The best phones for under £300 in 2024

The Samsung Galaxy A53 smartphone is ideally priced and is packed with fantastic tech specs that rival even top-tier smartphones for performance.

The A53 has a spot-on 6.5-inch display with AMOLED panelling to make colours truly pop to their true potential. Alongside the lovely screen is the A53's wonderful 6 GB of RAM, 5000 mAh of battery, and formidable 65 MP quad camera, which, while a little lack-lustre, is leagues above most phones at an equal price.

Capable of recording even 4K video, and with plenty of storage for copious photos - rest assured you'll get plenty of mileage from the Samsung A53.

While we've been wasting our money on ludicrously expensive tech for years, Motorola has been quietly making some really fantastic budget phones that'll give its high-end competitors a run for their money.

The Motorola Edge 20 Lite is a bit of an enigma; it's got a stunning full-HD OLED screen with HDR support, a spot-on 1-9 MP triple camera, a 5000mAh battery, and a beastly Dimensity 720 processor. It's actually under £200 right now - unbelievable value. How do they do it?

Frankly, we have no idea. The gaming performance on the Edge 20 Lite is just unbelievable. Paired with the crisp visuals of the OLED display, you've got an experience that would rival some of the later iPhone models that are worth over £500.

Aside from gaming, you've got Android's perfectly fine UI that's basic, intuitive, and highly customisable, and plenty of picture-taking power to keep your inner photographer totally satiated.

While this Nokia G21 phone won't blow away your expectations, it's certainly a reliable pick, especially at this price point. If you're after a phone to last you a couple of years, then you might want to consider another option, but for those in-between phones for now, this makes for a great backup.

Don't let the lower cost trick you into thinking it's ineffective in terms of performance. The screen has a refresh rate of 90Hz, so it often looks better than a lot of monitors. The battery is also noteworthy, having the potential to last up to 72 hours off a single charge.

Read our full Nokia G21 review.

There are only a couple of reasons why this A54 from Samsung didn't take the top spot on our list. Aside from being a tad more expensive, it has a slightly smaller screen at 6.4 inches, and the main camera is 50MP - the A53's is 64MP. But what the A54 loses in screen size and camera resolution, it gains in the operating system and processor specs.

This one is running Android 13 - one version ahead of the A53, which makes for better support and compatibility going forward. And the processor is a generation ahead here too, with the Exnyos 1380 launched in 2023. Altogether that means that you can choose the A54 over the A53 if you value what's under the hood over the screen and cameras of the latter. Other specs are on par, however - with 128GB of storage (expandable up to 1TB via memory card) and 6GB of RAM. All in all, this is a powerful Samsung 5G smartphone with an emphasis on performance.

One of the best alternatives to both Samsung and Apple, OnePlus has a beautiful range of spectacular smartphones for under £300, none, however, quite compete with the Nord CE3 Lite.

Equipped with a whopping 8 GB of RAM (more than some laptops) with a commendable 128 GB of memory - the Nord CE3 Lite is out of the gate a great buy. The OS is OnePlus' own OxygenOS 13.1 - based on Android. An AMOLED screen is the icing on the cake here.

Then there's the overall construction, the aesthetic and the overall quality of the Nord CE3 Lite, which is yet again impeccable for the price. Our only gripe is the slightly lacking front camera, but at £300 - you simply cannot complain.

You can always trust Nokia when it comes to durability in phones, and the X10 is no different. Of course, it's not all about the build; the performance here is great too. The FHD screen is capable of producing stunning visuals for a phone at this price range.

While the build and the screen are fantastic, the battery is a mixed story. The battery life itself is actually superb, able to last two or three days, but the charging speed lets it down. This is definitely the type of phone you want to keep topped up before going out anywhere.

Google's Pixel line has been making waves in the phone market with its affordable yet cutting-edge technology that gives even the most expensive phones some competition. This Google Pixel 6a may be a couple of models behind the latest, but it's still a powerful and affordable Pixel.

Quick, simple to use and with a fantastic operating system, browsing is simply a breeze when it comes to the Pixel 6A. The camera, however, leaves a bit to be desired, recording only at 1080p. That said, for a solid Google piece of mobile gadgetry, this has a nice large screen and tons of battery life.

Despite its flagship phone's outrageous prices, Samsung always has some really brilliant budget smartphone options, and despite being slightly older than others here, it has a trick up its sleeve. The M33 can extend its already well-specced RAM with RAM plus - it will basically use some of the phone's storage space as virtual RAM. That means you can tailor this for performance whenever you need to.

The M33 is a fantastic budget option that's often overlooked by Samsung shoppers but is absolutely worth your time. Powered with a nifty Samsung Exynos 1280 CPU, paired perfectly with a 120 Hz full HD screen (that's double the refresh rate of the iPhone 12), and as you can imagine, gaming is an absolute delight on the M33.

The camera can record in 4K at 30fps, as well as capture a range of stunning, natural-looking photos with ease. Of course, as with most budget phones, it isn't perfect - you'll struggle to avoid any grain in low lighting - but still, it's an impressive bit of kit for the price.

If you're someone prone to dropping their phone, you might want to consider the OPPO A76. Not only is it an affordable smartphone, but it's also remarkably sturdy. Combine it with a reliable case, and you'll have one less thing to worry about.

It also makes a brilliant phone for watching videos. The refresh rate is 90Hz, so the picture always looks great. Plus, the fast-charging battery means you're never without charge for too long.

If there's one manufacturer who likes to give you a choice of models with just the smallest differences between them, it's Samsung. At first glance, this Galaxy A34 shares a lot of the base specifications of the A53 at the top of our list. And you'd be right. But the main reason to choose this over its closest Samsung model is the size of the screen plus the screen technology itself.

Here we have a beautiful AMOLED screen for vivid colours and excellent detail. It runs at 120 Hz, too, so the motion is slick and sharp.

Whether you're gaming or taking snaps, this has the battery life to keep up with you - and, of course, I'll all look amazing on that large screen.