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Best budget smartphones of 2025, tried and tested by an expert
In a market where the latest iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S can cost upwards of £800, it’s useful to know that there are far more affordable alternatives. Finding the best budget smartphone will save you a lot of money and with the very best examples, you might not even notice a qualitative difference.
Most of the following recommendations sit around the £500 mark. At this mid-range price, you can expect to find phones that broadly emulate the flagship experience. The best examples from manufacturers such as Google, Samsung, and Nothing will offer smooth performance, vibrant and responsive displays and decent cameras.
Spend less than £300 and you can expect to find phones that perform the day-to-day basics adequately, with perhaps one or two exceptional areas (excellent battery life, for example, or a very good screen). Compromises are required to hit such an aggressive price point, but manufacturers such as Xiaomi and Motorola are well-practiced at mitigating the weak points.
I’ve been reviewing phones since the beginning of the modern smartphone industry. Here are my recommendations for the best affordable phones on the market in 2025, as well as some answers to frequently asked questions. Before we get into detail, here are my top five.
The best budget smartphones: At a glance
How to choose the best budget smartphone for you
While it’s possible to spend as much as £2,000 on a modern phone, the average flagship handset will cost half that. When we talk about budget smartphones, we’re talking about phones that cost £500 or less.
Every modern smartphone, regardless of price, should be able to place calls, send and receive messages, take photographs and run applications. The cheaper the phone, the more likely one or more of those basic areas is going to be compromised to some degree.
Picking a budget smartphone, then, is an exercise in prioritisation. It’s impossible to have it all (though our top pick gets close), so you’ll need to determine what’s important to you. Do you favour speedy performance, a strong camera, excellent battery life or a big and bright display? How important are features such as wireless charging or water resistance?
Once you have an idea of what you’re looking for in a budget smartphone, and just as importantly what you’re willing to live without, there are a range of excellent options to choose from.
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