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Best cheap phones to save you money in 2026 and my top budget option has trick even your iPhone is missing
THERE are plenty of mobile bargains around to start the New Year without breaking the bank.
As The Sun’s Assistant Technology and Science Editor, I’ve tried hundreds of smartphones so you don’t have to.
Here are some of my favourites that you can get for super low prices that don’t compromise on quality.
And if you’re an iPhone fan, there’s even a special deal just for you at £500.
#1 Google Pixel 10
The Google Pixel is one of my top smartphone releases for 2025, so much so I’m using one as my main mobile at the moment.
It’s the clean Android operating system that really wins it for me, with all the apps I want in a beautiful interface.
But I also love the Pixel 10’s camera, it’s almost impossible to get a terrible shot because it works so proactively.
The battery will get you through the day with no trouble too.
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As a side note – although I hope to never use them – I really value the extra anti theft safety features on the Pixel as well.
It has a clever trick iPhone can’t do, which detects the motion of a phone snatch and automatically locks the device so a thief can’t go snooping around your phone doing God knows what.
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There’s currently a smashing deal on at Amazon with the Pixel 10 for £599 and it comes with Google’s Pixel Buds 2a earbuds as well.
The only downside is the storage space on this one is a little on the small side at 128GB so you’ll either have to be very tidy with your photos or use cloud storage.
#2 CMF Phone 2 Pro
You probably haven’t heard of the CMF Phone – it’s the budget range of young London-based mobile brand Nothing.
If you’re looking for something a little quirky but very functional then the CMF Phone 2 Pro is worth checking out.
It’s rugged and industrial looking, with exposed screws – and I love it.
Another unique selling point is the accessories to match, with a wallet and stand, a lanyard and interchangeable lenses available as optional extras.
It runs on Nothing’s own version of Android 15.
This brings with it Nothing’s unique design – and it’s one of the few twists on Android’s core look that I actually like.
The camera is OK but doesn’t wow. And there’s only 128GB of storage too.
You can read my full review here.
At the moment, it only costs £184 which is a bargain.
#3 Honor 400 Pro
Honor is another of the lesser-known Android brands around.
I tried the Honor 400 Pro earlier this year and while it wasn’t one of my absolute favourites it is a great cheaper option to consider.
The camera takes some stunning snaps.
But it’s the extra freebies you can nab with it at the moment that make it more compelling.
You get a HONOR CHOICE Watch 2i Black, a HONOR CHOICE 66W SuperCharge Power White 12000mAh and HONOR SuperCharge Power Adapter GaN (Max 100W) all thrown in.
And for a limited time, there’s a discount code that brings the cost down from £499 to £474.99.
The code is AGOBEYOND5.
Read my full review here.
#4 iPhone 16e
If you’re all about iPhone it doesn’t have to mean paying top dollar.
Apple released its budget friendly iPhone 16e in February last year.
Many reviews praise it for having a good battery life and decent camera despite being hundreds cheaper than the other iPhone models.
It does have a notch at the top of the screen like the older iPhone designs, instead of the floating Dynamic Island, but that’s a small sacrifice to pay for the savings.
Read The Sun’s full review here.
At the moment, you can get it even cheaper at £499 from Argos.
All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing, but may have since changed.
Always do your own research before making any purchase.
