T3 - UK (2022-02)

BUDGET BARGAIN

AFFORDABLE APPLE

PURE GOOGLE

SUPERB SAMSUNG

T3 recommends...

FEBRUARY 2022 T3 49

Affordable phones

THE BEST PHONES

UNDER £500

You don’t need to spend serious money to get

a seriously good Apple or Android

The intense rivalry between smartphone manufacturers means that

last year’s flagships become this year’s mid-range phones: for less

than £500 you can get your hands on a new phone with the same

cameras, displays and batteries as the most expensive smartphones

of a year or two ago. Of course there are some compromises – if

you’re getting a cutting-edge camera you’re probably not getting the

biggest possible battery; if the screen’s brilliant the processor might

not be as fast as this year’s flagships – but these phones are all very

compelling devices with excellent features, lots of great apps and

performance that punches way above their price tag.

SAMSUNG GALAXY A52 5G

The A52 has a very similar design

to the much more expensive

Samsung Galaxy S21 and it comes

with a superb 64MP camera

system, 5G, a 120Hz Super

AMOLED display and excellent

battery life. It’s not as fast as

Samsung’s flagships and while the

camera is superb its digital zoom

isn’t. But you’re still getting high-

end features without the high-end

price tag from one of the very best

smartphone makers.

£409, samsung.com

The iPhone SE looks like an iPhone
8 and has the same 4.7-inch
Retina display, but it’s considerably
improved inside. The SE has the
same A13 Bionic processor as the
iPhone 11, which delivers smooth
performance in apps and games.

This is the cheapest iPhone Apple

has ever made, and while it’s not

boasting the most up-to-date

specifications it’s still very good.

The iPhone SE is fast, refined and

relatively future-proof.

£399, apple.com

With 5G, an OLED display, 8 or
12GB of RAM, Wi-Fi 6 and a
50MP rear camera, the OnePlus
Nord 2 offers exceptional value
for money. It’s as powerful as
rival phones costing two or three
times the price and it delivers the

same performance as last year’s

most expensive Androids. And

it’s pretty good-looking too. We’d

recommend putting it in a case,

though; the body’s plastic and

there’s no water resistance rating.

£399, oneplus.com

If you want the purest Android

experience possible then Google’s

Pixel 4a may well be the perfect

phone for you: it’s designed to

deliver Android just as Google

intended it. The Pixel was the

best cameraphone in its class on

launch and it has a great display

too. Battery life isn’t exactly

class-leading but you get a lot of

phone for your money and, unlike

the non-a Pixel 4, this Pixel is also

packing 5G.

£499, store.google.com

iPHONE SE

ONEPLUS NORD 2 GOOGLE PIXEL 4A 5G