In a recent survey* on Which? members, the main consideration when buying a new phone was price – particularly models under £350. 37% often or always prioritize spending less than this on their next device.

But are you really getting value at this price? Our expert tests say yes, but it depends on what you’re willing to compromise on. Once you know this, you can find the right device in this busy part of the market.

We rounded the best Android and Sim only phone dealsAnd best iPhone deals this Black Friday so you don’t have to.

Battery life on cheap phones

Manufacturers don’t talk much about improved batteries when they release their new phones, but it’s frustrating to have to charge your phone all the time. Choosing a phone with a long battery life is often or always a consideration for 45% of the choice. members we interviewed*.

Which? Testing reveals that phones under £350 are actually more likely to have longer battery life than those over £350. In our lab testing, we use a robotic arm to replicate the way most people typically use their smartphones throughout the day to see how long the phone should last. Over the past year, the best battery lasted over 43 hours in our tests, and the worst only 18 hours, and would cost you over £1,000 to buy.

A simple tip to extend your battery life is to lower your screen brightness to a medium level. When we tested this on phones under £350, battery life increased by 17% on average.

Want to see all of our Best Buy and Great Value phones? Visit our smartphone reviews.

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Camera quality on cheap phones

The quality of a phone’s camera is often or always a primary factor for 22% of questions. members*. You won’t get high-end cameras on a cheap phone, but in our tests, some were much more powerful than expected.

The main compromises concern the versatility of the cameras. This involves how they adapt to difficult lighting conditions and the effectiveness of their shooting modes and styles. Expensive phones usually have a third camera lens to improve the distance you can digitally zoom in and improve the quality of close-ups. They can also feature a TOF (time of flight) lens to accurately measure the depth of shots and 8K resolution video recording that will play stereo sound. The latest editing tools on premium phones are powered by AI. This includes editing objects and people from images and having AI fill in the gaps. See our verdict on AI on the latest Samsung phones to find out more.

But these features are highly specialized. Many cheaper phones still feature multiple lenses, 4K video recording, and custom modes (such as portrait and night mode). In our testing, we found that phones under £350 are more likely to have three-star cameras. However, we’ve found a few for under £350 that give you a four-star experience.

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Display quality on cheap phones

Display quality on phones £350 and under has come leaps and bounds in recent years. Equipped with OLED screens, the best ones have high resolution and shine brightly no matter what angle you look at them from. Many now have 120Hz refresh rates to keep scrolling smooth as you slide your finger across the touchscreen. They’re colorful, bright, and display sharp details, whether you’re reading emails or watching the latest movie.

The quality of the screens is high across the board, so you’re not always guaranteed to get a much better display by spending more.

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Three phones under £350 to consider this Black Friday

GooglePixel 8a

* Average price of the last six months: £475. Cheapest price in last six months: £349

• 6.1-inch OLED display with 2400 x 1808 resolution
• Google Tensor G3 chipset with 8 GB of RAM
• Dual rear cameras with 4K video recording

The Google Pixel 8a is the scaled-down version of Google’s flagship Pixel 8, but you still get premium screen and processor specs. It supports 5G and Wi-Fi 6E, and the camera lenses feature high resolution and smart editing tools.

Check contracts and read our complete Google Pixel 8a review.

Samsung Galaxy A55

* Average price of the last six months: £360. Cheapest price in last six months: £233

• Exynos 1,480 chipset and support for Wi-Fi 6 and 5G
• 6.6-inch OLED screen
• Three rear cameras, including a 50 MP main lens

This is the highest performing phone in Samsung’s 2024 A range, which aims to combine performance with more affordable prices. Its screen is a good size, with a high refresh rate of 120Hz to allow content to load quickly for smooth browsing. The main camera has a high resolution and is IP67 certified, which means it should be dust resistant and survive 30 minutes in water up to a depth of one meter.

See retail prices below, compare contractual offers or read our Samsung Galaxy A55 review.

Samsung Galaxy A15 5G

* Average price of the last six months: £174. Cheapest price in last six months: £110

• Large, high-quality screen
• Improved processor
• Improved charging time

You’ll be hard-pressed to beat the Samsung A15 on pure value: it’s part of the Galaxy lineup, but it’s far inferior to the high-end S series.

There are obvious compromises to be made, but if you’re not too concerned about the latest camera technology (although it still has three rear lenses, including an ultra-wide) or wireless charging , the hardware improvements over its popular predecessor could make it a great lower-cost option. Also consider the 4G version of the A15 (SQUIRREL_TEXT_50013855).

Read our A15 5G reviewcheck prices without Sim below or compare contractual offers.

View our full list of best Black Friday iPhone dealsOr best Black Friday Android and Sim-only phone deals to get a good deal.

* based on a survey of 1,123 people. members, carried out in August 2024.