Pick a guitar that gets you excited to play. If you have access to a music store go in and hold the guitars. You will figure out quickly what shapes fit your hands/body better. Pay attention to the neck shape/size/thickness. Everyone prioritizes different things in a guitar. So I don’t think anyone can actually answer this question for you. You also haven’t told us what kind of music you play. That might dictate what type of pickups, bridge, & body shape we recommend.

The only real thing I recommend on any guitar you choose is to have it setup by a guitar tech or learn how to set it up yourself. It isn’t hard, but takes a bit of time and care to get the string height, intonation, neck relief, and pickup height just right. This will improve any guitar in any price range. Also remember to always lube your nut.

I got a PRS SE (after getting over the bird inlays) and the wow for the money is off the charts. I’ve owned strats, sg’s, random floyd rose thrashers, this thing has more sound/tone range than most.

Just my personal preference, but graduating from a Fender Squier to an Ibanez RG-170 (that I picked up in a garage sale for $80!) was the best thing I ever did for myself as a guitarist. The action is smooth to the point where you can play slide barehanded, and the expanded neck makes a huge difference in your range. If nothing else, give one a play while you’re in the shop - effing beautiful guitars.

In that price range, you should also consider Yamahas and Schecters. But Squiers and Sterlings are awesome guitars.

The best thing to do is not to worry too much about the brand and just try out a few within your budget that catch your eye at a store. There’s a lot of variation between even guitars of the same model, especially at lower budgets.