1. The list in brief
2. Best cheap Samsung
3. Best cheap iPhone
4. Best cheap Pixel
5. Best phone under £200
6. Best display on a budget
7. Best cheap phone for durablity
8. FAQs
9. How we test
The best cheap phones offer reliability, longevity and decent performance at an accessible price point. Previously, the budget mobile aisle was shorthand for poor quality, but in 2024, there are plenty of affordable handsets that punch well above their weight without compromising on features.
We've reviewed countless phones, including the best phones around, and we can confidently say that there are a number of cheap models that offer more than just an affordable price. So, while the ultimate decision is yours, our roundup of the best cheap phones should help give you a head-start.
Our current best cheap phones guide includes big hitters like the Samsung Galaxy A55, Google Pixel 8a and iPhone 13, though if you're after a device from a lesser-known manufacturer, then the Nothing Phone 2a is worth considering.
Of course, if you're able to spend a bit more, then one of the best Android phones, best iPhones, or best camera phones might be a more suitable fit.
Quick list
Samsung's 2024 mid-ranger offers great battery life, an impressive 6.6-inch display, and a design that looks and feels more premium than its affordable price tag suggests.
Read more below
The iPhone 13 is still on-sale as new, and it's the best value iPhone you can buy right now. It comes in great color options, and is powered by the same A15 Bionic chip as the pricier iPhone 14.
Read more below
The Google Pixel 8a is the most affordable way to access Google's impressive suite of AI features, offering a decent chipset and stellar longevity to boot.
Read more below
On top of a fantastic display, the Honor 90 offers more base storage, faster charging and better cameras than almost all of its mid-range rivals. Its long-term support isn't great, though.
Read more below
If you want a reasonably-priced phone that can take a knock (or two) and will continue to be supported for years to come, the Nokia XR20 is for you.
Read more below
The best cheap phones in 2024
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Below, you'll find full write-ups for each of the best cheap phones in our list. We've tested each model extensively, so you can be sure that our recommendations can be trusted.
The best cheap Samsung phone
Samsung's Galaxy A series smartphones regularly rank among the best Samsung phones for value, and the company has again delivered a supremely well-rounded (and great-looking) product with the Samsung Galaxy A55.
For starters, Samsung has ditched the Galaxy A54's plastic casing in favor of a new and strikingly classy metal build on its latest mid-tier champion. The Galaxy A55 looks and feels like a premium device, despite being almost half the price of the Samsung Galaxy S24, and it boasts a suite of near-flagship specs, too.
The phone's chipset, for instance, is a highly capable Exynos 1480, which delivered smooth browsing and gaming performance during our testing. The A55's 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate is also impressive, and won't make you feel as though you're missing out on one of the best phone displays.
You'll get a long-lasting 5,000mAh battery and 25W wired charging with the Galaxy A55, as well as four cameras: a 50MP main, a 12MP ultra-wide, a 5MP macro camera and a 32MP selfie snapper. The latter set are unchanged from the Galaxy A54, but they should still prove versatile enough for most amateur mobile photographers.
It's worth noting that the similar-looking Samsung Galaxy A35 is a essentially cheaper version of this phone, though the Galaxy A55 packs a superior processor, which should mean it lasts you longer.
The best cheap iPhone
Despite now being over two years old, the standard iPhone 13 remains on sale at Apple, with the arrival of the iPhone 15 having brought its price down to an extremely reasonable £599 in 2024 (you'll likely find it cheaper elsewhere, too). The iPhone SE (2022) is even more affordable, at £429, but the iPhone 13 is a markedly better phone for a not-much-higher price.
The iPhone 13 didn't prove a game-changer for Apple’s series of smartphones, but it remains an important iteration that offers better battery life, a better processor and a better camera setup than its predecessors. If you’re looking for a fast and capable smartphone, and don’t need the extra features of a pricier Pro model, then the iPhone 13 continues to be a top choice.
The highlight of the iPhone 13 is its battery life. Previously, iPhones hadn't been synonymous with strong battery life, but during our testing, we were hard-pressed to run the iPhone 13 out of juice. The phone's A15 Bionic chipset, meanwhile, is incredibly powerful, and paired with 4GB of RAM, it’s capable of running multiple apps and tasks quickly and efficiently.
Read our full iPhone 13 review
The best cheap Pixel Phone
If you're a fan of Google's streamlined OS and aren't fussed about joining the AI revolution, then the Google Pixel 7a remains an attractive, now-even-cheaper option in 2024. However, its successor, the Google Pixel 8a, takes the crown as the best cheap Pixel phone by virtue of it being the cheapest way to access Google's latest and greatest mobile AI tools.
