What's the best budget phone? The best cheap phone in the UK is the Moto G 3rd-gen after it's price cut, followed by the Vodafone Smart Ultra 6. Also check out the Smart Prime 7 and the Motorola Moto E 4G as cheap alternatives. Read more about these phones and some top cheap phone alternatives in our best budget phones chart below. Plus: what to look for in a budget phone.
3. Xiaomi Redmi 3
Rating:
Reviewed on: 2 February 16
RRP: 152.88 USD.
The Xiaomi Redmi 3 is a very decent budget Android phone, but it isn't intended for a UK audience and doesn't come with Google Play installed out of the box, so we wouldn't recommend it for those not familiar with Android. It has a plasticky but decent build, with good performance for the money.
2. Wileyfox Swift
Rating:
Reviewed on: 26 November 15
RRP: 171.57 USD
For a brand-new smartphone maker's first effort, we're impressed with the Wileyfox Swift. It's a stylish little handset which offers essentially the same specs as the Moto G for less money. We love the customisation available in Cyanogen OS but elements such as the cameras aren't as good as rivals. Vodafone's Smart Ultra 6 remains a better option for slightly less money - unless a 5.5in screen is too big in which case look at the Smart Prime 6 as an alternative.
1. Cubot P12
Rating:
Reviewed on: 21 January 16
RRP: 103.72 USD
We can't argue with the immense value for money offered by the Cubot P12. It's not the fastest budget phone we've seen, but it is probably the best-looking. The lack of 4G support is disappointing, but the spec sheet otherwise offers fairly impressive reading at this price. A strong rival to the Vodafone Smart Prime 6 as a network-unlocked budget smartphone, even if Vodafone as a brand is much better-known in the UK than is Cubot.
It's no secret that Samsung has launched the Galaxy Note7, a new smartphone for 2016 aiming to be one of the best Android phones you can buy. Instead of waiting until IFA in Berlin, Samsung has announced the Note7 at various locations around the globe today. Here's our Samsung Galaxy Note7 hands-on review. See also: Best phones 2016.
Before we dive into the review, you might be wondering what happened to the Galaxy Note 6 – considering the Note5 didn't even get a proper UK launch. Well Samsung wants to keep the Note range in-line with the Galaxy S range. Afterall, it does make sense if all the phones launched in the same year have the same model number.
It's also worth pointing out that the naming system is 'Note7' with no space following the Note5, that's not an error on our part.
PRICE
The Galaxy Note7 release date in the UK is 2 Septmber with the option to pre-order from 16 August. The Note7 price, via MobileFun, is £749 SIM-free which is rather expensive.
If you pre-order then you'll get the phone three days early and Samsung will also throw in a free GearVR when you buy from selected retailers so look out for the deal.
DESIGN AND BUILD
When it comes to design, Samsung has struck a nice balance of retaining the look of the Note series while bring the style of the Galaxy S7. In this case, particularly the Galaxy S7 edge
as the new Note7 has the dual edge curved screen as standard.
What's quite amazing here is that the Note7 doesn't feel like a phablet despite the screen size remaining at 5.7in. It's not much bigger than the S7 edge and the device feels more manageable than ever.
This slab of metal and glass looks and feels great, although be wary of the rear cover as the slippery glass means the device is likely to slide out of your pocket when sitting down or make its way slowly off the edge of a sofa arm.
Build quality is up to the usual high standards which we've come to expect from Samsung with smooth flushness where materials meet, precision drilled holes and the like. The Note7 is available in a range of colours including Gold Platinum, Silver Titanium, Black Onyx and Blue Coral. The latter is an eye-catching combination of blue and gold as you can see in our pictures.
HARDWARE AND SPECS
Sticking to tradition, the Galaxy Note7 has a 5.7in display so users of previous Note phones will feel right at home. Despite rumours of a 4- or even 6K resolution, Samsung has sensible stuck to QuadHD (1440x2560) which it uses on the S7 handsets.
It's still a gorgeous display using the firm's favoured SuperAMOLED technology with the added bonus of the dual edge. It works in the same way as the S7 edge so you have a subtle curve on either side unlike the 2014 Galaxy Note Edge which had a large curved section on one side.
It can be used for various things such as quickly accessing your favourite contacts or apps – we'll talk more about it in the software section. Samsung has also brought over its 'always on' screen feature (which is optional). This means even when you turn the display off, it will show you some information like the time and some notifications.
Bringing the Note range up to speed, quite literally, the Note7 is powered by the same processor found in the Galaxy S7 – that's Samsung's own Exynos 8890 which, in the S7, we found more than capable. The Note7 has 4GB of RAM despite rumours of 6GB which means the OnePlus 3 remains in its exclusive club.
When it comes to storage, the Galaxy Note7 comes with 64GB as standard and retains the Micro-SD card slot for adding more. A good move since the Note5 didn't have one and nor did the Galaxy S6 which wasn't met with gratitude from users.
Beyond the core specs, the Note7 is packed with tech – almost to the point where we're struggling to find something which it hasn't got.
SOFTWARE AND APPS
It comes as no surprise that the Galaxy Note7 comes with Android 6.0 Marshmallow pre-installed and Samsung's own TouchWiz user interface. We assume that it will get an upgrade to the upcoming Android 7.0 Nougat but official confirmation is yet to come.
Long gone are the days when TouchWiz was a bit too crude, complicated and generally a bit over-the-top. Nowadays, the user interface is much cleaner and closer to stock Android but with useful additions presented in an easier way to handle. Subtle differences like softer colours in the icons all add up .
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The Xiaomi Redmi 3 is a very decent budget Android phone, but it isn't intended for a UK audience and doesn't come with Google Play installed out of the box, so we wouldn't recommend it for those not familiar with Android. It has a plasticky but decent build, with good performance for the money. 
For a brand-new smartphone maker's first effort, we're impressed with the Wileyfox Swift. It's a stylish little handset which offers essentially the same specs as the Moto G for less money. We love the customisation available in Cyanogen OS but elements such as the cameras aren't as good as rivals. Vodafone's Smart Ultra 6 remains a better option for slightly less money - unless a 5.5in screen is too big in which case look at the Smart Prime 6 as an alternative.
