The best mobile phones in the UK 2023

It's hard to communicate without a cell phone these days. With a good autonomy, cell phones are more robust than smartphones and more compact and mobile than landline phones. They are suitable for seniors as well as for people looking for a versatile and reliable mobile. Unbreakable, touch-sensitive, flip or slide, find what you need through our guide to the best cell phones.

Huawei Y7 1
9/10

Best value for money

Huawei Y7

The best cell phone in 2021

A real favorite because of its neat design, the Huawei Y7 2019 proves to be satisfactory for most common uses. This is the perfect smartphone for those who only require the essentials!

204 £ on Amazon

The Huawei Y7 has a decent performance. Indeed, it embeds a Snapdragon 450 processor coupled with 3GB of RAM. This is enough to handle large applications or play recent games. To save your files, it has a storage capacity of 32 GB expandable via micro SD (+512 GB). Its 6.26" HD+ screen offers a pleasant viewing of your photos and videos.

This smartphone is equipped with a dual photo sensor of 13 megapixels + 2 megapixels. For your selfies, it has a front sensor of 8 megapixels. But one of the greatest assets of this device is undoubtedly its great autonomy provided by a powerful battery of 4000 mAh. In addition, it has a compatibility with the fast charging technology.

TTfone Lunar 2
7/10

The best cheapest

TTfone Lunar

The best cheap mobile phone

Both versatile and very easy to use, the TTfone Blackview BL6000 Pro is perfectly suited for seniors. Are you a senior citizen who wants to stay in touch with your loved ones? This is the model you need!

39,99 £ on Amazon

Designed for seniors, the TTfone Blackview BL6000 Pro is a very practical phone. It integrates an external display that shows important information (the arrival of an SMS, missed call, remaining charge, name of the caller). Thus, the user does not have to open the door! In addition, this phone has a color screen and large keys on the keyboard to facilitate maximum dialing and writing SMS.

In order to capture precious moments, this phone is equipped with a camera and you can easily share your memories with your loved ones thanks to its Bluetooth connection. On the back of the phone, the user has an emergency call button if needed. The TTfone Blackview BL6000 Pro also features a flashlight, which is useful in case of power outage or for moving around in the dark.

Apple iPhone 13 Mini 5G 3
9/10

Best high-end

Apple iPhone 13 Mini 5G

The best high-end mobile phone

Compact, powerful, resistant... words are missing to describe this iPhone 13 Mini signed by Apple. It will make the happiness of the amateurs of small sizes and would be likely to make change opinion the most skeptical!

647 £ on Amazon

Despite its name, the iPhone 13 Mini delivers great performance. It benefits from the full power of the A15 Bionic processor which is combined with 4GB of RAM. In addition, this device includes a large internal memory of 128 GB allowing you to store all your audio and video files. To ensure an incomparable viewing experience, it benefits from a 5.4" Super Retina XDR OLED screen with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels.

The iPhone 13 Mini gives you the opportunity to take great pictures thanks to its 2 back lenses, including a wide-angle and an ultra-wide angle. This phone is designed to withstand the small incidents of everyday life. A Ceramic Shield mineral glass offers better protection to the screen. In addition, if your iPhone falls into the water, it can resist for 30 minutes at a depth of 6 m.

Nokia 101 Dual-SIM 4
8/10

For seniors

Nokia 101 Dual-SIM

A great cell phone for seniors

The Nokia 101 Dual-SIM combines lightness, design and ease of use. With a color screen and excellent standby time, this cell phone is perfect as an emergency device or for seniors.

47,20 £ on Amazon

The Nokia 101 Dual-SIM plays the simplicity card and that's what makes its main asset. It is equipped with a 1.8" color screen that is very easy to read. To save your multimedia files, it has an expandable memory via a microSD card (16 GB max). Because of its small size, you can take it everywhere and its low weight of 71 g will not bother you in any way.

This dual-SIM card phone has a built-in MP3 player so you can listen to your favorite songs at any time. And if you don't want to miss any of the news in your area or around the world, just turn on the FM radio to stay informed. This device has a battery life of 7 hours in talk mode and 25 days in standby mode.

