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

A few of us take a sort of “I eat to live” somewhat than an “I live to eat” strategy to devices. They’re instruments that show you how to get issues carried out, not one thing you wish to make investments loads of time or cash in. If that’s you — and there’s no judgment right here from a certifiable gadget nerd — then you may most likely consider extra worthwhile methods to spend $1,000 than on a cellphone.

Price range telephones to the rescue. These units are roughly $500 or beneath, and so they’re extra succesful than ever earlier than. You received’t get all of the bells and whistles, however you’ll save somewhat 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 shiny, high-definition OLED display or a battery that lasts for days. For those who can hone in on the one or two options which are most vital to you and also you’re prepared 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 scores, 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 ranking: 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 simple. The 2022 iPhone SE is the solely new iPhone beneath $500. It’s the least costly strategy to get into the iOS ecosystem and it’ll do the job, however I’d strongly encourage anybody trying 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 vital factor to know concerning the SE is that it comes with a really small, very dated 4.7-inch display. 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 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 probably be an even bigger issue through the years to come back.

That’s the most important knock in opposition to the SE — and it’s an vital one. However in case you’re not fearful a few cramped display, then the SE has loads 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 despite the fact that it makes use of an older 12-megapixel digital camera, it takes very good pictures and high-quality video clips. The digital camera has no evening mode, which is a curious omission — principally each different midrange cellphone affords some kind of low-light picture mode, and the cellphone’s processor is actually as much as the duty. Apple gonna Apple.

Learn my full evaluation 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 ranking: IP67

Google affords some excellent high-end telephones within the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional, nevertheless it’s the corporate’s finances cellphone that makes probably the most sense. For $500, the Pixel 8A affords an entire 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 nonetheless purchase, however the 8A comes with one large improve over the earlier technology: seven years of OS and safety updates. For those who’re the sort of one that likes to hold onto their machine for a very long time, that’s enormous — 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 ranking for cover in opposition to water immersion. The digital camera 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 high-quality all-around digital camera, however stepping as much as the Pixel 8 or 8 Professional will get you higher low gentle and zoom efficiency.

Learn my full evaluation 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 ranking: 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 large, very good display, 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 once you want it and financial savings on battery life once you don’t. It’s a function hardly ever seen on a cellphone beneath $800.

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

Quick charging is sort 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 somewhat than at evening.

Personally, I’d somewhat 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 affords. 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 and wonderful efficiency is what you’re after, then the 12R is it.

Learn my full evaluation 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 ranking: IP67

The Pixel 6A most likely isn’t lengthy for this world. It was introduced in 2022, Google now 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 in case you can rating one for $300, it’s a heck of a deal. It’s scheduled to get another OS improve and three extra years of safety updates, which is an honest 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 not less than July 2027. The 6A additionally comes with an IP67 water-resistance ranking, so it’s nonetheless a superb all-around wager if you would like a finances cellphone that can final.

The 6A’s 6.1-inch 1080p OLED affords a regular 60Hz refresh price. It wasn’t too spectacular for the cellphone’s authentic $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 also be on the sluggish aspect. It’s not unusable, nevertheless it’s noticeably a beat slower than the most effective fingerprint sensors on the market.

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

Learn my full evaluation 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 ranking: IP67

The Samsung Galaxy A35 5G comes with surprisingly sturdy specs for its $399 worth. They’re the sort of options you received’t actually spot from the surface, however they’re vital, notably its IP67 ranking for mud and water resistance. In contrast to 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 rest room 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 easiest 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 sometimes see in telephones nicely beneath $500.

The digital camera is lackluster; it’s high-quality in shiny gentle 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 sometimes stutters when shortly bouncing between duties. I used to be horrified — horrified! — once 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 making an attempt to faucet on one thing else. These items don’t occur when every little thing masses shortly.

However general, it’s a compelling bundle — particularly with an enormous, crowd-pleasing OLED show and powerful battery efficiency. For those who’re a light-weight person and never fussy about digital camera high quality, the A35 5G affords 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 beautiful vegan leather-based exterior and wi-fi charging. However it’s loaded with bloatware of the worst sort, 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 may be very inexpensive at $228 however cuts too many corners to incorporate quick charging. The pricier 12R that snags our advice above affords a lot better general efficiency.

In case your finances has some wiggle room, there are a few $600 telephones price contemplating which are 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 ideal 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 suitable with Verizon’s community.

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