- Budget handsets from Apple, Samsung and Google have risen 23.5% on average in four years – faster than top-tier flagships (16.2%) and more than double inflation (9.0%)[1][2][3]
- Apple's entry-level iPhone has jumped 43% – from £419 for the 2022 iPhone SE to £599 for the iPhone 17e
- A top-of-the-range new phone costs almost eight months of grocery shopping for one person (at £40 a week) – and a budget phone works out at around three and a half months[3][5]
- Buying refurbished could save up to £274 on a handset with the latest features[4]
- Alice, 23, from London, bought her first-ever refurbished phone after her iPhone 11 broke – paying £389 for a refurbished iPhone 15, £410 less than new
- Uswitch is encouraging consumers to compare refurbished handsets to get premium phones for less
The cost of a new phone is climbing across the board – and it's budget phones that have risen fastest, reveals new analysis by Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.
Uswitch looked at the prices of budget handsets, finding that on average launch prices have risen 23.5% in four years, from £439 in 2023 to £542 in 2026.[3] Apple's is the sharpest jump: its budget iPhone has gone from £419 (the 2022 SE) to £599 (the 16e and 17e), up 43% – meaning the cheapest new iPhone now costs the equivalent of nearly three and a half months' groceries for one person on average.[3][5]
The most expensive phones are different. Apple has charged the same for its top iPhone since 2023 (rumoured to change this year), and Samsung's top phone has gone up by only a little. Google has made its best phone cost more every year, now costing £1,279. Put together, the priciest phones cost around 16% more than they did four years ago.[1]
A top-of-the-range handset now costs about the same as nearly eight months of grocery shopping for one person on average.
Over the same period, UK inflation (CPI) rose 9.0%, so every tier – budget, mid and premium – has outpaced the cost of living, with budget phones pulling away fastest.[1][2]
The steepest rises are landing in 2026. Google's Pixel 11 Pro XL launched at £1,279, up £80 on the £1,199 Pixel 10 Pro XL; Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra came in at £1,279; and Apple's iPhone 18 Pro Max is rumoured to be in line for a hike of £250–£300, which would take it to around £1,449 when it is expected to launch in September – though Apple has yet to confirm any pricing.[1][6]
Much of the latest squeeze comes down to a global shortage of RAM. Surging demand for memory chips to power AI data centres has driven up costs for manufacturers, who are passing them on to shoppers – and not only on phones.
Samsung's newest foldables and Microsoft's Xbox Series X have all gone up in price for the same reason. It's also why some phones now come with more storage as standard: the Galaxy S26 and Pixel 11 both start at 256GB rather than 128GB, which lifts the starting price.[1][6]
For consumers unwilling to pay brand-new prices, refurbished handsets offer a way to get premium technology for less. Rather than being simply second-hand, they are professionally inspected, cleaned and repaired where needed before resale, often with a warranty.
A Grade A refurbished Samsung Galaxy S26 (256GB) is available on Uswitch for £604.99 – up to £274 less than Samsung's £879 price for the same model brand new.[4]
Alice, 23, from London, turned to a refurbished phone when her iPhone 11 gave out: "The screen cracked, and the battery was dying, so I needed a replacement. A new iPhone 15 was £799 – I just couldn't justify that.
"I got a refurbished one for £389, saving £410. There's one tiny mark on the side, but it works perfectly – honestly, a step up from my old phone. The savings even covered a new case, charger, and earbuds. I don't think I'd go back to paying full price now."
Simrat Sharma, mobiles expert at Uswitch.com, comments: "New phone prices can be quite shocking – and it's budget models, the ones most people actually buy, that have gone up fastest. Which is why we've launched a comparison service dedicated to refurbished phones.
“A professionally refurbished handset from a seller like Back Market or Reboxed can be hundreds of pounds cheaper than new, and it's one of the best ways to get the features you want for less.
"For anyone who doesn't need to have the very newest release, going refurbished can save hundreds of pounds. Before buying, it's worth checking the phone's condition grade, warranty, battery health and how long it will keep getting software updates, so you know you're getting the best value for your money."
Visit Uswitch.com to compare the latest refurbished phone deals.
