If you are a mobile gamer who loves to play the latest and most demanding games on your smartphone, you might think that you need to spend a lot of money to get a good gaming phone. However, that is not necessarily true. There are many budget-friendly options that can offer you a smooth and immersive gaming experience without breaking the bank. In this blog post, we will introduce you to five of the best budget gaming phone options under $300 that you can buy in 2023. We will list their pros, and cons, thus helping you decide which one fits your needs.
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Last update: October 2023
Contents
What to look for in a budget gaming phone?
Best budget gaming phones: Comparison Table
What to look for in a budget gaming phone?
Before we dive into the list of the best budget gaming phones, let us first understand what makes a good gaming phone. Here are some of the main factors that you should consider when choosing a budget gaming phone:
- Performance: The most important aspect of a gaming phone is its performance. Without a doubt, you want a phone that can run your favorite games smoothly and without lag or stutter. The performance of a phone depends largely on its processor, RAM, and storage. A good gaming phone should have a powerful processor that can handle high-end graphics and complex calculations, enough RAM to keep multiple apps and games running in the background, and enough storage to store all your games and media files.
- Display: The display of a gaming phone is another crucial factor that affects your gaming experience. You want a phone that has a large, high-resolution screen with vibrant colors and sharp details. A high refresh rate is also desirable, as it makes the animations and transitions more fluid and responsive. A good gaming phone should have a display that is at least 6 inches in size, a resolution of at least 1080p, and a refresh rate of at least 90Hz.
- Battery: The battery life of a gaming phone is also important, especially if you play games for long hours. You don’t want your phone to die in the middle of an intense game session or force you to plug it in frequently. A good gaming phone should have a battery that can last for at least a day on moderate usage, and support fast charging or wireless charging for convenience.
The best budget gaming phones under $300 in 2023
Now that we know what to look for in a budget gaming phone, let us take a look at some of the best options available in the market in 2023. I have selected these phones based on their price, storage, display, camera, battery, and user reviews.
Prices are as of 10/08/2023 and may vary. Also, these are great options and may go out of stock soon. You may see more colors when you click the links.
Here are my top five picks starting with the best (colors may vary from image):
1. The best budget gaming phone: Xiaomi Redmi Note 12s
Pros:
- Best price by far $192.69, but will probably sell out quickly!
- It has a great user rating of 4.7.
Cons:
- At 6.43″, the screen is the smallest on this list, but I doubt the difference will be noticeable.
2. Second best budget gaming phone: Xiaomi Poco X5 Pro
Pros:
- Great user rating of 4.7.
- 6.67″ is the largest screen on this list.
Cons:
- It is not the cheapest option, at $294.50, but you may click the link and see if the price went down.
3. Samsung Galaxy A34
Pros:
- This smartphone has one of the largest screens on this list, at 6.6″.
Cons:
- The main camera is 48MP, thus the lowest on this list. However, we are looking for the best budget gaming phone, right?
4. Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro
Pros:
- This smartphone has one of the largest screens on this list, at 6.67″.
Cons:
- This phone has a main camera of 50MP.
- At 4.4 (small sample), it has the lowest user rating on the list, but it’s still a pretty good score.
5. Xiaomi 12 Lite
Pros:
- This budget gaming phone has the best user rating on this list of 4.9.
Cons:
- Firstly, this phone has the smallest battery on the list at 4300 mAh (still a good battery, though).
- Secondly, at $299.99 this budget gaming phone has the highest price of the 5 options.
- Finally, this cellphone was released in 2022, so it isn’t the most recent on this list.
Best budget gaming phones: Comparison Table
The following table will help you decide which budget phone is best for your needs. As I have said, the prices are as of 10/08/2023 and may vary. Also, these are great options and may go out of stock soon. *You may see more colors when you click the links.
| Model | Xiaomi Poco X5 Pro |
| Price | $294.50 |
| Rating | 4.7 |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | 256GB |
| Screen | 6.67″ |
| Battery | 5000 mAh |
| Camera | 108MP |
| Color (more) | Black |
| CPU | Snapdragon 778G |
| Unlocked | yes |
| OS | Android 13 |
| Release | Jan 2023 |
| Techno | 5G + 4G |
| Xiaomi Redmi Note 12s | Samsung Galaxy A34 |
| $192.69 | $278.50 |
| 4.7 | 4.5 |
| 8GB | 8GB |
| 256GB | 256GB |
| 6.43″ | 6.6″ |
| 5000 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| 108MP | 48MP |
| Pearl Green | Graphite |
| Helio G96 | Dimensity 1080 |
| yes | yes |
| Android 13 | Android 12 |
| April 2023 | April 2023 |
| 4G | 5G + 4G LTE |
| Xiaomi 12 Lite | Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro |
| $299.99 | $276.00 |
| 4.9 | 4.4 |
| 8GB | 8GB |
| 256GB | 256GB |
| 6.55″ | 6.67″ |
| 4300 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| 108MP | 50MP |
| Lite Green | Midnight Grey |
| Snapdragon 778G | Dimensity 1080 |
| yes | yes |
| Android 12 | Android 11 |
| Aug 2022 | Feb 2023 |
| 5G + 4G LTE | 5G + 4G |
Conclusion
If you are looking for a phone that can handle your gaming needs without breaking the bank, you have plenty of options to choose from. Whether you prefer a large screen, a long battery life, a powerful processor, or a good camera, there is a budget gaming phone that suits your preferences.
In this blog post, I have reviewed some of the best budget gaming phones available in the market, such as the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12s, the Xiaomi Poco X5 Pro, the Samsung Galaxy A34, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro, and the Xiaomi 12 Lite. I have also compared their features, performance, design, and price, and highlighted their pros and cons.
Based on my analysis, I think that the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12s is the best budget gaming phone overall, as it offers a stunning display, a smooth gaming experience, a durable, fast charging battery and best of all, a low price. However, you may have different preferences and needs, so I encourage you to check out the other phones on our list and see which one fits your budget and gaming style best.
As a frugal gamer, before I buy a phone, I always research the best one out there in terms of cost/performance. I want the most game for my money, and also to avoid making a costly mistake.
My current gaming phone is the Blu G91 Pro, which works perfectly, however, it’s getting a bit dated. Thus, if I were to purchase a phone under $300 today, I would definitely choose one of the options above.
I hope that this blog post has helped you find your ideal budget gaming phone. Happy gaming!
