WORLDS BEST BUDGET PHONES

Best budget phones of 2016:

1. Motorola Moto G4

Impressively powerful

The best Moto G yet - Bright Full HD display

Weight: 155g | Dimensions: 153 x 76.6 x 9.8mm | 

OS: Android 6 | 

Screen size: 5.5-inch | Resolution: 1080 x 1920 | 

CPU: Snapdragon 617 | 

RAM: 2GB | Storage: 16GB/32GB | 

Battery: 3000mAh | Rear camera: 13MP | Front camera: 5MP

Motorola has made some major upgrades to one of its best phones you can buy right now - the Moto G.

The Moto G4 is the first time the phone line has adopted a 5.5-inch Full HD display and it's an impressively powerful device as well. Compared to some of the other phones to follow on this list, this is going to give you the best performance.

Battery life is impressive on the Moto G4, but it's not a perfect phone as there's no NFC and no customization options you get with other Motorola devices.

That said, the rest of the Moto G4 makes it our favorite cheap phone you can buy right now.

2. One Plus X

Attractive design

Bright display

Weight: 160g | Dimensions: 140 x 69 x 6.9mm | 

OS: Android 5.1 | Screen size: 5-inch |Resolution: 1080 x 1920 | 

CPU: Snapdragon 801 | RAM: 3GB | Storage: 16GB | 

Battery: 2525mAh | Rear camera: 13MP | Front camera: 8MP

OnePlus caught our eye with its first phone last year, but this new addition is even more jaw dropping.

It's not just an impressive spec. OnePlus has created a gorgeous design for its new budget range and it's beautiful to hold. Plus the invite system for the OnePlus X has now been dropped so it's even easier to grab one of these phones.

The OnePlus X is one of the best affordable phones in the world right now and if you're not after a Motorola phone this may be the best choice for you.

3. Oppo F1

Oppo makes a very cheap phone

Stylish design

Decent camera

Weight: 134g | Dimensions: 143.5 x 71 x 7.3mm | 

OS: Android 5.1 | Screen size: 5-inch |Resolution: 720 x 1280 | 

CPU: Snapdragon 616 | RAM: 3GB | Storage: 16GB | 

Battery: 2500mAh | Rear camera: 13MP | Front camera: 8MP

You may not know much about Oppo, but that doesn't mean it's not making some of the best cheap phones money can buy right now.

The cheapest phone you can buy is the Oppo F1 and it's actually an affordable price for the level of spec you're getting.

It comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 processor, 3GB of RAM and 16GB of on-board storage. The display is a 5-inch 720p screen and it's still running outdated software in the form of Android 5.1 Lollipop, but it's still an impressive phone and may well be the best choice for you.

4. LG X Screen

An always-on second screen

Solid build quality

Second screen

Weight: 120g | Dimensions: 142.6 x 71.8 x 7.1mm | 

OS: Android 6 | Screen size: 4.93inch | Resolution: 720 x 1280 | 

CPU: Snapdragon 410 | RAM: 2GB | Storage: 16GB | 

Battery: 2300mAh | Rear camera: 13MP | Front camera: 8MP

LG's latest budget handset comes with one major selling point - it has a second, always-on display. No other phone that's going to be able to offer you that and that's one key reason to buy the LG X Screen.

The spec may not be as impressive as say the OnePlus X, but it still comes with 2GB of RAM, a Snapdragon 410 processor and a 13MP rear facing camera.

If you're a fan of LG, the X Screen may well be the best product you'll be able to buy right now if you don't want to shell out on a flagship phone like the G5.

5. Motorola Moto E

The new Moto E packs LTE and a few sweet upgrades

Solid design

Great low price

Weight: 145g | Dimensions: 129.9 x 66.8 x 12.3mm | 

OS: Android 5.0 | Screen size: 4.5-inch | Resolution: 540 x 960 | 

CPU: Quad-core 1.2GHz | RAM: 1GB | Storage: 8GB | 

Battery: 2,390mAh | Rear camera: 5MP | Front camera: VGA

The second generation Moto E shows that Motorola isn't messing around when it comes to budget smart phones, as it continues the legacy of its predecessor as one of the best affordable handsets you can buy.

A whole host of new features have been added to the Motorola Moto E (2015) including 4G LTE connectivity and a decent - though not exactly premium design.

It also ships with Android 5.0 Lollipop, making it one of the cheapest smart phones to come with Google's latest mobile operating system straight out of the box.

The Motorola Moto E isn't quite as good as the slightly more expensive Motorola Moto G (2014) which, spoiler alert, appears later on in this list, but for the low, low price you'll be hard pressed to find a better Smartphone.

6. Microsoft Lumia 650

Another enterprising offering from Microsoft

Great screen

Good camera

Weight: 122g | Dimensions: 142 x 70.9 x 6.9mm | 

OS: Windows 10 Mobile | Screen size: 5-inch | Resolution: 720 x 1280 | 

CPU: Snapdragon 212 | RAM: 1GB | Storage: 16GB | 

Battery: 2000mAh | Rear camera: 8MP | Front camera: 5MP

Microsoft's latest budget phone has just squeezed its way onto the list of the best cheap phones you can buy right now.

It's an impressive set up with a high-end spec including a 5-inch 720p display, a Snapdragon 212 processor, 16GB of storage and Windows 10 Mobile software.

It won't be able to do everything that the Lumia 950 or Lumia 950 XL would offer you, but it's still an impressive choice if you're looking for a Windows Phone handset that doesn't break the bank.

7. Sony Xperia M4 Aqua

This is the mid-range waterproof marvel we wanted

Great waterproof design

Very good battery life

Weight: 136g | Dimensions: 145.5 x 72.6 x 7.3mm | 

OS: Android 5.0 | Screen size: 5-inch |Resolution: 720 x 1280 | 

CPU: Snapdragon 615 | RAM: 2GB | Storage: 8GB | 

Battery: 2400mAh | Rear camera: 13MP | Front camera: 5MP

Sony's latest mid-range is a big improvement on the M2 Aqua, but a lot of competition has jumped in and knocked it down to tenth place. If you're looking for a little more check out the newer Sony Xperia M5, but it doesn't fall into our low-cost bracket.

That said, this is still a cracking phone. It's the only one on the list you can take in the bath with you as it has IP68 waterproof technology that means it won't frazzle the internals.

There's also a great 720p 5-inch screen and some of the best battery life we've seen on a mid-range phone for quite some time. If you like Sony phones, this is the best you can get.