12 Best Phones Under 500 USD in 2021 (Updated)
Do you have only 500$ for a new phone? You don’t have to worry. We’re here to share our top picks when it comes to Android phones under 500.
Let’s face it.
We need our smartphones every day, and losing or breaking it is painful not only to the heart but also to the pocket. I’ve lost my phone numerous times, and I’m telling you it hurt real bad.
We’ve all been there.
Now, if you think that budget phones can’t perform well, you’re wrong. Yes, they don’t rank with phones that are on the four-digit market price, but they will still work fine and will last you years.
Are you sick and tired of smartphone technology?
If it is bugging you too much with its notifications and complicated stuff, try checking on basic phones because they are way cheaper and can also send text messages and call. You know what they say; sometimes less is more.
Read more:
Best Android Phones Under $200: Functionality at the Right Price
5 Best Refurbished Phones in 2021 (Don’t Miss 2nd One)
But if you have the budget and you need the features of a smartphone, keep reading, and you’ll find out our best phones under 500.
Some people find the functions of a smartphone important for business and education. I need my smartphone to take pictures of clothes for my online selling business.
But you know what else?
Phones are also usable for exercise, entertainment, and online communication. Certain apps from the Play Store allow us to talk with our loved ones for free when connected to the internet.
Isn’t that helpful?
You can also connect your phone to many devices using Bluetooth. A lot of people enjoy this feature with their speakers and earphones.
Let’s cut the chase.
I know you’re excited to pick a phone that will match your preferred specs for a smartphone.
The choice is yours.
Best Phones Under $500
| Best Over All | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
| Cheapest | Motorola One Hyper |
| Highly Recommended | OnePlus 6T |
| Best Value | Xiaomi Mi Note 10 |
| Recommended | Google Pixel 3a XL |
| Nokia 7.2 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A50 | |
| Moto Z4 | |
| Honor View 10 | |
| Huawei Nova 5T | |
| Oppo A9 | |
| Huawei P30 |
Top Smartphones Under 500 USD
1. Google Pixel 3a XL
This phone from Google has impressive camera features. It can shoot in dimly lighted areas with its night sight, blur backgrounds with portrait mode, and high-resolution photos with HDR mode.
Look:
A considerable advantage of Google phone users is that they have unlimited storage through Google photos. It also has a voice support system called Google Assistant.
Also, it sports a 12.2 MP rear camera and an 8 Mp front camera which helps you take high quality photos and videos making it the best camera phone under 500 USD.
This phone also supports fast wired charging. Some reports say that it can fully charge with only 15 minutes of charging.
Amazing, right? Well, that’s why we added it to our list of the best smartphones under 500 USD.
One thing I don’t like about this model is that it does not support wireless charging. It’s sad because Google designed a wireless charger specifically for its Pixel units.
Specifications:
| Screen Size | 5.6 inches |
| GPU | Adreno 615 |
| Main Camera | 12.2 MP |
| Selfie Camera | 8 MP |
| Battery Size | 3000 mAh |
2. Samsung Galaxy S9
Samsung, a top company when it comes to smartphones, had new releases making their old units cheaper in the market, and it’s a big win for us. I didn’t believe at first that this phone is at the below 500 USD mark.
This Samsung phone under 500 USD has a screen size of 5.8 inches measured diagonally. Its display uses corning gorilla glass to avoid damage and unnecessary scratches, and thus makes it to the best phone under 500 USD.
The screen is above average in size, so I suggest you also get a screen protector and a phone case to prolong the life of your phone further.
The Samsung S9 camera is also an eye-opener with 12 MP on the back and 8 MP on the front. These specs are enough for you to get good photos.
Specifications:
| Screen Size | 5.8 inches |
| GPU | Adreno 630 |
| Main Camera | 12 MP |
| Selfie Camera | 8 MP |
| Battery Size | 3000 mAh |
3. Nokia 7.2
Nokia is not a brand for us. It is the leading company in cellular phones once.
Now that Nokia produces smartphones, they are proving that they can also compete with the market today. With excellent camera quality, Nokia is seeking a comeback in the mobile phone industry.
A 6.3-inch screen equipped with gorilla glass is undoubtedly a jaw-dropper for a Nokia phone. The battery size is also above average with 3500 mAH; it can last you a day or two.
