Wednesday 25 April 2018

Best cheap phones 2018: our top budget mobiles

If you're in the market for a cheap smartphone then you're in luck, as we've got the best low-cost handsets lined up for you right here.

Update: UK based affordable phone manufacturer Wileyfox is back, which means the Swift 2 Plus and Swift 2 are now available again.

In the past, the term 'best cheap phones' was usually a warning rather than a tempting proposition, with shoddy build quality, sluggish performance, laughable screen resolution and woeful cameras typically featuring on such handsets.

But this isn't the past, this is the present, and the market abounds with top budget phones.

While the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S9, iPhone X, Huawei P20 and OnePlus 6 steal headlines around the world, there's a lot of intriguing (and cheap) stuff going on in the world of budget phones. Here's a selection of our favourite cheap phones that cost under £200.

  • Not worried about the cost? Check out our best phone list

Motorola's Moto G5 is still the best cheap phone in the world, although with the recent launch of the Moto G6 and Moto E5 series its position is under threat.

However, until we've fully reviewed those new devices the Moto G5 is still available, and it's offering a metal design, 1080p display and fingerprint scanner.

You won't get the fastest chipset or NFC with the Moto G5, but as an all-round product the cheap Motorola phone will serve you well.

Read the full review: Motorola Moto G5

The excellent Moto E4 Plus is a cheap phone that features phenomenal battery life, a fingerprint scanner and a premium feel design.

It is a little limited with its power, but it makes up for it by being able to last for a whole two days from a single charge. If price and battery are the most important features for you, the Moto E4 Plus will suit you perfectly.

Read our full Moto E4 Plus review

For a price tag that's comfortably under the £200 mark, Wileyfox has done wonders with the Swift 2 Plus. It looks and feels like a much more expensive phone, with an attractive aluminium build and smooth performance.

Its camera is capable of taking decent shots, its fingerprint sensor works well, and the UI is a genuinely thoughtful enhancement to the stock Android operating system.

Read the full review: Wileyfox Swift 2 Plus

Nokia is back in the mobile phone game and after a small price drop to the Nokia 6 we've seen it enter our best cheap phone list. 

It comes with a Full HD 5.5-inch display, full metal design and a fingerprint scanner for added security. The battery isn't incredible on the Nokia 6, but it's not awful either making this one of our favorite affordable phones on the market right now.

Read the full review: Nokia 6

The spec for the G4 Plus is much the same as it was on the Moto G4, but it also comes with a fingerprint scanner and an improved camera.

The 16MP rear shooter is arguably one of the most impressive phone cameras at the sub-£200 mark. There's no NFC so you won't be able to use Android Pay on the Moto G4 Plus, but a bright display and strong performance is sure to make up for it.

Read the full review: Moto G4 Plus

Another Wileyfox device has made it onto our best cheap phone list, and this one costs even less than the Swift 2 Plus above. 

We love the Swift 2 for its combination of low price and good spec. There's a 5-inch screen, 13MP rear shooter and Android 7 software right out of the box, plus a premium design.

Read the full review: Wileyfox Swift 2

The Moto E4 isn't our favourite cheap phone - it's not even the best cheap phone from Motorola - but if you're looking for a truly cheap phone, it's worth a look. 

We particularly liked the slick design, Android 7 software, fingerprint sensor and the value of the phone. The only issues are the 16GB of storage and less than average performance, but get over those things and the E4 could prove a great choice.

Read the full review: Moto E4

The Honor 6A comes with better battery life, more stable performance and an improved camera over the 5C it replaced, plus the price has stayed super low too.

The 6A features Android 7 Nougat software and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 chipset that should give you a stable experience as well, so this may be suitable as your next cheap phone.

Read the full review: Honor 6A

Currently the only Sony handset to take a position in our best cheap phone list, the Xperia L2 is a low priced handset that does okay but won't blow your socks off. Other phones in this list are far more impressive as this doesn't have a fingerprint scanner or stunning camera.

That said, the price is low and if you really, really like the design of Sony handsets everything here could add up to being your best choice for a cheap phone. We particularly liked the 5.5-inch display - despite its 720p resolution - and the expandable storage too, which allows you to use microSD cards up to 256GB. 

Read the full review: Sony Xperia L2

The Nokia 5 sits a little awkwardly, between the better-equipped Nokia 6 and eye-catchingly cheap Nokia 3.

The Nokia 5 is the best looking smartphone in its price bracket, with a 5.2-inch HD display and fingerprint scanner included too. It may not be the most powerful smartphone at its price range, but it has a nice feature range and looks.

Read the full review: Nokia 5

  • Happy to spend more on your phone? Read our best phone guide or see our top 5 smartphones in the video below.


from TechRadar: Phone and communications news http://www.techradar.com/news/best-cheap-phone

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