Best budget phones: 10-6
With massive innovation in both hardware and operating systems, phones now do a lot more than just let you talk and text, and handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8 and iPhone 6 are stealing headlines around the world these days.
Sadly all this innovation isn't cheap – and most of it is reserved for high-end contract handsets. So, is there such a thing as the 'best phone on a budget'?
We've been through our extensive mobile phone reviews to find the best cheap phones at the moment, so if you're looking to pick up a decent handset for not much cash (under £200 in fact), these are the best budget phones going.
10. Nokia Lumia 530
The Nokia Lumia 530 is the first Windows Phone in our top ten, and it's very deserving of its place. Considering that it can be easily picked up for under £80, you get a pretty decent little smartphone for your money.
The Quad-core Snapdragon 200 processor and 512MB RAM that the Nokia Lumia 530 comes with are enough to power Windows Phone 8.1 for a reasonably slick and smooth experience, though it is let down by coming with a rather paltry 4GB of storage space, but at least you can expand it with a microSD card.
The Lumia 530 also proves itself to be surprisingly adept at gaming and manages to keep pace with some of the more expensive Windows Phone handsets when it comes to playing graphically intensive games. It doesn't quite offer the performance of most of its Android peers in this list, however.
If you're after a cheap and cheerful smartphone that packs a number of features for a rock-bottom price, then you won't go too far wrong with the Nokia Lumia 530.
- Read our Nokia Lumia 530 review
- Find the best Nokia Lumia 530 deals
9. Huawei Ascend G6
Huawei has downsized its ultra-thin Ascend P6, slapped on a budget price tag and released the Ascend G6. It might not be the cheapest handset in this list, but for a slightly higher price you get plenty of premium features.
One of the biggest selling points is that the Ascend G6 is its 4G connectivity, which grants access to super-fast mobile internet. At the time of its release 4G was relatively rare in sub-£200 smartphones.
Since then 4G has been cropping up more regularly in budget blowers, some of which are a fair bit cheaper than the Ascend G6.
The Huawei Ascend G6 also comes with an impressive front-facing camera for taking selfies, all wrapped up in a clean, if a bit unexciting, design.
- Read our Huawei Ascend G6 review
- Find the best Huawei Ascend G6 deals
8. Motorola Moto E
The Moto E is the baby of Motorola's current range of smartphones and with a super-low price tag comes a solid handset which gives you all the key parts of Android with minimum fuss.
There's a 4.3-inch display, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 5MP rear camera, 1980mAh battery and Android 4.4 KitKat packed into this dinky dialler and while those specs won't set the world alight they're good enough at this low price point.
It does lack the zip of the Moto G, internal storage is low at 4GB and the rear camera is poor, but stick a microSD card into the handset and it'll cope with many general apps and games.
For £90 or less there are very few compelling options and when it comes to Android handsets at that price which actually work there's nothing else out there as good as the Moto E.
- Read our Motorola Moto E review
- Find the best Motorola Moto E deals
7. Nokia Lumia 735
The second Windows Phone entrant in our top ten is everything that a selfie lover could wish for, with a fantastic 5MP front-facing camera and a brightly coloured design that makes it stand out from the crowd.
Even if you're not too keen on plastering the internet with close up photos of your face, there's still a lot to like about the Lumia 735.
The 4.7-inch 720p screen looks particularly good, though it does mean that the quad-core 1.2GHz processor and 1GB RAM sometimes strains compared to other budget smartphones when it comes to performance.
Barring the odd performance hiccup, the Lumia 735 is a decent budget smartphone that will appeal to the younger selfie generation.
- Read our Nokia Lumia 735 review
- Find the best Nokia Lumia 735 deals
6. HTC Desire 510
The HTC Desire 510 is a decent budget smartphone that packs a lot of features considering its price, though it suffers from a few too many compromises to appear any higher up this list.
It comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad core processor that's clocked at 1.2GHz and 1GB of RAM. These help Android KitKat to feel fast and responsive, and in benchmark tests it performed better than its closest competitor, the EE Kestrel.
The HTC Desire 510 also comes with a removable 2100mAh battery that lasts longer than many budget smartphones, as well as 4G support for super fast mobile internet.
