Best Budget 5G Smartphones (Summer 2021) | Top 15 Reviewed!

Best Budget 5G Smartphones (Summer 2021) | Top 15 Reviewed!

Reviewing the best budget smartphones with 5G connectivity in 2021, boasting impressive cameras, strong gaming performance plus serious specs for a low price. From the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite and Poco F3 to the Oppo A74, Realme 8 5G and Moto G50. These are my favourite budget-friendly smartphones that have hit the UK, for under £400 – with some as cheap as £150 to 200.

I’ve personally tested and reviewed all of these blowers, so check out my dedicated videos on Tech Spurt for more detailed breakdowns.

Best Budget 5G Smartphones (2021) Reviewed Chapters:
0:00 – Yakkity yak
1:00 – Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite
2:22 – Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G
2:53 – Poco F3
4:19 – Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
4:49 – Motorola Moto G 5G Plus
6:25 – Motorola Moto G50
7:23 – Realme X50
8:56 – Realme 8 5G
9:36 – Oppo Reno 4Z
10:42 – Oppo A54 & A74
11:35 – OnePlus Nord
13:13 – OnePlus Nord CE 5G
14:19 – Sony Xperia 10 III
15:53 – Google Pixel 4A 5G
17:30 – Wrap up

If you want a great camera as well as that next-gen networking, definitely grab the Pixel 4a 5G – assuming your budget can stretch to £400. For the greatest value for money, I’d go for the Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite – as long as you don’t mind MiUI. Otherwise, the Moto G 5G Plus and G50 offer a mostly stock Android experience, for a cheap price.

What’s your own favourite affordable phone in 2021? Check out my other round-ups including the best mobiles under £400, £300 and £200, plus the greatest camera smartphones that you can buy right now.

50 Comments

  1. Viktor on August 15, 2021 at 9:55 pm

    lol image what your nabours think lol



  2. Haseeb Mirza on August 15, 2021 at 9:58 pm

    Realme gt ?



  3. Jose Martinez on August 15, 2021 at 10:01 pm

    I’ve noticed that almost all of the devices that I sell out on Amazon and on Facebook are devices that are in-store accessible. By this I mean is, majority of phones that people want are phones that they can by at a store. The first few devices you mentioned, don’t sell much and many will probably never know about. Now the Motorola phones, that’s selling like crazy. So do the OnePlus devices. Metro Samsung a32 5G, OnePlus N10 5G, OnePlus N200, Revvl 5G, Moto Ace One 5g, Revvl 5+5G, Moto Stylus 5g, now these are the ones that are pretty budget friendly, accessible, great battery, 5g, and hot sellers. The ones you mentioned aren’t heard of much.



  4. Kyle Fpv on August 15, 2021 at 10:01 pm

    For someone who has absolutely no interest in 5G, whats the best mid range 4G phone ? Cheers



  5. Last Hope on August 15, 2021 at 10:02 pm

    Kurisu!



  6. Steve Smith on August 15, 2021 at 10:03 pm

    Bring back 16:9 ratio screens. S7 edge still the best. Bring S7 Edge Fan Edition now!



  7. penunggang unta on August 15, 2021 at 10:05 pm

    Seriously..no A52 5G?



  8. titanGyroX on August 15, 2021 at 10:05 pm

    Loving the Accent ،loving the content Keep the good work bro



  9. Peter Tengstedt Eskam on August 15, 2021 at 10:07 pm

    No Samsung?



  10. jeric lee on August 15, 2021 at 10:08 pm

    iphone got best microphone, what other unit u could suggest?



  11. FurryAnarchist on August 15, 2021 at 10:08 pm


  12. طائر العنقاء ماركو on August 15, 2021 at 10:09 pm

    sony best



  13. Mohamed Ayoob on August 15, 2021 at 10:09 pm

    Hey Chris how does the Nokia 3.4 and 2.4 stack up against these?



  14. Leonard Francisco on August 15, 2021 at 10:12 pm

    Is the Motorola G100 not a contender for this list? From the spec sheet its on par with the Poco F3.



  15. Malcolm Willett on August 15, 2021 at 10:13 pm

    I can’t decide between the g30 or the 5g plus from moto. I like the g30, but coming from a g6 the screen resolution is lower and i’m worried i’ll notice the resolution watching videos or reading…



  16. maimazuri on August 15, 2021 at 10:13 pm

    I was going to get the s20 fe but I’m so torn, now I keep coming back to this video and considering getting one mentioned here. Getting a phone is rough!!!!!



  17. T_ C on August 15, 2021 at 10:13 pm

    Theres always something wrong. The motorola’s arent waterproof, and sony and google phones are OLED displays (they burn in a few months)

    The rest are chinese companies or Indian companies and thats enough in itself.



  18. shawn byrd on August 15, 2021 at 10:16 pm

    How does the a42 5g stack up.. any opinions?



