/ Specs don’t tell the full story. I tested the real contenders.
Mateo Lowe leads the Best Picks desk of TheTweaks. All the buying guides, ranked lists and gift suggestions on this website pass through his hands. He is in an editorial position that requires editorial judgment and Mateo has this. He worked seven years in retail consultancy and product research before joining the team, advising brands on the real-life purchasing decision-making process of consumers. He was a natural fit because that background made him a good fit to work at a job as he is helping readers to spend their money wisely.
I have been using five Samsung phones under $300 for the past two months, one at a time, for at least 2 weeks each. No spec sheet skimming, no impressions from a press release. Just my SIM card, my daily apps, my weird gaming habits and battery anxiety for each phone. After this hands-on experience period, I understand why Samsung is the brand to beat in the budget segment. At $300 or less, you’re still getting AMOLED displays, solid cameras and software previously found in flagships.
I tested each phone from different angles. The quality of the display is important since I read, scroll and stream more than I make calls so brightness and color accuracy in sunlight was not possible to live without. The battery life was measured using my daily usage as opposed to a synthetic test. The camera performance was evaluated in real life scenarios: daylight, dim restaurants, and the occasional zoomed in shot that I later regretted taking. Software support is important, and most people don’t realize it. If a $250 phone can only be supported for a year, that’s not cheap. Yes, I also played games on all my phones, and that was done well, too, on a phone that wasn’t designed for gaming.
Here’s how the five stacked up before I break down each one individually.
| Phone | Best For | Display | Chipset | Battery | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Samsung Galaxy A36 |
Best Overall | Super AMOLED 120Hz | Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 | 5000mAh | ~$280 |
| Samsung Galaxy A26 | Best Value | Super AMOLED 120Hz | Exynos 1380 | 5000mAh |
~$263 |
|
Samsung Galaxy A17 |
Best Budget Pick | Super AMOLED | Exynos | 5000mAh | ~$200 |
|
Samsung Galaxy A16 |
Cheapest Samsung Option | Super AMOLED | MediaTek/Exynos | 5000mAh | ~$136 |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 | Best Foldable Deal | AMOLED Foldable | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | 3700mAh |
~$280 |
Price: $280 at Amazon
I did not want to give my Galaxy A36 back after 14 days. The 120Hz Super AMOLED panel is indeed bright. When I have walked outside with it at midday, I’ve had no problem to be honest, which is not the case for some of the phones that cost double as much. Scrolling was smooth and every other budget cell phone I’ve tried feels like it’s a step behind.
The camera also impressed me. The daylight pictures were crisp and had the right color in the skin tones and my low light photos of a friend’s dinner party were still detailed without turning into a smeared mess. For the money, I wouldn’t have worried about whether a shot would be usable or not.
I had no trouble running around a full day with a 5000mAh battery cell in my hands, checking my text messages, Instagram, navigation, and spending an hour on the game, and still having 11% charge left most nights.
When it comes to gaming, this is the only phone in this series that I’d be able to play, let’s say, Call of Duty Mobile, on medium settings without the annoying stutter that I felt on less expensive phones. The Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 definitely justifies its price.
Price: $263 at Amazon
The Galaxy A26 looked like the phone that would lose every battle against Galaxy A36. After two weeks, my assumption was not completely wrong but I realized this phone has its own strengths. The Super AMOLED 120Hz display is almost as tactile as the more expensive version, outdoor brightness held up during my afternoon strolls and colors looked sharp without being overly saturated.
The difference is only under the hood, as the Exynos 1380 chipset is a step back from the Snapdragon in the A36, and I experienced that the most during my gaming session. A graphically demanding game played at low settings was playable, but I found myself dipping frames in more hectic scenes which the A36 did not complain about. However, when it came to lighter games and mopping up everyday tasks, it never seemed to lag.
The camera did remarkably well in the daylight, I did some good shots on a hiking trip, although the low-light pictures in the house were a lot more grainy than I got from the A36.
Battery life proved to be a pleasant surprise, with the 5000mAh battery capacity combined with a less power hungry chipset resulting in a level of screen-on-time which was just a bit more than when I was taking numerous photos and doing video calls for two weeks.
