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MagyarThe Best Smartphones for Less Than 300 Euros
Between the frequently mentioned flagship smartphones and the inexpensive entry-level class, there are many mainstream smartphones. This ranking includes devices up to 300 USD/Euros that were reviewed by Notebookcheck over the past few months based on their ratings in our reviews. The following Top 10 rankings might be interesting as well:
The Best Mid-Range Smartphones
Position | Total Rating | Date | Image | Model | Height | Weight | Screen-Body Ratio | Size | Resolution | Refresh Rate | OS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 84.6 % | 05/2021 |  | Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 Qualcomm Adreno 640 6 GB Memory, 128 GB | 9.4 mm | 215 g | 85 % | 6.67" | 2400x1080 | 120 Hz | Android 11 |
| 2 | 83.7 % | 09/2021 new |  | realme GT Master Edition Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G Qualcomm Adreno 642L 8 GB Memory, 256 GB UFS 2.1 | 8.7 mm | 180 g | 83 % | 6.43" | 2400x1080 | 120 Hz | Android 11 |
| 3 | 83.6 % | 07/2021 |  | Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G Qualcomm Adreno 618 8 GB Memory, 128 GB UFS 2.1 | 6.81 mm | 157 g | 85 % | 6.55" | 2400x1080 | 090 Hz | Android 11 |
| 4 | 83.5 % | 04/2021 |  | Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G Qualcomm Adreno 618 6 GB Memory, 128 GB UFS 2.1 | 8.1 mm | 193 g | 86 % | 6.67" | 2400x1080 | 120 Hz | Android 11 |
| 5 | 82.4 % | 08/2021 |  | Oppo A74 5G Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 5G Qualcomm Adreno 619 6 GB Memory, 128 GB UFS 2.1 | 8.4 mm | 190 g | 84 % | 6.50" | 2400x1080 | 090 Hz | Android 11 |
| 6 | 82.1 % | 12/2020 |  | Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 5G Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G Qualcomm Adreno 619 6 GB Memory, 128 GB UFS 2.1 | 9 mm | 215 g | 85 % | 6.67" | 2400x1080 | 120 Hz | Android 10 |
| 7 | 81.8 % | 06/2021 |  | Oppo A94 5G MediaTek Dimensity 800U ARM Mali-G57 MP3 8 GB Memory, 128 GB UFS 2.0 | 7.8 mm | 173 g | 85 % | 6.43" | 2400x1080 | 060 Hz | Android 11 |
| 8 | 81.8 % | 04/2021 |  | realme 8 Pro Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G Qualcomm Adreno 618 8 GB Memory, 128 GB UFS 2.1 | 8 mm | 176 g | 90.8 % | 6.40" | 2400x1080 | 060 Hz | Android 11 |
| 9 | 81.4 % | 05/2021 |  | realme 8 Mediatek Helio G95 ARM Mali-G76 MP4 4 GB Memory, 128 GB UFS 2.1 | 8 mm | 177 g | 83 % | 6.40" | 2400x1080 | 060 Hz | Android 11 |
| 10 | 81.3 % | 02/2021 |  | Motorola Moto G 5G Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G Qualcomm Adreno 619 4 GB Memory, 64 GB UFS 2.1 | 9.9 mm | 212 g | 85.7 % | 6.70" | 2400x1080 | 060 Hz | Android 10 |
The table above contains an overview over the best smartphones for less than 300 Euros reviewed by Notebookcheck over the course of the past 12 months as well as still relevant and available older products. In cases of identical score the more recent device is listed first. All prices in above table and price comparisons are updated daily and can thus differ.
Link: all devices in this class reviewed
Editors' Comments
Due to its age, the Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC had to be removed from this list. In its place we would like to welcome the realme GT Master Edition.
1st - Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro
The Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro offers high performance at an affordable price. Its high-end SoC ensures smooth system and application performance, and it supports the most important communication standards including NFC, LTE, and Wi-Fi. Additional features include a fingerprint reader and face recognition. Its very bright display offers a well-balanced way to look at its 48 MP camera’s overall good photos.
Xiaomi’s Poco X3 Pro is a well-equipped and very fast mid-range smartphone at a low price.
Battery life is on par with other smartphones in its price range, and the Poco X3 Pro’s case is IP-certified and splash as well as dust proof.
Xiaomi smartphones are not available in North America.
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Top 10 Laptops
Multimedia, Budget Multimedia, Gaming, Budget Gaming, Lightweight Gaming, Business, Budget Office, Workstation, Subnotebooks, Ultrabooks, Chromebooks
under 300 USD/Euros, under 500 USD/Euros, 1,000 USD/Euros, for University Students, Best Displays
Top 10 Smartphones
Smartphones, Phablets, ≤6-inch, Camera Smartphones
2nd – realme GT Master Edition
The realme GT Master Edition is a well-equipped smartphone capable of running everyday tasks and applications smoothly. Its camera is good enough for occasional snapshots and its display performed adequately overall thanks to its AMOLED display with popping colors and a 120 Hz refresh rate.
The realme GT Master Edition is a well-equipped smartphone.
Battery life was decent, and the battery can be charged extremely fast thanks to support for 65 W charging. Other benefits include NFC, a 3.5-mm headphone jack, and modern 5G connectivity.
