The perfect smartphone you should buy for below $500

A few of us take a type of “I eat to live” relatively than an “I live to eat” strategy to devices. They’re instruments that allow you to get issues performed, not one thing you need to make investments a whole lot of time or cash in. If that’s you — and there’s no judgment right here from a certifiable gadget nerd — then you’ll be able to most likely consider extra worthwhile methods to spend $1,000 than on a cellphone.

Price range telephones to the rescue. These gadgets are roughly $500 or below, and so they’re extra succesful than ever earlier than. You gained’t get all of the bells and whistles, however you’ll save just a little cash to spend on, I don’t know, precise bells and whistles. It’s your world.

A lot of our picks run about $400 or $500, however there are nice choices for $300 and below, too. You will discover a vibrant, high-definition OLED display screen or a battery that lasts for days. For those who can hone in on the one or two options which might be most essential to you and also you’re keen to compromise elsewhere, you will get a cellphone that fits your wants for half the value of a flagship.

What compromises are you able to anticipate from a finances cellphone? Some mixture of the next: slower processors, much less storage, and lousier cameras than flagship telephones, nearly throughout the board. Many have lower-resolution screens, and most lack official water-resistance rankings, wi-fi charging, and NFC chips for contactless fee.

Display screen: 4.7-inch, 1334p LCD / Processor: A15 Bionic Cameras: 12-megapixel f/1.8 with OIS, 7-megapixel selfie / Charging: 20W wired, 7.5W wi-fi / Climate-resistance score: IP67

In case your finances has a strict $500 cap and also you’re on the lookout for a brand new iPhone, the selection is straightforward. The 2022 iPhone SE is the solely new iPhone below $500. It’s the least costly method to get into the iOS ecosystem and it’ll do the job, however I’d strongly encourage anybody trying on the SE to think about whether or not it’s doable to spend a bit extra on an iPhone 14, now priced at $599.

The essential factor to know concerning the SE is that it comes with a really small, very dated 4.7-inch display screen. It’s the identical measurement because the one on the iPhone 6, and it’s beginning to really feel cramped in an age when apps and internet pages are designed for greater screens. The SE’s huge bezels make the machine look dated, too, however the usability of a small display screen will likely be a much bigger issue over time to come back.

That’s the largest knock towards the SE — and it’s an essential one. However when you’re not anxious a few cramped display screen, then the SE has a whole lot of upsides. Its A15 processor is identical because the one within the iPhone 13 Professional Max, so efficiency is excellent.

There’s IP67 waterproofing and wi-fi charging — each unusual on this worth vary — and although it makes use of an older 12-megapixel digicam, it takes very good images and high-quality video clips. The digicam has no evening mode, which is a curious omission — mainly each different midrange cellphone provides some kind of low-light photograph mode, and the cellphone’s processor is definitely as much as the duty. Apple gonna Apple.

Learn my full overview of the Apple iPhone SE (2022).

Display screen: 6.1-inch, 1080p OLED, 120Hz / Processor: Tensor G3 Cameras: 64-megapixel f/1.89 with OIS, 13-megapixel ultrawide, 13-megapixel selfie / Battery: 4,492mAh / Charging: 18W wired, 7.5W wi-fi / Climate-resistance score: IP67

Google provides some superb high-end telephones within the Pixel 9, 9 Professional and 9 Professional XL, nevertheless it’s the corporate’s finances cellphone that makes probably the most sense. For $500, the Pixel 8A provides a complete lot of what makes its pricier siblings good, however at roughly half the fee.

It’s a modest replace over the Pixel 7A, which you’ll be able to nonetheless purchase, however the 8A comes with one huge improve over the earlier era: seven years of OS and safety updates. For those who’re the type of one who likes to hold onto their machine for a very long time, that’s large — particularly within the finances class the place different telephones may solely include one or two platform upgrades.

The 8A can also be Google’s first finances cellphone to come back with a 120Hz show, so scrolling and animations look tremendous {smooth}. You additionally get wi-fi charging and an IP67 score for cover towards water immersion. The digicam system is dependable, nevertheless it’s the obvious place the place Google needed to make some compromises to maintain the value low. It’s a fantastic all-around digicam, however stepping as much as one of many newest Pixel fashions will get you improved low gentle efficiency, an up to date ultrawide digicam, and a complete lot of AI-powered options.

Learn my full overview of the Google Pixel 8A.

Display screen: 6.78-inch, 1264 x 2780 120Hz OLED / Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Cameras: 50-megapixel f/1.8 with OIS, 8-megapixel ultrawide, 2-megapixel macro, 16-megapixel selfie / Battery: 5,500mAh / Charging: 80W wired / Climate-resistance score: IP64

The OnePlus 12R is $500, nevertheless it may simply trick you into pondering it prices twice as a lot. It comes with a really huge, very good display screen, with refresh charges that go as much as 120Hz and all the best way all the way down to 1Hz, making for a {smooth} scrolling expertise while you want it and financial savings on battery life while you don’t. It’s a function not often seen on a cellphone below $800.

The 12R is supplied with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which is a era behind 2024’s processor du jour, the 8 Gen 3. However the 8 Gen 2 nonetheless whips — it’s laborious to throw something at this cellphone that it might probably’t deal with. Much less good: the 12R’s IP64 score, which implies it’s splash resistant however not totally water immersible, just like the Pixel 8A.

