Best Budget Smartphones of 2023

After a cheap mobile phone that won’t leave a dent in your wallet? Look no further. From top-quality cameras to long-lasting batteries, and everything in between, we’ll help you find the best budget smartphone for you.

At Envirofone, we stock a huge range of cheap mobile phones, including top-grade models like the iPhone 11, Samsung Galaxy S10, and the Huawei Honor 9. Get your hands on the latest tech for a fraction of the price—it’s that simple. So, are you ready to find your perfect match? Check out our favourite affordable phones below.

Is the Huawei Honor 9 a good phone?

Affordable all-round performance. That’s precisely what you get with Huawei’s Honor 9. The compact smartphone sits easily in hand and features a handy fingerprint sensor below the screen. Its glass design looks and feels buttery smooth, too. The Honor 9’s 3200mah battery lasts a full day, while a dual-lens set-up includes a powerful 20MP camera that takes crisp shots. For budding photographers, we recommend dabbling in the handset’s aperture mode, which lets you alter subject focus. With so much on offer, the Huawei Honor 9 is easily one of the best budget smartphones out there.

Buy the Huawei Honor 9

Specs:

Why iPhone SE 2020 so cheap?

Searching for a budget Apple device? Say hello to the iPhone SE 2020. Available in various colours, the SE 2020’s compact frame is neat and tidy, fitting in hand like a glove. Its Retina HD display is bright and responsive, even though it’s an older model, while a powerful A13 Bionic chipset ensures superfast browsing, streaming, and gaming speeds. Camera-wise, a 12MP single sensor snapper with advanced image processing takes crystal-clear photos. The iPhone SE 2020 isn’t the best in the battery department but should last a full day with moderate use. However, it supports fast charging, which ramps up your battery to 50% within 30 minutes.

Buy the iPhone SE 2020

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Is the Samsung S10 better than the iPhone?

Samsung lover? Good news—you can grab a Samsung Galaxy S10 for less than £160. Talk about a bargain! Not only does it deliver on price, but also performance. The durable device is lined with a Gorilla Glass 6 screen, protecting it from bumps and falls.

The all-new design features smooth, curved edges and an ultra-wide display (with an impressive 88.3% screen-to-body ratio!) to improve the look and feel. Plus, weighing just 157g, the Samsung Galaxy S10 is more compact and lighter than ever. With a triple rear camera, auto-HDR, and Panorama, this budget smartphone is perfect for those who want crisp and colourful Insta-worthy snaps.

Buy the Samsung Galaxy S10

Specs:

How old is the Sony Xperia XA1?

Sony’s Experia XA1 is a fantastic option if you want a cheap mobile phone under £100. For just £94.99, you’ll get a pocketable design and a whopping 23MP camera which takes fantastic pictures for its price. The 720p screen is bright but features a relatively low screen resolution. This means text may look less clean and sharp in close-up. There’s no lagging when flicking between apps, thanks to its Android 7.0 operating system and relatively powerful chipset. To top it off, there’s also a USB slot for easy file transfers and charging, while a memory card slot means you can boost storage space.

The Specs

Buying guide: How to choose the best budget smartphone

Choosing a new phone is never an easy decision. How do you know which one is right for you? Regardless of what features you want from your phone, there are ways to save money. Yes, you can still get a triple-lens HD camera and panoramic video shots from a budget smartphone. And you can cut the cost even further if you buy a refurbished phone.

If you need to keep costs low, but still want high tech, there are a few things you can do. First, consider a refurbished mobile phone. Refurbished simply means it’s been pre-owned and renewed for sale—it doesn’t mean sub-par quality. At least, not with Envirofone. We put every phone through 100-point testing to ensure it’s as good as new. Some of our second-hand phones haven’t even made it out of the box. Not only do you save money, but you still get the latest and greatest mobile phone for a fraction of the price.

You could also consider a SIM-free deal. That way, there’s no monthly contract to pay. You’ll own the phone outright, and usually only need to pay a small fee for your SIM each month. Of course, you could choose an older phone with fewer features. Take the iPhone 8, for example. You can buy an iPhone 8 for less than £115, and still enjoy an excellent 12MP dual camera, iOS 14, and Apple Pay. Sure, it might not have Face ID or the top-tier, 48-megapixel rear camera of the iPhone 14, but other than that, you probably wouldn’t notice the difference.

What to look for in a cheap mobile phone

Cheap phones don’t have everything, so you’ll need to consider which features are a must and which are a nice-to-have. Here are some things to think about before choosing your budget smartphone:

Compromising on storage size can help reduce the price of your phone. For instance, opting for a 64GB iPhone 11 rather than 128GB. If you need lots of storage, keep tabs on a device’s internal drive and whether it has a memory card slot.
Phones with increased battery life usually cost more. Look out for a higher mAh—The higher the number, the longer you can expect the phone to last from a single charge. While budget smartphones may not boast the same processing power as flagship gadgets, they still offer top performance. Look at the clock speed of the chip (measured in GHz) and the available RAM (4GB and above should cut the mustard) to get an idea of how fast the phone is.

Budget smartphones aren’t always equipped with the highest quality cameras, but that doesn’t mean they don’t take good pics. You may have to settle for lower resolution and fewer zoom modes, but you’ll still be able to grab that snap of your pancakes. You can find great cameras on affordable phones, like the Google Pixel 4 XL. In fact, its camera gives many flagship phones a run for their money. But this high snapping standard tends to cost a tad more than handsets that come under the £200 mark.

The cheapest mobile phones usually have lower-quality resolution displays with dimmer colours. That said, you can still find many budget smartphones with top-draw displays. Most cheap phones feature screen resolutions of at least 720p, and some even offer Full HD displays like the Huawei 10 Mate Pro.

Other budget phone options:

• Best smartphone under £100: Sony Xperia XA1 (from £74.99)
• Best cheap mobile phone under £150: iPhone 8 (from £114.99)
• Best phone for camera: Google Pixel 4 XL (from £164.99)
• Best phone for battery life: Samsung Galaxy A50 (from £149.99)
• Best phone design: Huawei Mate 10 Pro (from £169.99)
• Best budget phone for functionality: iPhone 11 (from £209.99)

Related blog: The Downfall of the BlackBerry

Conclusion:
At Envirofone, you get a brilliant device for less. Our selection is jam-packed with affordable phones from the world’s leading brands, including Apple, Samsung and Google. We also ensure every second-hand item is returned to its former glory through a 100-point testing process, so you’re never disappointed. By the time you get your phone, you might wonder if it’s new not refurbished. We promise quality, every time.

Every reconditioned device comes packaged in a protective padded box. We also ship it out to you for free and slap on a 12-month warranty. But there’s more! You can send your old device to Envirofone for money towards your next purchase. So, browse our range of cheap mobile phones today for tech that doesn’t harm the planet (or your wallet).