I'd say you're probably going to be better off with a phone and USB DAC vs getting a DAP depending on what you're willing to spend. There really isn't "Budget" items anymore after COVID.

I looked at a few places and while you can find a couple from known and reputable brands for sub 300, there's generally going to be a compromise somewhere. The only Fiio daps you'll find will be used unless you find a good deal. Fiio has abandoned making anything sub like, 500$. The xDuoo X2S has a terrible UI as the screen is like, 4 text lines big. The Shanling X0 is ridiculously tiny and is touch screen for everything except volume. The only player that sticks out as not being terrible in some way is the Hidizs AP80. But again, RAM issues might be a concern while trying to play music and you're doing something else.

Otherwise, 300 is about the baseline now and it can easily go to possibly over 1K for a nice player.