Best budget phone 2025: The top cheap smartphones in the UK, as tested and reviewed by us
Looking to save money on your next smartphone? These are the best budget phones to buy in the UK, fully tested by our team of experts
With prices rising everywhere we look, there’s never been a better time to consider switching to one of the best budget smartphones on the market. Some of the most sought-after features have slowly been making their way down to more affordable models, to the point where you can now get a whole lot of phone for not a lot of money.
Here at Expert Reviews, we’ve tested all of the best smartphones, reviewing around 50 handsets last year alone. We thoroughly assess each phone, using the most comprehensive testing process in the UK and a benchmarking spreadsheet that contains data going all the way back to the birth of Expert Reviews in 2008.
As such, we’re well equipped to separate the bargain budget handsets from the duds, and we’ve laid out our top picks below. We regularly update the selection, so you can be sure that our recommendations are always up to date.
You can follow the link below to jump down to our buying guide, where we lay out the most important features to look out for when shopping for a new cheap smartphone. Otherwise, read on to see our picks for the best budget smartphones to buy right now.
JUMP TO: Buying guide
Best budget smartphone: At a glance
| Best budget phone | Motorola Moto G55 5G | Check price at Amazon |
| Best for battery life | Motorola Edge 50 Fusion | Check price at Amazon |
| Best around £100 | Motorola Moto G13 | Check price at Amazon |
| Best budget iPhone | iPhone 12 (renewed) | Check price at Back Market |
| Best budget camera | Honor 200 Lite | Check price at Amazon |
How we test budget smartphones
Budget smartphones are tested using a variety of in-house and publicly available benchmark methods. We test CPU and gaming performance using the Geekbench and GFXBench applications, available from the Apple App Store and Google Play. Both of these apps provide us with performance scores, which can be used to directly compare against other handsets.
Display testing is performed using a colorimeter and the DisplayCal software for Windows and Mac. This test provides us with figures for overall colour accuracy, as well as maximum brightness and contrast.
For battery life, we set the phone’s screen to a standardised brightness, switch off all data connections and play a 20-hour looped video. When the handset switches off, we charge it up and record the timestamp.
When testing a phone’s cameras, we always use a competitor handset for direct comparison while taking pictures in a variety of different shooting scenarios, including low-light and portrait photography. Depending on the lenses available, we may also capture ultrawide or zoomed images, as well as test available resolution and frame rate settings in video recording.
This is only a brief glimpse of the testing process we use when reviewing the latest smartphones. If you’re keen to find out even more detail, including how we interpret the various results, you can read our dedicated How we test smartphones article for more information.
READ NEXT: Best Android smartphones
The best budget smartphones you can buy in 2025
1. Motorola Moto G55 5G: Best budget phone overall
Price when reviewed: £159 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… performance and battery life
- Not so great for… limited software support and minor display downgrades
The Motorola Moto G55 5G replaces its predecessor as our new favourite budget phone, bringing to the table improved performance, much better battery life and faster charging, while still being available for the same price. The display is bright and colour-accurate and the main camera delivers better night photography than most other budget phones.
Not everything is perfect – the display’s contrast and black levels are a little weaker than before and Motorola is still only offering a single OS update – but at this price, it’s hard to focus on the negatives. As a balance between affordability and functionality, the Motorola Moto G55 5G is unrivalled.
Read our 2024 Motorola Moto G55 5G review
Key specs – Processor: 2.5GHz MediaTek Dimensity 7025; RAM: 8GB; Display: 6.49in, 2,400 x 1,080; Storage: 256GB; Cameras: 50MP, 8MP (wide); Operating system: Android 14; Weight: 179g
2. Google Pixel 7a: Best budget Pixel phone
Price when reviewed: £299 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… fantastic cameras and software support until 2028
- Not so great for… relatively pricey and only 18W charging
It pushes the boundaries of what we consider to be a budget phone but, if you fancy one of Google’s handsets, the Pixel 7a is the most bargain option around. As with all Pixels, the standout here is the cameras, which produced beautifully lit, colourful shots with bundles of detail and broad dynamic range when we took them for a spin. Even better is the editing software, including the excellent Magic Eraser and Photo Unblur features.
Google’s software pledge is another bonus; the Pixel 7a is due updates through to 2028, which massively surpasses everything else on this list, and Pixels tend to get early access to new Android features. Add in decent performance, battery life that improves upon the previous generation and a bright, colour-accurate display, and the Google Pixel 7a is an absolute bargain at this price.
