5 Best Mobile Phones Under $500 in the US (April 2022)

Buying a mid-range phone is always a headache. You have a lot of varieties to choose from. However, you have to be very careful when choosing any smartphone as some pack outdated specifications. To help you out, here we have listed the 5 best mobile phones under $500 in the US.

Things to Consider While Buying a Mobile Phone under $500 in the US:

Before you buy a mid-range smartphone costing around $500, you should have basic knowledge of what is the basic specs for a $500 phone in 2022. The $500 phone should be featured with an AMOLED display with at least a 90Hz refresh rate with a Full HD+ resolution. Likewise, it must have OIS in its primary rear camera and should feature a punch-hole design if it’s an android phone. The processor should be Snapdragon 750G or above and it should have 128GB of storage. Now, Let’s have a look at the 5 best mobile phones under $500 in the US.

Best Mobile Phones Under $500 in the US:

RankBest Mobile Phones Under $500 in the USPrice in the US
1Apple iPhone 11 $499 (64GB)
2OnePlus 8T$479.99 (8/128GB) 
3Google Pixel 5a $449 (8/128GB)
4Samsung Galaxy A53 5G $449.99 (8/128GB)
5Samsung Galaxy A52 5G $499 (8/128GB)

Best Mobile Phones Under $500 in the US:

1. Apple iPhone 11

Apple iPhone 11 is the best mobile phone under $500 in the US right now. Although it is over a 3-year old smartphone customers are still looking for it. The handset is powered by a high-end A13 bionic chipset which makes it the fast phone among its competitor. It comes with 4GB RAM and up to 256GB of non-expandable storage. Here, the display was the controversial part. It has a 6.1-inch LCD Liquid Retina display with an HD+ resolution of 1729 x 828 pixels.

Apple iPhone 11 is the Best mobile phones under $500 in the US

The phone has a dual-camera setup on the back with a 12MP primary camera with OIS. It is followed by a 12MP ultra-wide lens with 120-degree FOV. It has better battery backup as compared with iPhone 12 because it has a slightly bigger battery of 3110mAh capacity. It supports 18W wired charging and wireless charging too.

Apple iPhone 11 Specifications:

Body 150.9 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm, 194g
Display6.1-inch Liquid Retina IPS LCD, 625 nits (typ)
Resolution1792 x 828 pixels, 19.5:9 aspect ratio
Refresh Rate60Hz
ProcessorApple A13 Bionic (7nm+)
CPUHexa-core (2x 2.65Ghz Lighting & 4x 1.8Ghz Thunder)
GPUApple GPU (4-core)
RAM4GB
Storage64/128/256GB (non-expandable)
OS & UIiOS 13 (upgradeable to iOS 15.4.1)
Rear CameraDual-Camera Primary: 12MP with f/1.8, dual-pixel PDAF, OIS Ultrawide: 12MP with f/2.4, 120-degree FOV
Front Camera12MP with f/2.2
VideoRear: 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps Front: 4K@24/30/60fps , 1080p@30/60/120fps
AudioStereo Speakers
SecurityFace Unlock
Connectivity4G LTE, (2.4/5Ghz) Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC, USB Lighting 2.0 port
Battery3110mAh
ChargingWired: 18W, Reverse Wireless Charging Available
IP CertificationIP68 dust/water resistant (up to 2m for 30 minutes)
Colors Black, Green, Yellow, Purple, Red, White
Price in the US $499 (64GB)

2. OnePlus 8T

Similarly, the OnePlus 8T has secured 2nd position in the list of 5 best mobile phones under $500 in the US. The phone comes with a 6.55-inch Fluid AMOLED screen with an FHD+ resolution. It has support for a 120Hz refresh rate and a 240Hz touch sampling rate. It has a left-aligned punch-hole cutout that houses a 16MP selfie snapper. On the back, there is a 48MP main sensor leading the quad-camera setup. It is followed by a 16MP ultra-wide lens, 5MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor.

OnePlus 8T is the second Best mobile phones under $500 in the US

The handset is powered by Snapdragon 865 chipset based on 7nm technology. It is coupled with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM where 8GB RAM is paired with 128GB storage and 12GB RAM is paired with 256GB storage. Further, it is fueled by a 4500mAh battery that has support for 65W fast charging and you get a 65W adapter inside the box.