Buying guide • November 2023

Best mobile phone

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The best cell phone in 2021

The best cheap mobile phone

The best high-end mobile phone

A great cell phone for seniors

Your guide : Samuel

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Comparison table of the best mobile phones

THE BEST CHEAP TOP OF THE LINE EXCELLENT
Huawei Y7 5
9/10
TTfone Lunar 6
7/10
Apple iPhone 13 Mini 5G 7
9/10
Nokia 101 Dual-SIM 8
8/10
OUR SELECTION
Huawei Y7
TTfone Lunar
Apple iPhone 13 Mini 5G
Nokia 101 Dual-SIM
A real favorite because of its neat design, the Huawei Y7 2019 proves to be satisfactory for most common uses. This is the perfect smartphone for those who only require the essentials!
Both versatile and very easy to use, the TTfone Blackview BL6000 Pro is perfectly suited for seniors. Are you a senior citizen who wants to stay in touch with your loved ones? This is the model you need!
Compact, powerful, resistant... words are missing to describe this iPhone 13 Mini signed by Apple. It will make the happiness of the amateurs of small sizes and would be likely to make change opinion the most skeptical!
The Nokia 101 Dual-SIM combines lightness, design and ease of use. With a color screen and excellent standby time, this cell phone is perfect as an emergency device or for seniors.
Type
Smartphone
Clamshell phone
Smartphone
GSM
Autonomy
10 hours of heavy use
7 days
19 hours in video playback mode
8:30 talk time
Display
6.3 inches with 1520 x 720 pixel resolution
2.4 inches with 320x480 pixel resolution
5.4 inches with resolution at 2340 x 1080 pixels
1.8 inches with 128 x 160 pixel resolution
Camera
13 megapixels
0.3 megapixels
12 MP + 12 MP
No
With keys
No
Yes
No
Yes

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Buying guide - mobile phone

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How to choose your mobile phone

The best mobile phone for your use is not necessarily the most powerful or the most expensive on the market. Choosing a good mobile phone is all about adapting it to your habits.

#1 - Type of phone

A cell phone that takes great pictures may seem like the most attractive choice. But ask yourself if this is what you really want. If you use your phone to browse the Internet and check your email, you're better off with a larger memory to run multiple applications simultaneously. If you're not into photos and internet stuff and don't need a big touch screen, you don't have to buy a smartphone. A touch phone will do.

#2 - The antenna

It's a fact: smartphones have a harder time getting network reception than touch phones. The reason? Too much interference because of the functions that require an internet or Wifi connection. The choice of cell phone will therefore depend on where you live. If you are mostly in places with good reception, a cell phone with advanced technology would be great. But if you live or travel to places with poor network reception, a touchtone cell phone is advisable.

#3 - The features

All cell phones, whether 2G, 3G, 4G or 5G compatible, can make calls and receive messages. The 3G models can also connect to the internet, but it's nothing like what you can do with a smartphone and you won't be able to install apps. Speaking of smartphones, this is probably the ultimate in cell phones, a mini computer that fits in a pocket!

#4 - Robustness

Some cell phones are waterproof, others are not. Some cell phones are unbreakable, others are not. Don't throw your Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra from the roof of your house because it will shatter unlike a Blackview BL6000 Pro! As you can see, more expensive does not mean more robust. And overall, touchscreen cell phones last longer than touchscreen cell phones.

#5 - Autonomy

This is a factor to consider when choosing. The point here is to find the best compromise between your performance needs and your actual time spent using the cell phone. Also think about how long it takes to charge the cell phone and how much time you can spend on it each day. Good to know, some smartphones have wireless charging and some phones at 50 euros have a battery life of more than 2 weeks.

Optimize the use of your smartphone

Clean it regularly


The first thing to do is to keep your phone clean, inside and out. Download only the applications you use and regularly clear out your storage space by deleting all temporary or unimportant files. Close applications regularly when you're done using them and clean the cache whenever possible.

