2012 Holiday Gift Guide: The 10 Best Smartphones $300 and Under

Samsung Galaxy Note II

Carrier: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon
Price: $300 (w/two-year contract)
Carving its own category in the smartphone realm with the introduction of its phablet, the successor in the Galaxy Note series makes a strong case for smartphone of the year with its monstrous hardware, unbeatable performance, and beautiful, yet massive display. Watching Netflix and playing games on the 5.5-inch panel will seem surreal at times, but that’s obviously the selling point of the device. Updated S-Pen technology remains a highlight as well, with the high-tech stylus improving on handwriting recognition and serving accurately as a secondary navigational tool via “Air View” function. A 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos processor and 2GB of RAM keep the Note II blazing at ridiculous speeds. Bigger is better.

LG Nexus 4

Carrier: T-Mobile
Price: $200 (w/two-year contract)
Google’s flagship Android device flaunts a robust spec sheet and a beautiful glass-backed rear, culminating in one fashionably powerful handset. Quad-core processing keeps the phone moving at ridiculous speeds from opening apps to web browsing. The 4.7-inch IPS LCD is one of the most responsive touchscreens out and produces vivid imagery. And the inclusion of Jelly Bean means a smoother UI experience with additional fancies such as Google Voice and Google Wallet.