When it comes to smartphones, you have so many choices that choosing the one for you can be a puzzling task. There are so many chipsets to consider, the number of cameras to count, and Software that gives more bloatware and ads than usefulness, choosing a smartphone sure needs some sitting and researching. So in this post, we did the research and handpicked the Best unlocked Smartphones under $300 that worth your money.
In the USA, there’s one more thing to consider in a smartphone, The Network bands support. First, there are only two networks that are GSM: AT&T and T-Mobile. Second, some Chinese smartphones, that produce good budget devices, do not come with LTE bands that support these two carriers. So this limits the choice of brands to Motorola, Samsung, Google, and several other local brands, because their LTE band support is good in the USA.
Note: Pixel 4A is a better deal if you can extend your budget to $350.
Best Overall: Moto G Power (2020 Version)
Best for Performance: OnePlus N10 5G
Best for Camera: Poco X3 NFC
Best for Display: Samsung A51
Best for Software: Moto G Power
Best Value for Money: Moto G Power
Table of Contents
Pixel 4A
Pixel 4A is a $350 phone, $50 more than the budget this post is aiming for. And we have some good reasons to put this phone on this list. That extra $50 brings a lot to the table, like:
- One of the Best Camera on any Android phone.
- The Best Software in an Android phone.
- Long-life thanks to the 3-year Software update support.
It gives one of the best cameras you can get on any Android phone – with only one camera lens – mostly thanks to the image processing powers of Google. The Software is “Stock Android” and there’s no bloatware and advertisements. The performance is great, thanks to the optimizations on the deep inside of the OS, which goes unnoticed but actually matters the most for day-to-day usage and in long term.
| CPU | Snapdragon 720G |
| Display | 5.81 inches OLED | 1080 x 2340 pixels |
| RAM | 6 GB |
| ROM | 128 GB |
| Weight | 143 g (5.04 oz) |
| OS | Android 11 (3 years support) |
| Camera | 12.2 MP 1.4µm with OIS on Rear | 8 MP on Front |
| Battery | 3140 mAh with 18W fast charging |
| Fingerprint Sensor | Rear Side |
Design and Build
Pixel 4A is made of plastic, which brings several advantages with durability being the major one. The polycarbonate back ensures that it is not a fingerprint magnet like most of the Glass back devices on the list and if you drop your device quite often, then Pixel 4A will survive with you longer. Pixel 4A only comes in matte black.
The build quality is really good and the design looks original and modern. Yet, it may feel cheap if you are accustomed to a metal frame and glass back. On the front, the display is bezel-less with a Hole-punch camera. It comes with a headphone jack and a USB C type port on the bottom side.
Display
Pixel 4A is rocking a 5.81-inch AMOLED display with a 1080 x 2340 pixel resolution and 443 ppi density. The AMOLED display gives vibrant colors, wide viewing angles, and perfect blacks. The display runs on a 60 Hz refresh rate, the competition is giving 90 and 120 Hz refresh rate already.
Unlike the previous Pixel 3A, Pixel 4A supports HDR, which means you can stream Netflix in HDR10.
Performance
Pixel 3A sport a Snapdragon 730G with Adreno 618. Talking about real-world performance, Pixel 4A holds up pretty good and will give you smooth performance most of the time, using Android and using Apps is very smooth. However, Longer sessions of Gaming can make the Pixel 4A stutter a little bit, although not very much, it will be noticeable because of the throttling of the CPU.
If you are not into Graphic intensive Games like Fortnite, PUBG, or Call of Duty, then Pixel 4A will cause no problems in performance. And combined with the excellent software, Pixel 4A might the best device for Day Day use.
Software
Software is the plus point of Pixel 4A. It’s the Stock Android with a clean UI and no bloatware. And the Android updates will be the fastest among all Android devices, and it comes with 3 years of updates. The optimization is one the best you will get on any Android device. Opening apps, scrolling through a social feed, and streaming on Netflix, all feel responsive and shutter-free.
There are some features that are exclusive to Pixel like on-device Assistant functions, call screening, the Recorder app, live captions, and the Personal Safety app.
Camera
The camera is the only thing in a smartphone that gets better with a higher price tag, but Pixel 4A does the opposite. For a $349 device, the camera is absolutely killer and one of the best you can get on any device.
