Finest low-cost telephone: 5 smartphones for beneath $500

A few of us take a form of “I eat to live” fairly than an “I live to eat” method to devices. They’re instruments that show you how to get issues accomplished, not one thing you wish 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 in all probability consider extra worthwhile methods to spend $1,000 than on a telephone.

Price range telephones to the rescue. These units are roughly $500 or beneath, they usually’re extra succesful than ever earlier than. You gained’t get all of the bells and whistles, however you’ll save slightly 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 beneath, too. You will discover a brilliant, high-definition OLED display or a battery that lasts for days. When you 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 telephone that fits your wants for half the worth of a flagship.

What compromises are you able to count on from a funds telephone? 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 cost.

Display: 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 funds has a strict $500 cap and also you’re in search of a brand new iPhone, the selection is straightforward. The 2022 iPhone SE is the solely new iPhone beneath $500. It’s the least costly approach to get into the iOS ecosystem and it’ll do the job, however I might strongly encourage anybody wanting on the SE to contemplate whether or not it’s doable to spend a bit extra on an iPhone 13, 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. It’s the identical dimension because the one on the iPhone 6, and it’s beginning to really feel cramped in an age when apps and net pages are designed for greater screens. The SE’s large bezels make the machine look dated, too, however the usability of a small display will likely be an even bigger issue over time to come back.

That’s the most important knock in opposition to the SE — and it’s an essential one. However if you happen to’re not nervous a couple of cramped display, then the SE has a whole lot of upsides. Its A15 processor is similar because the one within the iPhone 13 Professional Max, so efficiency is superb.

There’s IP67 waterproofing and wi-fi charging — each unusual on this worth vary — and though it makes use of an older 12-megapixel digital camera, it takes very good images and high-quality video clips. The digital camera has no night time mode, which is a curious omission — mainly each different midrange telephone presents some form of low-light photograph mode, and the telephone’s processor is actually as much as the duty. Apple gonna Apple.

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

Display: 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 presents some superb high-end telephones within the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional, however it’s the corporate’s funds telephone that makes probably the most sense. For $500, the Pixel 8A presents an entire lot of what makes its pricier siblings good, however at roughly half the associated fee.

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

The 8A can be Google’s first funds telephone 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 defense in opposition to water immersion. The digital camera system is dependable, however it’s the obvious place the place Google needed to make some compromises to maintain the worth low. It’s a fantastic all-around digital camera, however stepping as much as the Pixel 8 or 8 Professional will get you higher low mild and zoom efficiency.

Learn my full assessment of the Google Pixel 8A.

Display: 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, however it might simply trick you into considering it prices twice as a lot. It comes with a really large, very good display, with refresh charges that go as much as 120Hz and all the way in which 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 hardly ever seen on a telephone beneath $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 onerous to throw something at this telephone 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 form 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 telephone on a extra compressed schedule, like throughout your morning routine fairly than at night time.

Personally, I’d fairly have slower wired charging if it meant I might 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 presents. 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 telephone with an enormous, high-quality display and wonderful efficiency is what you’re after, then the 12R is it.

Learn my full assessment of the OnePlus 12R.

Display: 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 in all probability 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 if you happen to 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 an honest return on that funding.

The telephone’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 total efficiency now, however it additionally signifies that the 6A will sustain for a few years to come back — it’ll obtain safety patches till no less than July 2027. The 6A additionally comes with an IP67 water-resistance score, so it’s nonetheless an excellent all-around wager if you need a funds telephone that can final.

The 6A’s 6.1-inch 1080p OLED presents an ordinary 60Hz refresh fee. It wasn’t too spectacular for the telephone’s unique $449 retail worth, however for beneath $400, it’s one of many higher screens on the market. Sadly, the fingerprint sensor beneath the show can be on the sluggish aspect. It’s not unusable, however it’s noticeably a beat slower than the very best fingerprint sensors on the market.

The 6A makes use of the identical 12-megapixel commonplace large digital camera as many Pixel telephones earlier than it, which remains to be an excellent digital camera — particularly for the midrange class. The telephone’s 4,410mAh battery is on the small aspect, however total battery efficiency is healthier than its dimension would counsel. 

Learn my full assessment of the Google Pixel 6A.

Display: 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 form of options you gained’t actually spot from the skin, however they’re essential, significantly its IP67 score for mud and water resistance. In contrast to nearly each different telephone at this worth, the A35 5G is constructed to resist water immersion, so that you don’t have to sweat it in case your telephone 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 funds class — the Pixel 8A takes that honor with seven years of updates — however it’s significantly better than the 2 or three years we sometimes see in telephones properly beneath $500.

The digital camera is lackluster; it’s fantastic in brilliant mild however struggles in dim and blended indoor lighting. It doesn’t have the strongest processing efficiency you’ll find beneath $500, both, and the Samsung-made Exynos processor often stutters when shortly bouncing between duties. I used to be horrified — horrified! — once I by accident 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 part masses shortly.

However total, it’s a compelling package deal — particularly with an enormous, crowd-pleasing OLED show and robust battery efficiency. When you’re a lightweight consumer and never fussy about digital camera high quality, the A35 5G presents some upgrades that make an actual distinction in the long run.

The 2024 Motorola Moto G Energy has all of the makings of an excellent funds telephone, together with a beautiful vegan leather-based exterior and wi-fi charging. Nevertheless it’s loaded with bloatware of the worst type, and that alone disqualifies it from our suggestions.

We additionally examined the OnePlus Nord N300, which doesn’t make an look amongst our suggestions. The N300 could be very reasonably priced at $228 however cuts too many corners to incorporate quick charging. The pricier 12R that snags our advice above presents significantly better total efficiency.

In case your funds 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 gives a telephoto lens and an excellent display. And for one thing fairly totally different, the Nothing Cellphone 2 is an choice with its modern look and flashy interface (actually, it flashes) — simply know that it’s not totally appropriate with Verizon’s community.

Replace June 14th: Eliminated the Google Pixel 7A and added the Pixel 8A as our total Android decide.