Top picks perfect for budget buyers: Best budget smartphones under £200 in 2024

An entry-level smartphone that's ideal for strong internet connectivity in even the most rural areas, the A05s stands on the shoulders of Samsung's flagship giants, taking valuable lessons in modern design and workhorse-like performance.

A breath of fresh air in the cost-efficient phone market, the Samsung Galaxy A05s shines with its 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and rock-steady Snapdragon 680 processor. Browsing and navigation on the A05s is undoubtedly smooth, made remarkably stronger by the A05s's excellent FHD+ screen.

The photography of the Samsung A05s is particularly stellar, made only more mesmerising by its richly coloured full HD screen. Of course, photography on budget smartphones is always rough around the edges, with night images still eluding budget phones almost entirely – as is the case here.

Though there's a fantastic range of Samsung smartphones on the market, few are quite as compelling as the Samsung A05s, a smartphone under £200 worth picking up almost immediately. There are more powerful models for specific purposes, but none are as consistent as this one.

A smartphone offering reliable multi-day performance, the Honor X7b has a design comparable to that of a far costlier device, with impressive hardware that exceeds its 2022 predecessor, the X7a. The X7b ditches its garish quadruple camera square which often exposes budget phones, for a far more contemporary and minimalistic look. Combining an enticing 6.8-inch full HD screen and 90Hz refresh rate, the X7b's display looks and feels fresh, separating itself from the majority of budget phones.

Compared to its more recent competition, however, the X7b's screen does appear duller, despite its full-HD resolution. Smartphones such as Samsung's A34 offer stronger visuals than the X7b, but simultaneously lower smoothness when browsing, leaving budget shoppers to decide between aesthetics or performance.

Photography on the X7b proves to be solid, working best in daylight with detailed, clear images, all thanks to its 108MP triple camera. Temper expectation, however: don't expect miracles from this budget device, as it suffers from distortion in low-light conditions and lacks the refinement of high-priced smartphones.

Elsewhere the hardware is satisfying. The X7b's impressive 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage greatly bolster the performance, with browsing, multitasking and navigation feeling fantastic for a phone of its price. Its most reliable feature is the X7b's battery life, which lasts nearly three days. Such a high capacity on a smartphone is rare, even amongst flagship phones, so we were more than impressed.

When it comes to value, few phones can go toe-to-toe with Honor's X7b: from its impressive screen technology to its general performance, build quality and battery life, it's one of the best phones for battery life of the year – let alone one of the best phones of the year at its price.

A remarkably cheap smartphone from Motorola, the 2023 Motorola Moto G54 performs incredibly well at a budget price, combining a strong 120Hz screen with 8GB of silky-smooth RAM. Using the G54 for typical functions, be it social media scrolling or general navigation is perfectly satisfying, but there's certainly a snappiness to it that greatly exceeds its price.

Though not the best quality smartphone build, its appealing design certainly excels compared to other smartphones in its price range. The size of the smartphone's 6.5-inch screen makes it an especially good choice for binge-watching YouTube, which works well on the go thanks to its extensive battery life.

Certainly, a point of contention for some users is the G54's mediocre camera, which sounds promising on account of its 50 MP lens but doesn't meet expectations of such a high resolution. Colours and sharpness suffer from the G54, with images appearing either dull or entirely too saturated depending on light levels.

Be that as it may, the Motorola Moto G54 remains a strong contender for one of the best gaming smartphones on the market considering the price.

A great choice for those on a strict budget, but aren't inclined to buy a smartphone that's likely to break after a single drop, the Nokia G22 is one of the toughest budget smartphones on the market. Nokia, renowned for its great build quality, has recently released the G22 smartphone, equipped with plenty of respectable specifications that offer a competitive edge to cheaper phones.

With a solid, slightly heavier feel in hand, it's easy to tell that this smartphone is well-made, which lends to the phone's environmental sustainability too. Nokia's G22 is designed with an easy repair ethos, so if anything happens to break, which is unlikely, you can certainly repair it.

Of course, at less than £100, the hardware of the Nokia G22 isn't exceptional its 4GB of RAM and slower CPU don't offer a whole lot, which might be disheartening, but at its price, it's hardly unexpected.

One of the best environmentally friendly smartphones of the year, as well as the cheapest, the Nokia G22 is a staggeringly good deal, one that any budget buyer should consider.

Honor's 200 Lite smartphone is brand-new and is packed with impressive hardware to give even high-end smartphones a run for their money. 5G ready, with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, there's no limit to the amount of apps the 200 Lite can run, and run well.

The overall build quality for a cheaper phone is simply excellent, and its screen's anti-drop technology is particularly good, making the occasional screen-first fall from your pocket less disastrous than other smartphones. Its bezels are ultra-thin, and the iPhone-esque selfie camera island is a particularly large improvement over other cheap smartphones for under £200.

The cameras, while incredibly solid for the price, are a little average-looking, even with the inclusion of AI post-processing. It's impressive in such a cheap phone, but when compared to more expensive smartphones, it isn't overwhelmingly good.

For smooth day-to-day operation, gorgeous aesthetics, and impressive hardware, the HONOR 200 Lite is one of the best smartphones under £200 this year.

A phenomenal pick for under £100, the brand-new A15 Samsung smartphone is a bargain for great performance, a gorgeous design that's comparable to the S24 flagship line, and a reliable 48-hour battery life for multiple days of performance.

Tough, durable and solid in terms of performance, the A15 brings together the best aspects of cheap phones into one ultimate low-budget phone that's all-around brilliant for day-to-day use.

