5 Best Budget Mobile Phones
Updated Nov 2024
Want the most from your smart phone? Need to shop savvy? Then look no further! Our AskMjareb smart phone specialists dug deep and checked out the best budget products in market.
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Best of the Best
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Budget Phone Done Right
Huawei Y9’s superior display and surprising battery life make it stand at the top of our list. It’s glossy finish, attractive price and expandable internal storage are the icing on an already impressive cake. If the camera was slightly better, it would have been just perfect.
- Superior, 6.5’’ display
- Has a headphone jack
- Impressive battery life
- Internal storage can be expanded up to 400GB
- Camera underperforms
- Micro USB charging port
Best Value
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he Only Low Here Is The Price
The Huawei P Smart has a lot going for it for a budget phone: plenty of internal storage, a fantastic screen with a barely-noticeable notch, and comes with Android 9 right out of the box. The camera, although not the phone’s strong point, is made better by its versatile software.
- Very cheap
- Small teardrop notch
- Runs Android Pie
- Camera software makes up for poor quality
- Plasticy build scratches easily
- Poor camera performance
- Micro USB port is outdated
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A Capable, Low-cost Smartphone
What the Honor 10 Lite lacks in horsepower, it more than makes up for with loads of internal storage and a bright, and beautiful 6.21-inch display with a teeny-tiny notch. Its cameras are also better than most budget phones we tested, but Bluetooth performance could be better.
- Full HD+ 6.21’’ display
- Lots of onboard storage
- Better camera than most
- Android 9 out of the box
- Very similar to Huawei P Smart, but costs more
- Micro USB port for charging
- Bluetooth connection frequently drops out
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The Perfect Selfie On A Budget
The Xiaomi Redmi S2’s front camera and MicroSD storage extension make it perfect for the selfie-lovers among you. Its lovely design and classic headphone jack might also appeal to the everyday user, though the lack of standard features like NFC and fast charging might not.
- Thin, elegant design
- Supports MicroSD and two nano SIM cards simultaneously
- 16 MP front camera
- Headphone jack
- No NFC
- No fast charging
- Still doesn’t run Android 9
- Rear camera’s performance is lacking
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Budget Performance For Budget Price
The Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite shares a lot of the faults of a budget phone: no USB-C type port, no fast charging, and a somewhat outdated design. However, its decent camera, robust and sturdy build, and fast processor are more than worth the low, low price.
- Affordable price
- Fast performance
- Sturdy, classic build
- Two-day battery life
- No fast charge option
- No USB-C type port
- No NFC
- 256GB cap on internal storage
How We Decided
We purchase every product we review with our own funds — we never accept anything from product manufacturers.
Low Budget Mobile Phones – Our Experts Advise
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Low budget doesn’t mean making do with cheap and nasty. There are a host of high functioning, yet inexpensive products, which satisfied our experts on all fronts.
- The perfect combination of phone and tablet
- The Huawei P Smart, with it’s large 6.21’’ display and Android 9 operating system, is surprising in top-notch delivery, stunning design, and premium features. It feels good to use and handle, and thanks to a supreme battery, you can use it all day without worry.
- For the photo snapper in you
- We recommend the Xiaomi Redmi S2. Its dual rear 12MP and 5MP cameras work really well for all type of photos and portraits, but the real star is the front-facing 16MP. Use it to take the perfect selfie by thanks to high quality and enhanced bokeh effects.
- The best budget-friendly smartphone
- At the moment, this honor goes to the Huawei Y9 2019. It feels as expensive as one of the best mid-range phones, but in reality, its price is as budget-friendly as they come With the latest Android Pie update, it works fast, Though a little weak on the camera delivery, it’s otherwise a solid performer.
Budget Mobile Features
- Operating System- If it’s not an iPhone, you can be sure it’s Android. Huawei phones, like Huawei Y9 2019 and Huawei P Smart are all running the latest Android 9.0 Pie, but some Xiaomi’s are still on Android 8.0 Oreo.
- RAM is Random Access Memory- often just called Memory. Measured in gigabytes: 4 GB is good, but GB, as in the Huawei Y9 2019, is even better.
- Storage- Everything in your mobile phone goes here: operating system, apps, software, music; videos — everything. 16 GB is obsolete, 32 GB is acceptable storage, though most come with built-in 64GB of storage. The Huawei Y9 2019’s storage can be expended to a whopping 400GB using MicroSD cards.
- Battery- Smartphones run on lithium-ion batteries. Capacity is measured in mAh (milliAmpere hours). All things being equal, more mAh means a longer time before your battery needs a recharge.
- Screen Size- This is not the size of the whole phone, it’s just the size of the display screen. It is measured diagonally, in inches (1 inch = 2.54 cm).
- Resolution- This tells you how many pixels on your screen. The more pixels, the clearer the image. HD (High Density) is 1280 x 720; Full HD is 1920 x 1080.
- Camera- The front camera shoots selfies; rear camera shoots the world; both measured in megapixels: the Xiaomi Redmi S2 has dual 12 MP and 5MP rear cameras, and a 16 MP front one.
- Sound Quality- Whether you’re using your phone as a phone, or for music or videos, sound quality is always an important feature. Remember: two speakers are better than one.