OnePlus 8T Specifications:

Body160.7 x 74.1 x 8.4 mm, 188g
Display6.55-inch Fluid AMOLED panel, HDR10+
ResolutionFull HD+ (2400 x 1080 Pixels), 20:9 ratio
Refresh Rate120Hz
Touch Sampling Rate240Hz
ProtectionCorning Gorilla Glass 5
ProcessorSnapdragon 865 5G (7nm+)
CPUOcta-core (1×2.84 GHz Kryo 585 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 58)
GPUAdreno 650
RAM8/12GB
Storage128/256GB (non-expandable)
OS & UIAndroid 10 (Upgradeable to Android 12), OxygenOS 12
Rear CameraQuad-Camera Primary: 48MP with f/1.7, 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS Ultrawide: 16MP with f/2.2, 1230 FOV,1.0µm Macro: 5MP with f/2.4 Monochrome: 2MP with f/2.4
Front Camera16MP with f/2.4
VideoRear: 4k@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps Front: 12080p@30fps, gyro-EIS
AudioStereo Speakers
SecurityFingerprint (Optical Under Display) & Face Unlock (Software-Based)
Connectivity5G, 4G LTE, (2.4/5Ghz) Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, NFC, USB Type-C 3.1 port
Battery4500mAh
ChargingWired: 65W, 100% in 39 minutes
IP CertificationNot Available
ColorsAquamarine Green, Lunar Silver
Price in the US$479.99 (8/128GB) 

 

3. Google Pixel 5a

Google Pixel 5a is at number 3 on our list of best mobile phones under $500 in the US. It is still a stealer deal if you want a phone with a good camera and good UI. At the back, you get a dual-camera setup. It has a 12.2MP primary sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and it also features OIS. Likewise, the second lens is a 16MP ultrawide lens with an f/2.2 aperture and 119-degree field of view.

Google Pixel 5a

The phone flaunts a 6.34-inch OLED display that supports HDR contents and has Full HD+ resolution. However, it only supports the standard 60Hz refresh rate which is a downside of this smartphone. It is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 and features a punch hole for an 8MP selfie camera. Similarly, the device comes with IP67 certification and can last up to 1m of water for 30 minutes.

Google Pixel 5a is powered by a 5G enabled Snapdragon 765G chipset. It is combined with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. Likewise, it ships with stock Android 11 out of the box which is upgradeable to Android 12. Moreover, the phone has a 4680mAh battery which supports up to 18W charging.

Google Pixel 5a Specifications:

Body 154.9 x 73.7 x 7.6 mm, 183g
Display6.34-inch OLED, HDR
ResolutionFull HD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels)
Refresh Rate60Hz
ProtectionCorning Gorilla Glass 3
ProcessorQualcomm Snapdragon 765G 5G (7nm)
CPUOcta-core (1x 2.4Ghz Kryo 475 Prime & 1x 2.2Ghz Kryo 475 Gold & 6x 1.8Ghz Kryo 475 Silver)
GPUAdreno 620
RAM6GB
Storage128GB (non-expandable)
OS & UIAndroid 11 (Upgradeable to Android 12)
Rear CameraDual-Camera Primary: 12.2MP with f/1.7, dual-pixel PDAF, OIS Ultrawide: 16MP with f/2.2, 119-degree FOV
Front Camera8MP with f/2.0
VideoRear: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps Front: 1080p@30fps
Audio3.5mm headphone jack, Stereo Speakers
SecurityFingerprint (Rear-Mounted) & Face Unlock (Software-Based)
Connectivity5G, 4G LTE, (2.4/5Ghz) Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC, USB Type-C 3.1 port
Battery4680mAh
ChargingWired: 18W
IP CertificationIP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 minutes)
Colors Black
Price in the US $449 (8/128GB)

4. Samsung Galaxy A53 5G

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is number 4 on our list of best mobile phones under $500 in the US. The phone comes with a 120Hz Super AMOLED display with a Full HD+ resolution. It is protected by Gorilla Glass 5 and has a punch hole design for a 32MP selfie camera.

