Best phones under $500

You'd be surprised what $500 can afford.

Best overall mobile phone under $500
Motorola G85 5G
Moto G85
Starts at$399
Resolution
Snapdragon 6s Gen 3
Processor
MediaTek Dimensity 810
RAM
8GB
Best smartphone camera under $500
OPPO A80 5G
OPPO A80 5G
From$369
Resolution
HD
Processor
Mediatek Dimensity 6300
RAM
8GB
Best Samsung mobile phone under $500
Samsung Galaxy A25 5G
Samsung Galaxy A25
Starts at$499
Resolution
FHD
Processor
Exynos 2100
RAM
4GB
Best 5G Android phone under $500
CMF Phone 1
CMF Phone 1
Starts at$399
Resolution
FHD
Processor
MediaTek Dimensity 7300 5G
RAM
8GB
Best cheap phone under $500
HMD Pulse Pro
HMD Pulse Pro
Starts at$299
Display
HD+
Proecssor
UNisoc T606
RAM
4GB
Fergus Halliday
Jan 23, 2025
Icon Time To Read4 min read

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 than something more expensive, 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.

Category
Product
Price [RRP]
Availability
Display size
Refresh rate
5G
Icon Star Full  LightBest overall mobile phone under $500
From$399
6.7-inches120HzYes
Icon Star Full  LightBest Samsung mobile phone under $500
From$499
6.5-inches120HzYes
Icon Star Full  LightBest 5G Android phone under $500
From$399
6.67-inches120HzYes
Icon Star Full  LightBest cheap mobile phone under $500
From$299
6.65-inches90HzYes

Motorola G85

Best overall mobile phone under $500

Motorola G85 5G
Moto G85
Performance
4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5
Camera
3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5
Design
4 out of 5 stars
4
From$399
pro Robust features
pro Great display & performance
con No wireless charging
con Lacks eSIM

Pricing and availability only accurate as of last page update.

The Motorola G85 isn't just the best budget phone we reviewed last year, it's one of the best phones under $500 we've ever reviewed. As far as bang for buck goes, this thing is hard to beat. It's got a generous from factor, blazing 5G connectivity, a crisp OLED display clocked at 120Hz and solid battery life.

The camera can be a little bit hit or miss and it's missing a few premium perks but for the asking price, the Moto G85 is a fantastic buy.

Processor
Snapdragon 6s Gen 3
Display6.67-inches, OLED, 120Hz,
RAM8GB
Storage128GB
Battery5000mAh
Rear camera50-megapixel main camera, 8-megapixel ultra wide camera
Front-facing camera8-megapixel
ConnectivityWi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1
PortsUSB Type-C port
Graphic of four teenagers taking a selfie with their prepaid phone

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OPPO A80 5G

Best smartphone camera under $500

OPPO A80 5G
OPPO A80 5G
Performance
3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5
Design
3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5
Camera
3 out of 5 stars
3
From$369
pro Cheap 5G
pro A lot of RAM for a budget-device

Pricing and availability only accurate as of last page update.

There's more to like about the OPPO A80 5G than just next-generation connectivity on a budget. Rather than rely on three or four camera that don't add up to much, this device puts almost all its chips in on a single 50MP main camera sensor.

On top of that, the OPPO A80 is kitted out with a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor, 8GB of RAM and a generous 256GB of on-board storage plus a 5100mAh battery. Those specs might not add up to something that can knock our current pick for the best smartphone under $500 champion off its throne but its nothing to scoff at either.

Processor
Mediatek Dimensity 6300
Display6.67-inch HD+, 120Hz
RAM8GB
Storage256GB
Battery5100mAh
Rear camera50megapixel main camera and 2-megapixel depth sensor
Front-facing camera8-megapixel
ConnectivityWi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.3
PortsHeadphone jack, USB Type-C port

Samsung Galaxy A25 5G

Best Samsung mobile phone under $500

Samsung Galaxy A25 5G
Samsung Galaxy A25
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
4
Camera
3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5
Design
4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5
From$499
pro Brighter Super AMOLED screen
pro 120Hz refresh rate
con Few premium perks
con Only 128GB of storage

Pricing and availability only accurate as of last page update.

