Although flagship phones have become more costly over the years, the market still provides some very decent alternatives for people looking for a high-end phone at a fair price. If you fall into this group and are searching for a new daily driver, keep reading as we take a look at the top five smartphones presently available for less than $500 and a tighter budget of less than $300.
THE BEST SMARTPHONES UNDER $500
- REDMI K50
Let’s start with the most powerful smartphone on the list: the Redmi K50. The freshly released phone does actually include the rather powerful MediaTek Dimensity 8100 CPU, as well as at least 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
The Redmi K50 also has a huge 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz, a touch sampling rate of 480Hz, and a 20MP snapper in the top punch-hole. Meanwhile, the smartphone has three cameras on the back, including a 48MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and a 2MP macro camera.
Finally, the Redmi phone includes a 5500mAh battery with 67W fast charging capabilities. There is NFC as well as an infrared transmitter.
- MOTO G200 5G MOTOROLA
The Motorola Moto G200 5G follows, with the flagship, but previous generation, Snapdragon 888+ SoC, combined with a minimum of 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.
The Moto G200 5G then has a large 6.8-inch display with Full HD+ resolution and a very fast refresh rate of 144Hz.
The smartphone features a 108MP primary shooter on the back, along with a 13MP ultra-wide lens and a 2MP macro lens, and a single 16MP snapper on the front.
Finally, the Moto G200 5G comes with a big 5000mAh battery that supports 33W rapid charging. There is NFC as well as a 3.5mm audio jack.
- SAMSUNG GALAXY S21 FE 5G
The recently unveiled Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is another intriguing smartphone powered by last year’s top SoC, the Snapdragon 888.
The phone then has a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution, a refresh rate of 120Hz, and a 32MP selfie shooter in the punch-hole above. On the rear, there are three cameras: a 12MP primary sensor, a 13MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and an 8MP telephoto lens.
Finally, Samsung’s phone comes with a 4500mAh battery that supports 25W fast charging, 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging.
- VIVO IQOO NEO5 SE
The iQOO Neo5 SE is the first of two devices to be released with the excellent Snapdragon 870. After that, the high-end processor is paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
To save energy, the iQOO phone has a 6.67-inch FHD+ display with a refresh rate of 144Hz and a customizable refresh rate of 1Hz. Meanwhile, the Neo5 SE features a 48MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and a 2MP macro camera for shooting. A 16MP camera is available for selfies.
The iQOO Neo5 SE phone includes a standard 4500mAh battery with support for 55W rapid charging and a 3.5mm audio jack.
- REALME GT NEO 2 5
Last but not least, we have the Realme GT Neo 2, which, as previously said, also has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage.
The Realme GT Neo 2 then features a 6.62-inch Samsung AMOLED E4 display with a refresh rate of 120Hz and a touch sampling rate of 600Hz.
The handset’s main camera has a 64MP resolution, and it is combined with an 8MP super wide-angle lens and a 2MP macro lens. In the front, there’s a 16MP selfie camera.
Finally, the Realme GT Neo 2 is powered by a big 5000mAh battery, supports 65W rapid charging, and comes equipped with NFC.
Now, if you desire a new and powerful smartphone but do not have to spend even $500? We added to this list the top 5 best cellphones for under $300 that are currently on the market, hope it helps.
- POCO X4 PRO 56
Let’s start with the freshly released POCO X4 Pro 5G. The smartphone from Xiaomi’s subbrand is equipped with a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor, as well as up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.
This chipset powers a big 6.67-inch display with Full HD+ resolution, a refresh rate of 120Hz, and a touch sampling rate of 240Hz.
In terms of cameras, we have three rear cameras: a 108MP main, an 8MP for ultra-wide, and a 2MP for macros. A 16MP camera for selfies is located on the front of the device.
The POCO X4 Pro comes with a big 5160mAh battery that supports 67W rapid charging. The phone also has NFC, a 3.5mm audio connector, and an infrared emitter.
- The REALME 9 PRO
The new Realme 9 Pro is another device that uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset. Following that, the processor is combined with up to 8GB of RAM and 1286GB of internal storage.
The device has a 6.6-inch IPS display with Full HD+ resolution, a refresh rate of 120Hz, and a touch sampling rate of 240. Also extremely comparable to the POCO X4 Pro 5G mentioned above.
The Realme phone has three back cameras, including a 64MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and a 2MP macro lens. For selfies, we got a 16MP sensor on the front.
Finally, the Realme 9 Pro includes a big 5000mAh battery with slower 33W charging, as well as NFC and a 3.5mm audio jack.
- REDMI NOTE 11
The newest Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G is another Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 device. The Redmi phone is the first on the list to have a premium 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz and a touch sampling rate of 360Hz.
The high-end features don’t stop there. There is also a 108MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 12MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor. We have a single 16MP camera for selfies.
Finally, the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G has a big 5000mAh battery with 67W rapid charging capabilities, as well as NFC and an infrared emitter.
- HUAWEI NOVA 9
Meanwhile, if you want something smaller and thinner, the Huawei nova 9 is the way to go. Huawei’s device does, in fact, have a more compact 6.57-inch AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution and a refresh rate of 120Hz. Meanwhile, the Snapdragon 778G SoC is in charge of performance, together with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.
In terms of photography, the smartphone has a 50MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 2MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor. At the front, there is a 20MP selfie camera.
Finally, the Huawei Nova 9 comes with a respectable (for its size) 4300mAh battery and support for rapid 66W fast charging.
- OPPO K9S
Last but not least, we have the OPPO K9s, which offer a luxury appearance. OPPO’s mid-ranger has a strong Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G processor, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage.
The smartphone then has a 6.59-inch screen with Full HD+ resolution and a refresh rate of 120Hz, as well as a 16MP front camera in the punch-hole. On the rear, we got a 64MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and a 2MP macro lens. We feature a single 16MP front-facing camera for selfies.
Finally, the OPPO K9s comes with a sizable 5000mAh battery that supports 30W fast charging. Other features include a 3.5mm audio port and the ability to run ColorS 11.2 on Android 11.
IF YOU’RE ON A TIGHTER BUDGET, WRITE US DOWN, AND WE’LL SEND YOU A LIST FOR DEVICES UNDER $150.
