Best phones under $500

Buying a phone on a budget can feel like a stroll through a minefield. There are walls in the major electronics stores covered with cheap phones, some from brands you’ve never heard of. In some ways it can feel like a greater risk buying a cheaper phone, even when you’re spending less money.

And yet, there’s never been a better time to shop for phones under $500. The evolution of smartphones has seen upgrades in hardware far outpace the needs of software, so you can now get a large-screen, multi-camera phones and zippy performance, and not give up food for a month.

Back when it launched, the OPPO A74 was one of the cheapest 5G phones available in Australia. It's since lost that title, but remains a compelling option nonetheless. Sacrifices have been made here when it comes the RAM and storage offered by the device, but the OPPO A74 5G is still more than capable enough for light users or those looking for a bargain.

HMD Global's Nokia smartphones might struggle to compete at higher price segments, but there's still to like about them if you're looking to buy a new phone on a budget. The Nokia G21 makes the most of its limited specs, cutting corners where it makes sense and leaning into the things that cheaper devices tend to do well.  It doesn't have 5G, but it does offer up to three days of battery life on a single charge.

Even if it's not the crown jewel of Samsung's budget-friendly Galaxy A series, the Samsung Galaxy A23 4G is still a solid pick at $399. A savvy Snapdragon processor is paired up with a sizable battery and an armada of optical hardware on the back of the device. It's far from premium, but there's plenty to like here.

Even if it's far from compact and loses some marks for iffy camera hardware, Motorola's Edge 20 Fusion packs in an enormous amount of bang for buck. The device makes the most of its larger form-factor, combining 5G connectivity, crisp 90Hz OLED display and all-day battery life to great effect.

If none of the above picks take your fancy, then this device might be worth a look. The Realme 7 5G comes with a gorgeous display and a surprisingly powerful rear camera, helping you to make the most of the faster 5G speeds supported by the device. It’s a good entry-level 5G device if you simply must have the fastest data speeds available, even if it does come at a cost to battery life.

Given the low-spec hardware here, we opted to leave the Motorola Moto G10 out of our round-up. That said, if you're unwilling to stretch past the $200 mark when it comes to buying your next smartphones, then this device is definitely one to consider. 

All told, the Motorola Moto G10 packs in a surprising amount of features for a budget handset. The 720p IPS display isn't much to look at, but the 5000mAh battery ensures that it'll be visible for long time before you need to recharge.

At $199, there are always going to be compromises. Thankfully, the Motorola Moto G10 does a decent job of making the right ones.

We haven't had the chance to pen our review of Oppo's latest A-series device, but the spec sheet suggests it's definitely going to live up to the brand's reputation when it comes to features and overall value.

The newly-announced OPPO A76 boasts a 6.56-inch LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate and a Snapdragon 680 processor. Meanwhile, the back of the device is kitted out with a 13-megapixel main sensor and a 2-megapixel depth sensor that's used to power better portrait photography. It doesn't have 5G connectivity, but it does have 33W SUPERVOOC fast-charging and IPX4 splash resistance.

If you're in the market for a decent smartphone under $400, the OPPO A76 should be a shoe-in for your shortlist.

While the quirks and shortcomings of expensive flagship devices can sometimes take a longer period of regular usage to reveal themselves, a bad budget phone can't hide the truth for long. For that reason, the best advice we can give to those looking at buying a mobile phone under $500 is to try and get some hands-on time with it before spending the money.

Walking into your local Telstra store or JB Hi-Fi outlet might seem excessive, but it's usually the fastest and easiest way to get the answers you're looking for when it comes to buying a budget handset.

• What does the screen look like? The screen resolution (the total number of pixels) is far less important than a good screen with good colour and good responsiveness.
• Is the processor fast enough? Open apps like the web browser and compare how long it takes to load.
• How much storage does it have? Cheap phones may only have 16GB or 32GB of onboard storage and you will find this disappears pretty quickly after you install your favourite apps.

When it comes to the devices on the market for more price-sensitive consumers, smartphones tend to be  pretty homogeneous. Part of the reason for this is that the only options available at this end of the market are those running on Google's Android mobile operating system. With no iPhones in the mix, budget smartphones often boil down to the specs and little else.

It doesn't help that the manufacturers of sub-$500 Android devices are typically less likely to invest in the research and development than they would be with more expensive smartphones due to the smaller margins involved.

When it came to deciding on our picks for the best mobile phones under $500, we kept several factors in mind. This included:

• Display quality and size: Resolution isn't the only thing that matters.
• 5G connectivity: Faster speeds are good, but long battery life is better.
• Build quality and design: Just because a phone is cheap doesn't mean it has to feel cheap.
• Software pedigree: Invariably, the more budget-friendly a smartphone is, the more bloatware is typically involved. We try to recommend devices that veer in the opposite direction.