Flagship phones are more expensive than ever but as the high-end gets better, so too does the budget market. It’s possible to buy a new handset under £250/$250 and still get a phone capable of handling everything you throw at it.<blockquote>There’s even the odd handset here under £100/$100, which might be perfect if all you need is the ability to make and receive WhatsApp calls; currently not available on most basic feature/keypad phones.</blockquote><h2 style="text-align: start">Best budget phone 2022</h2><h3 style="text-align: start">1. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://amzn.to/3sspFFo">Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro</a> – Best overall</h3><img class="PostContentImage" src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/baalish-pub.appspot.com/o/post-files%2FspwvVKIoyHS4V6q8nGgv9yb0trZ2%2FtFesH7FYJ1dip1gzdLAQ%2Fbe407ae6-f827-494a-9227-41d317c2cd69.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=574f4b4e-acbd-495f-ad57-b89b6ac0e53c">The Poco X3 Pro isn’t perfect. The big battery makes it bulky, the cameras could be better and MIUI 12 leaves much to be desired, but they don’t stop this phone from being an outrageously good budget offering.In contrast, the phone boasts a myriad of strengths; strong specs leading to exceptional performance, a beautiful display and absolutely fantastic battery life.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://amzn.to/3sspFFo">Get it on Amazon for $415!</a><h3 style="text-align: start">2. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://amzn.to/3TPm0wJ">Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro</a> – Best camera</h3><img class="PostContentImage" src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/baalish-pub.appspot.com/o/post-files%2FspwvVKIoyHS4V6q8nGgv9yb0trZ2%2FtFesH7FYJ1dip1gzdLAQ%2F375ed639-6679-4672-b13c-778863eed612.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=137efa98-50c3-4719-9627-86c68fd75949">The Redmi Note 10 Pro is essentially an upgraded Poco X3 NFC, with a nicer display and better camera.The 6.67in 120Hz panel boasts AMOLED tech, meaning superb contrast and vibrant colours. The 108Mp lead camera, meanwhile, excels and comes accompanied by a pair of secondary snappers that exceed expectation.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://amzn.to/3TPm0wJ">Get it on Amazon for $249!</a><h3 style="text-align: start">3. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://amzn.to/3Tx1h1f">Xiaomi Poco M4 Pro</a> – Incredible value</h3><img class="PostContentImage" src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/baalish-pub.appspot.com/o/post-files%2FspwvVKIoyHS4V6q8nGgv9yb0trZ2%2FtFesH7FYJ1dip1gzdLAQ%2Fe774a30c-218d-4f99-951a-e3361d579137.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=e2a0109a-c912-4bb0-9af2-30fb7d4d3734">Not to be confused with last year’s Poco M4 Pro 5G, this device shrugs off 5G in exchange for some notable upgrades in other areas.The Poco M4 is the first M series device in Poco history to pack in an AMOLED display (which also happens to support a 90Hz refresh rate and Full HD+ resolution), the 64Mp is an impressive improvement for the series and battery life (as well as fast charging) is decent too.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://amzn.to/3Tx1h1f">Get it on Amazon for $499!</a><h3 style="text-align: start">4.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://amzn.to/3U2ReAN"> Motorola Moto G62</a></h3><img class="PostContentImage" src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/baalish-pub.appspot.com/o/post-files%2FspwvVKIoyHS4V6q8nGgv9yb0trZ2%2FtFesH7FYJ1dip1gzdLAQ%2Fad52315e-6a44-4f59-9d3d-2749746411ff.webp?alt=media&amp;token=2347826e-8814-4e8a-b0a2-74786ac149fc">The cons of the Moto G62 are much the same as all cheap phones, because they are cheap! You save money by sacrificing performance, camera quality, and faster charging. What you gain with the Moto though is a solid plastic built quality that surpasses other phones at this price, a clean version of Android 12 with changes only made where Moto can improve, not add things for the sake of it.There’s a superb always-on display, despite having an LCD rather than OLED panel, that lets you quickly view and open notifications that no other phone brand has. If the performance occasionally stutters you will be able to forgive it for how attractive the software of this phone looks, and it’s a great alternative to Xiaomi’s cluttered UI, despite the strength of that brands budget phones.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://amzn.to/3U2ReAN">Get it on Amazon for $287!</a><h3 style="text-align: start">5. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://amzn.to/3Fwghbc">Xiaomi Poco M4 Pro 5G</a> – Great for budget 5G</h3><img class="PostContentImage" src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/baalish-pub.appspot.com/o/post-files%2FspwvVKIoyHS4V6q8nGgv9yb0trZ2%2FtFesH7FYJ1dip1gzdLAQ%2Fc4a3a766-9cc4-4f94-9634-cb58e0305179.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=213ea952-365a-421b-8599-fc180a8b898a">The updated Poco M4 Pro 5G offers a little more than its predecessor from the same year, without changing the overall balance struck, all that much.This like-minded Xiaomi handset has a run-of-the-mill Dimensity 810 5G chipset but also delivers a high 90Hz refresh rate viewing experience.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://amzn.to/3Fwghbc">Get it on Amazon for $239!</a>Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!

Flagship phones are more expensive than ever but as the high-end gets better, so too does the budget market. It’s possible to buy ...

Aneek Rahman

Top 10 budget smartphones to buy in 2022!