Best phones under £300

How much should you spend on a mobile phone? £100? £1000? For most people, the true figure is somewhere between those two extremes, but I think phones start to get actually quite good around the £200 to £300 mark. Here, you can find older iPhones, brand new budget Android phones and models that start to include some of the features we expect from a mobile made in 2020 - multiple rear cameras, super-tall screens and so on. That’s why we’ve selected five of the best phones you can buy for under £300 for your reading pleasure. Note that all of these phones come direct from the giffgaff mobile phone marketplace, where you can find even cheaper (and more expensive!) models if you prefer. With that said, let’s get started!

5. Motorola Moto G8 Plus (£229)

Motorola are masters in producing low cost mobiles, and the G8 Plus is one of their latest and greatest efforts. This phone comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, a mid-range octa-core processor, backed with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage - so you’ll have plenty of room to install your apps and keep plenty of programs running at the same time. The display is impressive too, with a 6.3-inch span and tall 1080p resolution that makes video content look great. On the back, you can find a 48-megapixel rear camera and 16-megapixel “action cam”, giving you plenty of photographic options. Altogether, this is a really well-equipped smartphone for under £230, especially as it comes with a nice and clean version of Android 9. Perfection.

• See at giffgaff

4. iPhone 7 (Refurbished) (£229)

As well as new phones, giffgaff do a roaring trade in refurbished and previously loved models too. iPhones remain one of the most coveted items in the modern world, so getting your hands on one in Like New condition for £229 is nothing to sneeze at - especially as it comes with a twelve month warranty. This is a 32GB model, so you’d be wise to rely on cloud storage for your photos and videos, but otherwise you can expect a surprisingly snappy experience. There are four colour options available too, including gold and rose gold, so your new mobile will look the part too. If you prefer the classic look of slightly older iPhones, this is an easy recommendation!

• See at giffgaff

3. Huawei Nova 5T (£299)

Huawei’s smartphones are slowly gaining a following here in the UK, and the Nova 5T is a very interesting prospect. While it costs more than the Moto G8 Plus, at £299, you do get more for your money - including double the storage (128GB), more memory (6GB) and a more recent Kirin 980 octa-core processor. There are three cameras on the back, including a main 48-megapixel unit, plus a 32-megapixel front-facing camera. However, what you’re likely to notice first is this phone’s gorgeous design, from its shiny blue chassis to its edge-to-edge-to-edge display. This phone uses a pinhole camera in the upper left, so web or video content can really fill up the entire front side of the phone. If you’re a fan of Huawei’s Apple-like software design, this is the ultimate £300 smartphone with full Google Play Store access.

• See at giffgaff

2. Apple iPhone 7 (£279)

Is it cheating to select the same phone model twice? I don’t think so, as I think the prospect of a brand new iPhone at £279 is one that a lot of people will go for. It’s not the very latest phone, but thanks to Apple’s incredible support you’re guaranteed to receive software updates for years to come. Plus, iPhone models do hold their value pretty well, so you could always sell this off in a couple of years when you’re ready for an upgrade. Not bad!

• See at giffgaff

1. Huawei P30 Lite New Edition (£229)

We already covered the Huawei Nova 5T, but the P30 Lite New Edition is also worth your consideration, given that it comes with many of the same specs and features but costs £70 less. The standout feature here is the internal storage, which is massive at 256GB, and RAM remains the same as the Nova 5T at 6GB. The processor is a little slower, as it’s a Kirin 710 versus a Kirin 980, but unless you’re playing demanding 3D games you’re unlikely to notice much of a difference. Cameras include a 48-megapixel rear camera and 32-megapixel front-facer, just like the Nova 5T. Honestly, if you can cope with waiting a half-second longer for apps to load than on the £299 Nova 5T, this is a really good smartphone for the money.

• See at giffgaff

Wrapping up

Thanks for checking out the article and we’ll see you on the next one. I hope you found the recommendations usedful! Remember, for more cheap phone goodness at an even lower pricepoint, why not check out our picks for the best smartphones under £100 or the same for phones under £200?

Thumbnail image credit: PhotoMIX Company from Pexels