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G

Talking about the rear camera, you get a quad-camera setup. The main camera has a 64MP sensor with f/1.8 aperture and OIS. The second lens is a 12MP ultrawide lens with a 123-degree field of view. At last, there is a pair of 5MP macro and depth cameras for taking macro and portrait shots.

Under the hood, Samsung Galaxy A53 5G packs an Exynos 1280 chipset built under 5nm architecture. Similarly, it comes with 8GB RAM and 128GB of expandable storage. Out of the box, it runs on Android 12 with Samsung’s One UI 4.1 on top. Furthermore, the phone feature a 5000mAh battery with support for 25W fast charging.

Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Specifications:

Body159.6 x 74.8 x 8.1 mm, 189g
Display6.5-inch Super AMOLED display
ResolutionFull HD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels)
Refresh Rate120Hz
Touch Sampling Rate240Hz
ProtectionCorning Gorilla Glass 5
ProcessorExynos 1280 (5nm)
CPUOcta-core (up to 2.4Ghz)
RAM8GB
Storage128GB (expandable)
OS & UIAndroid 12, One UI 4.1
Rear CameraQuad-Camera Primary: 64MP with f/1.8, PDAF, OIS Ultrawide: 12MP with f/2.2, 123-degree FOV Macro: 5MP with f/2.4 Depth: 5MP with f/2.4
Front Camera32MP with f/2.2
VideoRear: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps Front: 4k@30fps, 1080p@30fps
Audio3.5mm headphone jack, Stereo Speakers
SecurityFingerprint (Optical Under Display) & Face Unlock (Software-Based)
Connectivity5G, 4G LTE, (2.4/5Ghz) Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, NFC (Market Dependent), USB Type-C 2.0 port
Battery5000mAh
ChargingWired: 25W
IP CertificationIP67 (Up to 30 mins for 1m)
ColorsBlack, White, Blue, Peach
Price in the US $449.99 (8/128GB)15

5. Samsung Galaxy A52 5G

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G is the last device on our list of best mobile phones under $500 in the US. The device sports a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display that has Full HD+ resolution. It supports up to a 120Hz refresh rate and a 240Hz touch sampling rate. Moreover, it has a punch-hole cutout that houses a 32MP selfie camera.  

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G

The rectangular camera module on the back panel houses a quad-camera setup and a LED flash. The setup is led by a 64MP primary camera that has OIS. There is a 12MP ultrawide lens that is capable of capturing photos with a 123-degree field of view. Similarly, it has macro and depth cameras each of 5MP.

The phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G chipset. It is paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB expandable storage. Likewise, it runs on Android 11 (upgradeable to Android 12) with One UI 4.1 on top. Furthermore, the handset packs a 4500mAh battery that supports 25W fast charging.

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G Specifications:

Body 159.9 x 75.1 x 8.4 mm, 189g
Display6.5-inch Super AMOLED display
ResolutionFull HD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels)
Refresh Rate120Hz
Touch Sampling Rate240Hz
ProtectionCorning Gorilla Glass 5
ProcessorQualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G (8nm)
CPUOcta-core (2x 2.2Ghz Kryo 570 & 6x 1.8Ghz Kryo 570)
RAM8GB
Storage128GB (expandable)
OS & UIAndroid 11 (Upgradeable to Android 12), One UI 4.1
Rear CameraQuad-Camera Primary: 64MP with f/1.8, PDAF, OIS Ultrawide: 12MP with f/2.2, 123-degree FOV Macro: 5MP with f/2.4 Depth: 5MP with f/2.4
Front Camera32MP with f/2.2
VideoRear: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps Front: 4k@30fps, 1080p@30fps
Audio3.5mm headphone jack, Stereo Speakers
SecurityFingerprint (Optical Under Display) & Face Unlock (Software-Based)
Connectivity5G, 4G LTE, (2.4/5Ghz) Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC (Market Dependent), USB Type-C 2.0 port
Battery4500mAh
ChargingWired: 25W
IP CertificationIP67 (Up to 30 mins for 1m)
ColorsBlack, Blue, Violet, White
Price in the US  $499 (8/128GB)
  • Also, check a video discussing 5 best mobile phones under $500 in the US

Also Check:

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Ronish Dhakal
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