smartphones under 400

Best Smartphones Under $400 (£270)

Choosing the right smartphone can be pretty difficult, even when you're not working with the smallest budget possible. Four hundred dollars is a solid amount of money that will give you a lot of choices when buying a smartphone, but you do need to understand the tech specs properly to make the right decision. 

We've looked long and hard to find five smartphones that offer the most features and are cheaper than 400 bucks.

Learn More Below
  • LG Nexus 5X
  • Motorola Moto X Style
  • Microsoft Lumia 640XL
  • Huawei P8 Lite
  • Asus ZenFone 2

LG Nexus 5X

By looking at the technical specs of this phone, you'd think it's a flagship device, but the price suggests otherwise. The LG Nexus 5X is an amazing phone that offers a lot of power in a very small and light package. The 1080p screen is beautiful and the camera is very good. It even records 4K video, which is a bit surprising in this price range. Perhaps the best thing about it is the fact that it comes with stock Android, which means you'll be able to experience the operating system the way Google intended it, without bloatware apps other manufacturers pre-install.

Motorola Moto X Style

The Moto X Style is one of the best choices in our comparison, especially if you like larger phones. You may have issues fitting it in your front pocket, but the screen is so good for media consumption that you'll quickly forget about this problem. The camera isn't that impressive, but photos taken in good lightning conditions are decent and the phone can capture 4K video, which is a plus. The main downside of the Moto X Style is its battery.

Microsoft Lumia 640XL

The Lumia 640XL is one of the cheapest phones in our comparison, and for the price, it's one of the best choices. It has a great rear camera and long lasting battery life. The 5.7-inch screen is bright and has rich colors, but it isn't super sharp, since it has a resolution of 1280x720.

Huawei P8 Lite

The P8 Lite is an affordable phone from Huawei that comes with some pretty cool features such as the option to put two SIM cards, a pretty nice camera, and lightweight design. Still, it has a couple of issues as well — like the fact that it comes with outdated Android OS and Huawei's custom UI that failed to impress us. The P8 Lite is not a bad device, but there may be better options if you're willing to invest a bit more money.

Asus ZenFone 2

If you can get over the phone's mediocre build quality and unimpressive camera, the ZenFone is a solid choice, especially if you need a lot of power for as little money as possible. However, if you can spare an extra $70-$80 we suggest going with LG Nexus 5X or Motorola Moto X Style.

best smartphones under 400

What is the best smartphone under 400 dollars?

When you're buying a phone that costs $300 or $400, you're not just looking for a device that will do basic tasks — you probably expect something more out if it, whether it's an impressive camera, fingerprint scanner or two SIM card slots. In this comparison we're looking at five such smartphones.

Our first choice is the LG Nexus 5X. It's an amazing performer that does everything great. The only issue we have with it is its unimpressive battery. Other than that, it's a great phone that packs a lot of power in a light package. If you prefer the design of Motorola's phones, then the Moto X Style is the right choice for you. Feature-wise it's a very similar phone, and the pricing is very similar to that of the Nexus 5X.

Microsoft Lumia 640XL is a great choice for people looking to switch from Android or want to try something different. It doesn't have the sharpest screen out there, but its camera and battery life are very impressive. 

Finally, we have Huawei P8 Lite and Asus ZenFone 2, both of which are decent phones that have dual SIM slots. The ZenFone 2 has a better processor and more RAM, but the P8 Lite's design is much prettier and the camera is sharper.

Screen Size and Resolution

LG Nexus 5X - 5.2 inches (1920x1080 pixels)
Motorola Moto X Style - 5.7 inches (2560x1440 pixels)
Microsoft Lumia 640XL - 5.7 inches (1280x720 pixels)
Huawei P8 Lite - 5.0 inches (1280x720 pixels)
Asus ZenFone 2 - 5.5 inches (1920x1080 pixels)

Processor, Memory and Storage

All smartphones in our comparison perform extremely smoothly, with the exception of Microsoft Lumia 640XL, which could use a somewhat faster processor. This, however, isn't a deal breaker. 

The best phone, memory-wise, is the Asus ZenFone 2 with 4GB of RAM, while the worst is Microsoft Lumia 640XL. All other phones have at least 2GB of RAM, which is more than enough in most cases. As far as storage goes, most phones come with at least 16GB, and in case of all phones but the Nexus 5X, the storage can be expanded externally via micro SD cards.

Camera

When it comes to the camera, the LG Nexus 5X and Microsoft Lumia 640XL are clear winners, while Motorola's smartphone is trailing slightly behind. The Huawei P8 Lite's camera is decent, while Asus ZenFone 2's camera is not so impressive.

To Conclude

If you have close to 400 dollars, then the LG Nexus 5X or Motorola Moto X Style are your best options. However, if you're working with a smaller budget that's closer to $200 — go with the Microsoft Lumia 640XL or the Huawei P8 Lite. The Asus ZenFone 2 is a decent phone, but both the Nexus 5 and Moto X Style are much better options for slightly more money.