Best budget phone 2021: Cheap phones for $200/£200 or less

 

(Pocket-lint) - Just because you want a cheap phone doesn't mean you have to compromise entirely on the features that are available. There are plenty of budget phones below £/€/$200 - often so nice that it seems odd that a flagship phone costs at least four times as much.

Budget phones may not have the sharpest screens or the most pristine designs, but while saving your wallet at the same time, an inexpensive smartphone can still look fine, deliver decent specifications, a good battery life, and solid performance.

With that, who would argue? Here is our guide to the best phones around for the budget. Check out our sub-400 guide if you have a little extra to spare.

Motorola Moto G8

There are a lot of handsets from the Moto G series out there, but you can't do better than the G8 at this price point.

No, compared to some other models in the series, it doesn't have the best cameras, but you still get a lot of money: great battery life, smooth apps, ample performance (gaming is no problem), and a refined design compared to previous equivalents as well.

In our opinion, there's nothing better at this price point.

Redmi Note 9

Redmi is the Chinese company Xiaomi's more affordable brand and its Note 9 provides a decent design and build for its price, coupled with enough power to do most things (despite being on a MediaTek platform), and a camera that will take a good enough image.

Compared to the likes of the Motorola devices on this website, it may have software that is a little less preferable, but it delivers a great battery life and it is a great budget phone that delivers your money with a lot of performance.

Nokia 5.3

The Nokia 5.3 offers a great battery life, a versatile camera system, and a clean software experience that is always up to date.

Compared to others on this list, it has a cheap design, the macro camera is not brilliant and there is some performance lag, but if you don't have a big budget to spend on a phone, most of the boxes will tick the Nokia 5.3 for you

Motorola Moto G7 Power

With a true two-day battery life per charge, the Motorola Moto G7 Power delivers an outstanding battery life. The design is not as premium as the more pricey Moto G7 and G7 Plus, which are part of the same family, but it has a refreshed design with a notched display over the G6 models.

The efficiency of the display is not the best, nor is the camera, but the G7 Power offers excellent value for money. The G7 Power has a clean user experience like other Motorola handsets, providing almost vanilla Android with minimal bloatware, and it provides performance that will fit many just fine.

Realme 5

Oppo is certainly onto something with its Realme brand. This phone's battery life is exceptional, with near two-day life; its screen is large; and its processor is ample for tasks and gaming alike.

That said, the so-called 'quad camera' is an oversell that you will need to take with a pinch of salt - and though we can forgive the screen for not being the highest resolution at this price point.

It is in having a balanced experience for the money where the Realme 5 really excels.

Honor 9 Lite

The Honor 9 Lite offers striking looks well beyond its asking price, delivering a degree of flagship quality. It also has an 18:9 aspect ratio and it comes with dual cameras on the front and rear, as well as a well-placed fingerprint sensor and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Battery life is not fantastic and often the touchscreen lacks reactivity, while the output of the camera is not the best out there, but if you want a good looking and decent performing phone that you can purchase directly without getting locked into a contract, then the Honor 9 Lite is a real contender.