Under $300? Is this the Robb Report forum or MMM??
Seriously, until last year, I used a Motorola candy bar phone which was outdated when I bought it in 2009. I hated that phone, and it got crappy reception, but I didn't replace it until last summer because I profoundly do not care about smartphones, Fecebook, social media, etc. Between my desktop system at work, laptop, and desktop system at home, I have more than enough access to e-mail, entertainment and other stuff. I LIKE being disconnected while I'm in the car, on vacation (never check work e-mail!) or on a plane!
Last year, I finally gave in because T-Mobile offered me an LG K-7 (?) for only $50, and of course, I outfitted it with case and screen protector for another $50 (kind of a ripoff I suppose). For me, it is great. As much of a curmudgeon as I am about smartphones, I reallly like having a calendar, alarm, calculator, world time, camera (nothing compared to my D7200, but always with me!) at my fingertips. It is also vastly easier to type text messages without having to press a number three times to get the letter I need!
My wife got an ASUS Zenphone 2 Laser, which she really loves. She IS into social media, Facepage, and the like and she has a zillion apps, all of which seem to work really well. With case, it was less than $300. DO NOT buy a screen protector for that phone. The Gorilla Glass IV is more than sufficient. Also, when I peeled off the backing of the screen protector, it sucked up every speck of dust within a 50 mile radius INSTANTLY! Waste of $12!