Cheapest entry level smartphone

Marcon

An elderly friend has decided to take the plunge and get a smartphone. She doesn't need it to be particularly quick/fancy and will use it for occasional phone calls and texts, a few e-mails and checking bus and rail times while she's out shopping - and a bit of googling. She has a SIM only deal at present and wants to buy the handset outright, as cheaply as possible, and would prefer it to be unlocked so she can use her current supplier (Talkmobile) - but open to persuasion if a locked phone gets a much better deal. Budget is £100 max, but happy to spend less for something which does the very limited things she needs it to do.

I can find plenty of sites offering contract deals and 'deals' on top end smartphones, but I'm not having much luck finding something like this. Googling on 'Best Buy budget smartphones' throws up £200+ handsets. Please does anyone have any recommendations, either in terms of what might be suitable, or what to avoid?

Many thanks.

david39

There are several unlocked smart phones available priced at below £100 that are more than adequate for the uses that your friend requires.
I bought a Chinese android phone that lasted 3.5 years of everyday use before the battery started to fail. It cost £59 and I replaced it with another made in China for around the same price a year ago that is still going strong.
I suggest you have a look at Amazon, pick out some likely contenders and read the user reviews.
If your friend does not like what she receives he/she can return it for a refund.
The names on these phones will be unknown to you and the range on Amazon changes all the time, so a recommendation from me is pointless. Just do a bit of research on Amazon and read the specs and reviews.

Nile

Hi, we move threads if we think they’ll get more help elsewhere (please read the forum rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board. If you have any questions about this policy please email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.

I’ve moved your thread from the ‘I wanna’ board to the ‘Mobile Phones’ board, where it is better suited.

Regards

Nile

Marcon

david39 wrote: »

There are several unlocked smart phones available priced at below £100 that are more than adequate for the uses that your friend requires.
I bought a Chinese android phone that lasted 3.5 years of everyday use before the battery started to fail. It cost £59 and I replaced it with another made in China for around the same price a year ago that is still going strong.
I suggest you have a look at Amazon, pick out some likely contenders and read the user reviews.
If your friend does not like what she receives he/she can return it for a refund.
The names on these phones will be unknown to you and the range on Amazon changes all the time, so a recommendation from me is pointless. Just do a bit of research on Amazon and read the specs and reviews.

Many thanks. I had indeed tried doing that, but to be honest the specs are fairly meaningless to me - and the problem with the reviews is that they seem to range from one extreme to the other. Clearly one person's ideal phone is another man's poison!!

[Deleted User]

The Moto c plus is priced under £100 from Argos. It!!!8217;s a little big but has a huge battery so won!!!8217;t need charging all the time.

[Deleted User]

Since she's using Talkmobile (which runs on the Vodafone network) she could have a look at the Vodafone PAYG phones, just swap the sims over.

Vodafone Smart mini - £21.50
Nokia 1 - £55
Vodafone Smart N9 lite - £69
Sony Xperia L1 - £89

They have screens going from 4" to 5.5" if her eyesight is an issue.

pmduk

The Moto C itself can be bought SIM free from Carphone Warehouse for £79.95.

eDicky

The Vodafone Smart first 7 costs £14.99 at Argos, but you have to buy a £10 top up with it.

The Smart Mini 7 from Vodafone at £21.50 also requires a top up purchase.

lindens

i bought an alcatel one yesterday from argos at £29.99 to tide me over whilst my samsung is repaired. this was on EE but they had several different ones that were similar on a few other networks.