-ENDS-
For more information
Harriet Atkinson | Telecoms PR Manager
harriet.atkinson@rvu.co.uk
Twitter: @UswitchPR
Notes to editors
Uswitch analysis of manufacturer launch prices (UK RRP, entry storage) for the top-tier flagship of each brand, 2023–2026: Apple iPhone Pro Max £1,199 (2023–25) and a rumoured ~£1,449 (2026); Samsung Galaxy Ultra £1,249 (2023–25) → £1,279 (2026); Google Pixel 8 Pro £999 (2023), 9 Pro XL £1,099 (2024), 10 Pro XL £1,199 (2025), 11 Pro XL £1,279 (2026), +28%. Average top-tier rose from £1,149 to £1,336, +16.2%. Device-type note: Google split its Pro line in 2024; we track the largest/most-expensive Pixel each year (the Pro XL is the successor to the 8 Pro). Storage note: the Galaxy S26, Pixel 11 and iPhone 17/17e now start at 256GB where earlier equivalents started at 128GB, and Samsung has withdrawn the double-storage introductory offers it previously ran. Prices confirmed against Apple, Samsung and Google's own newsrooms/stores where available (Samsung S25 and Google's 2023–24 £ figures via reputable UK sources).
Table 1: Budget phone by brand (UK launch RRP, cheapest new model)
| Brand | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple | iPhone SE £419 | iPhone SE £419 | iPhone 16e £599 | iPhone 17e £599 | +43.0% |
| Samsung | Galaxy A54 £449 | Galaxy A55 £439 | Galaxy A56 £499 | Galaxy A57 £529 | +17.8% |
| Pixel 7a £449 | Pixel 8a £499 | Pixel 9a £499 | Pixel 10a £499 | +11.1% | |
| Average | £439 | £452 | £532 | £542 | +23.5% |
Table 2: Top flagship by brand (UK launch RRP, entry storage)
| Brand (top model) | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple (Pro Max) | £1,199 | £1,199 | £1,199 | £1,449\* | +20.9% |
| Samsung (Ultra) | £1,249 | £1,249 | £1,249 | £1,279 | +2.4% |
| Google (Pro / Pro XL) | £999 | £1,099 | £1,199 | £1,279 | +28.0% |
| Average | £1,149 | £1,182 | £1,216 | £1,336 | +16.2% |
*iPhone 18 Pro Max 2026 figure is rumoured/estimated [6].
- Inflation: ONS Consumer Prices Index (CPI, all items, 2015=100), 130.5 (2023) to 142.3 (Q2 2026), +9.0%. Source: Office for National Statistics.
- Uswitch analysis of the budget ("everyday") phone from each brand, UK launch RRP: Apple iPhone SE (£419, 2022, on sale through 2023–24) → iPhone 16e (£599, 2025) → iPhone 17e (£599, 2026); Samsung Galaxy A54 £449 (2023), A55 £439 (2024), A56 £499 (2025), A57 £529 (2026); Google Pixel 7a £449 (2023), 8a £499 (2024), 9a £499 (2025), 10a £499 (2026). Average rose from £439 to £542, +23.5%. The iPhone SE was 64GB vs 128GB+ on the 16e/17e, so part of Apple's increase reflects higher base storage.
- Saving of up to £274: Samsung Galaxy S26, 256GB, Grade A, on Uswitch via Back Market at £604.99 vs Samsung's £879 RRP for the same model, as of 27th July 2026. Subject to terms & conditions available here & while stocks last.
- Grocery comparison based on an average single-adult weekly grocery shop of £40. Calculations: top-tier flagship £1,336 ÷ £40 = 33 weeks (almost eight months); budget phone £599 ÷ £40 = 15 weeks (about three and a half months); refurbished saving £274 ÷ £40 = 7 weeks. Source: pocketwise.co.uk.
- "iPhone 18 Pro price could jump by £300, analyst warns", Uswitch, citing analyst Jeff Pu (via 9to5Mac) and The Wall Street Journal on the RAM shortage: https://www.uswitch.com/mobiles/news/iphone-18-pro-price-hikes-expected/