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

A few of us take a type of “I eat to reside” somewhat than an “I reside to eat” method to devices. They’re instruments that provide help to get issues performed, not one thing you wish to make investments plenty 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 in all probability consider extra worthwhile methods to spend $1,000 than on a cellphone.

Funds telephones to the rescue. These gadgets 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 just a little 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 beneath, too. You will discover a vivid, 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 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 worth 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 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 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 option 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 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 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 larger screens. The SE’s large bezels make the gadget look dated, too, however the usability of a small display screen might be an even bigger issue through the years to come back.

That’s the largest knock in opposition to the SE — and it’s an essential one. However when you’re not apprehensive a couple of cramped display screen, then the SE has plenty 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 worth vary — and though 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 — principally each different midrange cellphone affords some kind of low-light picture mode, and the cellphone’s processor is definitely as much as the duty. Apple gonna Apple.

Learn my full evaluate 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 affords 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 essentially 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 large improve over the earlier era: seven years of OS and safety updates. In the event you’re the type of one that likes to hold onto their gadget 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 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 worth low. It’s a positive all-around digital camera, however stepping as much as one of many newest Pixel fashions will get you improved low gentle efficiency, an up to date ultrawide digital camera, and a complete lot of AI-powered options.

Learn my full evaluate 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, nevertheless it might simply trick you into considering it prices twice as a lot. It comes with a really large, 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 characteristic not often seen on a cellphone 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 arduous to throw something at this cellphone that it could’t deal with. Much less good: the 12R’s IP64 score, which suggests 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 somewhat than at night time.

Personally, I’d somewhat have slower wired charging if it meant I might have a characteristic 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 cellphone with a giant, high-quality display screen and wonderful efficiency is what you’re after, then the 12R is it.

Learn my full evaluate 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 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 an honest return on that funding.

The cellphone’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, 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 great all-around wager if you would like a finances cellphone that may final.

The 6A’s 6.1-inch 1080p OLED affords a regular 60Hz refresh fee. It wasn’t too spectacular for the cellphone’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 also be on the gradual facet. 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 normal 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 facet, however total battery efficiency is healthier than its dimension would recommend. 

Learn my full evaluate 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 type of options you gained’t actually spot from the skin, however they’re essential, significantly its IP67 score for mud and water resistance. Not like nearly each different cellphone at this worth, the A35 5G is constructed to face up to 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 easiest within the finances class — the Pixel 8A takes that honor with seven years of updates — nevertheless 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 positive in vivid gentle however struggles in dim and combined indoor lighting. It doesn’t have the strongest processing efficiency you could find beneath $500, both, and the Samsung-made Exynos processor often stutters when rapidly bouncing between duties. I used to be horrified — horrified! — after I by chance 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. These items don’t occur when all the things masses rapidly.

However total, it’s a compelling package deal — particularly with a giant, crowd-pleasing OLED show and robust battery efficiency. In the event you’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 great finances cellphone, together with a beautiful vegan leather-based exterior and wi-fi charging. Nevertheless it’s loaded with bloatware of the worst variety, 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 could 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 evaluate.

In case your finances has some wiggle room, there are a few $600 telephones value contemplating which might be simply exterior 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 excellent display screen. And for one thing fairly totally different, the Nothing Cellphone 2 is an choice with its glossy look and flashy interface (actually, it flashes) — simply know that it’s not totally suitable with Verizon’s community.

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