Looking for the best cheap smartphone you can buy? Whether it's a budget Android phone or a Windows phone you're after, we've picked the best phones under £200
So the wallet can’t stretch to one of the best smartphones iPhone 5S or investing in an Android smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy S5 is out of the question. All is not lost. You can still get the smartphone experience at the fraction of the price. You will have to be prepared to make some compromises.
The iPhone 5C wasn't the budget Apple smartphone some had hoped so the likes of HTC, Nokia, ZTE, Huawei and Alacatel are amongst the phone manufacturers trying to make cheap Windows Phone 8 and Android smartphones a more attractive alternative.
There are some specs that you will have to do without. Like a Full HD 1080p screen for instance. Yes, you will lose out on the exceptional clarity levels, colour range and vibrancy to make the most of watching video and playing games.
Processing power is another department that usually takes a hit. Don’t expect to get any quad-core power here. It’s all about single or dual-core CPUs. In the snapping department you shouldn't expect iPhone 5S or Sony Xperia Z1-like quality.
For under £200, you can still get a decent main and front-facing camera. You can still get access to Google Play and the Windows Phone store to download apps and games. More importantly, all of those features are packaged in a body that doesn’t look like it’s been hit with an ugly stick.
With new phones like the Sony Xperia M2, the HTC Desire 610 and the Android-running Nokia X on the horizon, the specs for a sub £200 phone are only getting better.
If money is tight and you are looking for a smartphone minus the expensive contract, we’ve rifled through our latest mobile phone reviews to give you the best cheap smartphones to buy right now.