Bargain hunt
WE ROUND UP THE BEST PHONES FOR UNDER £400
REGULAR readers will be forgiven for thinking that they need to spend a thousand pounds to get their hands on a decent smartphone.
From the Samsung Galaxy S series to the latest iphone Pro, and everything in between, you’ll be paying top prices for the very best.
But what if you don’t need the best? What if you just need a phone that’ll do all the social stuff, take decent photos, and help you manage email? You’ll probably want to make phone calls and text people, too…
The run-up to Christmas is a popular time to upgrade, but that’s when cash is at its tightest.
Well, there’s good news. Here are five eminently capable smartphones that will do everything you want them to do, and sometimes more, but won’t break the bank.
They’re not the cheapest, but not one costs more than £400 unlocked.
A few are older models that are still on sale, so a hunt around may yield even better bargains…
GOOGLE PIXEL 4A
All the noise has been around Google’s latest and greatest Pixel 6 lately, and there’s a good reason for that – it’s a great phone.
The Pixel 4 was a great phone, too – and this stripped-back version should be right up there if you’re after a good value Android phone.
It would be easy to talk about what this phone doesn’t have – no wireless charging, no 5G, and a disappointingly low refresh rate for the screen… but that would be to miss the point.
The 4A has it where it counts – a decent processor, good battery life, and Android without superfluous manufacturer bells and whistles.
There’ll be a 6A next year, of course, and it’ll be cheaper than the regular 6. But for now, this bargain is hard to beat.
■ Cost: From £349 at store.google.com
APPLE IPHONE SE
The iphone SE remains exceptionally good value for those who don’t want Android, even some 18 months after it first hit the market.
Obviously it has everything that tight integration with the rest of Apple’s ecosystem brings, but it’s also got a super-fast chip (the A13 – the same one found in the iphone 11 Pro), and great single-lens camera system.
There are a few compromises over a latest-and-greatest iphone – no Faceid for a start – but the compromises are all in the right places, and with Apple’s commitment to supporting its hardware with great software for as long as possible, you can be sure the SE will continue to meet your needs for years to come. ■ Cost: From £389 at apple.com/uk
SAMSUNG A52S 5G
Like our other contenders here, the A52s has much more powerful and expensive siblings. But it takes much of what’s good about itself from them, too. So while you don’t get the hefty price-tag of the Galaxy S series, or Samsung’s new flip phones, you do get a capable and useful device.
The A52s is a good option for those who want Android and 5G, and a bit more flexibility from their phone’s camera system – rather than a single lens unit and lots of software trickery to compensate, here you get a standard threelens system (wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto), which can produce stunning results.
The phone itself is no slouch, either, with an upgraded processor over the standard A52. Somehow we manage to keep decent battery-life, with Samsung claiming you can run this thing for two days. You won’t be able to, of course, but you will be able to get through more than a single day without worrying.
The cons? Not many come to mind at this price.
■ Cost: From £349
ONEPLUS NORD
Oneplus has gained a fiercely loyal following for its sensational flagship phones at prices that generally undercut the big boys.
It’s no surprise then, to find that it also churns out a useful mid-range Android phone that is also excellent value for money. The Nord is that phone – and it’s one that should and could cost a lot more than it does. There’s great battery life (32 hours), a fabulous camera system (no telephoto lens, alas) that features the exact same sensor as you’d find in the more expensive
Oneplus, 5G support, and a great looking screen.
It can choke a bit with intensive use – like high frame-rate gaming – but phones that cost a lot more than this can struggle with that too. Overall, a solid and reliable option.
■ Cost: From £349 at oneplus.com/uk
TCL 20 5G
This is the cheapest phone in this line-up, but don’t let that fool you. It has decent, if not spectacular, specs across the board – and while that middling performance might be unacceptable to the pros, for those who just want the basics, there is little not to like about the TCL 20.
The all-important screen (6.6in) is bright and sharp, battery life is good, and the processor fast enough.
The camera system has a 48MP main camera, so you’re not going to miss any details in your snaps, either. In fact, that camera alone is probably worth the price of admission…
■ Cost: From £269 from tcl.com/uk