The best budget mobiles on the market: smartphones on a shoestring
All recommendations within this article are informed by expert editorial opinion. If you click on a link in this story we may earn affiliate revenue.
There are countless mobile options on the market, but which are the best for those spending on a tight budget?
We’ve partnered with Mobile Phones Direct to bring you our pick of the best affordable phones available to buy right now - they’re perfect for shoppers on a shoestring budget.
- Budget mobile deals -
In the last few weeks we’ve seen major new smartphones from the likes of Apple and Google hit the market, but these are flagship devices and they come at costs that are beyond those of many shoppers.
With the cost of living continuing to rise and monthly outgoings sky-rocketing, many prospective phone buyers are keeping their sights firmly set at the affordable end of the market.
Luckily, low-cost isn’t the same thing as low-quality. You can keep your monthly phone bill to a minimum without having to put up with a lacklustre handset from an iffy-sounding brand you’ve never heard of before.
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You’ll find cheap, yet utterly reliable - and often impressive - smartphones from big-name brands available on both a SIM-free and pay-monthly basis.
Mobile Phones Direct customers can benefit from free next-day delivery, seven days a week, and the brand stocks a range of both Android and Apple mobiles that will set you up with a budget-friendly device at no huge cost. We’ve picked out our favourites below.
The best budget phones in 2023
1. iPhone SE (2022): £25p per month, £0 upfront
Nobody can still say for certain what the SE stands for. Regardless of the specifics, Apple’s budget-friendly line of iPhones is now in its third generation, with the most recent model of Apple’s affordable iPhone released in March 2022.
When compared to their Android equivalents, Apple phones are noticeably higher in price, but 18 months on from its release and the SE 3, as it’s known, has dropped considerably in cost.
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The Sun’s tech editor, Sean Keach, tested the phone and in his iPhone SE 3 review, he cites it as the perfect example of how ‘smartphone greatness shouldn’t break the bank.’
It ticks all the required boxes - a powerful A15 processor, 5G connectivity, 4K video recording - and is simply packed into a handset that’s a bit smaller than the flagship phones of recent years.
Buyers who are dead-set on an iPhone (and we know you’re out there) essentially have two main options if they’re looking to save on cash: this, and the following handset in this list.
- iPhone SE (2022): 80GB data, £25p p/m, £0 upfront, O2 -
2. iPhone 11: £22 per month, £0 upfront
Just as predictable as the changing of the seasons is the falling prices of former flagship smartphones. Once a new one enters the market, the preceding generation starts to fall in price.
The iPhone 11 was released in 2019. Now four generations old, it might not be a market-leader, but is still an excellent handset and comes with a £22-per-month cost from Three.
It’s distinctly larger than the SE - a 6.1-inch display against the SE’s 4.7-inch screen - and is arguably more modern-looking (the current iPhone SE’s design resembles the somewhat-vintage iPhone 8).
Its chief drawback is the lack of 5G connectivity, which was introduced in the succeeding iPhone 12. If you’re still unsure about which budget Apple smartphone to choose, read our in-depth iPhone SE vs iPhone 11 guide.
- iPhone 11: 100GB data, £22 p/m, £0 upfront, Three -
3. Google Pixel 6a (refurbished): £16 per month, £0 upfront
Back in 2021, Google strutted back into the Android scene with a heavily publicised line of Pixel 6 smartphones (you surely remember the TV ad, celebrating the Magic Eraser editing tools that lets you remove unwanted background figures from your pics).
Google has never managed to turn heads in quite the same way as Apple and Samsung. Which is a shame since these are impressive phones with lots of horsepower.
And more to the point, they’ve always been terrifically good value for money.
The 6a is the budget baby of the range and is powered by the same ultra-powerful Tensor chip as the standard Pixel 6. Needless to say, this device will seamlessly integrate with your Google accounts, Drive and Chrome profile.
It’s available on a refurbished basis from Mobile Phones Direct on an ultra-cheap £16-per-month basis (read our refurbished tech guide to find out more).
- Google Pixel 6a, 33GB data, £16 p/m, £0 upfront, Vodafone -
4. Samsung Galaxy A14: £179 SIM-free
When you see a price tag such as that of the Samsung A14, it’s unlikely that you’d guess this was a phone released in 2023.
Nonetheless, the A14 only hit the market back in January, and an unapologetically no-frills handset from a supremely reliable Android manufacturer.
It’s missing the ultra-wide or telephoto lens that you’ll find in the higher-ranking Samsung phones, but we love its hefty 6.6-inch LCD display.
We’re earmarking this as a sound choice for anybody who has their contracts sorted and is looking to buy SIM-free - it’s available to buy device-only at Mobile Phones Direct for just £179.
- Samsung Galaxy A14: £179 SIM-free or from £28 per month -
5. Samsung Galaxy A54: £19 per month, £0 upfront
The Samsung Galaxy A54, by contrast, takes us into higher-spec mid-range territory, but it’s got a lower monthly charge at Mobile Phones Direct.
The A54 comes with an AMOLED display (a hallmark of pricier phones) that measures 6.4 inches in size and has a triple-camera setup too.
It’s also got a surprisingly large 5,000mAh battery that should last you a good length of time.
Kind of like middle siblings, mid-range smartphones like the A54 can often get overlooked, caught between the dirt-cheap prices of budget handsets and the bells and whistles of flagships.
The fact that the Galaxy A54 leans towards the latter means it's a mobile that should be on any Android shopper’s list of potential purchases.
- Samsung A54: 30GB data, £19 p/m, £0 upfront, Three -
6. Samsung Galaxy S22: £25 per month, £0 upfront
We’re completing our round-up with one more Samsung phone: the Galaxy S22. This was the brand’s flagship back in 2022 and has become decidedly cheaper since the release of the successor S23 handset earlier this year.
In the grand scheme of things, it’s still a relatively new mobile, and comes with internal tech and features that are still fresh and exciting.
It’s got a super-smooth AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, and is a good-looking phone too, with a design that’s made of frosted Gorilla glass.
It also comes with Samsung’s One user interface, which has earned a reputation for being smooth, efficient and intuitive.
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It might be one of the pricier on this list, but the S22 is a budget mobile that won’t feel antiquated any time soon.
- Samsung S22: 80GB data, £25 per month, £0 upfront, O2 -