Even if it's not the crown jewel of Samsung's budget-friendly Galaxy A series, the Samsung Galaxy A25 4G is still a solid pick at $399. A savvy Exynos 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.

Processor
Exynos 2100
Display6.5-inch, FHD+, 120Hz
RAM4GB
Storage128GB
Battery5000mAh
Rear camera50-megapixel main camera, 8-megapixel ultra wide camera and 2-megapixel macro camera
Front-facing camera13-megapixel
ConnectivityWi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.3
PortsHeadphone jack, USB Type-C port

CMF Phone 1

Best 5G Android phone under $500

CMF Phone 1
CMF Phone 1
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
4
Camera
3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5
Design
4 out of 5 stars
4
From$399
pro Long battery life
pro Awesome modular design
con Night Mode isn't much to write home about
con Inconsistent performance

Pricing and availability only accurate as of last page update.

CMF FTW. Nothing's first foray into thrifty territory is unique and hard to beat. The CMF Phone 1 comes kitted out with a 6.67-inch OLED display clocked at 120Hz, 8GB of RAM and a surprisingly beefy MediaTek Dimensity processor. Throw in two days of battery life and you've got the makings of a machine built to let you make the most of the faster speeds that 5G smartphones are capable of.

ProcessorMediaTek Dimensity 7300 5G
Display6.67-inch, 120Hz
RAM8GB
Storage128GB
Battery5000mAh
Rear camera50-megapixel main camera, 2-megapixel macro camera
Front-facing camera8-megapixel
ConnectivityWi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1
PortsHeadphone jack, USB Type-C port

HMD Pulse Pro

Best cheap mobile phone under $500

HMD Pulse Pro
HMD Pulse Pro
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
3
Design
4 out of 5 stars
4
Camera
2 out of 5 stars
2
From$299
pro Repairability
pro Super cheap price
con Performance problems
con Inconsistent battery life

Pricing and availability only accurate as of last page update.

HMD is now hocking budget smartphones under its own name and while the HMD Pulse Pro isn't a perfect premiere, there's still plenty to get excited about here. Even if it runs on a humble processor that can't keep up with some of the competition on this page, the software experience is clean and the battery life is fantastic.

If you can afford to spend a little more than $500, you probably won't regret it. On the other hand, those who opt to save a few hundred bucks should be able to pick up what the HMD Pulse Pro puts down without too much hassle.

Processor
Unisoc T606 processor
Display6.65-inch, HD+
RAM4GB
Storage128GB
Battery5000mAh
Rear camera50MP wide lens, 2MP depth sensor
Front-facing camera50-megapixel
ConnectivityWi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5,
PortsHeadphone jack, USB Type-C port

Mobile phones under $500 buying guide

What to look for when comparing mobile phones under $500

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.
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How we decided our picks for the best mobile phones under $500?

How cheap is too cheap?

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.
  • Camera: While any smartphone camera at this price-point is going to involve some amount of compromises, we tended to privilege devices with camera hardware that was closer to the current crop of mid-range and premium smartphones out there over those that had less in common with those more expensive devices.
  • 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.
Fergus Halliday
Written by
Fergus Halliday is a journalist and editor for Reviews.org. He’s written about technology, telecommunications, gaming and more for over a decade. He got his start writing in high school and began his full-time career as the Editor of PC World Australia. Fergus has made the MCV 30 Under 30 list, been a finalist for seven categories at the IT Journalism Awards and won Most Controversial Writer at the 2022 Consensus Awards. He has been published in Gizmodo, Kotaku, GamesHub, Press Start, Screen Rant, Superjump, Nestegg and more.