Of course, performance can be limited on cheaper phones, and the A15 is no exception. With 4GB of RAM and a slightly limited processor, performance on the A15, while solid, isn't groundbreaking. That being said, photography is surprisingly solid on this cheap phone, with some roughness around the edges, especially in darker settings.

For the ultimate phone for battery life, the Samsung Galaxy A15 is a spectacular pick, providing unparalleled value, a solid design and good photography.

A cornerstone of the budget smartphone market, the Nokia G42 smartphone is impressively well-made, with a tough design, dependable hardware and best of all – a great camera for even darker settings. Rather impressively, the G42 has a brand-new Snapdragon 480 processor with 5G connectivity, providing seamless connectivity wherever life may take you.

Performance in general proves to be strong with the G42, leaving no room for lag or sluggishness for daily tasks. With 4GB of RAM, a baseline level for phones under £200, the Nokia G42 isn't suited to rigorous gaming or multitasking, but it can certainly handle its own for socials, shopping and messaging.

Sitting comfortably with a whopping 72 hours of battery life, the Nokia G42 takes its equally respectable competition by storm, offering days of wire-free use even under moderate usage.

As for its main draw, the Nokia G42's primary 50 MP camera is solid in and of itself, but when paired with its post-processing AI functionality, the G42 truly shines. With bold, rich and detailed photography, the G42 excels without having the best lenses or the highest camera resolution, reaching a quality that is rare among cheap phones.

Yes, its simpler post-processing techniques compared to high-end smartphones might appear heavy-handed, occasionally over-saturating images in a bid to pack pictures with colour, but the G42 is ahead of the curve compared to its competition. If you're looking for a phone for photography, that's less than £200 (by a strong margin), you must consider the Nokia G42.

An incredibly popular choice amongst smartphone enthusiasts and value buyers alike, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 is a promising phone under £200 with loads of storage, a tasteful design and trusty performance that'll see users through hours of scrolling apps, messaging and more.

Designed with IP53 water resistance and a tough plastic shell, the Redmi Note 12 feels reliable, not only in its build quality but its performance too. Under the hood of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12, you'll find a MediaTek helio processor with 2GHz of performance, which is serviceable, but not extraordinary, along with a fairly standard 4GB of RAM for largely stable browsing.

The Note 12's highlight is the 128GB SSD, leaving a huge amount of space for apps, games, music and photos. Speaking of photography, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 doesn't reinvent the wheel with its redesigned infinite camera design that looks vastly better than its predecessor, the Redmi Note 11. Pictures look solid but offer nothing more than you would expect from a budget smartphone, albeit from a stronger selfie mode than most cheap smartphones on the market.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 is nothing if not reliable: its rugged build quality and stable performance on a full HD screen paired with its lengthy battery life provide an all-around solid smartphone experience.

This P30 from HUAWEU is a bit of a triumph of hardware specifications and budget – it manages to deliver a full HD screen larger than 6 inches too. And that screen has a certification for eye comfort, so using it for longer gaming or browsing sessions is nice and easy on the eyes.

Camera-wise, you have a 120-degree wide-angle lens as part of the staggeringly good 48MP triple rear camera array. And photography has been made even easier thanks to some AI scene recognition technology. It'll recognise what you're taking shots of from 22 categories and make adjustments to suit. So, your shots are really going to pop with this smartphone.

Lastly, under the hood you get 4GB of RAM – that's not the highest in a smartphone, but paired with the Turbo 2.0 GPU and Kirin 710 CPU, this thing really zips along. So, it's great for your gaming needs too.

A brand new budget smartphone from Samsung, the A35 is yet another cheap, reliable model from Samsung with 5G support, great hardware and and a responsive user interface. When buying a budget phone, most of the time you'll be sacrificing the use of a more familiar user interface, but not with the A35. Here, you get the loveable Samsung Android interface that you likely know and love.

Complete with a 50 MP main camera, an 8 MP ultrawide camera and a 5 MP macro camera, the Samsung Galaxy A35 is perfect for solid photography, even at its low budget. Then there's its gorgeous 120Hz refresh rate and super AMOLED screen that's perfect for gaming.

If we were to nitpick, we'd note that the backing and overall quality of the smartphone is on the lower side, with a somewhat plasticky feel to it. But for phones of this price range, it's not below average whatsoever.

For a bargain worth grabbing before they're gone, the Samsung Galaxy A35 is a practical choice for anyone in need of a reliable phone.

Big, bulky, and indestructible, the X10 embodies all of the design ethos that the Nokia 3310 had – a tough, reliable phone that'll last you for years to come. With an impressive 1080p screen, a nice chunky plastic body, and sizeable bezels, the X10 feels pretty premium for a budget phone. Paired with Android 11, browsing is a total breeze, you really can't knock the quality.

Much like the Nokia 3310, the X10's battery life is seemingly limitless by modern standards. At 4400 mAh, it'll last you 48 hours at least before it's totally flat, making it a great companion on a night out when your phone is needed most.

Photography on the X10 is also pleasant, with a quad camera that takes some lovely natural-looking photos in the right conditions, and while they're not mind-blowing, they are still impressive for a budget phone.

Of course, it isn't all roses; there's the weak mono speaker, which becomes tinny at high volumes and is easily covered by accident during use. Then there's the slow and outdated 18W charging which is all but entirely outmoded by modern 30W chargers, making charging a chore.

Overall, however, we like the X10. It's a great phone for the busy commuter, a late-night club goer or anyone in between.