Smartphone 2023

Brands

• Oppo - China
• Xiaomi - China
• Honor - China
• TCL - China
• Doro - Sweden
• Alcatel - China
• Nothing - UK
• Cat Phones - UK
• Emporia - Austria
• Sony - Japan
• Samsung - South Korea
• Nokia - Finland
• Motorola - US
• Google - US
• Realme - China

Comparison reviews

Expert Reviews: Best budget smartphone 2023: The best cheap phones you can buy in the UK

1. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11: The best budget phone overall £168
2. Nokia C21 Plus: The most affordable budget smartphone £99
3. Apple iPhone 11 (renewed): The cheapest iPhone £230
4. Nokia G22: The best budget phone for repairability £150
5. Apple iPhone SE 3 (2022): The best-value (new) iPhone £449
6. Honor Magic 5 Lite: The best budget phone for battery life £250 
7. Motorola Moto G62 5G: The best budget 5G phone £200
8. Nokia G50: A solid 5G phone for less £183

techradar: The best cheap phones 2023: top budget mobiles around

Not my idea of cheap!

1. Apple iPhone SE: The best budget iPhone
2. Google Pixel 6a: The best budget Android phone £299
3. Samsung Galaxy A54: The best looking cheap phone £449
4. Oppo Reno 8 Pro: A budget upgrade
5. Google Pixel 7a: The next best cheap Pixel phone £449
6. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11: The best looking budget phone
7. Samsung Galaxy A13: The lowest you should go N/A (replaced by A14)
8. Motorola Edge 30 Neo: Alternative compact cheap option £300

T3: Best cheap phones 2023: the best affordable phones you can get

1. APPLE IPHONE SE (2022): The best cheap iPhone (under £500)
2. ONEPLUS NORD CE 2: The best cheap Android phone (under £300)
3. MOTO G31: The best ultra-affordable phone under £200
4. SAMSUNG GALAXY A53 5G: The best cheap phone for point-and-shoot photography
5. OPPO FIND X5 LITE: The best cheap phone for battery life and charge time
6. NOKIA G21: The best ultra-cheap Android phone
7. GOOGLE PIXEL 6A: The smartest cheap phone
8. XIAOMI 11T PRO: Flagship specs for a mid-range price
9. REALME 9 PRO: A cheap phone with a great main camera
10. TCL 20 PRO 5G: A premium cheap phone with a curved screen

Review Hub: Top 11 – Budget Smartphones Under £150

Although dated 2023, this must be an old article - most of these phones aren't available new.

• Xiaomi Poco M4 Pro – Beauty & The Battery Life Beast £170
• Xiaomi Poco M5S – The Poco M4 Pro Clone £120
• Motorola Moto G10 – Great All-rounder £125
• Samsung Galaxy A22 5G – Last Chance Bargain £150
• Samsung Galaxy M22 – The AMOLED alternative… £140
• OPPO A5 – Best Value Premium Phone That You’ve Probably Never Heard Of… £100
• Realme 6i – Bright Display £150
• Samsung Galaxy A21s – The Photographers Choice! £150
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Global – The Best Budget Phone! £140
• Ulefone Note 9P £120
• Doogee X95 – Best Phone Under £70 £70
• Honor 10 Lite – The Budget Selfie King! £130
• Motorola Moto g8 Power Lite £100
• Blackview A60 Pro £75
• Samsung Galaxy A20 – Budget Super AMOLED Display £150

Best small smartphone 2023

• IPHONE SE 3RD GEN: PERFECTLY PROPORTIONED £419
• IPHONE 13 MINI: THE FINAL MINI £589
• ASUS ZENFONE 9: A COMPACT ANDROID ALMOST FLAGSHIP £469
• SONY XPERIA 10 IV: A TALL BUT NARROW MID-RANGER £380
• GOOGLE PIXEL 6A: A MID-RANGE PIXEL IN A SMALL SIZE £299
• GOOGLE PIXEL 4: AN OLDER FLAGSHIP N/A
• NOKIA C01 PLUS: A GREAT SECONDARY PHONE £85

Best small phones 2023: compact yet powerful mini mobiles

1. APPLE IPHONE SE (2022): The best small phone for most people £449
2. IPHONE 13 MINI: The best small Apple phone £559
3. GOOGLE PIXEL 6A: The best small Google phone £299
4. SAMSUNG GALAXY S23: The best small phone from Samsung £899
5. ASUS ZENFONE 9: Packed with power but still small £464
6. SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FLIP 4: The best small folding phone £899

Sellers

Currys

£100-£499, 4 or more stars, not Chinese brand

• SAMSUNG Galaxy A04s - 32 GB, White £139
• SAMSUNG Galaxy A04s - 32 GB, Black £139
• MOTOROLA Moto G13 - 128 GB, Matte Charcoal £140
• MOTOROLA Moto G13 - 128 GB, Blue Lavender £140
• SAMSUNG Galaxy A14 - 64 GB, Black £179
• MOTOROLA Moto G53 5G - 128 GB, Ink Blue £180
• DORO 8100 - 32 GB, Graphite £200

Desirable features

Features that may be missing or inadequate in cheaper phones:

• 5G
• Fingerprint scanner.
• Near Field Communication (NFC).
• Protection against dust and water. See IP ratings.
• Durability: aluminium frame and/or case.
• Scratch-resistant screen, e.g. Gorilla glass.
• Screen that is usable in direct sunlight.

Specifications

Updated Jul 2024.

Click on model for full specs. Click on price for seller. Click on Geekbench score for more details.

Geekbench scores are for Geekbench 6 single core.

Price key: G good, E excellent, N new