It has a storage size of 128 GB and even expandable to 400 GB with the use of a microSD card. I’m sure you’ll need that expandable storage to store more full quality images from this phone.
The camera on this smartphone under 500 USD is outstanding. It has a triple-lens camera on the back with a total of 48 MP with Zeiss optics and a selfie camera of 20 MP. If you’re a photography enthusiast, this phone is right for you.
Specifications:
| Screen Size | 6.3 inches |
| GPU | Adreno 512 |
| Main Camera | 48 MP |
| Selfie Camera | 20 MP |
| Battery Size | 3500 mAh |
4. Samsung Galaxy A50
This phone from Samsung is rather simple with its looks, but it has an amazingly huge screen. The screen size of this unit is 6.4 inches and extends to the edges of the front portion of your phone.
If you like watching movies or shows on your smartphone, this is a good recommendation for you. It can already serve as a mini-theater, and you can also do it while lying on your bed.
Comfortable, right?
It has a built-in 64 GB memory but also expandable to 512 GB with a microSD card. This memory size would be enough to store all your essential files.
The camera specs of this phone are outstanding as well; the front and back cameras are both 25 MP, and it has features like ultra-wide and live focus. Taking good photos wouldn’t be hard, plus you can also download several apps from the Play Store to further enhance your raw images.
Specifications:
| Screen Size | 6.4 inches |
| GPU | Mali-G72 MP3 |
| Main Camera | 25 MP |
| Selfie Camera | 25 MP |
| Battery Size | 4000 mAh |
5. OnePlus 6T
The OnePlus 6T is also a phone that can match the specs of newly released smartphones. It has an excellent camera resolution, and it comes with a video editing app.
It has dual back cameras with 20 MP and 16 MP quality. It can shoot super slow-motion videos with a resolution of 1080p.
Sounds cool, right?
Its selfie camera is 16 MP and can shoot up to 1080p videos. Live streaming on your smartphone just got better.
Now the main event for this phone is that it has the fastest fingerprint scanner among other phones with the same feature.
Specifications:
| Screen Size | 6.41 inches |
| GPU | Adreno 630 |
| Main Camera | 16 MP |
| Selfie Camera | 16 MP |
| Battery Size | 3700 mAh |
6. Moto Z4
This smartphone is also suitable for its price point. It has an eight-core processor with a total speed of 2.0 GHz, which can significantly help lessen lag, especially when using multiple apps.
It has a battery capacity of 3600 mAh, which can last you a day or two with average phone usage. What’s more interesting about this phone is that it can support up to 15 W of fast charging with Motorola exclusive technology.
The screen size of this model is 6.4 inches, which is more comprehensive compared to other smartphones from this list. It also comprises of gorilla glass and additional nano-coating for water and dust resistance.
Specifications:
| Screen Size | 6.4 inches |
| GPU | Adreno 612 |
| Main Camera | 48 MP |
| Selfie Camera | 25 MP |
| Battery Size | 3600 mAh |
7. Honor View 10
Need your phone by your side all the time? The charging speed of this smartphone can help you with that.
The charging speed of this phone is 22.5 W; you can fully charge your phone in less than an hour. You won’t spend a long time waiting beside that plug while your phone is charging.
An exceptional feature of this phone is that it has facial recognition. You’ll feel more secure because its only your face that can unlock the phone.
With a Kirin 970 processor running 2.36 GHz, apps will always run smoothly even with games that have excellent graphics.
Specifications:
| Screen Size | 5.99 inches |
| GPU | Mali-G72 MP12 |
| Main Camera | 16 MP |
| Selfie Camera | 13 MP |
| Battery Size | 3750 mAh |
8. Xiaomi Mi Note 10
The screen size of this smartphone is just out of this world for something below 500 USD. The Xiaomi Mi Note 10 has a 6.47-inch screen gorilla glass screen with a PPI rating of 398 and an in-screen fingerprint reader.
It has a storage size of 128 GB and a 6 GB RAM, which I believe is enough for our daily app activities.
The camera of this phone is unbelievable too. It has a five-lens cam at the back totaling 108 MP of resolution and a 32 MP selfie camera.
The battery size is 5260 mAh, which can surely last for two days with regular phone activity.
