Ranking: Best smartphones for under 300 dollars/euros

The Xiaomi Poco X7 Pro presents itself as a powerful smartphone with impressive features at an attractive price. Powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8400-Ultra processor, it offers high performance that is suitable for both everyday applications and gaming. The 6.7-inch OLED display impresses with a resolution of 2,712 x 1,220 pixels, a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz and an impressive peak brightness of 3,200 cd/m².

The Xiaomi Poco X7 Pro offers a good price-performance ratio with strong performance, an impressive display and solid battery life, even if there are drawbacks in some areas, such as the camera and missing features like wireless charging.

The dual camera of the Poco X7 Pro consists of a 50-megapixel main camera with optical image stabilization and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera. While the main camera delivers solid results in daylight, it shows weaknesses in zoom and wide-angle shots. The 6,000 mAh battery enables a battery life of over 16 hours. Thanks to the 90 watt fast charging function, the battery is fully charged in around an hour. However, wireless charging is not supported.

The Galaxy A36 5G has a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120 Hz and a peak brightness of up to 2,000 cd/m². The product is IP67-certified and therefore protected against liquid or dust damage. Its front is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+. The Samsung smartphone is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor, supported by 6 or 8 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of storage. There is no micro-SD card slot; meanwhile, the internal 5,000 mAh battery supports fast charging at up to 45 watts.

Samsung's Galaxy A36 5G is an affordable mid-range smartphone that stands out with its security features and long software support.

On to cameras. The main sensor has a resolution of 50 MP with optical image stabilization built in; there is also an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera and a 5-megapixel macro camera. For the front camera, it's 12 MP.

A special feature of the Galaxy smartphone, Knox Vault protects sensitive data such as PINs and passwords using both hardware and software resources. Samsung also guarantees six years of security updates and up to six OS version (Android and One UI) updates for the phone.

The Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G is a mid-range phone that's quite a bit more robust than many rival options. It has an IP68-certified housing that is both waterproof and dustproof. An aluminum composite frame with steel parts supposedly allows for a very good shock resistance. In addition, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protects the display, supported by "energy-absorbing materials" that reduce the risk of display breaking in case of falls or other impacts.

The Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G is particularly notable for its durability and good battery life.

Its 6.67-inch AMOLED display offers a resolution of 2,712 x 1,220 pixels and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. The smartphone is powered by MediaTek's Dimensity 7300 Ultra processor. The 5,110 mAh internal battery impressed us with long runtimes in our February 2025 testing. The triple camera comprises a 200-megapixel main sensor with optical image stabilization, an 8-megapixel ultra wide-angle camera and a 2-megapixel macro camera.

The Poco X7 is a relatively affordable smartphone that impresses with its solid feature set. Powered by MediaTek's Dimensity 7300 Ultra processor, it offers smooth enough performance in everyday use. The system runs smoothly and apps launch quickly. The phone is available in two options, 8 GB RAM with 256 GB storage and 12 GB RAM with 512 GB ROM. The internal data storage chip is a UFS 2.2 spec one; there is no micro-SD card slot for expansion.

Overall, Xiaomi's Poco X7 offers very good value for money since it is well-made, has lots of modern features and an impressive display.

Its 6.67-inch AMOLED display with 120 Hz delivers high brightness and accurate colors. In our testing, it achieved over 2,500 nits when displaying HDR content. The Poco phone has a high-quality housing. It's an IP68-certified one, meaning dust or splashes of liquids such as water won't be a problem. The features include dual SIM with 5G support, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, stereo speakers and an infrared blaster.

The 5,110 mAh battery ensures good battery life and gets the user through the day even with intensive use. The product can be charged at up to 45 watts; please note the EU version comes with no charger in the box. The 50-megapixel primary camera delivers decent photos in daylight, but isn't as good when it comes to zoom and low-light shots.

The Moto G75 features premium build quality and is IP68-rated for water and dust resistance. Its 5,000 mAh battery delivers long enough battery life and supports both 30-watt wired charging and 15-watt wireless charging. The 6.78-inch IPS display with a resolution of 2,388 x 1,080 pixels reaches a brightness of up to 1,000 nits and is free of PWM flickering, making it a good choice for users sensitive to pulse width modulation.
Its 50 MP primary camera takes high-quality images, while the 8 MP ultra-wide-angle lens produces average results. Other highlights include fast Wi-Fi 6E, accurate GPS, and support for various Bluetooth audio codecs. Additionally, Motorola promises six years of software updates, which is a major plus.

The Moto G75 is an overall good mid-range smartphone with solid performance and a strong feature set.

However, it has its drawbacks, including the absence of a 3.5 mm headphone jack, mediocre speaker quality, and the lack of a charger in the box.

The Magic7 Lite is a mid-range smartphone with a robust design and solid feature set. It has a relatively lightweight (189 g), durable housing with IP64 certification that should withstand drops from up to two meters. Casing thickness is kept well under control at 7.98 millimeters.

