Best Phones Under $300

Spending under $300 on a phone no longer means settling for a mediocre experience. This price range has matured considerably, with several manufacturers delivering solid screens, capable processors, and respectable camera systems at accessible price points.

The Infinix Note Edge takes the top spot in our guide as the best overall phone under $300, offering a well-rounded package that outscores the competition across multiple categories. For those who prioritize photography, the Nothing CMF Phone 2 Pro earns the best camera slot with imaging hardware that punches above its weight class.

Worth noting is the fact that we’re still building out our database of phones in this price range. This guide will grow over time.

Best Overall Under $300

Infinix

Note Edge

Ranked #42 of 44 devices tested

395/ 727Overall

Price (at release): €170

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Score Overview

Display544/ 845

Performance138/ 948

Camera380/ 606

Battery550/ 799

Charging251/ 700

Speaker678/ 857

Biometrics440/ 945

Microphone270/ 949

Data Transfer91/ 877

At 170 euros, the Infinix Note Edge is hard to ignore as a starting point for budget phone shopping. It trades away a lot — camera quality sits near the bottom of what we've tested, performance is modest, and charging speed is slow for the category — but the 6,500mAh battery is solid for the price point. Web browsing pulls around 22% over our five hour test, which is reasonable for a phone in this price range. The Nothing CMF Phone 2 Pro costs $109 more and manages about the same performance in our multi-core tests, but its smaller 5,000mAh battery drains faster during gaming and web use.

The display hits a high peak brightness in HDR content — well above what the Moto G Power (2026) and CMF Phone 2 Pro reach — which matters if you use the phone outdoors or in bright rooms. Speakers get adequately loud.

Connectivity ranks among the weakest in our database, microphone quality is the lowest we've measured in this group, and camera sharpness is below average even in good light. This isn't a phone to buy if photography matters to you. It's a phone to buy if you need a reliable screen and battery that gets through the day at a price most competitors can't match.

Best Camera Phone Under $300

Nothing

CMF Phone 2 Pro

Ranked #43 of 44 devices tested

362/ 727Overall

Price (at release): $279

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Score Overview

Display426/ 845

Performance155/ 948

Camera404/ 606

Battery484/ 799

Charging181/ 700

Speaker635/ 857

Biometrics458/ 945

Microphone343/ 949

Data Transfer87/ 877

The CMF Phone 2 Pro's ultrawide lens is its clearest strength, producing sharper detail in good light than either the Motorola Moto G Power (2026) or even the Nothing Phone (3a) at $379. Main lens detail in bright conditions is more modest, and dynamic range on the telephoto is noticeably limited compared to the 3a — the telephoto captures a meaningfully narrower range of highlights and shadows before detail is lost.

This is the best camera phone available under $300 in our testing, but it sits in the lower third of our full device database on camera overall. The gap to mid-range phones above $300 is real, and the gap to the Nothing Phone (3) at $799 is substantial — color accuracy on the main lens is roughly half that of the Phone (3), and front camera sharpness isn't close.

What the CMF Phone 2 Pro does well within this price band is give you a usable ultrawide and reasonable main lens performance at $279. The Moto G Power (2026) at $299.99 posts significantly weaker main lens dynamic range — less than two-thirds of what the CMF captures — making the Nothing the stronger pick for photos. Battery life and charging speed are below average for the category, so camera output is what this phone is primarily about.