Budget Smartphones

Even at the budget end of the smartphone market there are plenty of great handsets. Many now have excellent camera tech combined with large, sharp screens for easier viewing and typing. With a bit of careful shopping it’s now possible to save a packet while delivering a great phone experience for any of the personalities in your household

BEYOND BASICS

Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro, R5 295

The market leader provides solid phones at all price points, and is considered something of a safe bet, if somewhat unexciting. The J series is Samsung’s lower mid-tier (between the A and Z series) and the new J7 Pro is the top-specced model with the biggest screen, a fingerprint sensor and a generous 3GB of RAM to keep things fast and smooth. The battery life is impressive, as is the screen technology, and it certainly looks up to date in the style department, so it’s good value all round.

FEATURES: 5,5" screen, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, 13/13MP front/rear cameras, fingerprint sensor

COMPLETE PACKAGE

Nokia 7 Plus, R6 999

Nokia is a rare comeback success story in the phone world, and this new model proved to be our best handset on test. The sturdy, slender frame is milled from solid aluminium and the rear panel is specially coated to give it a soft-touch ceramic feel. The dual rear cameras use top-notch Zeiss lenses. One sensor even has 2x optical zoom and the pictures look fantastic. It has a generous 4GB of RAM, which makes everything fly, and with the large, sharp 6-inch screen it’s unbeatable at this price.

FEATURES: 6" screen, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, 16MP/12 + 13MP front/rear cameras, fingerprint sensor

MULTIMEDIA VIEWER

Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra, R6 500