Specifications:
| Screen Size | 6.47 inches |
| GPU | Adreno 618 |
| Main Camera | 108 MP |
| Selfie Camera | 32 MP |
| Battery Size | 5260 mAh |
9. Motorola One Hyper
This unit is another smartphone in the big screen department. It has a 6.5-inch screen that supports Full HD resolution and with a PPI rating of 395.
It has a battery capacity of 4000 mAh, and it can charge with a speed of 45 W. Isn’t that fast?
It has a dual back camera with a 64 MP resolution and a front camera of 32 MP. Your next display photo wouldn’t be an issue anymore.
The light sensitivity of the lenses is also outstanding. It could still deliver high-quality images even at low-light sceneries.
Specifications:
| Screen Size | 6.5 inches |
| GPU | Adreno 612 |
| Main Camera | 64 MP |
| Selfie Camera | 32 MP |
| Battery Size | 4000 mAh |
10. Huawei Nova 5T
Huawei is one of the brands that had a return in the smartphone game. They have sold around 200 million units last 2018, and they are producing more these coming years.
The Huawei Nova 5T has a screen size of 6.26 inches that supports Full HD display. Screen size is above average for this price range.
It has an internal memory of 128 GB and 8 GB RAM and running an octa-core 980 Kirin processor. These are essential to know because they’ll help in running your apps smoothly.
It has a back camera resolution of 48 MP and a front camera of 32 MP.
Specifications:
| Screen Size | 6.26 inches |
| GPU | Mali-G76 MP10 |
| Main Camera | 48 MP |
| Selfie Camera | 32 MP |
| Battery Size | 3750 mAh |
11. Oppo A9
Oppo is relatively new compared to brands like Nokia and Samsung, but the quality of their smartphones can compete too.
The Oppo A9 has a screen size of 6.53 inches, which is ideal for watching our favorite movies. Pairing it with a 4020 mAh battery is the perfect combination; watching all day won’t be much of an issue.
It also has an internal memory of 128 GB, which is relatively large for any smartphone today.
Specifications:
| Screen Size | 6.5 inches |
| GPU | Adreno 610 |
| Main Camera | 48 MP |
| Selfie Camera | 16 MP |
| Battery Size | 5000 mAh |
12. Huawei P30
Last in our list of the best phones under 500 USD is another phone from Huawei. This brand never fails to impress us with budget smartphones.
Huawei’s smartphones are known for their superior camera quality. This phone has four back lenses that have different functions for photography.
One camera is 40 MP, which is specific for wide-angled shots. It also has lenses for telephoto and ultrawide angles.
What makes Huawei’s camera good is its partnership with Leica. Leica is known as an excellent brand when it comes to photography.
But here’s the thing:
That’s not everything this phone has to offer. It also has a screen size of 6.1 inches and a Mali-G76 MP10 processor.
Specifications:
| Screen Size | 6.1 inches |
| GPU | Mali-G76 MP10 |
| Main Camera | 40 MP |
| Selfie Camera | 32 MP |
| Battery Size | 3650 mAh |
Suggested reads:
5 Best Phones for Outdoor Travel in 2021
6 Worst Smartphones Ever Existed That You Must Know
10 Best Phones for Business in 2020 (Android Smartphones)
Questions You Might Ask
Which smartphone has the best camera quality?
Each smartphone in our list has different resolutions and lenses, but if we were to choose one, it would be the Huawei P30. Even though it only has 40 MP, the Leica lens can suffice the difference in megapixels.
What phone should I get if I’m an avid movie fan?
For movie enthusiasts, we suggest the Motorola One Hyper because it has a widescreen, a big battery, and a fast-charging speed.
What phone is best for gaming?
Gamers should try the Honor View 10. It has a processor speed of 2.36 GHz, which we believe is enough for the perfect gaming experience.
Best phones under 500 USD – Get yours right now!
Every phone in our list has different edges against each other. There are ones that are good for watching, for gaming, and also for business.
What’s common among these phones is that they are affordable, and they are within our budget range. Having a low budget phone doesn’t necessarily mean that they are low quality too, they just have different specialties, and it’s on you to choose.
Share your thoughts with us if you think this list helped you narrow down your choices. Leave a message on our comment section below.
