Hello and welcome to the T3 best cheap phones of 2021 guide from our in-house experts, a list which will lead you straight to the best cheap iPhones, the best cheap Galaxy phones, the best cheap Pixels, and every other quality budget handset that you can think of. You can’t help but make an informed purchase after taking in all this info.
You should know that we’ve put these cheap phones through hours and hours of testing, so you can be assured that we know what we’re talking about when it comes to affordable mobile devices. Whatever features you need, whatever phone style you prefer, there should be something that suits you very well here.
And don’t think competitive pricing means sub-standard budget phones – even at these affordable price points, these are still fantastic handsets, with quality screens, fast internals, and very good cameras too. By the time you’ve finished reading you’ll be wondering why anyone would spend big on a flagship.
Whether you want the best cheap phones running Android, the best cheap phones running iOS, or the best cheap phone for photography, we can direct you. We’ve also included some handy general buying advice to make sure you pick the right phone, which should help you navigate your way through the wealth of handsets on offer.
BEST CHEAP PHONES: BUDGET BUT BRILLIANT MOBILE PHONES
1. APPLE IPHONE SE (2020)
The best cheap phone for most people
SPECIFICATIONS
Weight: 148gDimensions: 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mmOS: iOS 13Screen size: 4.7 inchesResolution: 750 x 1334 pixelsCPU: Apple A13 BionicRAM: 3GBStorage: 64GB / 128GB / 256GBBattery: 1,821 mAhRear camera: 12 MP f/1.8Front camera: 7 MP f/2.0
REASONS TO BUY
- Stylish design
- Fast performance
- Low price point
TODAY’S BEST DEALS
The Apple iPhone SE (2020) is the best cheap phone in the world. That’s because it delivers a near-flagship iPhone experience but does so for a fraction of the cost. Indeed, the SE is so cheap that is rings in for under half that if the flagship iPhone 11 Pro, and for that reason alone it demands checking out by any prospective phone upgrader.
It really does deliver in terms of phone experience, too, with the exact same benchmark-crushing processor installed in it iPhone 11 range making its way into the 2020 SE, too. That means that this phone delivers A13 Bionic-levels of speed and energy efficiency, which combined with the butter smooth and super intuitive and feature packed iOS 13 operating system, makes using the iPhone SE an absolute joy.
Yes, the iPhone SE (2020) cuts a few corners when compared to the flagship iPhone devices, with a slightly weaker camera system, screen and battery, but considering just how remarkably cheap the phone is, and that all its components deliver strong performance, it is really hard to overlook it.
For iPhone users this is a no-brainer cheap phone upgrade, and even for Android users, we suggest at least checking out the handset before pulling the trigger a new phone, as you might be surprised at just how much quality Apple has laid down here for, comparatively, very little money.
Want even more reason to pick the Apple iPhone SE (2020)? Well, it has just won the Best Mid-Range Phone award at the T3 Awards 2020.
