budget smartphone pokemon go

Moto G5 Plus but make sure to get the 4 GB RAM variant. It has a 5.2 inch screen, FYI. You should be able to get one for under $300.
I paid $250 when they were running a sale.

I have a Huawei p9 Lite and it has worked for me since the release of PoGo. The only problem is that AR doesnt work with it but who uses that anyway. Other than that, only positive

Xiaomi Redmi 4X - Best bang for the buck!

I got my son a Moto 4e plus. It has a5.5 screen and works great leaching from my phone's hotspot. It cost about around 60 at best buy.
I have a Mate 9 and he gets in raids faster than me which is a bit annoying to my ego...

I disabled every app on it but play store, pokemon go, and IV checker. I don't know if that's why it runs better than my phone but I was deliberately locking it down as he is too young for a phone.