Technology

Greatest Android telephones beneath $300

9 September 2024

Today, the most effective Android telephones beneath $300 do not require you to compromise a great expertise. As cellular expertise will get higher and extra reasonably priced, you’ll be able to get pleasure from options like full 5G connectivity, good software program help, and quick charging, all with out having to pay a fortune. Know what’s even higher? These sub-$300 telephones usually have some goodies like 3.5mm audio ports and enlargement slots, that are now not discovered on flagship units.

At Android Central, we check dozens of telephones per 12 months, together with ones which are cheaper or flashy, so our suggestions include first-hand testing and critiques.

My high decide is the CMF Telephone 1 by Nothing, a $200 telephone that feels nothing like a price range decide. Not solely does it have a novel modular design, however it’s received a top-class OLED show, cameras you’d usually discover on $400+ telephones, nice software program options, and a powerful software program replace dedication. However Nothing needed to compromise someplace to fulfill that $200 value level, which implies NFC is not included.

That is why there are such a lot of different picks on this checklist, as a result of whereas the CMF Telephone 1 is the one good $200 telephone I’ve ever used, another telephones right here would possibly fill a selected area of interest higher for you. Able to spend much less and nonetheless love the telephone you get? Listed here are the most effective Android telephones you may get for lower than $300.

Written by

Nick Sutrich

Nick grew up in a telecom-savvy family and has been reviewing telephones since 2011. Whether or not it is waxing poetic about Nokia’s glory days or flipping open the most recent foldable telephones, he is aware of what makes a great telephone and might help you perceive which one to select.

At a look

Greatest total

Greatest help

Greatest design

Greatest digital camera

Greatest show

Greatest with stylus

6. Moto G Stylus 5G (2024)

Greatest total

The bright orange colorway of the CMF Phone 1

(Picture credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

Greatest total

Specs

Show: 6.67-inch 120Hz OLED (LTPS), 1080×2400 pixels decision

Chipset / SoC: MediaTek Dimensity 7300 5G

RAM: 6GB/8GB

Storage: 128GB/256GB expandable as much as 2TB by way of microSD

OS: Android 14, Nothing OS

Cameras: Rear: 50MP + 2X portrait digital camera, Entrance: 16MP

Battery: 5,000mAh, 33W wired charging

Causes to purchase

Shiny, eye-friendly AMOLED show

Customizable {hardware} design

Impressively low value

Wonderful digital camera

Speedy processor

3 years of promised updates

Causes to keep away from

–

No NFC

–

Spotty 5G within the U.S.

Reviewed by

Nick Sutrich

Nick has been reviewing telephones since 2011, utilizing all the pieces from dirt-cheap no-name manufacturers to the most costly flagships from corporations like Samsung and Google. He is an enormous fan of folding telephones and something breaks the mould. He is additionally an avid photographer and may generally be discovered carrying round three or 4 telephones at a time for digital camera comparisons.

The CMF Telephone 1 is probably the most thrilling price range telephone I’ve ever used. It is also the one actually good $200 telephone I’ve ever used and often feels extra like a $400 telephone. The very first thing you will discover about it, although, is the distinctive modular design. The again is held on with 5 detachable screws and will be swapped out with a number of completely different colours and types from the corporate.

Nothing additionally launched official 3D printing guides, which means you can also make your personal equipment and backs or purchase one from the 3D printing group! A plethora of distinctive equipment are hot-swappable by way of the only giant thumbscrew on the underside proper, making it simple to pop on a kickstand, lanyard, or anything you’ll be able to dream up.

Other than the design, the remainder of the telephone is solely sensible. The brilliant OLED panel up entrance isn’t solely great to take a look at in any gentle however it’s additionally extremely eye-friendly. It is received probably the most highly effective processor in its value class by far, supplying you with loads of energy for on a regular basis duties and surprisingly glorious gaming efficiency, as properly.

The one cause this telephone would not get the award for greatest digital camera beneath $300 is as a result of the Pixel 6a exists, however it’s barely a step down from that telephone. Plus, the CMF Telephone 1 takes a lot better portrait images than the Pixel because of the devoted portrait digital camera on the again and a greater background blurring algorithm than Google’s.

Lastly, Nothing OS is an excellent OS that I want over most flavors of Android. It not solely has a novel dot matrix-like type but additionally options loads of enjoyable dwelling display screen widgets, nice options, and three years of promised updates. Nothing often updates its OS with new options and safety patches, too, so that you by no means have to fret about feeling outdated.

Greatest help

samsung galaxy a25 5g lifestyle photo all colors

(Picture credit score: Samsung)

1. Samsung Galaxy A25 5G

Greatest help

Specs

Show: 6.5-inch 120Hz Tremendous AMOLED, 1080×2340 pixels decision

Chipset / SoC: Exynos 1280

RAM: 6GB

Storage: Android 14, One UI 6

OS: 128GB, expandable as much as 1TB by way of microSD

Cameras: Rear: 50MP + 8MP + 2MP, Entrance: 13MP

Battery: 5,000mAh, 25W wired charging

Causes to purchase

Vibrant 120Hz Tremendous AMOLED display screen

Stereo audio system and three.5mm audio port

Updates for years till Android 18

Causes to keep away from

–

Dated waterdrop-style notch

–

Digital proximity sensor

–

Show makes use of sluggish PWM in any respect brightness ranges

–

Processor is a bit sluggish

In typical A-series trend, the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G manages to ship glorious worth for cash. The smartphone incorporates a 6.5-inch Tremendous AMOLED panel with a decision of 1080×2340 pixels and a 120Hz refresh price. Certain, the waterdrop-style notch has turn out to be slightly lengthy within the tooth at this level, however the display screen will get fairly shiny and works properly for on a regular basis utilization.

Powered by the corporate’s homegrown Exynos 1280 SoC, the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of inner storage. Whereas these will not be top-of-the-line specs, they’re greater than sufficient for dealing with duties like internet shopping and a few informal gaming. You even get an enlargement slot that may take up microSD playing cards of as much as 1TB in measurement, permitting you to hold just about your total media library in your pocket.

The smartphone runs Android 14 (with Samsung’s latest One UI 6 overlay) and can rise up to 4 years of OS updates, in addition to 5 years of safety updates. Meaning you get Android updates till Android 18! This glorious replace coverage alone makes the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G the most effective Android telephones in its value vary.

Talking of cameras, there is a triple-lens setup on the again with a 50MP major unit, an 8MP ultra-wide module, and a 2MP macro sensor. The smartphone can shoot some first rate photographs in well-lit situations, however low-light images are largely unimpressive. As you’d count on, the macro lens is usually ineffective and solely exists to pad the spec sheet. Up entrance, there is a 13MP unit for all of your selfies and video calls. The entire bundle is backed by a 5,000mAh battery that comes with 25W wired charging help.

Greatest design

POCO X6 Pro review

(Picture credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)

Greatest design

Specs

Show: 6.5-inch 120Hz AMOLED, 1220 x 2712 pixels decision

Chipset / SoC: Mediatek Dimensity 8300 Extremely

RAM: 8GB/12GB

Storage: 256GB/512GB UFS 4.0

OS: Android 14, HyperOS

Cameras: Rear: 64MP + 8MP + 2MP, Entrance: 16MP

Battery: 5,000mAh, 67W wired charging

Causes to purchase

Beautiful design and good construct high quality

NFC for contactless funds

Specs punch above the worth

Standout battery life and 67W charging

Causes to keep away from

–

Will get sizzling throughout prolonged gaming periods

–

Poor auxiliary cameras

–

A lot of bloatware preinstalled

Reviewed by

Harish Jonnalagadda

Harish Jonnalagadda tries to make sense of the befuddling maze that’s the Asian smartphone trade. Earlier than switching to telephones, he used to write down about PC {hardware}, masking motherboards and video playing cards. When he is not enjoying with the most recent telephones, he is both studying on his Kindle or making an attempt to clear his backlog of video games on Steam. He can be discovered shouting on the TV over the weekends at Arsenal’s continued woes.