Read our 2023 Google Pixel 7a review
Key specs – Processor: 2.85GHz Google Tensor G2; RAM: 8GB; Display: 6.1in 2,400 x 1,080; Storage: 128GB; Cameras: 64MP, 13MP (wide); Operating system: Android 15; Weight: 194g
3. Motorola Edge 50 Fusion: Best budget phone for battery life
Price when reviewed: £279 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… flawless display and outstanding battery life
- Not so great for… middling secondary camera and non-expandable storage
Having started its life in the mid-range, the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion has now been discounted to budget territory and, for this price, it’s an absolute steal. The crisp AMOLED display feels like it belongs on a phone that costs twice as much, with great peak brightness and excellent colour accuracy, and the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor delivered solid performance scores in our testing.
Most impressive, however, was the battery life, with the Edge 50 Fusion lasting for a little over 27 hours in our looping video test, easily one of the best results we’ve had from a phone this cheap. This is such a well-rounded phone that our only real concerns are that there’s no slot for microSD cards and the 13-megapixel ultrawide camera isn’t as impressive as the main shooter. That should tell you just how much this phone gets right and what a bargain it is at this price.
Read our 2024 Motorola Edge 50 Fusion review
Key specs – Processor: 2.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2; RAM: 12GB; Display: 6.7in, 2,400 x 1,080; Storage: 256GB; Cameras: 50MP, 13MP (wide); Operating system: Android 14; Weight: 175g
4. Motorola Moto G13: Best budget phone around £100
Price when reviewed: £105 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… great features on a budget and solid battery life
- Not so great for… photography and there’s no 5G support
While budget phones often bring to mind sluggish performance, the Motorola Moto G13 bucks this trend by including a smoother 90Hz refresh rate for its 6.5in display. The resolution is still 720p so it won’t look as crisp as flagship phones, but swiping and scrolling feels more fluid than the 60Hz alternatives used by the vast majority of budget phones.
The Mediatek Helio G85 processor delivers decent performance for a budget phone, and the 5,000mAh battery fared even better, lasting for close to 20 hours in our standard looping video test. Throw in a 3.5mm headphone jack, dual-SIM capacity and space for a microSD card to expand the storage, and the Moto G13 offers terrific value for very little money.
Read our 2023 Motorola Moto G13 review
Key specs – Processor: 2GHz Mediatek Helio G85; RAM: 4GB; Display: 6.5in 1,600 x 720; Storage: 128GB; Cameras: 50MP, 2MP (macro), 2MP (depth); Operating system: Android 13; Weight: 184g
5. Honor 200 Lite: Best budget phone camera
Price when reviewed: £157 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… high-resolution selfie camera and impressive battery life
- Not so great for… cluttered software and middling performance
It was a close call as to whether the Honor 200 Lite or the above Magic 6 Lite would be our top budget pick for photography, as both have excellent 108MP main cameras that capture plenty of detail and nicely neutral colours. But the Honor 200 just about clinched it by throwing in a massive 50MP selfie camera, as well. This lens is aimed at portrait lovers, producing natural skin tones and effective background blurs – though you’ll want to turn off the overzealous beautification.
The build is also wonderfully lightweight: at 6.8mm thin and just 168g, this is one of the thinnest and lightest handsets you can get right now. Despite that, battery life is a huge step up from the Honor 90 Lite, pushing to over 25 hours in our testing. Performance isn’t as impressive and the software is too busy but otherwise, the Honor 200 Lite packs a whole lot of phone into its lightweight frame.
Read our 2024 Honor 200 Lite review
Key specs – Processor: 2.4GHz Mediatek Dimensity 6080; RAM: 8GB; Display: 6.7in 2,412 x 1,080; Storage: 256GB; Cameras: 108MP, 5MP (wide), 2MP (macro); Operating system: Android 14; Weight: 168g
6. Apple iPhone 12 (Renewed): Best budget iPhone
Price when reviewed: £231 | Check price at Back Market
- Great for… decent performance for the price and 5G connectivity
- Not so great for… only a 60Hz display and middling battery life
It’s not Apple’s latest but the iPhone 12 still has a lot of value to offer, especially if you’re looking to pick up an iPhone on the cheap. The 6.1in OLED display still only has a 60Hz refresh rate but it improves the resolution compared to the iPhone 11, now 2,532 x 1,170. We measured excellent brightness and colour accuracy, meaning that the iPhone 12 more than competes with newer phones in the display stakes.
The A14 Bionic chip is still a swift performer, too, outpacing phones that cost £100 more than this and delivering gaming benchmarks close to 60fps, which again is rare at this price. Battery life lets the side down somewhat, only lasting 16hrs 30mins in our standard test, but if you’re looking to get that Apple logo without paying exorbitant prices, a refurbished iPhone 12 is an excellent choice.
