If you don’t necessarily need the very best model from the smartphone leaderboard, you will find cell phones under 300 euros that did well in the COMPUTER BILD test. The editors tested all of them according to the same criteria. Grades may change if the assessment is adjusted, this also applies to everyone. Important for the order: The price has no effect on the test grade, but ensures a better placement with the same grade.
Test winner under 300 euros: Xiaomi Poco F3
The Xiaomi Poco F3 makes a serious impression. The front and back are covered with Gorilla Glass 5, and the Poco lettering is untypically reserved. The 6.67-inch OLED screen is high-contrast, bright and sharp with 2400×1080 pixels. The high screen change frequency of up to 120 Hertz ensures a smooth display. Especially in this price range is the fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 870, which ensures a high speed. Runtime is good and the F3 has a decent camera. Even 5G is on board.
This is how COMPUTER BILD tests smartphones
All mobile phones go through five sections in the test:
- Working and operating speed: A good grade for the general operating speed is given to those who show short loading and reaction times. A selection of benchmarks pushes the smartphones to their performance limits to determine the maximum working speed.
- Battery and charging power: In the COMPUTER BILD cell phone battery test, a robot abuses the cell phone in an endless loop with calls, text messages, surfing and videos until the lights go out. The test is about how efficiently the device uses energy and how quickly it is recharged. The values determined in this way are optimal for the comparison, but in everyday practice the battery performance is correspondingly longer with moderate mobile phone use.
- Camera quality: Day or night, close up or far away, with the main or selfie camera: the photos should always be good. The test on the light stand simulates all of these scenarios. The testers snap hundreds of photos for each cell phone and evaluate them.
- Display quality: In the laboratory, the experts evaluate the contrast, sharpness (in ppi = pixels per inch), brightness, color space and color fidelity for each screen. For a better grade, it is an advantage if the edge around the display is not so bulky. You can find the results in the article The smartphones with the best screens.
- Equipment and value: Among other things, device storage capacity and biometric access locks such as fingerprint sensors and face recognition are included in the grade. The scratch resistance of the display and case also falls under this test point. Or: Does the smartphone have dual SIM, can the memory be expanded, what is the speed in the WLAN and in the mobile network? Is the phone waterproof?
Waterproof tip: Samsung Galaxy A52
Great display, reasonable working speed, a decent camera and a waterproof housing, that Samsung Galaxy A52 offers a powerful package. Surprise in the test: Despite the slower processor, the LTE version without 5G is significantly better in one respect than the 5G version of the Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G – the normal A52 lasts much longer. So if you don’t necessarily need 120 Hertz and 5G, you can access the LTE version.
Best battery performance: Realme 7 5G
The cheap entry-level cell phone Wiko Power U30 lasted the longest in the battery test with 15:48 hours, but that is the only advantage of the device besides the price. This creates the best compromise between endurance and fast charging in the price range up to 300 euros Realme 7 5G. It lasted 11:31 hours and was fully charged again after just one hour.
Best cell phone camera under 300 euros: OnePlus Nord
The OnePlus North has strong features on board: a very bright OLED display with a screen refresh rate of 90 Hertz, 5G and, above all, a very good main camera in daylight. The quick charge function and an elegant design round off the package. What is missing? The OnePlus Nord is not waterproof and could use more processor power for games and benchmarks.
Savings tip: price alarm clock at idealo
Does the price of your dream smartphone not meet your expectations? No problem! The price alarm clock from the comparison portal idealo informs you by e-mail as soon as the price falls below a limit you have set. Simply choose your favorite on idealo.de, click on the price alarm button in the left column and enter your desired price.
New test procedure
This is how COMPUTER BILD tests: smartphones
Conclusion: mobile phones up to 300 euros
Extremely enduring, extensively equipped, with a modern, elongated display and sometimes narrow frames, many smartphones under 300 euros are not only absolutely presentable, but also offer strong performance. Even the fast data radio 5G is slowly becoming the standard in this price segment. Compared to the more expensive top models, you usually do without an extravagant glass design and a waterproof housing, and the top models also offer more computing power. In everyday life, however, you can get along just fine with a U-300 smartphone.
Smartphones up to 300 euros: Frequently asked questions
Which mobile phone up to 300 euros is the best?
The smartphone with the best test score for less than 300 euros is the Poco F3. It convinces with high performance, a great screen and decent equipment.
Which Xiaomi cell phone up to 300 euros?
The Poco F3 is also actually from Xiaomi. In the test, the Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE turned out to be the best “real” Xiaomi smartphone under 300 euros. NE stands for New Edition.
Which smartphone under 300 euros has the best camera?
The prices for the OnePlus Nord fluctuate around 300 euros. If the price is below 300 euros, there is no other smartphone in this price range whose camera performs better in the test.
Which mobile phone brand is the most popular in Germany?
The most popular mobile phone brand in Germany is Samsung – ahead of Apple, Huawei and Xiaomi.