The best budget phones you can buy right now

The CMF Phone 1 succeeds by being something very few budget phones are – fun.

The Nothing sub-brand’s first smartphone is doing things a little differently, with a standout design that’s sure to turn heads. The plain black panel you see above already looks stylish, but it can easily be swapped out for something more colourful if you’d prefer.

Then there’s the attachment you see in the bottom corner, which is compatible with dedicated lanyard, kickstand and card wallet accessories.

With strong performance, a great display, and solid battery life, the Phone 1 combines style with undoubted substance.

The main compromise here is no NFC, meaning you can’t make contactless payments, while simplistic cameras could do with work. Nothing’s unique take on Android is fun to use, though the company is only promising two years of major Android updates and three years of security updates.

But overall, the CMF Phone 1 is a standout device in more ways than one, which reflects very well on its £209/$199 price tag.

The Samsung Galaxy A16 5G is another adequate cheap phone from Samsung, offering an appealing design and a punchy AMOLED display for a very affordable price.

You’ll likely find Samsung’s design more appealing than many rivals of a similar price and a more hidden advantage, and a big one, is the long software support the firm promises – no less than six years of updates where many budget phones just get two, or no exact promise at all.

Not much progress has been made on the Galaxy A15 5G, however, with similarly sluggish performance and the same middling camera set-up. Conversely, battery life doesn’t appear to be quite as strong as before, particularly when it comes to sustained usage.

All in all, the Galaxy A16 5G is a perfectly acceptable cheap phone, but it’s not quite the instant buy it normally would be, so shop around and consider the Galaxy A15 5G at a lower price.

Given how good the Galaxy A15 5G is, why would you pay extra for the A25 5G?

There are a few reasons, especially as it still costs under £250/$250. A shift to Samsung’s Exynos 1280 chipset boosts performance, while the display is even more impressive with a 120Hz refresh rate. You also get an improved 8Mp ultrawide camera and stereo speakers.

Throw in the already-solid battery life, decent main and selfie cameras and those five years of updates and you’re on to a winner.

The only real reasons not to buy the A25 5G are the limited storage options and a design that won’t be to everyone’s tastes. Or if one of the other phones in this list appeals to you more.

The Moto G84 is undoubtedly one of the best budget phones you can buy. The only reason it isn’t top is the lacklustre software support, with Motorola offering just one Android version update and three years of security support.

You’ll also have to put up with average cameras and a back that’s prone to getting dirty, but that’s about where the negatives end.

The 120Hz OLED display is the finest on any budget phone, while the Snapdragon 695 delivers solid performance and 5G support. Battery life from the 5000mAh cell is solid, and you even get relatively quick (for a budget phone 30W charging).

If the two phones above don’t appeal to you, this is the phone to get – provided you’re not based in the US, where it isn’t available.

Can you really get a good phone for under £100? As it turns out, the answer is yes, and the phone to get is Motorola’s Moto G04.

It costs just £89.99 in the UK (not available in the US), yet still delivers all the fundamentals of a great smartphone. Performance is absolutely fine for the basics, and the display delivers a decent viewing experience, albeit with limited brightness.

Battery life is a real highlight, with two full days of everything except heavy usage. And the Motorola software is reassuringly familiar, even if it only gets two years of security updates.

There’s no 5G support or official water resistance rating and the cameras aren’t great, but these can easily be excused at this price. The Moto G04 still offers incredible value for money.

Read our full Motorola Moto G04 review

The Note 13 5G isn’t quite the cheapest phone in the Redmi Note 13 range – that award goes to the Note 13 (4G) – but this is the one we recommend to budget buyers.

And it’s now even cheaper now it’s the older model, and buying a previous gen handset can be the best value choice.

You still get a lot for your money here. A premium design makes the phone feel a lot more high-end, as does the excellent display. It’s also nice to see expandable storage in addition to 256GB on board, and Xiaomi is offering a generous four years of security updates.

Battery life, software and cameras could all do with work, but the big disappointment is that the Redmi Note 13 5G isn’t available in the US. Despite its flaws, it’s one of the finest cheap phones around.

As mentioned above, the Galaxy A15 5G is a better buy than the 4G model. But the latter is still worth including here, and it might be worth you saving £30 in the UK, though there’s no US availability.

Basically, the only things you’re losing out on are a bit of performance and 5G support. Everything else we said about the A15 5G still applies here, including the attractive display, strong battery life and long software support.

If you only use your phone for the basics and don’t live in an area with good 5G support, the regular A15 is definitely worth considering.

The 50 Pro Nxtpaper is a phone with a difference.

In addition to the usual colour display you’ll get on any smartphone (albeit a nice matt version here), TCL allows you to switch to E-Ink style mode at the flick of a switch. This is transformative for eye health and readability, even if it can’t replace a dedicated eReader for most people.

Crucially, the display still offers a good colour experience, including while watching movies. And the battery life is excellent, regardless of the mode you’re using.

It’s not as impressive in all areas, with cameras and speaker quality both in need of work. Extra bloatware also makes the otherwise enjoyable software more frustrating to use.

But if you read a lot on your phone and are looking for a budget phone that fits the bill, the TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper is the device for you.

Anyone with a Note 13 Pro needn’t upgrade but this doesn’t alter the fact that the Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G is one of the best budget phones you can buy if you’re looking at the top end of this price bracket and value hardware specs the most.

The screen is excellent for the price, while its battery and charging capabilities are also impressive. Then there’s its capable main rear camera and solid performance.

Downsides, aside from the classic budget phone issue of poor secondary cameras, is that the software experience is behind most rivals.

It comes recommended but you should check out various cheaper rivals from the likes of Samsung, CMF and Motorola – as well as the non-pro Note 13 above, now cheaper – before taking the plunge.

If you like the idea of repairing your phone rather than replacing it every few years, the Nokia G22 could be the phone for you. If you can cope with the fact this is quite a slow phone – perhaps you only need one for basic functions like calls and messages and Google Maps – then it’s a good buy.

iFixit sells several official repair kits for the G22 including for screen cracks and new battery. It means you can grab a smartphone for £150 and be safe in the knowledge you can easily repair it yourself.

One thing to note is this phone will only have software support for two years from launch, which somewhat contradicts the idea this is a product you should keep for far longer and replace its failing parts. That aside, this is an interesting concept and a budget phone you should consider if you don’t need a powerful device.