r/PickAnAndroidForMe • u/throarway • Apr 24 '26
UK Which phone for under £300 (UK)
OnePlus Nord 5 (global/Asia version). 12+512GB. Con: Parallel import (compromised warranty and/or customer support?). £299
Moto G86 Power. 8+512GB+SD. Pro: eSIM support. Cons: 30w max charging; fewer upgrades/security updates than others. £279
OPPO A6 Pro 5G. 8/256GB+SD. Con: Don't know if Li-ion or silicon-carbon battery (does it matter?). £249.
My priorities:
*Good battery capacity and fast charging
*Good storage, whether internal-only or internal+external
*Decent photos. I don't need the best ever; mostly I've been disappointed with photo colours looking washed out. I would love optical zoom, but I can live without it.
*High screen brightness.
*Longevity. I like to keep phones until they become untenable to use (generally 3-4 years so far)
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u/Dangerous_Ad_ Apr 24 '26
Poco X8 Pro. Decently speced. Just under your budget. 4 OS updates, 6 years of security patches. Extra years' warranty if bought from Amazon, bringing it up to 3 years. The camera is serviceable, and you will have to deal with the adpocylapes initially, but this can be remedied in 15 minutes.
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u/throarway Apr 24 '26
I will look into it! Thank you
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u/Dangerous_Ad_ Apr 24 '26
I would add, avoid anything by Motorola. Their software support is laughably bad.
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u/Electrical_Panda_326 Apr 25 '26
Poco X8 Pro Max is available for around £340 on Ali during sales. I think it was as well directly from Xiaomi UK a couple of weeks ago when they released that phone. Reviews are very positive and that massive 8500mAh keeps it alive for even 3 days.
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u/throarway Apr 25 '26 edited Apr 25 '26
Cheapest one right now is £379. The Pro is £349, so I'd want to wait for a sale either way. But worth the extra for the Max in your opinion?
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u/Electrical_Panda_326 Apr 25 '26
Definitely, check out a couple of reviews on YouTube, all very positive. The only reason not to buy that phone is when your priority is the camera, as it's just ok. Honor 400 Pro would be better in that field but the rest is top and that battery is just on another level.
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u/Electrical_Panda_326 Apr 24 '26
You might be able to get Xiaomi 15T for that price. Check HotUkDeals regularly. On Ali Honor 400 Pro is awesome.
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u/throarway Apr 24 '26
I originally had Honor 400 on my list but have been previously dissuaded from it compared to the OnePlus.
I can't find the Xiaomi 15T for less than £400 so it's a bit outside my budget.
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u/Electrical_Panda_326 Apr 24 '26
400 Pro is a different phone, way better.
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u/throarway Apr 24 '26
Ah. Unfortunately it's closer to £500 so above my budget.
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u/Electrical_Panda_326 Apr 24 '26
Just wait for some sale so you can use codes. It goes down to around £320.
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u/Tapelessbus2122 Apr 25 '26
pixel 9a/10a/10 (u can get a pixel 10 with that budget thanks to discounts)
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u/throarway Apr 25 '26
I'm really tempted by pixels but their storage and battery capacity and charging speed are too low at my price point.
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u/Tapelessbus2122 Apr 25 '26
honestly the battery is pretty decent, especially on the pixel 10. if u want expandable storage, look into sony xperias. they take really good pictures and have a microsd card slot
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u/throarway Apr 25 '26
I love that Xperias have 3.5mm jack and SD expansion, but the ones that are roughly in my price range really don't get glowing reviews, mentioning things that would especially annoy me, like slow charging, slow processing/stuttering (including camera capture delays), not especially high nits, and washed out/cold colours in photos. Apart from the charging speed, these are all problems I already have with my current phone!
If budget wasn't a constraint, I'd likely get one of their higher-end models, but I don't think their lower-end ones are for me.
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u/Tapelessbus2122 Apr 25 '26
my experience with my 1 vii is pretty good. the camera is nice and snappy, autofocus is good, charging is fast enough (u don't need 100W charging). And the colors are neutral in images, that's the whole point
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u/throarway Apr 25 '26
Well yeah, that's a £1400 phone!
And I don't need 100w, but 30w is pretty slow. I travel and camp a lot and good capacity and fast charging are important to me in case of patchy access to power. (And yes, I carry a powerbank but I don't want to be relying on one).
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u/Tapelessbus2122 Apr 25 '26
even the previous generations xperias have very snappy cameras, the 1 v and vi feels really good to use as well. And 30W charging isn't that bad but if u want more, i guess u'll have to look for phones with worse cameras
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u/JoJoArmaniiiii Aug 11 '26
what did you go for in the end? I have similar requirements and budget
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u/throarway Aug 12 '26
I went with an Honor Magic 8 Lite. It was a bit over budget - think I paid £349 plus a discounted charger and free ear buds. Direct from Honor. I also compromised on SD card but got 512GB.
7500mah battery with 65W charging. e-SIM. Nice camera. Long support (5 or more years, can't remember). Good brightness. It doesn't go as bright as I'd like in strong sun but I can still see the screen fine. Good audio and volume.
It hasn't like blown me away but it's just right.
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u/Comfortable_Cress194 Apr 24 '26
oneplus nord 5 is miles better that the other two