Features including Circle to Search, Call Assist, Magic Editor and Google's Gemini assistant are all present and correct here, with Google's unprecedented seven-year update commitment to the Pixel 8a set to ensure that this phone gets even better with time.
The Pixel 8a gets the basics right, too. It's got a pleasant-looking display, the camera is decent (at 64MP, it has the highest megapixel count of any Pixel phone, though you'll find the same cameras on its predecessor), and it's also a really compact device, at a comfortable 6.1-inches.
Certainly, there are flaws. The Pixel 8a doesn't rectify the battery issues we encountered with both the Pixel 7a and Pixel 6a, and you'll technically get faster performance from phones running the latest Snapdragon chipsets.
That said, compromises must be made to keep any phone's price down. Google's thoughtful AI features clearly have an audience, and the Pixel 8a is one of the nicest and most inexpensive ways you can get onboard.
Read our full Google Pixel 8a review
The best display on a budget
The Honor 90 has a downright fantastic display, and its cameras are among the best on this list. At launch, the phone retailed for a not-so-cheap £449.99, but given that its successor, the Honor 200 Pro, was released in June 2024, you can now pick up the Honor 90 for a much more reasonable price. Think of it as the 'best alternative cheap phone'.
The Honor 90 sports a 6.7-inch quad-curved AMOLED display with a resolution of 2664 x 1200 and an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. It’s big, bright and more than suitable for gaming and watching movies, thanks to HDR10+ support and HDR certifications from streamers, including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
On the back, you're getting a triple-camera system that comprises a 200MP main lens (with a 1/1.4-inch sensor), a 12MP ultra-wide lens (with a 112° field of view) and a 2MP depth sensor that helps the camera accurately gauge distance.
Less impressive is Honor’s software and security support commitment to the Honor 90. You’ll get two years of Android updates and three years of security updates with this phone. That’s markedly fewer than, say, Samsung and Google are committing their latest mid-range devices. But then again, the Honor 90 offers more base storage, faster charging and better display credentials than almost all of its category rivals.
Read our full Honor 90 review
The best cheap phone for durability
The Nokia XR20 is the first rugged smartphone to launch under the Nokia banner with the help of HMD Global, which now owns the brand. Unlike other rugged smartphones that stand out due to their designs, the Nokia XR20 is meant to blend in with its slim profile and sleek look.
In terms of durability, the XR20 is IP68 certified, MIL-STD-810 rated, and is the first rugged smartphone to feature Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. The device also features a red emergency button along with a dedicated, non-customizable Google Assistant button.
However, what really sets the XR20 apart from the pack is the fact that HMD Global has guaranteed that the device will receive four years of security updates with three years of OS updates. The company also includes free one-year screen replacement. Put simply, if you want a reasonably-priced phone that can take a beating and will continue to be supported for years to come, the XR20 is for you.
Read our full Nokia XR20 5G review
FAQs
What is the best cheap phone?
The best cheap phone for you will depend on what you do (and don't) value in a smartphone. If you prefer a Samsung, then the Samsung Galaxy A55 could be for you. If you're already embedded in Apple's ecosystem, then the iPhone 13 remains a top choice. Alternatively, the Google Pixel 8a offers an affordable way into Google's AI-powered ecosystem, while the Honor 90 has a great display and a strong set of cameras.
How to choose the best cheap phone for you
Even the best cheap phones don't have it all; that low price means there are almost always weaker elements, so the first step to choosing one is deciding which aspects are most important to you, and what you can live without.
Do you need excellent battery life? A sharp screen? Or capable cameras? Perhaps you require a high refresh rate, or consider 5G to be vital.
Another consideration, which isn't specifically price related, is the screen size; a smaller screen makes a phone easier to use with one hand, and easier to fit in small pockets, while a bigger screen can make apps, games and videos more pleasant to watch and interact with.
Whatever the case, once you've decided what you do (and don't) need, you can read through the entries above to find a phone that fits. Whatever balance you ultimately decide on, there's likely to be an ideal option above, and we've tested all of these phones extensively, so you can be sure they're good.
How we test
We only include a handset on this best cheap phones list once we've fully reviewed it, so you can be assured that every entry has been tested in full.
Our testing process involves using the phone as our main handset for days, or even weeks, testing all the key factors, from the power to the battery life, the cameras, the screen, and beyond.
That means we know exactly how each of these handsets performs in reality, not just on paper, and we use that knowledge to rank them, while factoring in their all-important price and value.
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