Buying Basic Smartphones
Looking for a basic smartphone? Here you'll find simple Android phones that handle everyday tasks well: making calls, texting, taking photos, navigating, and online banking—without all the extras you'll never use anyway. Great as a first phone, for an older family member, or if you simply don’t want to spend hundreds of euros on a phone. “Basic” here refers to the features, not just the price: if you want to filter purely by budget, check out cheap smartphones or budget phones. Use the filters for battery life, screen size, or price to instantly find the best entry-level model.
What should you look for in a basic smartphone?
An entry-level smartphone is a full-fledged Android phone with entry-level hardware. You get all the apps from the Google Play Store, a decent camera, and usually a long-lasting battery; you sacrifice processing power, low-light camera performance, and charging speed. For making calls, texting, social media, music, navigation, and taking photos in daylight, you’ll hardly notice the difference. But you will notice it when playing demanding games, editing videos, or running ten apps at once. You can see the current models and prices in the overview above.
Can’t decide between two devices? Compare them side by side in our phone comparison tool. If you’re not sure what you’re looking for yet, start by going through our selection guide.
Basic, budget, or no apps at all?
This page filters by what a device can do, not by how much it costs. If you’re searching by price or don’t want any apps at all, you’ll end up with a different list.
- Affordable smartphones: filtered by price. This list includes stripped-down models, but also discounted mid-range phones with much more advanced features.
- Budget phones: the comprehensive budget list, ranging from basic smartphones to feature phones.
- Phones up to 200 euros: a fixed price cap, useful if your budget is set.
- Dumbphones: no Android and no app store—just calls and texts. So this is different from a basic smartphone.
- Feature phones: simple devices with physical keys and a few extras, such as a camera or radio.
What to really look for in an entry-level model
Four factors determine whether a cheap smartphone will continue to work well for years.
- Storage: whenever possible, choose 128 GB instead of 64 GB. Photos, updates, and apps fill up the smallest model faster than you think, and a full phone slows down.
- RAM: the more RAM, the smoother the transition between apps. On the very cheapest devices, you’ll often have to wait for an app to reload.
- Battery: a 5000 mAh battery or larger will last a full day without needing to recharge. However, such a device weighs more.
- Charging speed: manufacturers almost always cut corners here. Expect to charge overnight, not in half an hour.
Five years of updates are now mandatory
As of June 20, 2025, new smartphones in the EU must receive operating system and security updates for at least five years, and every device must carry an energy label with a repairability score (EU regulation). This means an entry-level model is no longer automatically considered obsolete. Just be careful with devices that were released before that date: the requirement does not apply to them. You can see how long a specific model will receive updates on the specifications page: click “Specifications” at the top of the product page.
Who are you buying it for?
A basic smartphone is often a gift or a device for someone else. That changes what you should look for.
- For children: Look for durability, a replaceable screen, and the ability to set up parental controls. An expensive device is rarely the wise choice here.
- For seniors: Look for a large, bright screen, loud sound, and a simple interface. Brands like Doro include these features as standard.
- Refurbished: A professionally inspected former top-of-the-line model often offers a faster processor and a better camera than a new entry-level model for the same price.