The backside of Pixel 4A rocks a 12.2 MP, f/1.8 lens, and 8 MP, f/2.0 on the Front. Although the image processing is slow because of the mid-tier CPU and lack of Google’s dedicated visual core artitecture, the results are excellent. The camera gives perfect Dynamic range, colors, and details. If you love to capture images then there is no better smartphone than Pixel 4A in the budget, it even beats the smartphone as twice as expensive.
Battery
5 to 6 hours of screen time is what you will get if you are a Medium user. Although, Heavy users may need to charge the device twice a day. However, The 18W charger charges the device to 100% under an and a half hour.
Moto G Power
The Value this phone delivers is astonishing. Considering that the price drops to $180 frequently, this phone is one of the best budget devices under $300. The performance is good enough thanks to the stock Android, which keeps things light deep inside the OS. The Cameras are great for the price and the battery life is the best in the segment. And it has a wide range of network bands, so network reception will be great on most carriers. Even at its highest, you can get this device at around $220. If talking of Value for money, this phone is the winner.
| CPU | Snapdragon 665 |
| Display | 6.4 inches LCD | 1080 x 2300 pixels |
| RAM | 4 GB |
| ROM | 64 GB |
| Weight | 199 g |
| OS | Android 10 |
| Camera | 16 MP + Ultrawide + Macro on Rear | 16 MP on front |
| Battery | 5000 mAh with 10W Charging |
| Fingerprint Sensor | Rear |
Build Quality
The frame is Aluminium and the back is plastic with a glossy finish. The phone weighs around 199 Grams, which makes it a little bit heavy but also makes it sturdy. Most of the weight comes from the huge 5000 mAh battery. It comes with a nano-coating that makes it water repellent. The headphone Jack and USB Type-C port are on the bottom side of the phone.
Display
The display is a 6.4-inch LCD panel with a Full HD resolution. If there is one thing on this phone that resembles the cheap price tag, it’s the display. LCD panels are inferior to AMOLED panels and many brands use them to cut the corners on budget devices, which Motorola did here. We cannot complain though, because, considering the price, the display does the job and is fairly good. But Samsung Galaxy A51 is miles ahead with its AMOLED panel.
Performance
This is equipped with a budget Snapdragon 665 chipset with 4 GB of RAM. Talking of day-to-day usage, this phone holds acceptably good. Opening apps, reading emails, watching videos will be smooth without any shutter. When it comes to Gaming, the hardware-intensive game will run on playable framerates although on lower texture quality, but at this price range and looking at the competition, that’s not a deal breaker.
Although OnePlus Nord N10 has a better chipset, the $120 price difference fills that performance gap, and even exceeds it.
Software
Motorola is one of the companies left that still ship their phones with near Stock Android, which is a good thing. There are some Motorola added features like Moto Action and Gametime, but they are essential and actually improves the software. Talking of updates, Motorola has a good track record of updating their devices.
Camera
Taking price into the picture, the camera holds it very well, giving good images for a budget device. But devices like OnePlus N10 and Samsung A51 are better. Poco X3 NFC is the best camera device and that costs only $50 more. Pixel 4A is $350 but offers one of the best cameras on any smartphone.
Other things
This phone is known mainly for its battery, that’s what “Power” stands for. You can get 2-3 days of backup on moderate use. It supports LTE 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/14/17/18/19/20/25/26/29/30/38/39/40/41/66/71 bands, making it the best device if you travel a lot and need the best network reception all the time.
OnePlus Nord N10
The OnePlus Nord N10 5G is an attempt by OnePlus to penetrate the budget segment of the United States. And the main selling point is the 5G with a $300 price tag. Other than that, the phone gives good performance and software. Google Pixel 4A, which costs $50 more, is a much better option here. But if you are set on 5G, then this is the cheapest you can get.
| CPU | Snapdragon 690 |
| Display | 6.49 inches LCD 90 Hz | 1080 x 2400 pixels |
| RAM | 6 GB |
| ROM | 128 GB |
| Weight | 190 g |
| OS | Android 10 (2 years support) |
| Camera | 64 MP + Ultrawide + Depth + Macro | 16 MP front |
| Battery | 4300 mAh with 30W fast charging |
| Fingerprint Sensor | Rear |
Build Quality
The frame and the back are plastic but come with a glossy finish, which makes it look like glass. The design language is not of OnePlus and the device looks like Samsung Galaxy A51. Talking of footprint, the device is tall and big and weighs 190 Grams. The headphone Jack and the USB Type-c is placed on the bottom of the phone. The phone is not water-resistant and the OnePlus’s trademark feature alert slider is missing. Overall, the phone looks premium but feels cheap in the hands.