  19. Damo Suzuki on August 15, 2021 at 10:16 pm

    So which ones the best?
    Need a decent cam and good battery life



  20. morapedi masima on August 15, 2021 at 10:19 pm

    I would love the best overall phone for a decent price



  21. Elizabeth Galarza-Lee on August 15, 2021 at 10:20 pm

    Do you guys know where I could buy a pocophone f3 or mi 10t lite in canada



  22. Jeeva Sundar on August 15, 2021 at 10:20 pm

    Which one is better tell me , video super



  23. Sean Nolan on August 15, 2021 at 10:22 pm

    Would you recommend the xiaomi redmi note 10 5g in the 128gb storage . I’m looking for something with a 128gb internal storage but also something that’s a flagship budget phone. Something reliable. Good camera . Must have a sd card storage and a
    Good battery .

    Cheers I’ve liked and subscribed to your videos



  24. PKM101 on August 15, 2021 at 10:23 pm

    Please do the best 4G smartphone list, I want to avoid 5G at all costs because it’s useless and drains the battery.



  25. Tech Spurt on August 15, 2021 at 10:24 pm

    Heyyy, I’ve updated my best budget 5G phones video with three new mobiles: the Poco F3, OnePlus Nord CE 5G and Xperia 10 III. The Xperia was a bit disappointing overall, but has enough good stuff to squeeze in. Thanks for watching!



  26. James Lynch on August 15, 2021 at 10:24 pm

    Where can I buy a yikkity yak? They sound great



  27. Adam Faruqi on August 15, 2021 at 10:25 pm

    Imagine making a budget phone video and not including the prices



  28. Ruben Pedro on August 15, 2021 at 10:28 pm

    How is the best POCO F3 or MI 11i?



  29. Troy Dube' on August 15, 2021 at 10:29 pm

    Wow. This guy’s really good at review vids. I somehow watched the entire thing.



  30. JaseUK on August 15, 2021 at 10:31 pm

    My contract for my Note 10 is up in couple of months.. what’s a good upgrade from this? I don’t see much better out there.. Pixel 6 6pro has me interested



  31. miguel silva on August 15, 2021 at 10:31 pm

    My poco f3 auto brightness, 120hertz lasts more than a day even after playing, sw, LC, subway surfers, archery along us and other games regularly, on work days I only charge it at night ever 2 days even with bus gaming sessions of about 1 hour total.



  32. Micheal Yoseph on August 15, 2021 at 10:32 pm

    How about the new Galaxy A52 5g? Is it a good option for 2021?



  33. Leda Halo on August 15, 2021 at 10:33 pm

    Just google pixel 4a 5g battery drain issue



  34. Stars Gold on August 15, 2021 at 10:35 pm

    Can you do a MIUI 12,5,0/12,5,1 video? because they say it has a lot of bugs.



  35. Jakasz on August 15, 2021 at 10:35 pm

    xiaomi mi 11 lite 5g, oppo reno 5 5g, xiaomi redmi note 10 pro – which one would you choose?



  36. mark butler on August 15, 2021 at 10:36 pm

    I have the Sony 10.111. the screen resolution is different to my XZ1



  37. deb patterson on August 15, 2021 at 10:37 pm

    Thanks for the review but I don’t see anything available for the USA? And no one talks about the Wi-Fi connection? And how long you get updates? I absolutely hate that we are forced too use this new and costly technology! Before you only had to pay for a signal & not a signal+ data guess the idea is to keep us all in debt?



  38. borgy apaon on August 15, 2021 at 10:38 pm

    I wish I have 1 for online class



  39. Dave Yeomans on August 15, 2021 at 10:39 pm

    Good reviews dude, nearly went for an S20 FE 4G until I watched the vid you did, sent it back and got the 5G. Keep it going, genuinely entertaining👍



  40. Vedraj r.m on August 15, 2021 at 10:39 pm

    Enough of the cheap China crap



  41. pix3l on August 15, 2021 at 10:41 pm

    You call it buget in your country in my country we call it pocket tearing



  42. daisymumbles on August 15, 2021 at 10:41 pm

    Can I ask where you found the Google pixel 4a 5g for under £400? Everywhere I’ve looked it still nearly £500 😕



  43. mark louie alpas on August 15, 2021 at 10:46 pm

    Can you recommend a phone with a budget the same as realme gt 5gnor lower pls?



  44. Htin lin Aung Aung on August 15, 2021 at 10:47 pm

    Poco f3 should I buy ?



  45. AntaeusRexx on August 15, 2021 at 10:48 pm

    Love the channel. Whenever I’m ready to search up an upgrade you’re there waiting on me like a legend.



  46. emerald lin on August 15, 2021 at 10:50 pm

    What should i buy mi 11 lite or one plus nord?



  47. Febin shan thagal kp Febin shan on August 15, 2021 at 10:50 pm

    Ur Indian fan ❤️🇮🇳



  48. Gillette Obette on August 15, 2021 at 10:51 pm

    He drinks Belgian beer so he must have good taste.



  49. hippopajamas on August 15, 2021 at 10:53 pm

    Thanks for the helpful review! Given this is a budget video, can you please include the prices for all the phones in the future?



  50. Madhan Kumar Rajendran on August 15, 2021 at 10:55 pm