Its 6.78-inch AMOLED display offers a resolution of 2,700 × 1,224 pixels and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. Display PWM runs at 3,840 Hz, which should work better than the more common 60 Hz to 240 Hz range for those sensitive to flickering. Powering the whole deal is a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, supported by 8 or 12 GB of RAM and 256 or 512 GB of storage, which is not expandable via micro-SD cards.

Honor's Magic7 Lite boasts really attractive looks, long battery life and a good display.

On to cameras. The user gets a 108-megapixel main camera with optical image stabilization, a 5-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera and a 16-megapixel front camera. A highlight of the device is the 6,600 mAh silicon-carbon technology battery, which enables long runtimes. In our testing, the Honor phone lasted up to three days with moderate use. 66 watt fast charging is supported, cutting down the time needed to bring that impressive battery back to life; please note that this is not a wireless charging-enabled phone.

The Phone 2 Pro has a plastic body with visible screws; unusually enough, it also has support for modular accessories. The back is now non-removable, which bumps up water resistance to IP54 at the expense of some modularity.

The product has a 6.77″ display with a refresh rate of 120 Hz, 10-bit colors as expected from AMOLED panels, HDR10+ and a high peak brightness, making it one of the best panels money can buy in this price range.

The Phone 2 Pro impressed us with long battery life, a decent camera setup, long software support and (finally) NFC.

The phone's 5,000 mAh battery delivered very good runtimes in our testing and can be charged relatively quickly at up to 33 watts (not wirelessly, though). The mid-range SoC from MediaTek allows for solid everyday performance, but does not have many performance reserves.

The triple camera, consisting of a 50 MP primary and telephoto lens and an 8 MP ultra-wide angle one, delivers solid everyday photos and, as a first for the series, a real 2x optical zoom. However, optical image stabilization is lacking and shots by the wide-angle lens have issues in the peripheral areas. It does not cope well when lighting is poor, either.

In our testing, the Poco M7 Pro 5G proved to be a remarkable entry-level smartphone that can do several things better than rival products sold for similar money. With its 6.67-inch AMOLED display that offers a refresh rate of 120 Hz and an impressive enough peak brightness of 2,100 nits, it delivers a lot of display for the price.

The device is powered by MediaTek's Dimensity 7025 Ultra, combined with a choice of 8 or 12 GB of RAM and 128 or 256 GB of storage, which is expandable by installing a micro-SD card. This configuration enables solid performance in everyday tasks, although it does reach its limits with more demanding applications.

The M7 Pro 5G is a solid buy. Six years of software updates come included.

The phone has a 50-megapixel primary camera with optical image stabilization (OIS) along with a 2-megapixel depth sensor. Its front camera offers 20 megapixels and delivers surprisingly good snaps for this price range. A 5,110 mAh battery ensures long runtimes and supports 45-watt fast charging. Other features include IP64 certification, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos branding and a fingerprint sensor built right into the display.

The Motorola Moto G86 is currently one of the brightest mid-range smartphones and offers a particularly high-quality display for around 300 euros. The 6.67-inch p-OLED panel with 1.5K resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate ensures a smooth display, supports HDR10+ and is well protected by Gorilla Glass 7i. With a peak brightness of up to 4,500 nits, it is easy to read even in direct sunlight.

The Moto G86 impresses with a very bright display, robust construction and solid performance.

The housing is IP68 and IP69 certified, meets the military standard MIL-STD-810H and is therefore dust, water and shock resistant. The processor used is the MediaTek Dimensity 7300, combined with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB expandable memory. The device runs Android 15 and receives two major system updates and four years of security patches.

The main camera uses a 50 megapixel sensor from Sony with optical image stabilization, supplemented by an ultra-wide-angle camera with 8 megapixels and an additional lens for macro or depth shots. The front camera has a resolution of 32 megapixels. Photos are good overall, but remain at a solid mid-range level. The EU version of the battery has a capacity of 5,200 mAh and is charged with 30 W.

The Galaxy A26 5G is a mid-range smartphone featuring a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display. This delivers a Full HD+ resolution, a refresh rate of 120 Hz and a maximum brightness of over 1,200 cd/m². The phone is powered by the Exynos 1380 SoC, combined with either 6 GB or 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB or 256 GB of built-in storage. Micro-SD card up to 2 TB in size are supported here, as far as we are aware.

Samsung's Galaxy A26 5G offers some basic AI features, lots of years of updates, and solid enough hardware.

As far as camera might be concerned, the buyer is getting a 50-megapixel primary camera with optical image stabilization, and there is an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera and a 2-megapixel macro camera, too. The front camera offers 13 megapixels. The internal 5,000 mAh battery can be charged at up to 25 watts.

The A26 5G is IP67-certified and therefore protected against water and dust. Its fingerprint sensor is side-mounted. There is no eSIM or Wi-Fi 6 support, no stereo speakers and no 3.5 mm headphone output here.