarity down this end of the market, but it means that you can safely use the Honor 400 for quite a few years to come without ever worrying about needing to upgrade. There’s also 256GB storage built-in as standard, so you’ll have plenty of room for all your apps.
The Honor 200 series brought some great camera upgrades into the mix and now the Honor 400 has just doubled down on it all. The new 200MP main sensor packs plenty of detail, so if you need to crop a shot for social media, you won’t have to worry about losing the picture’s integrity in the process. When it comes to portrait photography, the included Harcourt filters make it feel like you have a professional studio with you at all times.
The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset provides respectable performance for the price, and we even managed to get a handful of 3D games working just fine on the Honor 400, so that’s good news for gamers on a budget. The large 5300mAh cell can also get you through a day and a half or use, so you’ll never have to worry about reaching 0% on a particularly busy day.
Incredibly competitive price for the spec
Multi-day battery life
Big, bright screen
Cameras remain a weak point for Poco
HyperOS is packed full of bloatware
For any mobile games who don’t have a ton of cash to spend on their next upgrade, the Poco F7 fills the gap of being a high performing smartphone that still somehow carries a budget price tag. At just £389, the Poco F7 carries a handful of features that you’d expect to see on phones almost double the cost, the most important of which is its performance.
Thanks to the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor housed within the phone, the Poco F7 provides some of the best gaming performance we’ve ever seen on a budget handset. As a point of comparison, the Poco F7 steamroller over the Pixel 9a and the Samsung Galaxy A56 in multi-core tests, and even wasn’t that far off from the Poco F7 Pro when running the 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme test.
What ties the experience together is the massive 6.83-inch AMOLED display which provides phenomenally vibrant colours while the 120Hz refresh rate ensures that any action happening on screen is fast paced and engaging. It’s just as good for sitting back and enjoying a bit of streaming, as it is for gaming.
Of course, if you do plan on using the Poco F7 as something of an entertainment hub on the go, then you’re going to need a solid battery to back it up and thankfully that isn’t an issue here. The gigantic 6500mAh cell allowed us to reach two days of use under the right circumstances, so you definitely won’t have anything to worry about over the course of a single day.
The inclusion of 90W fast charging means you won’t be waiting around for long either, as we managed to charge the phone from 0% to 100% in only 40 minutes. As a final flourish, the Poco F7 still carries a premium build boasting full IP68 dust and water resistance. If you’re the type of person who’s run into durability issues with affordable phones in the past then the F7 should be a major step up.
Great bright display
Good main camera performance
Excellent battery life and charging
Great IP69 protection
Some performance foibles
Curved screen is a bit dated now
Moto AI isn’t that exciting
Apps tray clutter
All you need to know about the Motorola Edge 60 FusionMotorola Edge 60 Fusion Review is that if you don’t have much of a budget to work with but you value a phone’s aesthetic above all, then this is easily the one you should consider buying first. There are three Pantone infused colourways available: Slipstream, Amazonite and Mykonos, and they all look great. Plus, all that style doesn’t come at the expense of durability thanks to an official IP69 rating.
Stop staring at the phone’s gorgeous backing and you’ll notice that it has a similarly eye-catching 6.67-inch pOLED display. The screen does have a cascading effect at the sides which, depending on how you feel about these types of screens, might be a boon or a turn-off. If you want a flat display then you might want to consider giving the Honor 400 a look.
Despite what the camera bump would have you believe, there are actually two cameras on the rear of the Edge 60 Fusion, a 50MP sensor and a 13MP ultra-wide. The latter of these two sensors isn’t too much to write home about, but that main wide-angle lens snapper can do the trick with wonderfully vibrant shots on a sunny day.
Even though it feels incredibly light in the hand, weighing just 178g, the Edge 60 Fusion boasts a large 5200mAh battery which, from our testing, only dropped 6% after an hour of streaming Netflix. Pair that with super fast 68W wired charging and it’s hard to imagine you’ll have any complaints in the battery department.
Unfortunately, the one area where the Edge 60 Fusion really trips up is the feature that Motorola seems to be pushing the most right now: Moto AI. There’s a dedicated button to quickly summon Motorola’s take on artificial intelligence, but it just isn’t anywhere near as useful as Google Gemini, so it would have been nice to see Motorola focus its efforts elsewhere.
Distinctive, attractive design
Cohesive software experience with useful widgets
Strong battery life
Vibrant, colour-rich and bright display with smooth refresh rates
Only IP64 water-resistance
Ultrawide camera is quite poor
Only 3 years of major software updates
The Nothing Phone 3a is the follow-up to the hugely popular budget-focused Nothing Phone 2a from 2024, and just like its predecessor, there’s a lot to love. It not only retains the iconic Nothing design DNA but new features that help it truly stand out from the competition.
