The best phones under £200 in the UK (May 2020) - Android

While expensive flagship smartphones grab all the headlines, there’s a booming market for budget phones in the UK, which are great if you want to save some cash. While you won’t receive all the latest bells and whistles, cheap phones still offer competitive performance, camera quality, and extra features without breaking the bank.

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If you’re sick of forking out a small fortune for every phone, or you’re looking for an inexpensive first foray into the world of Android, you’re in luck. Here are some of the best phones under £200 you can buy in the UK.

Best phones under £200:

Editor’s note: We will update this list of the best phones under £200 as new phones launch.

1. Realme 5 Pro

Realme is a relatively unknown brand in the UK but the Oppo offshoot has been quietly crafting some of the best budget phones in recent years. That includes the Realme 5 Pro, which is easily one of the best phones under £200 to date.

The Realme 5 Pro runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 712 SoC which puts it ahead of most of the other phones on this list in terms of raw power. It also has a large, near bezel-less 6.3-inch Full HD+ display with a waterdrop notch, a meaty 4,035mAh battery with VOOC 3.0 fast charging, a rear fingerprint sensor, up to 8GB of RAM, and expandable storage.

Related: Xiaomi and Realme: A tale of a pot and kettle

That’s all without mentioning the quad camera (that’s right, four cameras!) on the rear — a 48MP main sensor, 8MP ultra wide-angle lens, 2MP macro camera, and 2MP depth sensor.

The only potential deal breaker is the software. Realme’s ColorOS skin leaves a lot to be desired with confusing menus and bloat. If you can put up with it though, the Realme 5 Pro is pound for pound easily the best value phone on this list.

At the time of writing the Realme 5 Pro is retailing for £209. You could technically import it and pay in Euros or wait for a sale to get it under that magic £200 mark, but honestly, this is one case where I’d suggest bending the rules and just paying the extra £9. It’s worth it.

Realme 5 Pro specs:

2. Redmi Note 8T

The Redmi Note 8T is the latest in Xiaomi’s budget Redmi line, and it delivers solid performance at an attractive price point. Coupled with a quad-camera setup, headphone jack, microSD card slot, great battery life, and fast charging, it’s a welcome addition to the increasingly crowded sub-£200 market.

The Redmi Note 8T is no slouch either with a decent Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC, 4GB of RAM, and a large 4,000mAh battery.

Like the Realme 5 Pro, the Redmi Note 8T also has a 48MP main camera, an ultra wide-angle lens, a depth sensor, and a macro camera. It also has a similarly divisive software skin, with Xiaomi’s MIUI being something of an acquired taste.

However, for just £169, the Redmi Note 8T is one of the best cheap phones in the UK by a wide margin.

Redmi Note 8T specs:

3. Motorola Moto G8

Motorola

Motorola’s G-series phones have been a mainstay of the UK’s mid-range for years now and the Moto G8 is another winner for the venerable budget family.

The low-resolution 6.4-inch display isn’t the best out there and the Snapdragon 655 won’t win any speed tests, but the Moto G8 does come with a few unexpected perks like a triple camera (standard, ultra-wide, and macro), a fingerprint sensor, and a clean software experience.

For £179 it’s hard to argue that the Moto G7 Power isn’t one of the best phones under £200.

Moto G8 specs:

4. Honor 9x