The best budget phone 2023

The Moto G84 is undoubtedly one of the best budget phones you can buy. The only reason it isn’t top is the lacklustre software support, with Motorola offering just one Android version update and three years of security support.

You’ll also have to put up with average cameras and a back that’s prone to getting dirty, but that’s about where the negatives end.

The 120Hz OLED display is the finest on any budget phone, while the Snapdragon 695 delivers solid performance and 5G support. Battery life from the 5000mAh cell is solid, and you even get relatively quick (for a budget phone 30W charging).

If you don’t like the look of the Galaxy A14, this is the cheap phone to get.

The Moto G23 is another great choice from Moto that can regularly be found for less than it’s already decent £199.99 RRP. Unfortunately it’s not available in the US, though there are many solid Moto phones sold there in the same price range.

The G23 looks and feels more expensive than it is and delivers where it matters. The screen is bright, it’s main camera will do the job fine, it has loud clear dual stereo speakers, and it charges at 30W with the included charger.

It has a dual SIM slot and storage is expandable via microSD, though the built in 128GB storage is very generous for the price.

The ultrawide and macro cameras aren’t much cop, there’s no 5G support, and the processor is only fast enough to play quite basic mobile games – you won’t want to fire up Fortnite on this phone. But if you want an affordable smartphone that nails the basics and is running a nice plain version of Android 13, this is it.

It’s great to see the Nokia brand (the phones are actually made by Finnish company HMD) represent good value phones once more. The Nokia G60 is an excellent budget phone choice at £200 (it’s not officially on sale in the US but you can get it via Amazon).

With 5G, a large screen, great battery life and a perfectly capable main camera, the G60 ticks all our top boxes for a phone that doesn’t cost too much, considering. Three years of software support is also above average for this price segment. It’s good to see, and means you can use your phone knowing its Android security is up to date.

You can buy the phone outright or you can get it from £12.50 per month with Nokia’s Circular subscription plan, which lets you upgrade when you want, or lets you accumulate points the longer you hold onto the same phone to encourage less e-waste. You can then spend those points on eco-minded causes.

At this price it’s hard to fault the G60, though it does charge very slowly.

The Redmi Note 12 5G costs £279, it’s close enough to our upper limit to be included. While a clear step down from the Note 12 Pro and Pro+, it’s also significantly cheaper.

And there’s a lot to like here, from solid Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 performance to all-day battery life from the 5000mAh cell. But the 120Hz OLED display is the real highlight – you wouldn’t expect such a cheap phone to have such a great screen.

Cameras are a mixed bag, with an impressive selfie lens offset by disappointing rear lenses. The cheap build makes it obvious this is a budget phone, while Xiaomi’s MIUI software isn’t for everyone.

But if you’re willing to spend a little more than the usual budget limit, the Note 12 5G offers a lot for your money. However, it’s also worth noting that there’s a 4G version of the Redmi Note 12, which is even cheaper at £219.

The Galaxy A14 5G is a solid budget phone, but the existence of the 4G model (which sits top of this list) makes it a more complicated buy.

5G is not the only difference in this more expensive phone, though. The MediaTek Dimensity 700 chip offers slightly better performance than the Helio G80, and it’s nice to have a 90Hz display rather than regular 60Hz.

However, it’s strange to see the 4G model’s ultrawide camera ditched in favour of an ineffective depth sensor. The main rear and selfie cameras can take decent photos, but only in good lighting.

The A14 5G has a great design and battery life is very good, but charging is frustratingly slow. While still a solid budget phone, there’s no need for most people to spend the extra compared to the regular A14.

The Moto G62 was released back in 2022, but it remains an impressive budget option.

Despite being plastic, solid build quality surpasses other phones at this price. Meanwhile, a clean version of Android has been subtly changed, but only where Moto can improve things – not just for the sake of it.

There’s a superb always-on display, despite having an LCD rather than OLED panel, that lets you quickly view and open notifications that no other phone brand has

Triple cameras on the back of the Moto G62 exist, but it’s a push to call them all good – thankfully the 50Mp main sensor is very solid and will give you excellent daytime shots.

Alongside great battery life from the 5000mAh cell that we sometimes found reached the end of the day at 50% and you have a great cheap phone option.

If you like the idea of repairing your phone rather than replacing it every few years, the Nokia G22 could be the phone for you. If you can cope with the fact this is quite a slow phone – perhaps you only need one for basic functions like calls and messages and Google Maps – then it’s a good buy.

iFixit sells several official repair kits for the G22 including for screen cracks and new battery. It means you can grab a smartphone for £150 and be safe in the knowledge you can easily repair it yourself. It’s liberating, and Tech Advisor’s Hannah tried it out in our full review.

One thing to note is this phone will only have software support for two years, which somewhat contradicts the idea this is a product you should keep for far longer and replace its failing parts. That aside, this is an interesting concept and a budget phone you should consider if you don’t need a powerful device.

The folks at Realme pulled it out of the bag with the design of the C35, a sub-£150 phone that looks like it costs a lot more.

With flat sides taken straight from the latest iPhone playbook and a smart looking camera module akin to the more expensive OnePlus Nord phones, the C35 also packs in a great 1080p display for the incredibly cheap price.

You can even pay £20 extra to get 128GB storage instead of 64GB, and all models have a microSD slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The processor is nothing to write home about, but the 50Mp main camera lens is pretty good on a phone that outperforms its asking price.

Even though it was released in 2022, this is still worth considering.

Not to be confused with the Poco M4 Pro 5G, this device shrugs off 5G in exchange for some notable upgrades in other areas.

The Poco M4 is the first M series device in Poco history to pack in an AMOLED display, which also happens to support a 90Hz refresh rate and Full HD+ resolution. Meanwhile, the 64Mp main camera is an impressive improvement for the series, while battery and charging are also solid.

The design is a little divisive and the MIUI software won’t be to everyone’s tastes but in terms of value for money, it’s a great option.

You may also be interested in the Poco M4 Pro 5G – as the name suggests, it adds 5G support. But both were released back in 2021 and 2022, so are getting a little dated.