Price: $200 at Amazon
I went down to the A17 and that also had to come down in price, and I had to lower my expectations. I was impressed first of all that the Super AMOLED display is not a 120Hz panel but still appeared deep and punchy for normal scrolling and watching videos.
The outdoor visibility is decent, although not as easy as the two phones above. I found myself shading the screen with my hand a few times over while I was out during bright afternoons.
The camera was the area where I felt the price cut the most. I was able to take perfectly fine pictures during the daylight hours with fairly good color accuracy but when I zoomed in or took photos in lower lighting it definitely lost some detail.
The thing I was impressed by the most about the A17 is battery life. After using it for two weeks, I always had 25-30% of battery life remaining at the end of the day, and I also found that it was the phone I trusted most to the best of my ability to last me through a long day without a charger.
The only unreliable thing was gaming, casual games played fine, anything more demanding was definitely laggy and stuttery, but I would use it as a phone for all but the heavy gaming crowd. For calls, messages, social media or streaming videos it didn’t disappoint me.
Price: $136 at Amazon
The Galaxy A16 is the most affordable phone in this roundup and having that phone in my hand for two weeks meant taking a step back and adjusting my expectations from the beginning. Nevertheless, I was impressed with what this phone has for its price.
The Super AMOLED display is a genuine edge Samsung has over its rivals at this level. Blacks were dark, and day to day brightness was sufficient for indoors and moderately sunny outdoors, but could not match the A36 or A26’s peak brightness.
The camera setup is simple and I found this the most noticeable when using it in mixed light when pictures would sometimes come out a little soft or over-processed. For those quick snapshots to be taken during the day and posted to social media, however, it worked more than half the time.
The battery life surprised me again, the 5000mAh battery with a not so powerful chipset meant that it would not work as hard to drain as to be quick, and I was able to get through a full day without even tapping off a charge in the bank.
If you’re looking to play games, I would not recommend it beyond casual puzzles or card games. It was a reasonable everyday communication device, however, given the price.
Price: $280 at Amazon
I’ll admit, I was skeptical about Galaxy Z Flip 5. A used foldable phone under $300 didn’t seem like it could realistically compete with brand new slab phones in this list. But after two weeks with the Galaxy Z Flip 5, I found myself changing my mind more than once.
The AMOLED foldable display is absolutely beautiful. Colors are vivid and the cover screen was a luxury I came to enjoy after checking out a bunch of notifications without opening the phone. The lighting on the outside was good and comparable to that of the A36, and much better than the more budget-friendly A-series models.
The camera setup performed far beyond what I would’ve been expecting from a phone this old and this pricey, with crisp photos taken in the daylight and pretty decent night photos as well all thanks to the more capable Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which powers the image processing.
But, honestly, my favorite part of this phone in this lineup was the gaming aspect. I was able to play a few heavy games at higher settings without any real lag.
The real trade-off is the battery life. The 3700mAh battery was a problem, as I was getting anxious when it came to charging by early evening on days when it was heavier than usual, something I never had to deal with with the A-series phones. If you can live with the charging more often, then the experience elsewhere more than makes up for it.
| If You Want | Buy |
|---|---|
|
Best overall experience |
Galaxy A36 |
|
Best value |
Galaxy A26 |
| Cheapest reliable Samsung |
Galaxy A17 |
| Lowest price |
Galaxy A16 |
| Premium experience |
Galaxy Z Flip 5 |
After living and using all five of these phones in succession, I can say that I feel Samsung has truly made it difficult to make a wrong purchase under $300. Talking about myself, if I were to purchase one now, it would be the Galaxy A36, the screen, camera and gaming capability felt more of a higher price. When budget is a main consideration, however, the Galaxy A26 offers almost identical performance for less compromise, while the Galaxy A17 and A16 are solid, reliable options when battery life and cost are more important than raw performance.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the wildcard of the bunch, not for every person, but for anyone who’s looking to experience the foldable without the flagship price tag. It’s the most fun I have had testing a phone all year. Both of them are good for real everyday use, and at the end of the day, more important than any spec sheet.
If you are not a Galaxy person. Read Best Motorola Phones Under $300
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