Display
It is equipped with a 6.49-inches LCD IPS panel that has a 90 Hz refresh rate. Looking at the similarly priced devices, it’s clear that OnePlus did the cost-cutting on the display, but the 90 Hz fills the gap to some extent. The scrolling through apps and Gaming will be smooth, the display quality itself will be decent enough. If you care more about the quality more than the refresh rate, then the Samsung Galaxy A51 gives a relatively better AMOLED display.
Performance
The Snapdragon 690 is a new chipset and the OnePlus N10 is the first phone to sport it. Coming to performance, the chipset is powerful enough to run any task you will throw at it. From light tasks like Browsing and streaming to heavy tasks like Gaming, the OnePlus N10 will handle all of them easily. The GPU – Adreno 619L – is also good enough for a mid-ranger.
Software
The device ships with Oxygen 10, which is a near Stock Android skin, minimal and very easy to use for most people.
But in the future, the device will receive the Oxygen 11 update and that will change the OS completely, deviating it from the Stock Andriod approach completely. However, how things work deep inside the OS will still remain the same and there will no bloatware, so it is not a deal-breaker.
The new UI design is done for accessibility, so not everyone will hate it. All the interactable elements have been moved to the bottom, which makes one-hand use remarkably easy.
There is one big problem though, OnePlus have stated that this device will get one major Android update and 2 years of security updates. This means the device will not be updated past Android 11. The Pixel 4A, on the other hand, comes with a guarantee of 3 years of major Android updates.
Camera
There is a Quad Camera setup on the back, that houses a primary 64 MP wide-angle, an ultrawide, a macro, and a monochrome lens.
Almost all the budget devices give good performance in ample lighting conditions but struggle in the low light situation. It’s the same story with OnePlus Nord N10, the camera is decent enough in the daylight, but the low light shots come out as muddy and with low details. There is no OIS on the primary module, which effect the low light image quality and also the video recording.
Other things
The battery is 4,300mAh and gives a full day of backup on moderate to heavy use. The 30W fast charger comes in the box.
The 5G compatibility is a plus, if you are set on 5G, then this is the cheapest 5G device you can buy.
Samsung Galaxy A51
If you want the best display to watch movies and Netflix, then this is the phone to get. The display is the best you can get, the CPU is decent, 6 GB of RAM is more than enough and all of it is coming from the trusty and reliable Samsung. It is a 4G phone but comes with good US Carrier support. The OneUI is a good Android skin.
| CPU | Exynos 9611 |
| Display | 6.5 inches AMOLED | 1080 x 2400 pixels |
| RAM | 4/6/8 GB |
| ROM | 64/128/256 GB |
| Weight | 172 g |
| OS | Android 10 |
| Camera | 48 MP + Ultrawide + Macro + Depth | 32 MP front |
| Battery | 4000 mAh with 15W charging |
| Fingerprint Sensor | Under Display – Optical |
Build Quality
The back is made of “Glasstic”, which is simply plastic with a glossy finish. It looks premium but the feel is plastic; and even though with the plastic finish, the backside is a fingerprint magnet. The sides are made of aluminum, which is a plus point as it improves durability and sides are what come in contact with your hands. The backside has a color-crazy texture, and it produces different rainbow colors when looked at from different directions.
The bottom side houses the USB Type-C port, a mic, and the headphone jack. Sim tray is on the left side that supports either a dual SIM or a sim with a micro SD card.
Display
This phone is loaded with the best display you can get in this budget. The 6.5 inches SUPER AMOLED panel with 1080 x 2400 pixels of resolution gives good punchy colors with deep blacks, which makes streaming and multimedia consumption enjoyable.