The realme GT Master Edition is not officially sold in North America. Imported unlocked international GSM-only models are available on Amazon with prices starting at around $450.
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3rd – Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G
The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G offers a sleek design and a very thin and leightweigt case. Its most affordable SKU comes with 64 GB of storage and 6 GB of RAM and is priced affordably enough to make this list. Higher-tier models are available at prices north of 300 Euros.
The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G is a very thin and well-equipped mid-range smartphone with a sleek design.
You get a smooth 90 Hz AMOLED display with popping colors and a brightness level high enough for outdoor use, a good camera, and fast charging. If you require 5G and are willing to spend more, you can also get the Mi 11 Lite 5G for around 100 Euros extra.
Xiaomi devices are not available in North America.
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4th – Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
The Redmi Note 10 Pro is better than its immediate predecessor and manages to storm right past it to the very top of this top 10 list. Features that made this possible include its good display with 120 Hz refresh rate, high brightness, and a good contrast ratio, its good 108 MP camera, and last but not least its long battery life. In return, we would have wished for more performance than the built-in Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G is capable to deliver.
This is also true for its internal storage and Wi-Fi modem, both of which while fast enough for everyday use lagged behind their competitors and could have been faster. As with all other Xiaomi phones the device is not officially sold in North America.
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5th – Oppo A74 5G
The Oppo A74 is a decent mid-range smartphone with a decent battery, camera, and display. Its 5,000 mAh battery ensures long battery life, its 48 MP camera takes decent phones in daylight, and its bright and good AMOLED display is a rare sight in this price range.
The Oppo A74 mid-range smartphone offers a great battery, camera, and display.
Unfortunately, the Oppo A74 comes with a slow and inadequate Snapdragon 662 SoC. It may be fast enough for everyday use but will sometimes slow down and seem somewhat lethargic. This means that future apps will suffer from the Snapdragon 662’s low performance, and due to lack of NFC the device does not support mobile payment systems.
The Oppo A74 is not officially sold in North America. Unlocked international GSM-only versions can be found on Amazon with prices starting at around $330.
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7th – Oppo A94 5G
The Oppo A94 5G offers exactly what you would expect of a mid-range smartphone. Its performance is adequate for a mid-range device and comparable to other 5G smartphones in its price range. Its build quality is very good, its camera quality is decent, and its overall system performance is smooth. In addition, it supports a microSD card and dual SIM cards simultaneously.
The Oppo A94 5G is a mid-range 5G smartphone with good battery life.
While many competing smartphones offer a similar performance, a comparable AMOLED display, and a good-looking design the A94’s slim case also manages to offer a very good battery life thanks to its internal 4,000 mAh battery.
The Oppo A94 5G is currently not available in North America.
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6th – Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 5G
The Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite 5G featuers a 6.67-inch large IPS display running in FHD+ resolution with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. It is powered by the Snapdragon 750G with access to 6 GB of RAM and either 64 or 128 GB of internal microSD-expandable storage. It also features a traditional notification LED, a headphone jack, and an IR blaster. Its quad camera’s centerpiece is a 64 MP sensor accompanied by an ultra-wide angle, a macro, and a depth of field lens.
In our test, the Mi 10T Lite 5G turned out to be a well-equipped mid-range smartphone with very long battery life and support for 5G connectivity. Its additional cameras are mostly useless though, and its speakers are rather weak and thin sounding.
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8th – realme 8 Pro
The realme 8 Pro is another device that superseded its immediate predecessor, both of which can now be found on this list. In our review, we particularly praised its low weight, its slim design, and its fingerprint resistant backside. Its versatile camera supports various modes, and 128 GB of internal storage are comparatively spacious. Its Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G makes for an overall decent system performance.
In return, it lacks support for 5G and its display is limited to a refresh rate of just 60 Hz, which is not uncommon in this price range. Sensitive users might also face issues caused by the display’s low PWM frequency. The device is not officially sold in North America.
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9th – realme 8
The realme8 is a smartphone with good performance, decent battery life, a bright AMOLED display with popping colors and a high contrast ratio, an eye-catching design, and last but not last a lightweight and handy design.
The realme 8 is very cheap and offers a decent overall package.
The device comes with 128 GB of internal storage for apps and data. Its SoC is fast enough for everyday tasks and applications and paired with 4 GB of RAM. The device features a 3.5-mm headphone jack as well as a microSD slot. The only thing missing is NFC.
The realme 8 is not officially available in North America. Unlocked international GSM-only versions are available among others on Amazon with prices starting at slightly over $250.
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10th – Motorola Moto G 5G
The Motorola Moto G 5G is a rather interesting mid-range smartphone. It offers a decent overall package combining long battery life, minimalistic software, fast Wi-Fi and GPS, and well versed communication capabilities. The latter include 5G, a wide variety of LTE bands, and NFC. Compared to the Moto G 5G Plus the Moto G 5G offers a very good performance.
If you don’t mind a decent and solid 60 Hz display the Moto G 5G can be a great mid-range choice.
Our only real gripe was the low-contrast display with PWM and a refresh rate of “just” 60 Hz. However, its long battery life, its decent main camera, and a 3.5-mm headphone jack more than make up for it.
The Motorola Moto G 5G is not officially sold in North America. Unlocked international GSM-only models are listed on Amazon starting at $250.
