Best cheap phone: five smartphones for under $500

Some of us take a sort of “I eat to live” fairly than an “I live to eat” strategy to devices. They’re instruments that aid you get issues executed, not one thing you need to make investments a number 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 telephone.

Budget telephones to the rescue. These units are roughly $500 or under, they usually’re extra succesful than ever earlier than. You received’t get all of the bells and whistles, however you’ll save a bit of cash to spend on, I don’t know, precise bells and whistles. It’s your world.

Many of our picks run about $400 or $500, however there are nice choices for $300 and under, too. You can discover a vibrant, high-definition OLED display screen or a battery that lasts for days. If you possibly can hone in on the one or two options which can be most essential 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 finances 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.

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 / Weather-resistance score: IP67

If your finances has a strict $500 cap and also you’re trying for a brand new iPhone, the selection is straightforward. The 2022 iPhone SE is the solely new iPhone under $500. It’s the least costly approach 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 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 greater screens. The SE’s large bezels make the machine look dated, too, however the usability of a small display screen will probably be a much bigger issue over time to come back.

That’s the most important knock towards the SE — and it’s an essential one. But for those who’re not fearful a couple of cramped display screen, then the SE has a number of upsides. Its A15 processor is identical because the one within the iPhone 13 Pro Max, so efficiency is superb.

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 images and high-quality video clips. The digicam has no night time mode, which is a curious omission — principally each different midrange telephone affords some type of low-light photograph mode, and the telephone’s processor is actually as much as the duty. Apple gonna Apple.

Read my full evaluation of the Apple iPhone SE (2022).

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 / Weather-resistance score: IP67

Google affords some excellent high-end telephones within the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, nevertheless it’s the corporate’s finances 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 price.

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 era: seven years of OS and safety updates. If you’re the sort of one who likes to hold onto their machine for a very long time, that’s big — particularly within the finances class the place different telephones would possibly solely include one or two platform upgrades.

The 8A can be Google’s first finances telephone 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 safety towards water immersion. The digicam 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 effective all-around digicam, however stepping as much as the Pixel 8 or 8 Pro will get you higher low mild and zoom efficiency.

Read my full evaluation of the Google Pixel 8A.

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 / Weather-resistance score: 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 large, very good display screen, 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 if you want it and financial savings on battery life if you don’t. It’s a function hardly ever seen on a telephone under $800.

The 12R is provided with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which is a era behind 2024’s processor du jour, the 8 Gen 3. But the 8 Gen 2 nonetheless whips — it’s onerous to throw something at this telephone that it may’t deal with. Less good: the 12R’s IP64 score, which suggests it’s splash resistant however not totally water immersible, just like the Pixel 8A.

Fast 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 telephone 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 is, as soon as once more, one thing the Pixel 8A affords. But 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 screen and glorious efficiency is what you’re after, then the 12R is it.

Read my full evaluation of the OnePlus 12R.

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 / Weather-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. But the 6A is hanging round at third-party retailers like Amazon, and for those who can rating one for $300, it’s a heck of a deal. It’s scheduled to get yet one more OS improve and three extra years of safety updates, which is an honest 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 Pro. Not solely does it allow good total efficiency now, nevertheless it additionally signifies that the 6A will sustain for a few years to come back — it’ll obtain safety patches till a minimum of July 2027. The 6A additionally comes with an IP67 water-resistance score, so it’s nonetheless all-around guess if you need a finances telephone that may final.

The 6A’s 6.1-inch 1080p OLED affords a normal 60Hz refresh price. It wasn’t too spectacular for the telephone’s unique $449 retail worth, however for under $400, it’s one of many higher screens on the market. Unfortunately, the fingerprint sensor under the show can be on the gradual 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 customary broad 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. 

Read my full evaluation of the Google Pixel 6A.

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 / Weather-resistance score: IP67

The Samsung Galaxy A35 5G comes with surprisingly robust specs for its $399 worth. They’re the sort of options you received’t actually spot from the surface, however they’re essential, significantly its IP67 score for mud and water resistance. Unlike nearly each different telephone at this worth, the A35 5G is constructed to resist water immersion, so that you don’t must sweat it in case your telephone lands in a rest room bowl or puddle.

Here’s one other unexciting spec: 4 years of OS updates and five 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 usually see in telephones nicely under $500.

The digicam is lackluster; it’s effective in vibrant mild however struggles in dim and blended indoor lighting. It doesn’t have the strongest processing efficiency you’ll find under $500, both, and the Samsung-made Exynos processor sometimes stutters when shortly 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 making an attempt to faucet on one thing else. These issues don’t occur when every thing hundreds shortly.

But total, it’s a compelling package deal — particularly with a giant, crowd-pleasing OLED show and robust battery efficiency. If you’re a lightweight person 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 Power has all of the makings of finances telephone, together with a stunning vegan leather-based exterior and wi-fi charging. But 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 suggestion above affords significantly better total efficiency.

If your finances has some wiggle room, there are a few $600 telephones price contemplating which can 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 incredible display screen. And for one thing fairly completely different, the Nothing Phone 2 is an possibility with its glossy look and flashy interface (actually, it flashes) — simply know that it’s not totally appropriate with Verizon’s community.

Update June 14th: Removed the Google Pixel 7A and added the Pixel 8A as our total Android choose.