Performance
The performance is the negative point about this device. It is equipped with Exynos 9611, a budget chip that lacks the punch to make this device snappy. Overall, the software feels sluggish, although not a deal-breaker, the difference is there if compared to the competition.
It is equipped with 6 GB of RAM which is more than enough for most people. The storage is 128 GB.
Software
Samsung’s OneUI is a heavily modified Android skin that takes a toll on the device’s hardware. Without any apps opened in the background, around 2 GB of RAM is used by OneUI, which is not fair.
Still, OneUI follows a minimalist approach visually, and overall, the UI looks clean and good. However, the bloatware is a problem and Samsung will ask you to install the bloatware after every time you will update the phone.
Camera
Galaxy A51 packs a very good camera setup for a budget device. The rear side houses a Quad camera setup, with a 48 MP lens as the primary one that is accompanied by a wide-angle, depth, and a macro lens. The primary shooter comes with gyro-EIS ( Electronic Image stabilization).
The camera produces good shots with decent dynamic range and details. The colors can be a little be saturated, but the camera is good enough for social media posts. The selfie camera is a 32 MP sensor and it captures a nice amount of details, colors and dynamic range is good.
Other things
The battery is 4000 mAh that can last up to One day on moderate usage. A 15W Fast charger comes in the box, which is not very fast compared to the competition.
Poco X3 NFC
The Poco X3 NFC is a well-built phone with powerful internals, a high refresh rate display, and a good camera set on the back. It offers the best gaming performance, thanks to the capable chipset Snapdragon 732G and Adreno 618. However, in the USA, the only problem is the LTE bands support. This phone lacks LTE bands that carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile support. Still, it makes a very good Gaming device compared to all other phones on the list.
| CPU | Snapdragon 732G | Adreno 618 |
| Display | 6.67 inches IPS LCD @ 120 Hz | 1080 x 2400 |
| RAM | 6 GB |
| ROM | 64/128 GB |
| Weight | 215 g |
| OS | Android 10, MIUI 12 |
| Camera | 64 MP + Ultrawide + Macro + depth | 20 MP on front |
| Battery | 5160 mAh with 33W fast charging |
| Fingerprint Sensor | Side-mounted |
Build Quality
First, the overall design language of the phone is new and a fresh breath of air. The backside is polycarbonate, which is a common thing to see in the budget, and it has a metal texture with a big logo in the middle. The camera housing is centered that holds four camera lenses and one flash. The front is all display with a hole-punch camera in the upper middle of the screen. The frame is aluminum.
The headphone jack, USB Type-C port, and speaker are located on the bottom side and the top side contains the IR blaster and the mic
Display
The display is a 6.67 inches IPS LCD panel with a Full HD resolution. The colors and picture quality is good for an LCD panel, but the 120 Hz refresh rate is best in the segment.
Performance
Poco X3 is rocking a Snapdragon 732G chipset. It is a powerful budget chip and is equally powerful if compared to the OnePlus N10’s Snapdragon 690. However, Poco X3 excels when it comes to GPU performance, so if you want a gaming device, this is the one.
The day-to-day performance is also snappy, opening apps and scrolling through social feed will feel smooth. This device can also handle hardware intensive games with ease. Games like PUBG and Call of duty will run smoothly and the 120 Hz refresh rate makes everything much better. The 240hz touch sampling rate makes things more responsive.
Software
Poco X3 comes with the custom Android skin MIUI 12, with Poco Launcher. The OS is very neatly customized, and the UI is very pleasant to look at. Overall, it’s close to Stock Android, but with some extra apps and different icon packs and UI elements.
The phone has bloatware but most of the bloat is Xiaomi’s apps and services. There are no ads on the phone.
Camera
The camera offers good details, color, and dynamic range if there is enough light. The low light shots are average in quality, which is a thing common among all the budget phones. The Ultrawide camera also captures good shots for the price.
The Video recording is also good. The phones support 4K@30 FPS recording with gyro-based EIS.
Overall, the camera is one of the best if your budget cannot go further than $300 for Pixel 4A.
Other things
The battery is 5160 mAh and comes with 33W fast charging support. The fast charger comes in the box. The battery life is one of the best in the segment and you can get 1-2 days of backup on a single charge.
And as the name suggests, the phone comes with NFC.
