Would you like to have the best smartphone without breaking the price limit of 300 euros? We look at five devices from Samsung, Nokia, Motorola, Oppo and OnePlus.

A good smartphone doesn’t have to be expensive. We asked various manufacturers to send in their best device in the price range up to 300 euros including VAT. Five manufacturers responded: Motorola, Nokia, OnePlus, Oppo and Samsung. These devices were presented to us:

• Motorola Moto G54 (test report, 169 euros including VAT)
• Nokia G42 (test report, 199 euros including VAT)
• OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite (test report, 269 euros including VAT)
• Oppo A79 (test report, 299 euros including VAT)
• Samsung Galaxy A25 (test report, 299 euros including VAT)

Two devices are even brand new: Samsung Galaxy A25 and Oppo A79. The remaining devices will come onto the market in 2023.

You can read the test report for the device in question above at any time. In this article, we’ll compare which devices shine where, where the biggest mistakes are made, and then name one device our “Editor’s Choice.”

Competitive price, but do you feel it?

The time when cheaper devices also looked cheap is behind us. The completely self-repairable Nokia G42 (in collaboration with iFixit) also makes a solid impression. The screen resolution also no longer has a budget label. All devices, except the Nokia G42, have Full HD resolution. Everything is responsive too, thanks to the 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rate, which is faster than the standard 60Hz we traditionally see here.

It is noticeable that only a few phones include a charger in the box, only Motorola and OnePlus. In theory, this isn’t a big deal as long as the phone follows a universal charging protocol. This is the case with every phone except OnePlus. It comes with a “SuperVooc” charger as you won’t be able to charge the phone faster without it.

That’s nice of OnePlus, but we prefer a generic charging protocol, without a charger in the box, than this. Now you must always take the OnePlus charger with you on vacation, for example along with your laptop or tablet charger, otherwise the phone will charge almost three times slower.

Everyone now has a USB-C charger at home. No negative points for those who don’t provide one. In our opinion, we can do without the meager 15-watt charger that Motorola included.

Fast enough, most of them anyway

Each device performs satisfactorily with smooth operation and solid performance. The only thing that falls short is the Motorola Moto G54, which makes a big mistake with its graphics chip. It performs three to five times worse than the competition in this test, which we can’t condone.

Fans of 3D games in this price range should look forward to the Samsung Galaxy A25. It offers half the performance better than the rest. If you don’t play games on your phone, you’ll hardly notice this advantage. You will hardly notice a strong GPU in your daily use of your phone. The CPU takes care of that.

Take a look at the photos and decide for yourself

The camera is often an important factor influencing the customer’s decision. The only disadvantage: The quality of the camera cannot be seen from the specifications. The number of cameras says nothing about how good the device is, nor does the number of megapixels.

Since everyone’s tastes are different, we’re showing a series of photos of all five devices in daylight above. Click on each photo to view the high resolution version. This way you can decide which one you think is best.

When we look at more difficult circumstances, we see that the differences become greater. When comparing, pay attention to different details in the photo. Click on our collection page and compare the entire ten photo series if you want to see everything in detail.

In our editorial blind test, the Nokia G42 emerged as the winner of the photo test, followed by the Oppo A79 and the Motorola Moto G54. The Samsung Galaxy A25 and the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite round out the list.

Android update policy

Android comes in many different variants. Each manufacturer has its own variant of the operating system, without exaggerating. What makes us laugh less is the number of pre-installed advertising apps.

In particular, we have to criticize Oppo for no less than 10 unnecessary advertising apps for games and online shops. Granted, you can delete them all, but if brother OnePlus doesn’t have this problem, then why does Oppo?

Do I see that brother? Yes: If you place the Oppo A79 and the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite next to each other, you will notice that both are almost identical. Oppo and OnePlus belong to the same parent company BBK.

Bonus points for the Samsung Galaxy A25, which ships with Android 14 out of the box and has the best update policy with four major OS updates and five years of security updates. This leaves the competition far behind. Motorola should be ashamed of itself, that’s where it ends with Android 14.

How long without a power outlet?

A good battery is always important, no excuses. There were no disappointments with the smartphones tested. The only thing we have a small comment on is the Samsung Galaxy A25. During more intensive use, such as gaming or video calls, it lasts significantly shorter than the rest.

The difference in loading time is particularly large. The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite is a clear charging champion, even if it requires a special charger. We can still just about judge Samsung and Oppo, but definitely not Nokia and Motorola. We find it rather painful that “Turbopower” happily appears on the display of the Motorola Moto G54. There’s not much turbo at this level of power.

Diploma

There is no clear winner in this mass test that scores consistently positive. It can’t be any other way when you want to get the most bang for your buck and decisions are being made.

The Samsung Galaxy A25 (299 euros including VAT) and the Oppo A79 (299 euros including VAT) are on the podium as numbers two and three. The Oppo A79 has by far the best camera of the three on the podium. Anyone who thinks this is important should not hesitate. The Samsung Galaxy A25 deserves a compliment for the overall picture. It doesn’t surpass anything, but it doesn’t do anything wrong either. Its excellent Android update policy is an example for the competition.

Our Editors’ Choice title goes to the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite (269 euros including VAT). It’s a good match with the other two devices, as we couldn’t like OnePlus’ camera. If that had been better, the rest wouldn’t even be visible in the finish photo. Fast charging remains its most important asset. The winner of this mass test with the heels over the ditch.

This is a collection of the mass-tested mid-range phones between 200 and 350 euros on ITdaily. Click Here to view all ratings of participating smartphones.