Quick charging is type of OnePlus’ trademark, and the 12R stays true to the model with as much as 80W quick wired charging within the US (it’s as much as 100W in different areas). It’s good if you wish to cost your cellphone on a extra compressed schedule, like throughout your morning routine relatively than at evening.

Personally, I’d relatively have slower wired charging if it meant I may have a function that’s not current on the 12R: wi-fi charging. That’s, as soon as once more, one thing the Pixel 8A provides. However that’s the great thing about the 12R — it is aware of what it’s and what it isn’t. And if a low-cost cellphone with an enormous, high-quality display screen and glorious efficiency is what you’re after, then the 12R is it.

Learn my full overview of the OnePlus 12R.

Display screen: 6.1-inch, 1080p OLED / Processor: Tensor Cameras: 12-megapixel f/1.7 with OIS, 8-megapixel selfie / Battery: 4,410mAh / Charging: 18W wired / Climate-resistance score: IP67

The Pixel 6A most likely isn’t lengthy for this world. It was introduced in 2022, Google not sells it new, and with the arrival of the Pixel 8A it’s now two generations behind. However the 6A is hanging round at third-party retailers like Amazon, and when you can rating one for $300, it’s a heck of a deal. It’s scheduled to get yet another OS improve and three extra years of safety updates, which is a good return on that funding.

The cellphone’s largest asset is Tensor, the custom-built chipset Google used within the firm’s 2021 flagships, the 6 and 6 Professional. Not solely does it allow good general efficiency now, nevertheless it additionally implies that the 6A will sustain for a few years to come back — it’ll obtain safety patches till at the least July 2027. The 6A additionally comes with an IP67 water-resistance score, so it’s nonetheless a superb all-around guess if you’d like a finances cellphone that can final.

The 6A’s 6.1-inch 1080p OLED provides an ordinary 60Hz refresh charge. It wasn’t too spectacular for the cellphone’s authentic $449 retail worth, however for below $400, it’s one of many higher screens on the market. Sadly, the fingerprint sensor below the show can also be on the gradual aspect. It’s not unusable, nevertheless it’s noticeably a beat slower than the perfect fingerprint sensors on the market.

The 6A makes use of the identical 12-megapixel customary broad digicam as many Pixel telephones earlier than it, which continues to be an excellent digicam — particularly for the midrange class. The cellphone’s 4,410mAh battery is on the small aspect, however general battery efficiency is healthier than its measurement would counsel. 

Learn my full overview of the Google Pixel 6A.

Display screen: 6.6-inch, 1080p decision, 120Hz OLED / Processor: Exynos 1380 Cameras: 50-megapixel f/1.8 with OIS, 8-megapixel ultrawide, 5-megapixel macro, 13-megapixel selfie / Battery: 5,000mAh / Charging: 25W wired / Climate-resistance score: IP67

The Samsung Galaxy A35 5G comes with surprisingly robust specs for its $399 worth. They’re the type of options you gained’t actually spot from the surface, however they’re essential, significantly its IP67 score for mud and water resistance. Not like just about each different cellphone at this worth, the A35 5G is constructed to resist water immersion, so that you don’t have to sweat it in case your cellphone lands in a bathroom bowl or puddle.

Right here’s one other unexciting spec: 4 years of OS updates and 5 years of safety updates. That’s not the perfect within the finances class — the Pixel 8A takes that honor with seven years of updates — nevertheless it’s a lot better than the 2 or three years we usually see in telephones properly below $500.

The digicam is lackluster; it’s fantastic in vibrant gentle however struggles in dim and combined indoor lighting. It doesn’t have the strongest processing efficiency you will discover below $500, both, and the Samsung-made Exynos processor often stutters when rapidly bouncing between duties. I used to be horrified — horrified! — after I unintentionally texted my husband one of many mechanically generated replies as a result of it popped up on the final second as I used to be attempting to faucet on one thing else. This stuff don’t occur when every thing masses rapidly.

However general, it’s a compelling bundle — particularly with an enormous, crowd-pleasing OLED show and powerful battery efficiency. For those who’re a lightweight consumer and never fussy about digicam high quality, the A35 5G provides some upgrades that make an actual distinction in the long run.

The 2024 Motorola Moto G Energy has all of the makings of a superb finances cellphone, together with a stunning vegan leather-based exterior and wi-fi charging. Nevertheless it’s loaded with bloatware of the worst form, and that alone disqualifies it from our suggestions. Learn our hands-on impressions.

We additionally examined the OnePlus Nord N300, which doesn’t make an look amongst our suggestions. The N300 may be very inexpensive at $228 however cuts too many corners to incorporate quick charging. The pricier 12R that snags our advice above provides a lot better general efficiency. Learn our overview.

In case your finances has some wiggle room, there are a few $600 telephones value contemplating which might be simply outdoors the scope of this information. The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is a late addition to the S23 lineup that provides a telephoto lens and an incredible display screen. And for one thing fairly totally different, the Nothing Telephone 2 is an possibility with its smooth look and flashy interface (actually, it flashes) — simply know that it’s not totally appropriate with Verizon’s community.

Replace, September nineteenth: Adjusted pricing and up to date the Pixel 8A part to replicate the arrival of Google’s Pixel 9 collection telephones.