Greatest low-cost telephone: 5 smartphones for below $500

A few of us take a form of “I eat to dwell” slightly than an “I dwell to eat” strategy to devices. They’re instruments that assist you get issues finished, not one thing you need to make investments a variety of time or cash in. If that’s you — and there’s no judgment right here from a certifiable gadget nerd — then you possibly can most likely consider extra worthwhile methods to spend $1,000 than on a telephone.

Funds telephones to the rescue. These units 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 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’ll find a vibrant, high-definition OLED display 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 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 scores, 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 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 below $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 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. 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 massive bezels make the gadget look dated, too, however the usability of a small display will likely be an even bigger issue over time to return.

That’s the most important knock in opposition to the SE — and it’s an essential one. However if you happen to’re not apprehensive a couple of cramped display, then the SE has a variety 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 value vary — and regardless that it makes use of an older 12-megapixel digicam, it takes very good photographs and high-quality video clips. The digicam has no evening mode, which is a curious omission — principally each different midrange telephone affords some type of low-light picture mode, and the telephone’s processor is actually as much as the duty. Apple gonna Apple.

Learn my full evaluation 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 affords some superb high-end telephones within the Pixel 9, 9 Professional and 9 Professional XL, but it surely’s the corporate’s funds telephone that makes probably the most sense. For $500, the Pixel 8A affords a complete 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 massive 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 gadget for a very long time, that’s big — particularly within the funds class the place different telephones would possibly solely include one or two platform upgrades.

The 8A can also be Google’s first funds telephone to return 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 digicam system is dependable, but it surely’s the obvious place the place Google needed to make some compromises to maintain the worth low. It’s a fantastic all-around digicam, however stepping as much as one of many newest Pixel fashions will get you improved low mild efficiency, an up to date ultrawide digicam, and a complete lot of AI-powered options.

Learn my full evaluation 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, but it surely may simply trick you into considering it prices twice as a lot. It comes with a really massive, 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 if you want it and financial savings on battery life if you don’t. It’s a function not often seen on a telephone below $800.

The 12R is supplied 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 laborious to throw something at this telephone that it may possibly’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 slightly than at evening.

Personally, I’d slightly 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 fantastic 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 evaluation 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 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 a good return on that funding.

The telephone’s greatest 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, but it surely additionally signifies that the 6A will sustain for a few years to return — 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 an excellent all-around guess if you would like a funds telephone that can final.

The 6A’s 6.1-inch 1080p OLED affords an ordinary 60Hz refresh charge. It wasn’t too spectacular for the telephone’s unique $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 also be on the sluggish aspect. It’s not unusable, but it surely’s noticeably a beat slower than one of the best fingerprint sensors on the market.

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

Learn my full evaluation 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 value. They’re the form of options you received’t actually spot from the surface, however they’re essential, notably its IP67 score for mud and water resistance. In contrast to just about each different telephone at this value, the A35 5G is constructed to face up to 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 — but it surely’s significantly better than the 2 or three years we sometimes see in telephones effectively below $500.

The digicam is lackluster; it’s fantastic in vibrant mild however struggles in dim and blended 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 by accident texted my husband one of many routinely 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 rapidly.

However total, it’s a compelling package deal — particularly with an enormous, crowd-pleasing OLED show and powerful battery efficiency. In the event you’re a light-weight consumer and never fussy about digicam 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 an excellent funds telephone, together with a stunning vegan leather-based exterior and wi-fi charging. But it surely’s loaded with bloatware of the worst form, 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 suggestion above affords significantly better total efficiency. Learn our evaluation.

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

Replace, November sixth: Adjusted pricing and availability.