The best smartphones under £400 are presented in the following list.
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The OnePlus Nord 5 (12GB + 512GB) is a high-performance mid-range smartphone powered by the flagship-grade Snapdragon 8s Gen 3...Read more
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The Motorola Edge 40 Pro (12GB + 256GB) is a powerful flagship smartphone with a premium design and top-tier performance thanks...Read more
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The Xiaomi Poco F7 is a performance-focused mid-range smartphone featuring the flagship Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor, 12GB of...Read more
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The Xiaomi Poco F7 Pro (12GB + 256GB) is a performance-focused smartphone featuring a flagship Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3 processor and...Read more
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The Xiaomi 13T Pro (12GB + 512GB) is a "flagship killer" smartphone featuring the powerful MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ processor...Read more
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The Motorola Edge 60 Pro in the 12GB RAM and 512GB storage configuration is a premium-feeling Android 15 smartphone powered by...Read more
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The Realme GT 6 (8GB + 256GB) is an "AI flagship killer" smartphone with a powerful Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset and a brilliant...Read more
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The realme GT 7 with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage is a performance-focused smartphone running Android 15 and powered by the...Read more
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The OnePlus 10 Pro (12GB + 256GB model) is a high-performance Android smartphone defined by its powerful hardware and a polished...Read more
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The Xiaomi Poco X7 Pro (12GB + 512GB) is a performance-focused mid-range smartphone released in January 2025, featuring a...Read more
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The OnePlus 10 Pro (8GB + 128GB) is a powerful flagship smartphone featuring the Snapdragon® 8 Gen 1 processor and a superb...Read more
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The Xiaomi 12 Pro (12GB + 256GB) is a premium flagship smartphone featuring the powerful Snapdragon® 8 Gen 1 processor and a...Read more
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The Xiaomi 14T (12GB + 256GB) is a premium "flagship killer" smartphone featuring the powerful MediaTek Dimensity 8300-Ultra...Read more
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The Xiaomi 13 (8GB + 256GB model) is a compact flagship smartphone featuring a premium design with an aluminum frame and IP68...Read more
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The Vivo T4 Pro (12GB + 256GB) is a durable, mid-range smartphone with a strong focus on photography and battery life, featuring...Read more
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The Motorola Edge 50 Pro (12GB + 512GB variant) is a premium mid-range smartphone defined by its stylish "Hallo Acrylic" design...Read more
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The Honor Magic4 Pro (8GB RAM, 256GB storage) is a flagship smartphone centered around its striking 6.81-inch LTPO OLED display...Read more
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The realme 15 Pro 5G (12GB + 256GB) is a high-performance mid-range smartphone powered by the efficient Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 (4nm)...Read more
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The Oppo K13 Turbo Pro (8GB + 256GB model) is a performance-focused smartphone designed with gaming in mind, featuring a powerful...Read more
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The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (8GB + 128GB) is a flagship smartphone that effectively merges the Galaxy S and Note series...Read more
Audited using multi-parameter algorithmic scoring, verified specs, and multi-market user reviews.
The best under 400 smartphone overall is OnePlus Nord 5 (12GB + 512GB), with an overall score of 8.34 points, a screen size of 6.83 inches, a battery capacity of 6800 mAh, 512 GB of storage, and a price of around £380.
The OnePlus Nord 5 (12GB + 512GB) is a high-performance mid-range smartphone powered by the flagship-grade Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset and a specialized 32207mm² cooling system. It features a large 6.83-inch 1.5K Swift AMOLED display with a smooth 144Hz refresh rate, 1800 nits peak brightness, and durable Gorilla Glass 7i protection.
Best value alternative: motorola Edge 40 pro (12GB + 256GB), with an overall score of 8.26 points, a screen size of 6.67 inches, 256 GB of storage, and a price of around £310.
The brands with the best smartphones under £400 are as follows:
Note: Only brands with at least 6 smartphone models in our database, released since 2022, were considered.
The chart below ranks smartphone brands by their overall scores for models under £400.
[horizontal-chart-03257203191542414834078387376324099269951965115546]Smartphones under £400 perform well for most daily tasks, but they don't match flagship models in speed, camera quality, or premium build. You can browse, stream, and use social media apps without issues, but you’ll notice slower performance with demanding games or multitasking.
The best available smartphones under £400 (with the highest overall score) are as follows:
Smartphones under £400 usually use mid-range processors and come with 6 GB or 8 GB RAM. You can expect chips like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, Snapdragon 695, MediaTek Dimensity 6100+, Dimensity 7050, or the Exynos 1380. These processors handle everyday tasks well and support decent gaming performance and multitasking speed.
The chart below illustrates the distribution of RAM in smartphones priced under £400.
[vertical-chart-14942180899378990695115471586414185381260297167248]Smartphones under £400 usually deliver battery life that lasts around one to two days, depending on how you use the device. You can expect screen-on time between 5 to 8 hours for most models in this price range. Some phones push past 9 hours, but only with moderate use or battery optimization settings turned on.
Many sub-£400 phones use 5000 mAh batteries, which give you solid endurance. Phones with AMOLED screens and efficient chipsets (like Snapdragon 6 or Dimensity 700 series) last longer on a single charge. If you play games or stream video often, the battery drains faster, and you may need to charge again by evening. On the other hand, if you use mostly for calls, messaging, and browsing, it can last a full day or more without charging.
The available smartphones under £400 with the highest battery capacity are as follows:
The following chart displays how battery capacity is distributed across smartphones priced below £400.
[vertical-chart-17134652203573804692008255822739943693811171808982]Smartphones under £400 usually have solid display quality, but not flagship-level performance. You often get AMOLED or IPS LCD panels with Full HD+ resolution, which gives sharp images and good color accuracy. AMOLED displays (found in brands like Samsung or Xiaomi) deliver deeper blacks and higher contrast, while IPS LCDs tend to show more natural colors but with lower contrast.
Brightness levels in this price range usually fall between 450 and 900 nits. This works fine indoors and in most outdoor conditions, but you might struggle with visibility under direct sunlight.
Refresh rates typically range from 60 Hz to 120 Hz. Color calibration and HDR support also vary, but some models support HDR10 or HDR10+, so you can stream content with better dynamic range. Still, budget displays sometimes lack consistent brightness or uniform color temperature across the panel.
The following chart displays the distribution of screen technologies in sub-£400 smartphones.
[pie-chart-03282168066600701225167063507781139987733572105531]Cameras in smartphones under £400 can deliver very good results, especially in well-lit conditions, and some models even perform well at night thanks to advanced processing and larger sensors. You can expect main cameras with resolutions between 48 MP and 108 MP, often paired with wide-angle lenses, and in some cases a macro or depth sensor. Many of these phones can record 4K video at 30 fps, and some support 60 fps for smoother motion.
You will find that photo quality depends not only on resolution but also on sensor size, aperture, and software optimisation. Brands like Xiaomi, Samsung, and OnePlus in this price range often include strong HDR performance and detailed colour reproduction, so your photos can look vibrant without losing detail. Night mode is common, and in better models, it reduces noise and improves brightness without overexposing lights.
Front cameras in this category usually range from 13 MP to 32 MP and can capture clear selfies with good skin tones, even in low light if there is a dedicated night mode. While flagship-level zoom and ultra-high-end image stabilisation are rare here, you still get enough versatility for everyday photography, social media, and casual video recording.
The best smartphones under £400 with the highest camera performance (DxOMark Mobile score) are as follows:
