Best Phone Under $300 – CNET
Mike Sorrentino Senior Editor
Mike Sorrentino is a Senior Editor for Mobile, covering phones, texting apps and smartwatches — obsessing about how we can make the most of them. Mike also keeps an eye out on the movie and toy industry, and outside of work enjoys biking and pizza making.
Expertise Phones, texting apps, iOS, Android, smartwatches, fitness trackers, mobile accessories, gaming phones, budget phones, toys, Star Wars, Marvel, Power Rangers, DC, mobile accessibility, iMessage, WhatsApp, Signal, RCS
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Moto G Power 5G (2023)
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Google Pixel 6A
Smartphones are expensive and getting more so every year, especially flagship devices, but some wallet-friendly smartphones are out there that offer a taste of premium features for less than $300. These budget phones can make calls, send texts, and run most apps and games for hundreds of dollars less than the iPhone 15 or Galaxy S23. Affordable phones also provide access to 5G, which is important if you want to hold onto your device for a while, and some even come with a built-in stylus. If you’ve been looking for the best phones under $300, then keep reading.
I’m going to level with you: We have yet to use a phone in the $200 to $300 price range that feels like an excellent value. The absolute best picks in this category tend to be more expensive devices that are frequently discounted to $299 when on sale. For instance, Google’s $349 Pixel 6A is among the best phones for under $500 and it’s often discounted to $299. That said, there are some nice perks on phones that are regularly between $200 to $300 including more storage, faster charging and decent cameras. Many of these even come with a headphone jack and expandable storage — both of which are rare in phones that cost $400 or more.
What is the best phone under $300?
The best phone you can buy for under $300 if the Google Pixel 6A isn’t on sale is the OnePlus Nord N30 5G. The phone’s 50-watt charging is truly fast, able to refill its battery from 0% to 100% in 45 minutes. The phone comes with 128GB of storage with 8GB of RAM and has a large 6.72-inch 1,080p display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The phone’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chip is capable enough to run most apps. Although the phone does come with a 108-megapixel main camera, the photos it takes are decent but far from impressive. That latter point is a big reason why the Pixel 6A is tempting when it’s discounted since its Tensor chip and photo processing make its 12.2-megapixel camera take sharp, detail-filled pictures. If the OnePlus Nord N30 5G ends up being what fits your budget, it’s one of the most feature-rich options you can get for under $300.
Best phones under $300
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The OnePlus Nord N30 5G includes a lot of features for the money, but its 50W charging speed is a standout for this price range. The phone can charge from 0% to 100% in 45 minutes, and most other phones that cost $300 or less need 90 minutes to two hours to do the same thing. Its large 6.72-inch 1,080p display runs at a 120Hz refresh rate and also makes apps, games, websites and streaming video animate smoothly.
It’s worth calling out that the 108-megapixel main camera — despite being an astounding megapixel number on a phone — takes photos that are only marginally better than what I usually see from phones in this price range. That means it can take good, detail-filled photos in outdoor settings with plenty of light. Photos taken in darker settings are a struggle for the N30, with indoor photos looking washed out or blurry.
The phone will also only get one software update to Android 14 along with three years of security updates — which is an average timeline for this price range, yet still disappointingly short.
While the OnePlus does face stiff competition from Google’s Pixel 6A — especially when the Pixel is discounted to $299 — it does include a lot of functionality for its price.
Pros:
- Truly fast charging
- Large 120Hz refresh-rate screen
- NFC for contactless payments
Cons:
- Photos are a mixed bag
- Short software-update timeline
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The Moto G Power 5G is currently the cheapest phone I’m aware of that has 256GB of internal storage space. It’s a lot of space and is perfect for someone who downloads a lot of movies and music to enjoy when you don’t have a consistent internet connection. The phone’s 6.5-inch 1,080p display runs at a smooth 120Hz refresh rate too, making movies, applications, websites and games look especially nice.
If you need even more space, you can expand it further with a microSD card. Like many phones in the $200 to $300 price range, the Power 5G includes a headphone jack.
Whereas Motorola makes the Power 5G a media machine for its price, it does cut back in terms of its cameras. Like many phones in this price range, it’s good for outdoor photography but is quite bad at getting details in low-light environments.