Customize it

If you've opted for the Android option, then there are a lot of options open to you. In addition to the various widgets available at the base, discover a whole world of overlays for a 100% unique and personalized interface. Many of them are available for free and will allow you to change the theme but also the accessibility of your phone. Define your experience according to your tastes and habits.

For the physical aspect of the phone as for its protection, you can opt for a cover reflecting your personality or even create your own cover as proposed by some brands with a visual that you like.

Optimize your battery

Closing background applications and reducing the screen brightness can drastically change your battery usage and make it last longer. You can also activate the power saver found on many smartphones, but be aware that this will reduce the performance of your device.

The different types of mobile phones

The cell phone is nowadays a widespread communication tool and much more, but before arriving at the touch phone we know, it has made a huge evolution. So here are the evolutions of the cell phone.

Simple mobile phone

Here we are talking about the cheapest cell phone with the minimum requirements, among others, the basics in mobile. If you are used to using smartphones, this one is very different. It is designed with keys and is only used to receive and send calls and messages. This device is best suited for the elderly or to be a secondary phone, made to receive and send calls and SMS.

Multimedia mobile phone

Compared to the traditional cell phone, the multimedia cell phone offers a wider choice of use. On this device, you can take pictures with a camera, maybe not as good as smartphones but better than nothing. If you like to listen to music and watch videos, this device is perfect for you. Some are adopted with a possibility of connection with a mobile network. The big difference with the Smartphone is its handiness, it is more difficult to handle and in addition the connection crashes most of the time.

Smartphone

Widespread, the smartphone conquered the market with the first iPhone. Being between the PSA and the cell phone, it has all the functions you would look for in a communication device, but in addition, you can relax with it. Cell phones were designed to help you communicate via text like SMS or voice like calls. With the smartphone, you go from a simple voice call to a video call, so you can see the person you are talking to appear on the screen. The technology works wonders, you can also play games on the phone.

Smartphone and touchtone cell phone?

Smartphone

The smartphone combines various multimedia in addition to access to the Internet. It is often not accompanied by a button on the top. This type of cell phone has a touch screen, which allows you to do everything. To use such a screen, you just need to drag and click. Compared to other types of cell phones, the network is sometimes difficult to receive on smartphone, especially in remote areas.

Cell phone with keys

Nowadays, touchtone cell phones are making a comeback in the cell phone market. Very appreciated by travelers, they are sometimes equipped with a very large autonomy capacity. In addition, the network remains easy to capture. However, navigating with keys at your disposal is less easy than swiping directly on the screen. It is also possible that this type of cell phone is only equipped with multimedia, and no access to the Internet.

Verdict

In big cities, the smartphone seems to be the best choice since it has the ability to help in everyday tasks. Among other things, you can take advantage of locations, social networks in addition to calls and messages. For travelers and people who only need to make calls and messages, there is no need to have such a sophisticated phone, touchtone cell phones are perfectly suitable.

The best brands of mobile phones

In our opinion, the best brands of mobile phones in 2022 are :

Apple
Samsung
Huawei
Xiaomi
Nokia

Apple is an American brand that has a very good place in the world of cell phones. Known to all, the apple-faced show-off offers some of the best smatphones out there, including the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Innovative and resourceful, who doesn't know about the Samsung brand and its Galaxy cell phones? It's making a killing on the market and taking a malicious pleasure in leading the life of Apple's iPhone.

Without the US sanctions, Huawei would be the world's number 1 cell phone by now. Smartphone, touch phone, the Chinese giant knows how to do everything. In addition, Huawei has a head start on all its competitors for the 5G technology.

Xiaomi has just landed and already it does not leave any respite to its competitors with its cell phones accessible to all. The Chinese brand is constantly conquering market share, to the point of squatting in the world's top 5 10 years after its creation.

Long a leader in the global mobile market, Finland's Nokia is losing momentum in the premium segment, having failed to negotiate the shift to smartphones despite being bought by Microsoft. Yet, Nokia remains one of the best touch phone brands.

What is the price for a mobile phone

The diagram below will help you to get an idea of the typical prices for each price range (entry-level, mid-range and high-end).

However, more expensive does not necessarily mean better.