Read our 2020 iPhone 12 review
Key specs – Processor: 3.1GHz Apple A14 Bionic; RAM: 4GB; Display: 6.1in 2,532 x 1,170; Storage: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB; Cameras: 12MP, 12MP (wide); Operating system: iOS 18; Weight: 164g
7. Xiaomi Poco X7: Most durable budget phone
Price when reviewed: £199 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… flagship-quality durability and improved main camera
- Not so great for… cluttered software and no bundled charger
There’s a lot to like about the Xiaomi Poco X7 but nothing is more impressive than its durability credentials. The phone is rated IP68 for dust and water resistance, which is a level of protection that is typically only seen on far more expensive phones. The same can be said of the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 that covers the display for scratch protection – all over, this is an impressively rugged budget phone.
Beyond that, we’ve got nippy performance that rivals phones which cost £100 more, decent battery life, a solid main camera that captures sharp, vibrant shots and a bright, crisp OLED display. Xiaomi’s software is still a little fussy for our liking and we in the UK don’t get a charger bundled in the box but, overall, the level of quality offered by the Poco X7 far exceeds its humble price tag.
Read our 2025 Xiaomi Poco X7 review
Key specs – Processor: 2.5GHz Mediatek Dimensity 7300 Ultra; RAM: 8GB, 12GB; Display: 6.67in 2,712 x 1,220; Storage: 256GB, 512GB; Cameras: 50MP, 8MP (wide), 2MP (macro); Operating system: Android 15; Weight: 190g
8. Nokia G42 5G: Best budget phone for repairability
Price when reviewed: £138 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… repairable design and impressive battery life
- Not so great for… limited software support and middling colour accuracy
The G42 5G is the second in Nokia’s line of repairable phones, and once again you can perform repairs such as replacing the battery or charging port yourself, with affordable spare parts, tools and guides available on the iFixit website. Repairs can be done in as little as five minutes – including the battery replacement we performed during testing – and most importantly, doing them doesn’t void the phone’s warranty or compromise the IP52 dust and water resistance rating.
On top of the repair-friendly design, the Nokia G42 5G puts in a solid showing for its price range, with competitive performance in both CPU and GPU benchmarks, and particularly impressive battery life. The repairability is somewhat undermined by the brand only pledging two software updates, and display colour accuracy could be better, but for a decent budget phone that’s easy to patch up yourself, the Nokia G42 5G is the best out there.
Read our 2023 Nokia G42 5G review
Key specs – Processor: 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 Plus 5G; RAM: 6GB; Display: 6.56in 1,612 x 720; Storage: 128GB; Cameras: 50MP, 2MP (macro), 2MP (depth); Operating system: Android 13; Weight: 194g
How to choose the best budget phone for you
How much should I spend?
This is the key question, and while the definition of budget can differ from person to person, when it comes to smartphones, we’re generally looking at handsets that fall under or around the £300 mark. That may sound a little high to be called budget, but phone prices in general have steadily been rising, so the goalposts for what is considered an affordable model have been moving with them.
To be clear, that’s an upper limit, not an average – you can find impressively specced phones for closer to £100 if your budget is particularly tight. In the opposite direction, iPhones tend to carry higher premiums, so if you want that Apple logo, expect to spend a little more.
What kind of features should I look out for?
While budget smartphones don’t get all of the bells and whistles that their £1,000+ flagship counterparts offer, there’s still plenty of functionality in this price range. These are the top things to bear in mind while shopping:
Display: This is an area in which budget phones have improved massively over the past few years. Plenty of handsets now offer Full HD (1080p) resolutions and 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rates, meaning that everything will look sharp and scrolling will feel smooth. Most are LCD screens, but OLED displays have started cropping up around this price as well, offering more vibrant colours and a deeper black level.
Cameras: You won’t see far-reaching telephoto lenses at this price, but otherwise, budget cameras have come a long way. Megapixel (MP) count gives you an idea of the camera’s resolution (how detailed images are, basically), but to see how well they perform, check out our full reviews, where we publish camera samples for you to peruse.
Battery life: Battery capacity is measured in milliamps-per-hour (mAh) and the general rule is that higher-capacity batteries should last longer on a single charge. We’ve tested all of these devices, so you can jump over to our full reviews to see exactly how long each lasted in our standardised test. You can also check our best phone battery life ranking page to see what models offer the absolute best stamina.
Performance: You can get an idea of a phone’s performance by checking the clock speed of the processor (measured in GHz) and how much RAM is inside (anything more than 4GB will do nicely). We list both of these in the key specs of each mini-review, so you can see at a glance roughly how well each phone will perform. If you like to play phone games, check our full reviews to see how well each model performed in our tests; all entries here will handle the likes of Candy Crush well enough, but some may struggle with more demanding 3D games.
Storage: There are three main storage capacities you’ll see in budget phones: 64GB, 128GB and 256GB. More storage space will naturally allow for more apps, photos, videos and the like, but you can get away with picking up a lower-capacity model if it also has a microSD card slot, allowing you to add more space when the internal storage fills up.