What keeps the HTC Desire 510 from appearing any higher in our list is the camera which manages to miss out certain details in day to day snapping. The 4.7-inch screen is also disappointing, sporting a resolution of only 480 x 854.
Despite these compromises the HTC Desire 510 is a good choice if you're looking for a budget smartphone, especially for browsing the internet.
- Read our HTC Desire 510 review
- Find the best HTC Desire 510 deals
Best budget phones: 5-1
5. Acer Liquid E3
Acer isn't the biggest name in smartphones so it's impressive to see its Liquid E3 handset charting so highly in our list.
Acer has done a good job at packing in some decent specs despite the Liquid E3's budget price. It comes with a a 4.7-inch 720p screen, a MediaTek quad-core 1.2GHz CPU and 1GB RAM.
Both the 2MP front facing and 13MP rear facing cameras come with flashes, which along with the vibrant 4.7-inch screen makes the Acer Liquid E3 give some of its more established rivals a run for their money.
The design of the handset is less than inspiring, but considering the price we can't really expect Apple-like aesthetics, but we also found call quality to be lacking. Even so, the Liquid E3 does a lot of things right and deserves its place this high up in our chart.
- Read our Acer Liquid E3 review
4. EE Kestrel
If you're really keen on getting a 4G smartphone, but your budget is small, then the EE Kestrel is certainly worth considering.
It touts itself as the cheapest 4G smartphone on the market with a PAYG price tag of just £99, and that gets you a 4.5-inch display, 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 5MP rear camera, 1MP front camera, 8GB of internal storage, microSD slot and a 2000mAh battery.
The Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system is getting on a bit now, and the Huawei user interface isn't one of the best overlays we've used, but it's simple for those looking for a cheap phone with a decent spec list.
If you must have 4G on your budget smartphone then the Kestrel is a decent shout, but there are better options around.
- Read our EE Kestrel review
3. Nokia Lumia 630
The Nokia Lumia 630 finds itself several places above other Lumia handsets in the rankings, and for a number of reasons.
It has the same screen, processor, camera and battery as the Lumia 635, yet costs less because it's only 3G and not 4G. At the low-cost price point 4G isn't too much of a deal-breaker (if it is, think Kestrel then), and thus the lower price of the 630 makes it a better proposition.
You get a 4.5-inch display, 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 5MP rear camera, 1830mAh battery and the new Windows Phone 8.1 operating system.
The Nokia Lumia 630 is one of the best affordable smartphones currently on the market, and it only narrowly misses out on top spot due to the slightly better spec list on the Moto G and the powerful brand quality brought from Sony.
- Read our Nokia Lumia 630 review
- Find the best Nokia Lumia 630 deals
2. Sony Xperia M2
Fancy a smartphone which has taken its design cues from one of the hottest handsets of 2014? Then look no further than the Sony Xperia M2, which borrows its style from the Xperia Z2.
Add an attractive interface, impressive battery life and a sub-£200 PAYG price tag into the mix and you'll be laughing all the way to the bank with the Xperia M2.
There are a few compromises to be had, as there is with every budget blower, so don't expect the camera to sparkle and the low resolution screen means you'll probably want to avoid watching movies on the M2.
On the plus side the screen is 4.8 inches in size, giving you a whole lot of real estate for all your apps and games that can take advantage of the quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM.
If you fancy the waterproof features of Sony's more expensive Xperia Z3 but don't want to break the bank, then check out the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua. It's a bit more expensive than the Xperia M2 but could be worth the additional cost if you get caught in a rainstorm, and still comes in under £200.
- Read our Sony Xperia M2 review
- Find the best Sony Xperia M2 deals
1. Motorola Moto G
What's this, a Motorola topping a "best of" list? Your eyes don't deceive you, Motorola is back and the Moto G is a cracking handset.
In fact the Moto G is the best budget handset currently on the market, and if you're looking for maximum bang for your buck look no further.
Take a gander at the spec list and the Moto G simply blows the rest of the phones here out of the water: an excellent 5-inch, 720 x 1280 HD display, 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8MP rear camera and 2MP front snapper.
There's no NFC, and unlike last year's edition there is no 4G version just yet, but those are minor concessions in what is otherwise a top notch smartphone.
- Read our Moto G review
- Find the best Moto G deals
Looking to pick up a new mobile? Check out our mobile buying guide first:
