BUYING GUIDE
If you’re like most people, a smartphone is probably the single most important piece of technology that you own. It can do almost everything, from keeping in contact and taking photos to getting work done and even gaming.
But to get a device that do all that and much more, you don’t need to pay the premium for a flagship phone or foldable. While mid-range phones strike a good balance between specs and affordability, you can get a great handset for much less.
Despite each of the smartphones in this list costing under £250 each offers everything most people require for dayto-day use. If value for money is your top priority, these are the phones to get.
SHOULD YOU BUY A BUDGET PHONE OUTRIGHT?
In our experience, the ideal way to get a cheap phone is to buy it SIM-free, then grab a great-value SIM-only deal. You won’t be paying loads every month for a phone for the next two years and you can swap it for a newer model whenever you fancy without a massive impact on your wallet.
SHOULD YOU BUY A LOCKED PHONE?
You’ll quickly find that some of the best deals on cheap phones are sold via mobile operators. What you need to watch out for is whether these phones are sold locked to that operator’s network. In such situations, you won’t be able to put another operator’s SIM card
