Best cheap phone 2023: the best budget smartphones reviewed

Don’t feel like dropping a fat stack of notes on a fancy flagship phone? Good news: you don’t have to. With solid specs, good design and plenty of features, the best cheap phones offer outstanding value for money. Sure, you might have to accept a couple of compromises with a cheap smartphone – think plastic shells and sub-par secondary cameras. But smartphone quality has improved so much that the best cheap phones today also benefit from brilliant screens, strong battery life and performance to put fear into the flagships.

Not sure how to choose the best blower for your budget? From familiar makes to lesser-known names, the list below features our pick of the top affordable handsets – all for less than $450/£450. So whether you’re shopping for a bona fide mobile bargain or looking for a backup blower that won’t break the bank, you’ll find your ideal budget phone in our buying guide.

Our guide to the best cheap phones to buy today

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G

Want the Samsung prestige without the high-end price tag? Then the A54 5G is a contender worthy of your shortlist. With a price tag well below the lofty heights of the Galaxy S23 range, this is a mid-range handset which sacrifices some flagship style and power, while still providing a solid smartphone experience.

One of its standout features during our review was its sharp, punchy screen, along with its capable multi-lens camera system, with a decent selfie camera to boot. And unlike its A53 predecessor (which massively disappointed on the power front), we’re pleased to report that the A54’s Exynos 1380 CPU and 8/12GB of RAM make for a far smoother experience.

Throw in reasonably fast (though far from groundbreaking) 25W charging, and you’ve got yourself a more affordable Samsung handset that provides the highly coveted Samsung-esque experience, at a far more palatable price.

Redmi Note 12 Pro+

In typical Redmi fashion, the Note 12 Pro+ is positively bursting with impressive hardware that you’d be hard-pressed to find in similarly-priced handsets. In this instance, we’ve got a pixel-packed 200MP main camera, which produced detailed shots in bright lighting conditions, during our in-depth review.

Another impressive feature that wipes the floor even with truly high-end flagships like the Apple iPhone 14 and Samsung Galaxy S23, is its charging speed. Namely, a full 120W charging capability that can produce a full charge in under 25 minutes. Impressive stuff.

With an more than adequate all-day battery life and sharp screen included too, there’s very little not to love about Redmi’s effort here, especially at this price. One of the best cheap smartphones you can currently buy, you won’t be disappointed if this is your top pick.

Poco X5 Pro 5G

We’re not sure how you’ll feel about the rear plastic panel on the Poco X5 Pro 5G. A diffuse plastic affair that does well with repelling fingerprints, its style and texture weren’t exactly to our reviewer’s taste — but design is subjective.

That aside, it offers plenty of bang for your buck, with an exceptional OLED display, complete with a slick 120Hz refresh rate. While a few of its cameras aren’t really worthing shouting about, the main snapper can proudly stand on its own, with plenty and depth and detail on offer. And while we found the default processing to be a little on the over-saturated side, you can opt for more realistic results in the 108MP mode.

There’s plenty of power for gaming too, thanks to a respectable Snapdragon 778G processor and up to 8GB of RAM, with zippy 67W fast charging included for good measure. If you can get past the design (you may even love it), then this is a very capable handset that should see you in good stead for at least a few years, if not more.

Sony Xperia 10 IV

Can you get cheaper, better-specced handsets than the Xperia 10 IV from the likes of Realme, Poco, Xioami and more? Yes. From screens with higher refresh rates, to faster charging and individual cameras that might perform better overall, there are no shortage of tempting alternatives worth picking up over Sony’s offering.

As with most Sony handsets though, the Xperia 10 IV fills a niche. If you’re a fan of Sony’s unique fuss-free design, more compact screen, and want amazing battery life, the Xperia 10 IV could be the phone for you. Its main camera and zoom capabilities will serve you well, though if night photography and wide-angle shots are more your bag, you’ll want to look elsewhere. If you’re still drawn to its design and positive features after reading our review though, then chances are you won’t be disappointed.

The Nokia G22 ticks most of the boxes one should look for when trying to find a good quality phone for a low price. A 6.5in, 90Hz HD+, 1,600 x 720 display is bright, while the triple rear camera – 50MP main, 2MP macro and 2MP depth – is powerful enough for detailed snaps, even close up. A 5050mAh battery with 20W fast charging support will keep your phone alive long into the night. The design is a little unremarkable, but at £169 the Nokia G22 is certainly not to be scoffed at.

The Nokia G22 brings something unique to the market, though. Nokia has given you, the customer, the power to replace the display, charging port or battery yourself. It doesn’t require any special equipment. Rather, you can consult the how-to service iFixit for replacement parts, tools and repair guides, and then DIY. Taking the phone apart is a little fiddly, but can be done in around 15 or so minutes. The tools resemble a bomb disposal kit, but the Nokia G22 brings peace of mind knowing that a cracked screen won’t leave you £100 down.

Even so, is the Nokia G22? There’s no point trying to fix an already broken phone, after all. But this isn’t Nokia’s first rodeo, and the G22 packs a lot into its price tag.