Finding the best budget phone for you

The latest smartphones tend to come with exciting new features, including cutting-edge cameras, wide, high-definition screens and lots of memory. They can also be expensive – but that’s where our range of cheaper smartphones comes in.

Plenty of more affordable smartphones also have the features that more expensive models have - including great cameras, quality screens, speedy processors, and many of the same apps. If you’re thinking about getting a budget phone, here’s why they can be the best choice.

Affordable phones for every budget

Best budget phones under £100

Best budget phones under £200

Best budget phones under £300

Choose Pay as you go for total freedom

Pay as you go phones are a great choice if you want flexibility – there’s no set monthly charge, so all you pay for are the texts and calls you make. Budget Pay as you go phones are handy if you need a mobile phone, but you know you won’t use it much – or if you’d like to keep a close eye on what you’re spending. You also won’t need to go through a credit check like you do with a Pay monthly contract.

If there are times when you need a bit of extra data or you’re making more calls, you can get a one off Pay as you go Bundle – including Unlimited data plans – although this will bump up the amount you pay for that month. You can also add extra data, minutes and texts to your Pay as you go account when you’re abroad, so you can carry on using your phone like you do at home. Bear in mind that our bundles automatically renew, so if you want a one-off bundle, you'll have to call us to turn off bundle renewals - and we can stop bundles automatically auto-renewing in the future.

Choose how much you want to spend on a Pay as you go phone

If you’re buying your phone outright, you can choose from a variety of smartphones with varying costs. Whether you’re after a basic, competent phone for under £100, a mid-range phone under £200, or a phone for under £300 with more features, there are plenty to choose from. You can even compare phones to see how the model you want differs to newer models – handy if you don’t know which features might be important for you, and the ones you can do without.

Bring down the cost of a monthly contract

Pay monthly budget phones are useful if you need to know you can always make texts, call people, and browse online without running out of credit – and all of our Pay monthly contracts come with unlimited texts and minutes. Plus, Vodafone EVO means you can get the phone you want at the price you choose, with phone plans that give you ultimate flexibility.

Older phones and phones with fewer features are often available on much cheaper monthly contracts, and you can add top-ups such as extra data if you need to. If you want to cut down on your spending, you can keep track of your bill throughout the month and even cap how much data you use – or set a limit on your monthly spend so you won’t get a shock when your bill comes.

Like with Pay as you go, you can also add Extras to your monthly contract if you need to, such as extra data or international calls and texts.

Good screens, decent cameras and easy browsing

Budget phones may not have the same cutting-edge features as more expensive phones – but they still have good cameras, pixel-dense screens and hardworking processors. Many cheaper phones have high-resolution sensors that can take clear, detailed photos and have colour-rich displays for browsing, watching videos and looking at photos. Plus, as long as you have data, your phone will be fast enough to browse the internet, make video calls and run apps, as well as making calls and sending emails. If you’re a keen gamer or you love streaming films (both activities use a lot of data), a budget phone may not be for you – but if you want a basic phone only for simple tasks, a cheaper phone may suit your needs.

Refurbished phones, clearance deals and discounts

If you’re looking for a budget phone but you’re happy to pay a bit more than £300, our refurbished phones, clearance deals and discounts may be a good way to save.

We offer a range of refurbished phones which have been returned to us in pristine condition – no need for any kind of refurbishment, just not what the original buyer was after. Our clearance phones are also great value, and brand new – they include devices with limited-run colours, and devices we only had a limited number of to begin with. Plus, if you’re an existing Vodafone customer, you can enjoy a 15% discount on selected additional devices and plans – log in to your My Vodafone account to apply the discount.