If the image above would not already clue you in, the Poco X6 Professional has appears to kill and the construct high quality to match. The yellow colour appears notably putting and chic with its vegan leather-based again, and the AMOLED show on the entrance is among the many best possible you will discover on mid-range telephones, a lot much less within the sub-$300 value class.

Poco’s selection of a quick processor, loads of RAM, and quick UFS 4.0 storage imply this telephone feels sooner than most in its class, supplying you with loads of energy for multitasking and gaming, alike. The draw back is that the processor is slightly too highly effective to run with no costlier inner cooling resolution, so the telephone will get fairly sizzling throughout longer gaming periods.

Fortunately, that highly effective processor would not negatively have an effect on battery life. Fairly the other, truly! Our reviewer, Harish, mentioned that the Poco X6 featured “standout battery life” with ultra-fast 67W wired charging help.

The Poco X6 comes with Xiaomi’s HyperOS, constructed on Android 14, which sports activities loads of handy options, nice UI design, and three years of promised updates. Meaning you will see Android 16 plus one extra 12 months of safety updates earlier than it’s best to contemplate upgrading once more.

Lastly, the principle digital camera is sort of good however the the rest of the cameras aren’t value utilizing in any respect—notably that ineffective 2MP macro digital camera. We’re nonetheless unsure why some corporations really feel like a 2MP digital camera is value placing on any telephone in 2024 however we would advocate simply not utilizing it.

Greatest digital camera

The back of the Google Pixel 6a on a bridge

(Picture credit score: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

Greatest digital camera

Specs

Show: 6.1-inch AMOLED, 2400 x 1080 pixels decision

Chipset / SoC: Google Tensor G1

RAM: 6GB

Storage: 128GB

OS: Android 14, Pixel expertise

Cameras: Rear: 12MP + 12MP, Entrance: 8MP

Battery: 4,410mAh, 18W wired charging

Causes to purchase

Greatest digital camera in its class

Processor is twice the pace of some others on this checklist

Beautiful, distinctive design

All of the Pixel options folks love

Nice compact measurement

Causes to keep away from

–

Will not get up to date previous Android 15

–

Tensor processor can run sizzling

–

Battery life is not the most effective

–

Sluggish PWM dimming price

Reviewed by

Nick Sutrich

For generations now, Google Pixel telephones have been lauded for his or her glorious cameras that take probably the most consistently-good footage round. That is largely partially to Google’s unimaginable software program, which makes use of an clever HDR+ algorithm that continuously takes images, then combines a number of into one wonderful image mechanically.

Should you evaluate the spec sheet for this telephone versus different cameras—even ones on this checklist—you will most likely surprise how a 12 megapixel digital camera might probably outclass a 50MP or greater sensor. The reply is that Google would not want extra megapixels to make an amazing image, and that is all due to what I mentioned within the paragraph above.

I’ve often referred to as Pixel telephones the greatest telephones for folks and pet homeowners due to their skill to seize crisp photographs of objects in movement—on this case, meaning the children and pets that refuse to carry nonetheless for a photograph.

However whereas the digital camera is best-in-class, you will even be pleasantly stunned on the efficiency of the Tensor G1 processor contained in the Pixel 6a. It is twice as quick because the processor within the Galaxy A25 above and may play video games and multitask higher due to it. Tensor is thought for getting a bit on the nice and cozy aspect, although, so do not plan to play cutting-edge video games for too lengthy at a time.

The true draw back to selecting up a Pixel 6a at this level is that Android 15 is the final main OS replace the telephone will obtain, as official OS updates finish in July 2025. You will nonetheless get two extra years of safety updates, at the least, however know that the brand new options you get subsequent Summer time are the final new options you will get.

