Top 5 Best Smartphones Under $300 (INR 25,000) – February 2025

Smartphones under $310 offer a great balance of features, performance, and value. Choosing the right phone depends on your priorities, whether it’s durability, gaming, camera quality, or design. Instead of ranking them outright, let’s break them down based on different user needs so you can decide which one suits you best.

Table of Contents

A Phone Built for Durability

If you’re looking for a rugged smartphone, the Redmi Note 14 Pro is a solid option. It comes with IP68-69 certification and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection, making it one of the toughest phones in this range. While its performance and camera are decent, durability is its key highlight. If having a tough phone is a priority, this is worth considering.

Best for Gaming and Performance

For those who want a gaming powerhouse, two phones stand out: the POCO F6 and the POCO X7 Pro. While both offer great gaming performance, POCO F6 has a slight edge with a 1.5K AMOLED display, 2400 nits brightness, and stereo speakers. Both phones are excellent for multimedia consumption, but POCO F6 takes the lead in performance and camera quality.

The POCO X7 Pro, on the other hand, comes with a 6550mAh battery, making it the better choice for those who prioritize battery life. The Antutu score for the X7 Pro is 1.6 million (Dimensity 8400 Ultra), while the POCO F6 scores 1.4 million. Both feature LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage. If battery and multimedia are your main concerns, POCO X7 Pro is ideal. If gaming and camera performance are a priority, go for the POCO F6.

Both models cost around $310 for the 8GB/256GB variant. The POCO X7 Pro also ships with Android 15 out of the box, while the POCO F6 runs Android 14, both promising 3-4 years of updates. If long-term OS support is important, POCO X7 Pro is the better pick.

Best Camera Phone

For camera enthusiasts, Realme 13 Pro Plus and Realme GT 60 are the best options. The Realme 13 Pro Plus features a 50MP periscope sensor, an 8MP ultrawide, and a 50MP main camera, plus a 32MP front camera. It sports a vegan leather design with Gorilla Glass 7i. Performance-wise, its Antutu score is around 600,000, which is lower than some competitors, but if camera quality is your main focus, this is a great option.

The Realme GT 60 offers a balance of camera and performance. It comes with a Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 chip and a 1.4 million Antutu score, delivering much better overall performance compared to the Realme 13 Pro Plus. If you need both a good camera and solid performance, the GT 60 is the better choice. The 8GB/128GB variant of the GT 60 costs around $300.

A Phone with Style and Performance

If design and aesthetics are what you’re after, two phones stand out: the iQOO Z9s Pro and the Vivo T3 Pro. Both phones are well-built, featuring a 6.77-inch FHD AMOLED display with 4500 nits peak brightness. They also include stereo speakers, a 5500mAh battery with 80W charging, and IP64 certification.

These models come with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor, scoring 850,000 on Antutu. Vivo is known for solid camera performance, and both the Z9s Pro and T3 Pro maintain that reputation with a 50MP primary camera and 8MP ultrawide lens. The downside? They run Funtouch OS 14 based on Android 14, with only two years of updates. Pricing starts at $285 for the 8GB/128GB variant.

A Well-Rounded Choice

For those who want a balanced smartphone with good overall performance, OnePlus Nord 4 is the top pick. It doesn’t specialize in any one area but performs well across the board. It features a 1.5K AMOLED display with 2150 nits brightness, Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3, and a 1.4-1.5 million Antutu score. The 50MP Sony primary camera, 8MP ultrawide, and 16MP front camera ensure good photography performance.

One big advantage of OnePlus Nord 4 is its OxygenOS 14.1 UI, which guarantees 4 years of major updates and 6 years of security patches. Another plus is OnePlus’ lifetime green line warranty, which means if your display gets a green line issue, you can get a free replacement. Priced around $310, this phone is a great long-term investment.