Inflation has a lot of us looking more closely at price tags lately. While your grocery receipt may be full of bad news, we\u2019ve got some good news, at least: you can get a very good phone for under $500 these days. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Many of our picks run about $400 or $500, but there are great options for $300 and under, too. You can find a bright, high-definition OLED screen or a battery that lasts for days. If you can hone in on the one or two features that are most important to you and you\u2019re willing to compromise elsewhere, you can get a phone that suits your needs for half the price of a flagship. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
What I\u2019m looking for<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n\n\n- Strong software support:<\/strong> At least a couple of years of OS upgrades and, ideally, three years of security updates. There\u2019s no point in buying even a cheap phone if you have to replace it after just a couple of years because it stopped getting security patches.<\/li>\n
- A good screen: <\/strong>Since you look at it roughly two thousand times a day, your phone\u2019s screen is one place you shouldn\u2019t compromise. An OLED has richer contrast and color than an LCD, and the big screens on today\u2019s phones really need at least a 1080p resolution. Faster refresh rates like 90Hz and even 120Hz are becoming more common on budget phone screens, but for my money, a smooth-scrolling LCD doesn\u2019t look as nice as an OLED with a standard refresh rate.<\/li>\n
- Serviceable storage space: <\/strong>If you plan to hang onto your phone for a while, you\u2019ll want enough storage space to accommodate all the system files, photos, and videos you\u2019ll accumulate over the years. Ideally you\u2019ll get at least 128GB built in, but at a minimum I look for 64GB with the option to expand space via a MicroSD card.\u00a0<\/li>\n
- One good rear camera, not four mediocre ones: <\/strong>Upgrades like telephoto cameras and optical image stabilization are rare in the under-$500 class, but you can still expect good, basic performance in good lighting from any modern smartphone. Low light is trickier. Phones in this class should offer a night mode to help with non-moving subjects in very dim light. And there are no bonus points awarded for adding extra macro and depth cameras to pad out the rear camera array \u2014 those 2- and 5-megapixel sensors are pretty much useless.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
What compromises can you expect from a budget phone? Some combination of the following: slower processors, less storage, and lousier cameras than flagship phones, almost across the board. Many have lower-resolution screens, and most lack official water-resistance ratings, wireless charging, and NFC chips for contactless payment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nAnd while we usually recommend buying unlocked phones to maximize flexibility, you might find better deals \u2014 and much lower up-front costs \u2014 by subsidizing your purchase through your carrier. Just be sure to read the fine print and know what you\u2019re getting into because you\u2019ll often need to switch to a pricier plan or add a new line to get that \u201cfree phone.\u201d At the very least, you\u2019ll be essentially agreeing to stick with the carrier for the next two or three years, so make sure you\u2019re happy with its service. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The best iPhone under $500<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n\n
- \n
- Strong software support:<\/strong> At least a couple of years of OS upgrades and, ideally, three years of security updates. There\u2019s no point in buying even a cheap phone if you have to replace it after just a couple of years because it stopped getting security patches.<\/li>\n
- A good screen: <\/strong>Since you look at it roughly two thousand times a day, your phone\u2019s screen is one place you shouldn\u2019t compromise. An OLED has richer contrast and color than an LCD, and the big screens on today\u2019s phones really need at least a 1080p resolution. Faster refresh rates like 90Hz and even 120Hz are becoming more common on budget phone screens, but for my money, a smooth-scrolling LCD doesn\u2019t look as nice as an OLED with a standard refresh rate.<\/li>\n
- Serviceable storage space: <\/strong>If you plan to hang onto your phone for a while, you\u2019ll want enough storage space to accommodate all the system files, photos, and videos you\u2019ll accumulate over the years. Ideally you\u2019ll get at least 128GB built in, but at a minimum I look for 64GB with the option to expand space via a MicroSD card.\u00a0<\/li>\n
- One good rear camera, not four mediocre ones: <\/strong>Upgrades like telephoto cameras and optical image stabilization are rare in the under-$500 class, but you can still expect good, basic performance in good lighting from any modern smartphone. Low light is trickier. Phones in this class should offer a night mode to help with non-moving subjects in very dim light. And there are no bonus points awarded for adding extra macro and depth cameras to pad out the rear camera array \u2014 those 2- and 5-megapixel sensors are pretty much useless.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nWhat compromises can you expect from a budget phone? Some combination of the following: slower processors, less storage, and lousier cameras than flagship phones, almost across the board. Many have lower-resolution screens, and most lack official water-resistance ratings, wireless charging, and NFC chips for contactless payment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nAnd while we usually recommend buying unlocked phones to maximize flexibility, you might find better deals \u2014 and much lower up-front costs \u2014 by subsidizing your purchase through your carrier. Just be sure to read the fine print and know what you\u2019re getting into because you\u2019ll often need to switch to a pricier plan or add a new line to get that \u201cfree phone.\u201d At the very least, you\u2019ll be essentially agreeing to stick with the carrier for the next two or three years, so make sure you\u2019re happy with its service. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The best iPhone under $500<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
\n - A good screen: <\/strong>Since you look at it roughly two thousand times a day, your phone\u2019s screen is one place you shouldn\u2019t compromise. An OLED has richer contrast and color than an LCD, and the big screens on today\u2019s phones really need at least a 1080p resolution. Faster refresh rates like 90Hz and even 120Hz are becoming more common on budget phone screens, but for my money, a smooth-scrolling LCD doesn\u2019t look as nice as an OLED with a standard refresh rate.<\/li>\n
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