You don't need to spend a lot to get a capable smartphone. These are the best phones under £250 in 2026 — reliable, fast and with genuinely good cameras and battery life.
The Galaxy A35 regularly dips under £250 on deals and is the best budget smartphone you can buy. Bright AMOLED display, 5,000mAh battery, reliable performance and a surprisingly capable triple camera.
When on deal or refurbished, the Pixel 7a can come in around £250 and offers camera quality that rivals phones costing £500+. Outstanding computational photography at a bargain price.
For gaming and performance, the Poco X6 Pro packs a powerful Dimensity 8300 chip and 120Hz display for under £300, often under £250 on deal.
The Samsung Galaxy A35 is our top pick under £250 — it regularly hits this price on deals and offers an AMOLED display, 5,000mAh battery and solid performance.
Absolutely. Budget phones have improved dramatically. The Samsung Galaxy A35 and Poco X6 Pro both offer genuinely impressive specs and performance at this price point.
You typically get a slower chipset than flagship phones, a less versatile camera system (no periscope zoom) and slower charging speeds. But everyday performance is still very capable.
If you can stretch to £300-400, you get a meaningfully better camera and chipset. But for most everyday users, £250 buys everything you need.