If you’re looking for a unique-looking phone on a budget, the Nothing Phone 3a fits the bill and then some with its iconic transparent design, which gives you a good look at the internals on the rear panel. Like the others in the collection, it also sports the Glyph interface that flashes in time to ringtones and texts and doubles up as a handy camera timer.
Still, the most important aspect of the Phone 3a is the tech, and Nothing has excelled once again. The 6.7-inch 120Hz AMOLED screen is bright and accurate, with a whopping 3000nits peak brightness when watching HDR10+ content and an impressive 1300nits in regular high-brightness mode.
That’s flanked by a triple camera setup comprised of a 50MP wide, 8MP ultrawide and, rather surprisingly, a 50MP 2x telephoto lens.
The latter is still rare at the price point, and while it can’t quite compete with the periscope lens of the more premium Nothing Phone 3a Pro, it delivers excellent results in daylight. The 50MP main is similarly capable, though it performs way better in low-light scenarios. The ultrawide has taken a hit, dropping down from 50MP on the previous generation and it’s easily the weakest of the trio as a result, but it’ll still take a decent wide-angle shot.
That’s backed up by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 which allows it to outperform the competition in tests, and a 5000mAh battery delivers all-day battery life. There’s also the dot-matrix-inspired Nothing OS to appreciate, complete with Nothing’s new Essential Space, essentially its own spin on AI with some pretty handy features.
SQUIRREL_PLAYLIST_10207339
Good screen
Interesting design
Versatile cameras
Not the absolute best photo quality
Other smartphones are more powerful
Side buttons are a little small
The Motorola Edge 50 Neo is similar to the Edge 50 Fusion in many regards; it’s similarly thin and lightweight, at 8.1mm thick and 171g, and it sports speedy 68W fast charging, but there are key differences that make it stand out.
For one, it boasts a range of Pantone-certified colour options with the Pantone logo clear for everyone to see on the vegan leather-clad rear. These give the phones a distinctive look not only compared to the Fusion, but most other budget-friendly phones.
Most importantly, however, the Edge 50 Neo offers a surprisingly capable camera setup comprised of a 50MP main, 13MP ultrawide, and 10MP 3x telephoto, the latter of which is rarely seen at the price point. Performance is solid from the main sensor, which is able to handle both well-lit and low-light scenarios with ease. The auxiliary lenses don’t quite match up, but the ability to get closer to the action with the 3x sensor is very much appreciated.
Elsewhere, the Edge 50 Neo is a fairly compact device with a 6.4-inch OLED screen that makes it easy to use one-handed, though it’s equally not as well suited for gaming and binging as larger alternatives. It also means that it has a slightly smaller 4310mAh battery than the standard 5000mAh we see in 2025, though it’s more than enough to power the smaller display and get through a day unaided.
SQUIRREL_PLAYLIST_10207600
Plenty of power
Excellent charging speeds
Great value for money
Bloated software
Average camera performance
Some connectivity concerns
The Poco X7 Pro delivers proper flagship-level performance that’s perfect for gaming without the associated price tag. That’s down to the use of the Dimensity 8400-Ultra, which sits just under MediaTek’s flagship 9000 series chips, complete with either 8- or 12GB of RAM.
Combined, the phone is slick and fast in daily use, and it can also handle demanding 3D games like CoD Mobile for extended periods with a large liquid cooling system under the hood. Gaming-specific software features allow access to common settings from within games to boost that experience further.
That’s paired with a bright, vivid 6.67-inch AMOLED display that’s more than large enough to game on, and the super-smooth 120Hz refresh rate helps things feel more responsive still. It’s also fairly high-res at 1.5K, and the screen is completely flat.
The phone’s gaming focus is completed by a massive 6000mAh battery that easily lasts a day, if not two days, depending on what you’re up to. Considering 30 minutes of gaming used just 5%, you’ll be able to game to your heart’s content. And, with 90W fast charge support, it’ll get a full recharge in under an hour.
There are weak points, of course; the dual 50MP main and 8MP ultrawide lenses are nothing to get excited about, and Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2 is both full of bloatware and about as far from stock Android as you can get. However, if you care about performance above all else, it’s the ideal cheap option.
SQUIRREL_PLAYLIST_10207601
Greatly improved cameras
Brighter screen with better colours
Slightly quicker
NFC Payment support
Only IP54 rated
Back isn’t replaceable
Essential Space could cost money soon
The CMF Phone 2 Pro is a follow-up to the Nothing sub-brand’s original CMF Phone, and it fixed most of our complaints about the original modular phone.
With a modular design, the CMF Phone 2 Pro is one of the more unique offerings in the budget smartphone market. Though you can no longer easily replace the back panel, the Accessory Point returns, allowing you to attach lanyards, kickstands and more.
