Here’s what to look out for when buying an affordable phone:
Screen size
You want to choose a screen size that matches how you will be using the phone. Buying the phone for kids who’ll play mobile games or read a lot? A larger screen of at least six inches will reduce their eye strain.
As smaller phones have largely been phased out, a 6inch display is the size of most smartphones these days, but some go up to 6.7 inches and over, which may be more cumbersome but will give you much more viewing space.
Screen resolution
This is how sharp the picture on the phone looks. You should go for a higher resolution if you watch loads of videos via streaming services or YouTube as you will want the best quality. A highquality OLED display will also help.
Refresh rate
This is how many times the display fully refreshes every second, and is measured in Hertz, or Hz. What does that actually mean? The higher the refresh rate, the smoother your phone feels in use, like when scrolling through social feeds or playing games. Most phones have at least 60Hz, but some offer up to 120Hz.
Storage
The more storage you have, the more files, photos and downloads you can have on your phone. This is always measured in gigabytes (GB), with popular sizes including 64, 128, 256 and 512GB, with some flagship handsets offering a huge one terabyte. That’s equal to 1,024 gigabytes. The larger sizes tends to be more expensive, though.
It’s hard to say how much stuff this holds, as every file type is a different size (some mobile games take up gigabytes on their own, but photos are much smaller). An HD film is around 45GB, so 256GB would hold around 50 of those movies, for example.
We advise looking for 128GB of internal storage at a minimum, but it’s better if you can get 256GB. Some phones let you extend the storage using a microSD card, and you can access more space using “cloud” services, such as Apple iCloud or Google Drive.
5G vs 4G
Every smartphone on our list comes with 4G connectivity, but there are now plenty of affordable handsets selling for well under £400 that also offer access to 5G networks, as long as you have the correct data plan.
If you do, you can get faster internet, streaming and download speeds in cities with 5G connectivity. It can be perfect if you want to save a lengthy Netflix movie or Spotify playlist quickly before a trip.
Battery life
You don’t want your smartphone to run out of juice in the middle of your day, so it’s important to get a model with decent battery life. Battery capacity is measured in milliamp hours, or mAh, and the general rule is that the bigger the number, the more power you will get.
We suggest aiming for as close to 5,000mAh as possible – this should be enough for at least one full day – but remember that how long your phone lasts depends on how much you use it. If you’re worried about running out of juice, it’s worth investing in one of the best power banks.
Cameras
All of the phones on our list have at least one rear camera. But the quality of the lenses and software used to make your images look better is different, depending on your phone.
We have listed the available cameras and megapixels (MP) within our roundup, but it’s worth noting that megapixels don’t matter all that much. It’s a bit of a misconception that more megapixels will get you better images. Image processing, sensor quality and size will have more impact on picture quality.
Processor
This is the brain of your phone – sending and receiving commands and information to all of the apps, games and cameras and keeping everything running smoothly.
The processor has an influence on how fast the phone feels to use. We’ve made sure every product on our list is capable when it comes to speed and performance.
Security
You want your phone to be protected from snooping, and all handsets have security features that limit who has access.
You can add passwords and patterns to your screen, but some phones also have fingerprint readers that are encoded to your thumbprint, or face recognition to unlock the phone via the frontfacing camera. Using your phone for online banking? Make sure these are all turned on.
Headphone jack
If you have a trusted pair of wired headphones, there’s a very good chance they connect to your phone via a 3.5 mm jack. Most phones no longer come with this feature (in part due to the popularity of wireless noisecancelling headphones and earbuds).
If this matters to you and you’re not ready to ditch wired headphones, check the spec list before buying. It’s worth remembering that you can buy a set that connects via the USBC port or use a USBC to headphone port adapter.
Weather resistance
If you’re taking the phone on holiday or using it for your morning jog, make sure it’s protected from the elements. This is measured as an IP (Ingress Protection) rating. It tells you how safe the phone will be from water and dust.
In general, the higher the twodigit number, the more it’s protected. We recommend aiming for at least IP64 so it’s protected from dust and water sprays, but IP68 would be better. This means your phone may still survive submersion in up to 1.5 metres for up to 30 minutes (it’s not a given, though, so avoid testing this if possible).
Software updates
Software updates keep your phone healthy. They make sure you have the latest version of your operating system and keep your handset protected from hacking threats. Make sure you will get multiple years of support.
Google and Samsung now try to promise at least six years of support, even with their affordable handsets, but lesserknown brands may not support phones for quite as long. They can also come with outdated software versions, or their updates won’t be released as frequently.
