Welcome to our round up of the best budget smartphones available. We’ve painstakingly reviewed all the top cheap phones in 2019 so far, to bring you our definitive ranking on the very best, so you can find the best cheap phone for you.
Update: There’s a host of new phones in our best budget smartphone round-up, so read on to find out what the 10 best cheap phones you can buy right now are.
In the past, the term ‘best cheap phones’ was usually a warning rather than a tempting proposition, with shoddy build quality, sluggish performance, laughable screen resolution and woeful cameras typically featuring on such handsets.
But this isn’t the past, this is the present, and the market abounds with top budget phones.
While the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S10, iPhone XS, Huawei P30 Pro and OnePlus 7 Pro steal headlines around the world, there’s a lot of intriguing (and cheap) stuff going on in the world of budget smartphones.
Here are our favourite cheap phones that cost under £200 SIM-free.
Best phone | Best Android phone | Best iPhone
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The Huawei P Smart 2019 is the best cheap phone you can buy right now.
It packs a usable camera, plenty of storage and great battery life as well as a screen and design that punch way above their weight.
There is very little between the Huawei P Smart and the Honor 10 Lite, they’re practically the same device, but the P Smart tops our list with its slightly sharper design.
Read our full review: Huawei P Smart (2019)
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The Honor 10 Lite is a little unlucky to find itself second in our best budget smartphone round-up, as it can make a strong case for being first as it’s almost identical to the P Smart (2019).
If you’re a frequent Snapchatter or selfie addict the 24MP front-facing camera on the Honor 10 Lite is the one for you.
Read our full review: Honor 10 Lite
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This is the best budget smartphone when it comes to battery, with the Moto G7 Power packing a mammoth 5,000mAh power pack.
It’s also awkwardly big, but for those who want two days (and sometimes more) from a single charge no other smartphone around can match the Moto G7 Power right now.
Read our full review: Moto G7 Power
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Sporting an eye-catching and robust design, along with a bright capacious screen, decent speakers, generous specifications and a powerful chipset, the Realme 3 Pro really does have an odd character of its own.
Though its software design might be divisive, it has no major issues. It has a class-leading camera for the price point, along with dependable stamina and the handy option of very fast charging.
Read our full review: Realme 3 Pro
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Xiaomi should be proud, the Redmi Note 7 is a real achievement – one that puts many other smartphone manufacturers to shame.
It’s difficult to find many other phones than can offer what the Redmi Note 7 does at its price point, and as long as you can look past the software with a few minor niggles and the services it tries to push, you’ll be happy with your purchase.
Read our full review: Redmi Note 7
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You’re unlikely to find many more compelling phones than the Moto G7 Play at its rock-bottom price. It’s well constructed, slim, has zippy internals, the camera is good when you factor in all the shooting modes and it lasts a full day.
The lack of NFC is a bit of a disappointment, but if that doesn’t phase you and you’re not put off by the clunky looking notch and practical design, go forth and pick one up, you won’t regret it.
Read our full review: Moto G7 Play
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The Moto G6 is no-longer the best budget smartphone, but it’s still a great buy for those looking for value for money.
It may not feel or run like a flagship phone, but it’s not pretending to be one. The Moto G6 offers a lot of solid features, plus extras including some fun camera features, fast charging and it all adds up to make one of the best budget handsets on the market.
Motorola has been a class-leader at the budget end of the mobile for a few years, and the pure Android software and solid build of the Moto G6 ensures you get a top smartphone experience without having to break the bank.
Read our in-depth Moto G6 review
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If you’re after the best design and screen you can get for under £150, the Nokia 5.1 is best cheap phone you can buy.
The rest of the specs are fine, it’s not going to dazzle you with performance or camera quality, but it’s how it feels and looks that make it stand out.
Read the full review: Nokia 5.1
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The Moto E5 Plus offers up a big screen, long lasting battery and a low price tag, making it an excellent contender for the best budget smartphone on the market.
It just misses out on a top three spot thanks to its slightly weaker performance and lower resolution screen versus – but this is still a top budget buy.
Read the full review: Moto E5 Plus
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The Motorola One is a smart, well-balanced phone with few glaring weaknesses.
While its design largely holds its own with rivals, there are a couple of shortfalls. The phone’s display isn’t sharp enough, while it also runs on a slightly outdated chipset.
The presence of Android One is a plus point, but even then it’s not a massive departure from Motorola’s usual software efforts. All in all, a decent phone.
Read our full review: Motorola One
Read more: techradar.com