(Pocket-lint) – Just because you want a cheap phone doesn’t mean you have to totally compromise on the available features. There are plenty of bargain phones under £/€/$200 – often so good it seems bizarre a flagship phone costs at least four times as much. 

Budget phones might not have the sharpest displays or the most pristine designs, but an affordable smartphone can still be good looking, offer decent specs, a good battery life, and solid performance, while saving your wallet at the same time.

Who can argue with that? Here’s our guide to the best budget phones around. If you have a little more to spend, check out our sub-400 guide.

Pocket-lint

Motorola Moto G8

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There are a lot of Moto G series handsets out there, but at this price point you can’t do better than the G8.

No, it doesn’t have the best cameras going compared to some other models in the range, but for the money you still get a lot: great battery life, smooth software, ample performance (gaming is no problem), and a refined design compared to earlier equivalents too.

There’s nothing better at this price point in our view.

• Moto G8 review: Affordable phones don’t come better than this

Pocket-lint

Redmi Note 9

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Redmi is the more affordable brand of Chinese company Xiaomi and its Note 9 offers a solid design and build for its price, coupled with enough power to do most things (despite being on a MediaTek platform), and a camera that will take a decent enough photo.

It might have software that’s a little less preferable compared to the likes of the Motorola devices on this page, but it does deliver a great battery life and it is a great budget phone that delivers a lot of performance for your money.

• Redmi Note 9 review: A new affordable champion?

Pocket-lint

Nokia 5.3

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The Nokia 5.3 offers a great battery life, versatile camera system and a clean and always up to date software experience.

It has a cheap build compared to others on this list, the macro camera isn’t brilliant and there is some performance lag, but if you don’t have a huge budget to spend on a phone, the Nokia 5.3 will tick most of the boxes for you.

• Nokia 5.3 review: Enough bang for your buck?

Pocket-lint

Motorola Moto G7 Power

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The Motorola Moto G7 Power delivers an outstanding battery life with a genuine two-day battery life per charge. The design isn’t as premium as the more expensive Moto G7 and G7 Plus that are part of the same family, but it has a refreshed design over the G6 models, with a notched display.

The display quality isn’t the best, nor is the camera, but the G7 Power offers great value for money. Like other Motorola handsets, the G7 Power has a clean software experience, delivering almost vanilla Android with minimal bloatware, and it offers performance that will suit many just fine.

• Moto G7 Power review: Like battery? Love the Power!

Pocket-lint

Realme 5

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Oppo is certainly onto something with its Realme brand. This phone’s battery life is exceptional, with near two-day life; its screen is large; and its processor is ample for tasks and gaming alike.

That said – and while we can forgive the screen for not being the highest resolution at this price point – the so-called ‘quad camera’ is an oversell that you’ll need to take with a pinch of salt.

Where the Realme 5 really excels is in delivering a balanced experience for the money.

• Realme 5 review: A new face among the affordable crowd

Pocket-lint

Honor 9 Lite

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The Honor 9 Lite offers striking looks well beyond its asking price, delivering a degree of flagship quality. It also has an 18:9 aspect ratio and it comes with dual cameras on the front and rear, as well as a well-placed fingerprint sensor and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Battery life isn’t amazing and the touchscreen occasionally lacks responsiveness, while the camera performance isn’t the best out there, but if you want a good looking and decent performing phone that you can buy outright, without getting locked into a contract, then the Honor 9 Lite is a genuine contender. 

• Honor 9 Lite review: Setting a high bar for budget phones

Writing by Britta O’Boyle.