Finest low cost cellphone: 5 smartphones for below $500

A few of us take a form of “I eat to stay” fairly than an “I stay to eat” method to devices. They’re instruments that allow you to get issues completed, 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’ll be able to in all probability 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 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.

Lots of our picks run about $400 or $500, however there are nice choices for $300 and below, too. You could find a shiny, high-definition OLED display screen or a battery that lasts for days. In the event you can hone in on the one or two options which are most essential to you and also you’re keen to compromise elsewhere, you may get a cellphone that fits your wants for half the value of a flagship.

What compromises are you able to count on from a funds cellphone? Some mixture of the next: slower processors, much less storage, and lousier cameras than flagship telephones, virtually 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 ranking: IP67

In case your funds has a strict $500 cap and also you’re in search of a brand new iPhone, the selection is simple. The 2022 iPhone SE is the solely new iPhone below $500. It’s the least costly option 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 14, now priced at $599.

The essential factor to know in regards to 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 net pages are designed for larger screens. The SE’s huge bezels make the system look dated, too, however the usability of a small display screen might be an even bigger issue through the years to return.

That’s the largest knock in opposition to the SE — and it’s an essential one. However if you happen to’re not apprehensive a few cramped display screen, then the SE has loads of upsides. Its A15 processor is similar 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 value 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 night time mode, which is a curious omission — mainly each different midrange cellphone presents some form of low-light picture mode, and the cellphone’s processor is definitely 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 presents some superb high-end telephones within the Pixel 9, 9 Professional and 9 Professional XL, nevertheless it’s the corporate’s funds cellphone that makes essentially the most sense. For $500, the Pixel 8A presents 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 nonetheless purchase, however the 8A comes with one huge improve over the earlier technology: seven years of OS and safety updates. In the event you’re the form of one who likes to hold onto their system for a very long time, that’s big — particularly within the funds class the place different telephones may solely include one or two platform upgrades.

The 8A can be Google’s first funds cellphone to return with a 120Hz show, so scrolling and animations look tremendous {smooth}. You additionally get wi-fi charging and an IP67 ranking for defense 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 one of many newest Pixel fashions will get you improved low mild efficiency, an up to date ultrawide digital camera, and a complete lot of AI-powered options.

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 might 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 way in which right down to 1Hz, making for a {smooth} scrolling expertise if you want it and financial savings on battery life if you don’t. It’s a function not often seen on a cellphone below $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 will probably’t deal with. Much less good: the 12R’s IP64 ranking, which suggests it’s splash resistant however not absolutely 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 cellphone 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 fantastic thing about the 12R — it is aware of what it’s and what it isn’t. And if a low-cost cellphone with a giant, high-quality display screen 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 in all probability 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 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 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 return — 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 all-around guess if you’d like a funds cellphone that can final.

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

The 6A makes use of the identical 12-megapixel customary large digital camera as many Pixel telephones earlier than it, which continues 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 value. They’re the form of options you received’t actually spot from the surface, however they’re essential, notably its IP67 ranking for mud and water resistance. In contrast to nearly each different cellphone at this value, 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 funds class — the Pixel 8A takes that honor with seven years of updates — nevertheless it’s significantly better than the 2 or three years we usually see in telephones properly below $500.

The digital camera is lackluster; it’s high-quality in shiny mild however struggles in dim and blended indoor lighting. It doesn’t have the strongest processing efficiency you could find below $500, both, and the Samsung-made Exynos processor sometimes stutters when shortly 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 making an attempt to faucet on one thing else. This stuff don’t occur when every thing hundreds shortly.

However general, it’s a compelling bundle — particularly with a giant, crowd-pleasing OLED show and powerful battery efficiency. In the event you’re a lightweight person 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 funds cellphone, together with a beautiful vegan leather-based exterior and wi-fi charging. But it surely’s loaded with bloatware of the worst variety, and that alone disqualifies it from our suggestions. Learn our 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 presents significantly better general efficiency. Learn our evaluation.

In case your funds has some wiggle room, there are a few $600 telephones value contemplating which are simply exterior the scope of this information. The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is a late addition to the S23 lineup, one that provides a telephoto lens and an amazing display screen however lacks the AI options discovered on the just lately introduced S24 FE. And for one thing fairly totally different, the Nothing Telephone 2 is an choice with its glossy look and flashy interface (actually, it flashes) — simply know that it’s not absolutely suitable with Verizon’s community.

Replace, September twenty sixth: Adjusted pricing and added a point out of the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, which is now obtainable beginning at $649.99.