Nokia has always considered the entire market when it manufactures handsets, and it understands that not all customers are after a high-performance smartphone but need a handset that will send and receive texts and make phone calls. With that in mind, they have a wide range of funds across all levels, including some really smart budget handsets. All phones tend to have some smart capabilities these days, and this phone is perfect for those users who want to phone without a fuss, and yet it still runs on Android 9.0 Pie and offers incredible performance for the money. 

The Nokia 2.2 comes with a 13-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front-facing camera and plenty of functionality with a glass screen and plastic back and sides making it lovely and robust and ideal for first-time phone users. Have a look at our comprehensive review of this and many other handsets to see precisely what is on offer and use that as a tool to help you compare several different phones until you find what you were looking for.

The most cost-effective way to own a new mobile phone is to take out a pay monthly contract. This means you know exactly what is going out of your bank account each month and can budget accordingly. However, in order for this to work, you need to understand how monthly contracts are calculated, to ensure that you do not break any of the terms and conditions and end up paying more. A pay monthly contract has the advantage of keeping working even if you do go over your allowances, whereas the pay-as-you-go phone simply stopped working if the credit runs out. The contract is made up of three different allowances, and it is vital that you have enough of each to ensure that your monthly phone usage is covered. 

The amount of talk time and text are the first things that are considered, and these are available as an allocated monthly quota, or as an unlimited amount. Because these are relatively inexpensive for the network provider to offer, and unlimited talk time and text package is your best bet, it will not cost you much more, and in that respect, you only have one allowance to consider overusing. It is worth remembering that no phone provider covers calls or text to premium-rate numbers, and these will always be billed separately.

Your biggest concern is your data allowance, as this is the most expensive part of your contract. Each individual will require different amounts of data depending on how they use their handset. A mobile phone uses data to connect to the Internet when there is no Wi-Fi connection available. So if you work in a home and office and have Wi-Fi at each location, you may not need much data. 

However, if you spend a lot of time commuting, or do you not have Wi-Fi at home and instead use your mobile you will need a more significant allocation of data. Big data deals were provided for just that purpose, and offer large amounts of data for a reasonable price making it more affordable for you to have the contract. Unlimited data deals are also available, but these will make the contract even more expensive again; however, for some users, as this will be the most cost-effective way for them to use their phone. 

You also need to take into account what kind of activities you do with your handset, for those people who send or receive emails and look at the odd app when they are out and about the data consumption will not be high, and therefore you will not need a substantial data package. Conversely, if you use your handset for streaming movies and music, and spend a lot of time out and about doing this and other activities, you will need more data. The most data-intensive process is using your handset as a hotspot to connect other devices such as laptops and tablets to the Internet, and this uses a massive amount of data.

Getting the best deal for you is a combination of finding the lowest figure but making sure that you have everything you need to cover how you use your phone. So don’t even bother to look at any deals that do not offer enough data as it is a false economy because if you go over your data allowance you’ll be charged at a premium rate and this can get really expensive quickly. It’s better to look at the other ways you can reduce your costs, and these include taking advantage of the free gift offered by the network providers and other incentives that they give to try and attract new customers. 

The duration of the contract affects how much you pay, and mobile phone contracts tend to have a lifespan of 12, 24, or 36 months with 24 being the most common length. The longer you take the contract out for, the cheaper the price will be; however, you do have to remember you are committed for the whole period because breaking a contract early is costly, and you are stuck with the same handset for the duration.

Another way to get your hands on a new phone is to go for a Sim free deal, and this is where you buy just the phone with no Sim card or contract attached. The price of the handset varies, and some of the high-end flagship phones can retail for well over £1000, so it might not be affordable; however, for a handset like this the price is much more reasonable, and it can be the perfect way to get your hands on a new phone. You will, of course, need a Sim card from some other source. Again fans of pay-as-you-go Sim cards will love this way of being able to upgrade the phone and stick with the Sim card they know and love.