We therefore advise you to always consult our ranking before deciding, rather than blindly relying on price ranges.

Entry-level
50 £ to 200 £
Mid-range
200 £ to 1500 £
High-end
more than 1500 £
Price range diagram

Tips

Protect your phone from drops

Although many people don't appreciate the bulky and unsightly appearance of a case and screen protector, they can save you from a lot of damage during everyday falls. It is possible today to have access to shells of different sizes, materials and colors for almost every smartphone on the market, or even to create your own personalized shell.

Charge your phone as you go.

To preserve the longevity of the battery, it is recommended to never have it overcharged or discharged. The optimal would be to keep it as much as possible between 25 and 75%, so avoid charging your phone during the night but rather have it plugged into your desktop computer for example.

Protect your phone from theft

A

phone often contains many sensitive data about you and your loved ones. So think about locking your phone and see if it is possible to deactivate it in case of theft. Some smartphones also offer to geotag your device if it is used after you have lost it.

Back up your data regularly

If your device is

lost, stolen, or changed or reset, make sure you have a copy of your data to avoid losing it. Many smartphones and applications will offer you to make this backup on the cloud, you can also make a copy of your data on a computer and save your contacts via your Google account on Android for example.

Make your updates regularly

In

addition to always offering more security, having the latest versions of your various software and operating system often adds features, a better interface and fixes various bugs you may encounter

.

FAQ

What is the best mobile phone?

The best mobile phone depends on your needs and your budget. Read our buying guide to find out which products are the best at the moment.

Is it possible to transfer data from my old phone to the one I just bought?

Most of the latest smartphones offer a way to recover data from an old phone. However, the transfer will be easier with com#toc-item-19patible devices (Android to Android...).

What products should I use to maintain my phone?

The best way to clean your phone is with a suitable product for this purpose, which you can find in any electronics store. Good alternatives are drugstore alcohol applied with cotton wool or eyeglass cleaner for the screen.

What should I do if my mobile phone leaks?

If your phone is not waterproof and has been submerged, avoid drying it in the sun as the heat could damage some of the electronics. Avoid shaking it, turn it off if it is still on and wipe the openings with a cotton swab. Then, a known and effective method is to put it in a bowl of rice for a few days to absorb the remaining moisture.

Can I rely on the Megapixel count for camera quality?

The number of pixels does not define the quality of a photo but its resolution at the time of capture. The final quality of the photo will also depend on the quality of the camera sensor, the final compression of the photo as well as the different artificial intelligences processing the photo.

Sources

Note: Below are some of the sources we have consulted in writing this article. Links to other sites are not continuously updated. It is therefore possible that a link may not be found. Please use a search engine to find the desired information.
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  2. , lexpress.fr
  3. , support.google.com
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  5. , toptenreviews.com
  6. , digiscopie.info
  7. , boulanger.com
  8. , fnac.com
  9. , samsung.com
  10. , tomsguide.com
  11. , theverge.com
  12. , techradar.com
  13. , t3.com
  14. , pcmag.com
  15. , darty.com
  16. , amazon.co.uk
  17. , fnac.com
  18. , boulanger.com
  19. , lesnumeriques.com
  20. , auchan.fr
  21. , amazon.co.uk
  22. , recharge.fr
  23. , meilleurmobile.com
  24. , samsung.com
  25. , carrefour.fr
  26. , boutique.orange.fr
  27. , mobile.lapostemobile.fr
  28. , meilleurmobile.com
  29. , 01net.com
  30. , rueducommerce.fr
  31. , ldlc.com
  32. , fr.wikipedia.org
  33. , techadvisor.fr
  34. , sfr.fr
  35. , lesnumeriques.com
See more

Updates

March 2022 : Translation of this buying guide from our partner meilleurtest.fr

See more
Our selection
Huawei Y7 9
Huawei Y7
TTfone Lunar 10
TTfone Lunar
Apple iPhone 13 Mini 5G 11
Apple iPhone 13 Mini 5G
Nokia 101 Dual-SIM 12
Nokia 101 Dual-SIM

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