Smartphones

Recommendations for cheap and reliable smartphones.

Last updated:
November 18, 2021

Overview

Having a working phone is crucial – during the pandemic it’s even more so.

Smart phones allow you to help your clients maintain contact with family and support networks, access services that are working remotely in lock-down, find out crucial information, access the internet and take part in online activities and meetings.

Top Phones under £100 reviewed by Which?

Amazon Fire 7 (2019)

£49.99

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Easy to use

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Light and compact

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Amazon Alexa-enabled

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Not the fastest

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Feels cheap

Lenovo Tab M7

£70.00

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Small

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Easy to use

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Portable

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Very bad sound

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Slow to charge

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Low-resolution screen

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  • Small
  • Easy to use

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  • Easy to use

Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite Wifi

£119.00

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Loads apps quickly

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Decent battery

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Responsive touchscreen

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Drab screen lacks clarity

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Sounds dull and harsh

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Poor cameras

Huawei MatePad T 10s

£149.00

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Decent display

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Responsive touch controls

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Expandable storage

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Lacks support for Google services

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Mediocre battery life

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Poor sound

Lenovo Tab M8 FHD (TB-8705F)

£169.00

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Great battery life

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Small and light

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Good performance

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Poor speakers

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Underwhelming cameras

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Screen could be better

Alcatel 1S (2020)

£80.00

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Outstanding full-charge battery life

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Simple to use

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Inexpensive

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Good display

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Terrible battery use after short charge

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Cameras aren’t great

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Processor isn’t very fast

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External speaker is horrible

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No NFC

Huawei Y5P

£90.00

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Display isn’t bad

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Nicely laid-out menu

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Durable

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Usability issues due to lack of Google

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Poor cameras and speakers

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Slow

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Average battery life

TCL 20 SE

£99.00

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Long-lasting battery

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User-friendly

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Nice display

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Durable

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Weaker battery life from a short charge

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Average to poor camera quality

Oppo A5 2020

£100.00

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Incredibly long-lasting battery

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Fast and responsive security features

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Easy to use

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Slow charging

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Front camera isn’t great

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Poor quality manual

Costs and data deals (as of Nov 2021): Sim-Only

Sourcing phones locally

If you want to source phones locally try contacting local independent stores, the sort that do phone repairs and sell refurbished or second-hand units. These stores will have lost their core trade during the lockdown and might be open to doing a deal on higher specification units they have sitting on their shelf.