If what you need is lots of storage space above all else, the Moto G Power 5G is worth a look.
Pros:
- Great screen for its price
- 256GB of storage
- Works on all three US carriers
Cons:
- Camera is mediocre
- Slow charging
- No NFC for mobile payments
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Reviewing the $258 TCL Stylus 5G was a journey for me last year. Specs-wise, it has a lot that I enjoyed. The phone’s TCL NxtVision HDR setting provided enhanced colors when I played games, TCL made minimal changes to Android 12 and I especially enjoyed the magnetic stylus that fits securely into its own slot on the phone.
The big reason why my review took four months is because of repetitive software bugs that make the phone otherwise tough to recommend. I experienced frequent restarts while using the phone and Bluetooth connectivity issues, the latter of which was eventually fixed through a software update. This phone is also locked to T-Mobile completely, so it can’t be used on other carriers and is filled with T-Mobile apps that are challenging to remove.
If you absolutely must have a stylus and your budget is under $300, this is one of the better overall picks. Be wary of software issues, and remember the phone is only getting one major software update along with two years of security updates.
Pros:
- Big screen, with nice HDR mode
- Clean version of Android 12
- Magnetic stylus
Cons:
- Software bugs frequently impact usability
- T-Mobile bloatware
- Fuzzy video quality
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The Light Phone 2 is a very different kind of phone. It’s meant for people seeking freedom from the constant stream of notifications, but still want a phone that looks nice. Despite its somewhat limited functionality, this phone still costs $299.
The Light Phone 2 supports texts, phone calls, music playback, podcasts, mobile hotspot functionality and limited GPS support for directions on its E Ink screen. It does not have a camera, web browser, email access or other common apps like news or messaging apps.
My colleague Jessica Fierro gave the Light Phone 2 a try, and she enjoyed how the phone helped her stay more focused on the world around her. She found the slower texting speed on the E Ink display to be challenging to adjust to, and could not fully make the switch because for work she needs some degree of social media access to stay updated on trends.
The absence of many modern features is the entire point of the Light Phone 2. It’s a device for people who intentionally just want essential communications on a screen that’s more like a Kindle’s display than the one you’d find on a Samsung Galaxy device.
The Light Phone 2 is certainly not for everybody, but it could be worth considering for someone who wants their phone to do less. Fans of conventional phones should consider the wealth of feature phones and flip phones that still exist first — which are often free with a carrier deal or available for under $100.
Pros:
- E Ink display
- Lacks cameras
- Lacks internet connectivity
Cons:
- Lacks cameras
- Lacks internet connectivity
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Jessica Fierro/CNET
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Admittedly, I’m cheating by getting this phone into the list, but Google’s Pixel 6A has been discounted to $299 a lot lately and is an easy recommendation when it’s been discounted into a budget phone range.
Regularly $349, the Pixel 6A won our Editors’ Choice Award last year. In her review, CNET’s Lisa Eadicicco praised the phone for its great camera, Pixel-exclusive features like Magic Eraser, its colorful design and being among the first to get new Android updates.
Although Google has since released the $499 Pixel 7A, the Pixel 6A is still getting two more years of software updates and four more years of security updates. This means it will continue getting new Android features and support from Google, and that remaining timeline is still more than you’ll see from new 2023 phones that cost between $200 and $300.
Pros:
- Great camera
- Affordable price
- Premium design for a middle-tier phone
Cons:
- Dim display
- Not as many years of guaranteed Android updates as Samsung
- Video quality isn’t as good as the photos
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Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
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The $300 Motorola Moto G Power 5G is currently the cheapest phone with 256GB of storage. It’s perfect for someone who downloads a lot of movies and music to enjoy when they don’t have a consistent internet connection. The phone’s 6.5-inch 1,080-pixel display runs at a smooth 120Hz refresh rate too, making movies, applications, websites and games look especially nice. Whereas Motorola makes the Power 5G a media machine for its price, it does cut back in terms of its cameras. Like many $300 phones, it’s good for outdoor photography but is quite bad at getting details in low-light environments.