You can also add new macro and fisheye lenses to the new triple camera setup, transforming the look and feel of your photos.
Modular design aside, the CMF Phone 2 Pro offers a surprisingly rounded experience.
The 6.67-inch AMOLED display has a 120Hz refresh rate and a boosted 3000 nits of peak brightness. Arguably more importantly, the screen can now display over a billion colours with 10-bit colour support, reducing banding and providing more accurate colours overall.
The single 50MP camera was arguably the weakest area of the original CMF Phone, but with a combination of 50MP main, 50MP 3x telephoto and 8MP ultrawide lenses, the CMF Phone 2 Pro is wholly more capable. Don’t expect flagship-level performance, but there is a notable jump.
Throw in a boosted Dimensity 7300 Pro processor, a 5000mAh battery with enough juice to last two days, and Nothing’s charming Nothing OS 3.2, and you’ve got a stand-out budget smartphone.
SQUIRREL_PLAYLIST_10207602
An eye-catching design
All-day battery life
Just about powerful enough to game on
720p resolution
2MP macro lens isn’t great
Plenty of pre-installed bloatware
What if you want a decent entry-level phone for less than £200 that simply does the job? The TCL 40R 5G fits the bill.
The budget-focused device offers all the main staples of a solid budget smartphone experience with 5G connectivity, a good-looking design, long battery life from a 5,000mAh cell and decent (though not quite snappy) everyday performance.
There’s a large 6.6-inch LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate great for scrolling and binging, though its sub-1080p resolution can make elements look a little soft. The main 50MP rear camera is capable of delivering surprisingly sharp images for the price, at least.
It might not be able to compete with more premium options on the market, but for the £199 price tag, you won’t find much better right now.
Lovely screen
Good main camera
IP68 rated
Affordable price point
No headphone jack
A lot of bloatware
Slower charging than its predecessor
At its core, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro is a great phone. Working in the phone’s favour is an excellent 6.67-inch OLED display. With Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support, not to mention a peak brightness of 3000nits that makes the phone easy to use outdoors, it’s quite amazing that Xiaomi has managed to cram all of this screen tech in at the budget end of the market.
The main 200MP sensor is also nothing to be sniffed at, delivering wonderfully detailed shots in the daytime, and still managing to hold its own after the sun goes down. Because of that high megapixel count, you do have some leeway when it comes to cropping in, and zooming in up to 3x still delivers decent shots, but you won’t want to go any further than that.
One thing we genuinely didn’t expect was an official IP68 rating, given that the grading was previously held back for last year’s Pro Plus model, but it’s still great to see it trickle down here. This means that you can use the phone around the sink and you won’t have to worry if takes a tumble in with the soaking dishes.
FAQs
Which cheap phone has the best camera?
Our favourite cheap phone for the camera is the Motorola Edge 50 Neo, though the Nothing Phone 3a isn’t too far behind.
Can I get 5G on these phones?
Yes, all of the phones in the above list offer 5G connectivity so you’ll be able to get these data speeds as long as you have network coverage and a compatible SIM card.
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Test Data
Honor 400
Poco F7
Motorola Edge 60 Fusion
Nothing Phone 3a
Motorola Edge 50 Neo
Poco X7 Pro
CMF Phone 2 Pro
TCL 40R 5G
Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G
Geekbench 6 single core
1142
2094
1047
1164
1052
1575
1003
706
1020
Geekbench 6 multi core
3131
6294
3019
3273
3031
5884
2910
1840
2908
Max brightness
–
–
–
–
–
3200 nits
–