Greatest show

Redmi Note 13 Pro review

(Picture credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)

Greatest show

Specs

Show: 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED, 1220 x 2712 pixels decision

Chipset / SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2

RAM: 8GB/12GB/16GB

Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB

OS: Android 14

Cameras: Rear: 200MP + 8MP + 2MP, Entrance: 16MP

Battery: 5,100mAh, 67W wired charging

Causes to purchase

Beautiful 120Hz 12-bit Dolby Imaginative and prescient AMOLED

NFC help

200MP principal digital camera

Wonderful battery life and ultra-fast charging

Causes to keep away from

–

Poor auxiliary cameras

–

A lot of preinstalled bloatware

–

Sluggish OS updates

Reviewed by

Harish Jonnalagadda

In terms of shows, few look pretty much as good because the one on the Redmi Be aware 13 Professional. This beautiful 6.67-inch AMOLED panel options these deep blacks and vibrant colours AMOLEDs are recognized for, and it punches that second half up a notch with 12-bit Dolby Imaginative and prescient help.

Should you love watching motion pictures in your telephone, that is the one to get as that show will ship probably the most correct colours, widest dynamic vary, and loads of brightness to see clearly even in shiny daylight. Higher but, Xiaomi outfitted the show with eye-friendly capabilities together with TÜV Rheinland certifications for low blue gentle, circadian pleasant, and even flicker-free because of DC-like dimming at excessive brightness and 1920Hz PWM dimming at low brightness.

On high of that show is tremendous sturdy Gorilla Glass Victus, a sort of glass you usually solely discover on telephones lots of of {dollars} costlier. And final however actually not least is Xiaomi’s Moist Contact characteristic which makes it simple to make use of the contact display screen even when your palms are moist. Attempt that along with your present telephone and you will find that it is inconceivable to precisely kind or swipe when water is on the glass.

Whereas our reviewer Harish wasn’t impressed with the telephone when it launched in September 2023, Xiaomi has since up to date the telephone with Android 14, fastened tons of bugs, and the brand new lower cost all come collectively to make this a considerably higher worth than it was once.

Whereas Xiaomi was very sluggish to replace this telephone to Android 14—seven months after the telephone and Android 14 formally launched—the Redmi Be aware 13 Professional nonetheless will get two extra years of OS and safety updates, although, so Xiaomi has loads of time to make up for the sluggish first platform replace.

Greatest with stylus

The Moto G Stylus 5G 2024 with its stylus

(Picture credit score: Derrek Lee / Android Central)

Greatest with stylus

Specs

Show: 6.7-inch 120Hz OLED, 2400 x 1080 pixels decision

Chipset / SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1

RAM: 8GB

Storage: 128GB/256GB, expandable as much as 1TB by way of microSD

OS: Android 14, Hi there UX

Cameras: Rear: 50MP + 13MP, Entrance: 32MP

Battery: 5,000mAh, 30W wired charging

Causes to purchase

Built-in stylus works nice

Stereo audio system and three.5mm audio port

First rate digital camera efficiency

Beautiful design with a vegan leather-based again

Causes to keep away from

–

Stylus may very well be higher

–

Look lock display screen could be a nuisance

–

Solely will get one OS improve (to Android 15)

–

In-display fingerprint sensor is uncomfortably low

Reviewed by

Derrek Lee

Derrek resides on the Greatest Coast, initially from San Diego, and now residing in Seattle. He is a long-time cellular tech fanatic, beginning with an obsession with Nokia that started on the age of 12. Since then, he is been lovingly recognized by most of his buddies because the “Telephone Man.” When he is not speaking tech, he is both understanding, mountain climbing, enjoying video video games (Ps), or making movies.

Motorola actually reinvented itself over the previous 12 months because it launched not solely our favourite foldable telephone ever, but additionally a line of budget-friendly telephones that appear and feel wonderful. The Moto G Stylus 5G 2024 is the right instance of this, melding a stylus design glad in vegan leather-based, all whereas housing a beautiful stylus contained in the telephone’s svelte body.

The Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor inside is not the quickest chip on this checklist, however it’s nonetheless sooner than the one discovered within the Samsung Galaxy A25 close to the highest of this checklist. In fact, the principle draw of this telephone is not this efficiency although, it is the stylus home contained in the physique.

Motorola has a set of software program customized to work with the stylus, and though this is not an lively stylus such as you’ll discover on costlier Samsung telephones which have stylus help, it is nonetheless good to have one to jot down fast notes or annotate photographs and screenshots. Particularly because it’s all the time contained in the telephone ready to be shortly used!

Motorola additionally upgraded the cameras this 12 months, outfitting it with some surprisingly good picture seize together with an ultrawide-angle lens. Our reviewer, Derrek, was actually impressed with the picture high quality and particularly lauded the telephone for that characteristic.

Whereas Motorola ships this one with Android 14 and its glorious Hi there UX—full with all our favourite Motorola gestures like double-chop to activate the flashlight—the Moto G Stylus 5G 2024 will solely get up to date to Android 15, plus three years of safety updates to make sure you really feel protected on-line. Should you do not care about tons of updates and need to prioritize a stylus, it is a nice selection for beneath $300.

How to decide on

Whereas there isn’t any doubt that the greatest Android telephones give you an unmatched person expertise — full with options like top-tier cameras and wi-fi charging — these units do not come low-cost. If you cannot (or simply do not need to) spend hundreds of {dollars} on a flagship telephone, we recommend looking at one of many many choices obtainable beneath the $300 value level. Certain, these do miss out on some nice-to-have options present in costly telephones and are not supported for lengthy, however they cowl all of the fundamentals, whereas additionally having some extras. So, earlier than making your choice, do check out what options you want probably the most.

Our best choice is the CMF Telephone 1, a superb decide at simply $200 with an choice to improve the RAM and storage for $80 extra. Even at that value, it is nonetheless a greater telephone than another on this checklist, together with a shiny and exquisite—but additionally eye-friendly—OLED show, a robust processor, the second-best cameras on this checklist, and a novel modular design that you may 3D print components for. It is an unbelievably enjoyable telephone that blew me away from the second I attempted it.

And do not forget concerning the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G should you’re on the lookout for some critical long-term worth. Whereas the processor is not the quickest on this checklist, it has the longest software program help promise of all of them—5 years! Meaning it’s going to see Android 18 earlier than Samsung drops help, one thing that no different telephone on the checklist can declare. That is nice should you like to carry on to your telephones for a very long time.

Lastly, if we’re evaluating reasonably priced telephones with those who aren’t so reasonably priced, we won’t ignore the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024). This factor comes with a swanky vegan leather-based again panel and an built-in stylus that makes it appear and feel extraordinarily premium. There’s even NFC help for contactless funds, one other characteristic that is generally present in flagship telephones.

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Testing telephones at Android Central entails way more than merely booting up a tool to make sure it really works. We will use telephones with a shopper mindset as a result of we are shoppers, along with Android lovers and product testers. In contrast to some websites that rely solely on benchmark applications and lab assessments to confirm efficiency, we use smartphones in real-life eventualities to raised perceive how a tool will carry out throughout regular, day-to-day use.

This entails personally hitting the streets to see how a telephone’s digital camera will carry out throughout the day and night time, and evaluating footage from two units aspect by aspect to see how they differ. Our testing entails working a number of performance-heavy apps concurrently to see if a telephone will overheat or swiftly lose battery life. It entails booting up graphics-intensive video games on the highest settings to see if the photographs will lag or stutter, and it means draining the battery of a telephone to zero to check the pace at which it can recharge.

This barely scratches the floor of each testing metric we apply to every new machine, so take a look at our information to how Android Central assessments and critiques telephones to study extra.

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