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

A few of us take a form of “I eat to live” somewhat than an “I live to eat” strategy to devices. They’re instruments that provide help to get issues carried out, 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 may most likely consider extra worthwhile methods to spend $1,000 than on a telephone.

Finances telephones to the rescue. These gadgets are roughly $500 or underneath, they usually’re extra succesful than ever earlier than. You received’t get all of the bells and whistles, however you’ll save a little bit 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 underneath, too. Yow will discover a vivid, high-definition OLED display or a battery that lasts for days. In case you 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 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 cost.

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 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 straightforward. The 2022 iPhone SE is the solely new iPhone underneath $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 think about whether or not it’s doable to spend a bit extra on an iPhone 13, now priced at $599.

The vital factor to know in regards to 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 larger screens. The SE’s huge bezels make the gadget look dated, too, however the usability of a small display might be a much bigger issue over time to return.

That’s the most important knock towards the SE — and it’s an vital one. However when you’re not fearful a few cramped display, then the SE has plenty 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 worth vary — and though 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 provides some form 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 ranking: IP67

Google provides some excellent 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 provides 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 be able to nonetheless purchase, however the 8A comes with one huge improve over the earlier era: seven years of OS and safety updates. In case you’re the form of one who likes to hold onto their gadget for a very long time, that’s enormous — 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 ranking for defense towards water immersion. The digicam 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 nice all-around digicam, 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 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 ranking: IP64

The OnePlus 12R is $500, however it may simply trick you into considering it prices twice as a lot. It comes with a really huge, 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 whenever you want it and financial savings on battery life whenever you don’t. It’s a function hardly ever seen on a telephone underneath $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 may possibly’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 telephone 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 provides. 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 a giant, high-quality display and glorious 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 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 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 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 general efficiency now, however it additionally implies 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 ranking, so it’s nonetheless an excellent all-around wager if you would like a funds telephone that may final.

The 6A’s 6.1-inch 1080p OLED provides a typical 60Hz refresh price. It wasn’t too spectacular for the telephone’s authentic $449 retail worth, however for underneath $400, it’s one of many higher screens on the market. Sadly, the fingerprint sensor underneath the show can also be on the sluggish facet. It’s not unusable, however it’s noticeably a beat slower than one of the best fingerprint sensors on the market.

The 6A makes use of the identical 12-megapixel commonplace vast digicam as many Pixel telephones earlier than it, which continues to be an excellent digicam — particularly for the midrange class. The telephone’s 4,410mAh battery is on the small facet, however general battery efficiency is healthier than its dimension would recommend. 

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 ranking: IP67

The Samsung Galaxy A35 5G comes with surprisingly sturdy specs for its $399 worth. They’re the form of options you received’t actually spot from the surface, however they’re vital, significantly its IP67 ranking for mud and water resistance. In contrast to just about each different telephone at this worth, the A35 5G is constructed to face up to water immersion, so that you don’t must 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 easiest within the funds class — the Pixel 8A takes that honor with seven years of updates — however it’s a lot better than the 2 or three years we usually see in telephones properly underneath $500.

The digicam is lackluster; it’s nice in vivid gentle however struggles in dim and blended indoor lighting. It doesn’t have the strongest processing efficiency you’ll find underneath $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 making an attempt to faucet on one thing else. This stuff don’t occur when every thing masses shortly.

However general, it’s a compelling package deal — particularly with a giant, crowd-pleasing OLED show and robust battery efficiency. In case you’re a light-weight consumer and never fussy about digicam high quality, the A35 5G provides 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. But it surely’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 may be very reasonably priced at $228 however cuts too many corners to incorporate quick charging. The pricier 12R that snags our advice above provides a lot better general efficiency.

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 that gives a telephoto lens and an ideal display. And for one thing fairly completely different, the Nothing Cellphone 2 is an choice with its smooth look and flashy interface (actually, it flashes) — simply know that it’s not absolutely suitable with Verizon’s community.

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