In 2018 budget phones are better than ever, you can now access the best features without the hefty price tag as phones continue to evolve. It used to be the case that budget phones allowed you to text and call, and not much else. Technology continues to advance in the flagship phones, with the main tech companies battling each other to provide the latest must-have phone features. As the flagship phones get more and more flashy, the features trickle down to the budget phones where you can now find a smartphone with lots of features for under £200.

Top Buying Tips

Before we get started on the top budget phones on the market, here are some buying tips that will help you get a decent smartphone for a great price:

●       Buy the phone outright and get a SIM-only deal: There are some amazing SIM only deals out there for less than £15 a month on a rolling monthly contract. If you’re buying a budget phone, not only will you get the best value for money this way, but you’ll also avoid being locked in for 2 years to a phone you may want to upgrade at some point before then.

●       Be wary of locked phones: You’ll often find that phone providers will offer a discounted price on a budget phone if you buy it from them. The catch is that the phone will be locked to that network. It is important to consider whether you want that phone over another one and whether that network has a SIM-only that is decently priced and meets your needs. If it doesn’t you’re better off looking elsewhere, or comparing the phones offered across different providers.

●       Say goodbye to brand loyalty: When buying a budget phone its a good idea to ignore brands. Some lesser known brands offer phones with all the same, and often more features than their branded alternative. Chinese phones are becoming increasingly competitive.

Best Budget Phones of This Year:

Xiomi Mi A2 Lite

Price: £179-£199

Specs:

●       Display: 5.84 IPS LCD, 1,080x2,280px resolution, 432ppi, 19:9 aspect ratio

●       Rear camera: 12MP

●       Front Camera: 5MP

●       OS: Andriod One

●       Memory: 3GB RAM/ 64GB Storage

In all, the design is sleek, the display is good and the phone has a decent amount of storage and decent cameras.

Honor 9 Lite

Price: £119

Specs:

●       Display: 1080 x 2160 pixels, 18:9 ratio, 428 ppi density

●       Memory: 4GB RAM, 64GB Storage

●       Camera: Front and back, 13MP with 2MP depth sensor

●       OS: Andriod 8.0 (Oreo)

The Honor Lite comes in a variety of colours, but only colours that sit on the black, blue-grey to white spectrum so if you’re after a red phone this may not be the phone for you. It’s a great budget phone with a good amount of RAM, a good camera, and even has a fingerprint sensor.

Motorola Moto E5

Price: £119

Specs:

●       Display: 720x1440px resolution, 5,7 inch screen.

●       Memory: 2GB RAM, 16GB storage

●       Camera: 13MP Rear camera, 5MP front camera

●       OS: Andriod 8.0 Oreo

The Motorola Moto E5 sports a very attractive design, good camera, good battery life, and a fingerprint sensor.

UMIDIGI One Pro

Price: £131.75 - £180

Specs:

●       Display: 5.9 Inches, 1520x720 resolution, 287ppi, 19:9 full surface display

●       Memory: 4GB RAM, 64GB Storage

●       Camera: 12MP+5MP duel rear camera, 16MP front camera.

●       OS:

The UMIDIGI One Pro sports the same display design and aspect ratio as the iPhone X, along with the sleek look. It has an amazing front camera and overall great specs. Although it does beat some other phones on the list in terms of specs, the reviews suggest that the fingerprint sensor and face unlock can be temperamental.