400 nits
–
1 hour video playback (Netflix, HDR)
–
5 %
6 %
5 %
11 %
7 %
7 %
20 %
11 %
30 minute gaming (light)
–
5 %
8 %
5 %
17 %
5 %
5 %
15 %
7 %
Time from 0-100% charge
–
40 min
55 min
56 min
45 min
48 min
65 min
180 min
100 min
Time from 0-50% charge
–
17 Min
25 Min
–
16 Min
23 Min
26 Min
75 Min
50 Min
30-min recharge (included charger)
–
82 %
–
–
75 %
–
–
19 %
–
15-min recharge (included charger)
–
46 %
–
–
44 %
–
–
9 %
–
30-min recharge (no charger included)
–
–
61 %
74 %
–
71 %
57 %
–
30 %
15-min recharge (no charger included)
–
–
33 %
41 %
–
33 %
29 %
–
15 %
3D Mark – Wild Life
–
4341
847
1057
–
3706
852
1203
874
GFXBench – Aztec Ruins
26 fps
61 fps
17 fps
25 fps
–
63 fps
22 fps
2 fps
17 fps
GFXBench – Car Chase
31 fps
66 fps
23 fps
28 fps
–
78 fps
29 fps
3 fps
22 fps
Full Specs
Honor 400 Review
Poco F7 Review
Motorola Edge 60 Fusion Review
Nothing Phone 3a Review
Motorola Edge 50 Neo Review
Poco X7 Pro Review
CMF Phone 2 Pro Review
TCL 40R 5G Review
Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G Review
UK RRP
£399.99
£389
£299.99
£329
£329
£309
£219
£199
£299
USA RRP
–
Unavailable
Unavailable
–
Unavailable
–
$289
$220
Unavailable
EU RRP
–
–
–
–
€499
–
–
–
–
AUD RRP
–
–
–
–
AU$699
–
–
–
–
Manufacturer
Honor
–
Motorola
Nothing
Motorola
Xiaomi
Nothing
TCL
Xiaomi
Screen Size
6.55 inches
6.8 inches
6.67 inches
6.77 inches
6.4 inches
6.7 inches
6.77 inches
6.6 inches
6.7 inches
Storage Capacity
256GB
256GB
256GB, 512GB
128GB, 256GB
256GB, 512GB
256GB, 512GB
128GB, 256GB
128GB, 64GB
256GB, 512GB
Rear Camera
200MP main; 12MP ultrawide
50MP + 8MP
50MP main + 13MP ultrawide
50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm (wide); 50 MP, f/2.0, 50mm (telephoto); 8 MP (ultrawide)
50MP + 10MP + 13MP
50MP + 8MP
50MP + 50MP + 8MP
50MP + 2MP + 2MP
200MP + 8MP + 2MP
Front Camera
50MP
20MP
32MP
32MP
32MP
20MP
16MP
8MP
20MP
Video Recording
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
IP rating
IP56
IP68
IP69
IP57
IP68
IP68
IP54
No
IP68
Battery
5300 mAh
6500 mAh
5200 mAh
5000 mAh
4310 mAh
6000 mAh
5000 mAh
5000 mAh
5110 mAh
Wireless charging
–
–
–
–
Yes
–
–
–
–
Fast Charging
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Size (Dimensions)
74.6 x 7.3 x 156.5 MM
77.9 x 8.2 x 163.1 MM
73 x 8 x 161 MM
77.5 x 8.4 x 163.5 MM
71.2 x 8.1 x 154.1 MM
75.2 x 8.3 x 160.8 MM
78 x 7.8 x 164 MM
75.4 x 9 x 164.5 MM
74.4 x 8.4 x 162.3 MM
Weight
183 G
216 G
178 G
201 G
171 G
195 G
185 G
192 G
190 G
ASIN
–
–
B0F48H546B
–
B0DBW1HSF5
B0DKP4M9DS
B0F2T4LT17
B0BTZ6MKC6
B0DKY54C4G
Operating System
MagicOS 9
HyperOS 2 (Android 15)
Android 15
Android 15
Android 14
Android 15
Nothing OS 3.2 (Android 15)
Android 12
HyperOS 2 (Android 15)
Release Date
2025
2025
2025
2025
2021
2025
2025
2023
2025
First Reviewed Date
22/05/2025
27/06/2025
26/05/2025
04/03/2025
31/10/2024
31/01/2025
05/05/2025
27/06/2023
22/04/2025
Resolution
2736 x 1263
1280 x 2772
1220 x 2712
2392 x 1080
1256 x 2760
1220 x 2712
1080 x 2392
720 x 1612
1220 x 2712
HDR
–
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
–
Yes
Refresh Rate
120 Hz
120 Hz
120 Hz
120 Hz
120 Hz
120 Hz
120 Hz
90 Hz
120 Hz
Ports
USB-C
USB-C
USB-C
USB-C
USB-C
USB-C
USB-C, microSD card slot
USB-C, 3.5mm headphone jack
USB-C
Chipset
Snapdragon 7 Gen 3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4
MediaTek Dimensity 7300
Snapdragon 7s Gen 3
MediaTek Dimensity 7300
MediaTek Dimensity 8400-Ultra
MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro
MediaTek Dimensity 700
Mediatek Dimensity 7300 Ultra
RAM
8GB
12GB
12GB
12GB, 8GB
–
12GB, 8GB
8GB
4GB
12GB, 8GB
Colours
Midnight Black, Meteor Silver, Desert Gold
Black, White, Cyber Silver
Pantone Slipstream, Pantone Amazonite, Pantone Zephyr, Pantone Mykonos Blue
Blue, White
Nautical Blue, Latte, Grisaille, Poinciana
Black/Yellow, White, Green
White, Black, Orange, Light Green
Purple, Black
Lavender Purple, Coral Green, Midnight Black
Stated Power
–
90 W
68 W
–
–
90 W
33 W
–
45 W
