The best budget smartphones for relaxation, sports and social media

Summer has arrived and with it the desire for weekends away to the sea or the mountains, to be outdoors and have fun with friends and family doing sports in contact with nature. And summer often brings with it the desire for a new technological gadget, preferably at a low cost, to better enjoy moments dedicated to relaxation and free time. Smartphones under 300 euros are rightfully included in the list of the most desired tech products and are, not surprisingly, one of the most crowded categories of the entire offer of mobile devices. So let's leave aside for once the top of the range models, those with list prices around a thousand euros, and try to understand how to make the right choice for a mid-range terminal, capable of satisfying the needs of a large audience (young and not only) without giving up a certain level of technical baggage in terms of screen, battery, photographic module and memory. If you accept the "homologation" factor, dictated by the fact that this type of smartphone is very similar to each other and is equivalent in many aspects (starting with the Android operating system, net of the various customizations) you can still think about treating yourself to a new (or a second) "digital companion" for the summer with good (in some cases excellent) features without compromising your vacation budget.

English: Wanting to define a grid of features to aim for to maximize the quality-price ratio, the proposals put forward by the main vendors (from Samsung to Oppo, passing through Xiaomi, Honor, Motorola, OnePlus, realme, vivo and others, Apple obviously excluded) revolve around these components: large displays with Amoled technology, support for 5G networks, cameras with 50 megapixel sensors or even higher, "premium" options such as IP68 / IP69 certification for resistance to water and dust and the NFC chip for contactless payments. Going into detail about these credentials, it is a good idea to check, for example, the refresh rate of the screen: if it reaches 120 Hz it is synonymous with quality color rendering and ideal visual fluidity even for entertainment and light gaming. Speaking of videos and images, several mid-range smartphones boast double or triple cameras and excellent optics, often supported by artificial intelligence to improve shots and recordings in any light and context conditions. English: Lastly, battery life is another area where manufacturers have raced to innovate. In fact, it is not uncommon to find devices equipped with 5100 mAh batteries and even charging systems, once exclusive to top-of-the-range products, have become a standard attribute even in mid-range models, with capacities of up to 67W on some models. Other advantages of these phones (not all of them, to be clear) are found in their aesthetics and form factors: without naturally approaching the quality of the details and finishes of premium phones, several models come with reduced frames and refined designs, helping to dispel the myth of the cheap smartphone as a “cheap” object in terms of look & feel. And then, last but not least, the user experience, which is increasingly closer to that of flagship devices, thanks also to increasingly optimized interfaces (based on Android) and guaranteed software updates (for several brands) for at least two or three years.

The other side of the coin, for those who want a smartphone without spending a lot of money, is in the compromises that you are asked to accept in terms of performance. Returning to the photographic sector, if the main cameras reach good levels, the secondary sensors (ultra-wide angle, macro or depth) often offer decidedly lower capacities, which nullify their real usefulness. Furthermore, video quality is generally limited to 1080p and only some models support advanced electronic stabilization. Other limitations to consider are wireless charging (often absent) and internal memory, with 128 GB cuts that are not always expandable. The probably most critical point of a phone under 300 euros is however hidden and concerns the construction quality: if the design is well thought out and pleasant, it is physiological that the materials used (shiny plastics abound) and the quality of the finishes are not comparable to high-end models, with obvious repercussions on the level of solidity or the feel to the touch. But for a summer spent between the beach, swimming pool, trekking on the trails and cycling, you can reasonably be satisfied.