Stop buying old flagships with dying batteries. After testing sustained frame rates and touch latency, the Poco X6 Pro 5G is the definitive winner for under $300.

Its UFS 4.0 storage and Dimensity 8300 Ultra chip deliver a locked 120 FPS experience that rivals $1,000 flagship devices.

Stop Blaming “Lag”—Your Hardware is Lying to You

If you’ve ever lost a gunfight in Call of Duty: Mobile (CODM) because your aim felt “heavy” or an enemy teleported, you probably blamed your Wi-Fi.

Sometimes it is the network, but more often than not, it is hardware-level frame time variance.

I’ve spent the last few months trashing budget phones so you don’t have to. Most “gaming” guides just read you a marketing spec sheet. I’m looking for consistency.

In Ranked, a phone that hits 120 FPS for five minutes and then drops to 40 FPS is worse than a phone that stays at a steady 60.

To truly dominate in 2026, you need to understand that “lag” is actually two different problems:

1. Network Latency (The WAN Loop): The time it takes for your data to reach the server and back (Ping).
2. Rendering Latency (The Silicon Loop): The time it takes your phone to calculate physics and draw a frame.

If your device is passively cooled—which almost all smartphones are—it is fighting a losing battle against entropy.

As the chip gets hot, it throttles, and your 120 FPS dream becomes a 40 FPS nightmare.

The 2026 Budget Powerhouse Rankings

Device	FPS Stability (CODM)	Storage Tech	Touch Feel	CODM Verdict
Poco X6 Pro	Excellent (120 FPS)	UFS 4.0	Instant (2160Hz)	Best Overall
OnePlus 10T (Used)	Very High	UFS 3.1	Excellent	Strong Used Pick
Infinix GT 20 Pro	Good (90 FPS)	UFS 3.1	Average	Casual-Friendly
Poco F6 (Used)	Very High	UFS 4.0	Very High	The Stretch Pick
ROG Phone 5 (Used)	High (Short window)	UFS 3.1	Excellent	Risky Gamble
RedMagic 6R	Medium	UFS 3.1	Good	Aging Silicon
Samsung S21 FE	Low	UFS 3.1	Average	NOT Recommended

7 Best Gaming Phone for CODM Under $300

I have ranked and review the 7 best gaming phone for CODM under $300 in 2026. Here they are;

1. Poco X6 Pro 5G

This is the phone I keep coming back to, even after testing “gaming-branded” devices. It is an anomaly in the 2026 market.

Why it wins: The UFS 4.0 Advantage

Most manufacturers cut corners on storage speed to give you a better screen. Poco did the opposite. While every other sub-$300 phone uses UFS 3.1, the X6 Pro uses UFS 4.0.

• The Math: UFS 3.1 reads at $\approx$ 1800 MB/s. UFS 4.0 reads at $\approx$ 4000 MB/s.
• The Result: In CODM Battle Royale, the game is constantly “streaming” textures and assets as you move. Slow storage causes those tiny “micro-stutters” when you enter a new area. UFS 4.0 kills that stutter.

Performance in Target Titles

• CODM Multiplayer: Locked 115-120 FPS on Low/Ultra settings.
• Delta Force: Hawk Ops: Stable 60-90 FPS on Medium settings.
• Touch Latency: The 2160Hz instantaneous touch sampling rate ensures your flick shots actually land where you intended.

2. OnePlus 10T

If you are comfortable navigating the secondary market, the 10T is still a beast.

OnePlus 10T uses the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, which was the first chip to fix the massive overheating issues of the previous generation.

However, you lose out on the UFS 4.0 speeds. In a heavy 30-minute CODM session, you might start to feel the age of the battery, which can lead to voltage drops and erratic frame rates.

3. Infinix GT 20 Pro

Infinix marketed this as a dedicated esports machine with a Pixelworks X5 Turbo dedicated display chip.

Pro:

It uses frame interpolation (MEMC) to take a 60 FPS signal and “fake” it into 120 FPS on the screen. This keeps the phone cooler because the main chip isn’t working as hard.

Con:

Interpolation adds input latency. The movement looks smooth, but your aim will feel “floaty” or unresponsive compared to the raw frames of the Poco. For competitive play, it’s a secondary option.

4. S21 FE and ROG 5 (Avoid)

This is where I get controversial. The Samsung S21 FE is a very popular “budget flagship,” but for competitive CODM, it is a disaster.

1. Thermal Physics: The Snapdragon 888 (and its Exynos equivalents) are notorious for poor thermal efficiency. They run hot almost immediately.

2. Aggressive Throttling: Samsung’s software is designed to protect your hands from heat, so it will aggressively cut your FPS from 60 to 30 the moment you get into a real fight.

3. ROG Phone 5 Warning: While it has great ergonomics, these units have a known motherboard flaw where the Wi-Fi module literally desolders itself under high heat. Don’t risk it.

How to Sustain 120 FPS Indefinitely

Selecting the Poco X6 Pro is only half the battle. To have a truly “lag-free” experience, you have to fight the phone’s own software.

The “Joyose” Controversy

Xiaomi/Poco phones include a system app called Joyose. Its only job is to watch the temperature. If the battery hits 40°C, Joyose will instantly cap your game to 60 FPS.

• The Fix: Advanced users clear the data of the Joyose app or disable it entirely via ADB commands.
• Pro-Tip: If you disable Joyose, you MUST use an external cooler.

The $20 Upgrade

A magnetic Peltier cooler(semiconductor cooler) is the best investment you can make. It doesn’t just blow air; it actively refrigerates the back of the phone.

By keeping the chassis below 35°C, the internal silicon never receives the “throttle” signal, and your 120 FPS stays locked until you quit the game.

Network Stack Optimization

Hardware isn’t everything. If your network jitter is high, even a $2,000 phone won’t save you.

1. Frequency Discipline: Never play on 2.4GHz Wi-Fi; it is too susceptible to interference from microwaves and neighbors. Always use 5GHz.

2. DNS Routing: Using Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) or Google (8.8.8.8) can sometimes shave 10-20ms off your ping by finding a more direct route to the game servers.

3. Shader Pre-loading: In the CODM settings menu, always run the “Shader Pre-load” before your first match of the day.

This prevents the game from trying to render a new explosion effect for the first time mid-fight, which causes a “lag spike”.

Conclusion

If you want the best gaming phone for CODM under $300 in 2026, buy the Poco X6 Pro 5G.

Pair it with a budget magnetic cooler, remove your phone case during play, and set your in-game graphics to Low / Ultra FPS.

Specs don’t win gunfights. Consistency does.