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 However, you have to be very careful when choosing any smartphone as some pack outdated specifications.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.
Contents
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:
| Rank | Best Mobile Phones Under $500 in the US | Price in the US |
| 1 | Apple iPhone 11 | $499 (64GB) |
| 2 | OnePlus 8T | $479.99 (8/128GB) |
| 3 | Google Pixel 5a | $449 (8/128GB) |
| 4 | Samsung Galaxy A53 5G | $449.99 (8/128GB) |
| 5 | Samsung 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.
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 |
| Display | 6.1-inch Liquid Retina IPS LCD, 625 nits (typ) |
| Resolution | 1792 x 828 pixels, 19.5:9 aspect ratio |
| Refresh Rate | 60Hz |
| Processor | Apple A13 Bionic (7nm+) |
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x 2.65Ghz Lighting & 4x 1.8Ghz Thunder) |
| GPU | Apple GPU (4-core) |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Storage | 64/128/256GB (non-expandable) |
| OS & UI | iOS 13 (upgradeable to iOS 15.4.1) |
| Rear Camera | Dual-Camera Primary: 12MP with f/1.8, dual-pixel PDAF, OIS Ultrawide: 12MP with f/2.4, 120-degree FOV |
| Front Camera | 12MP with f/2.2 |
| Video | Rear: 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps Front: 4K@24/30/60fps , 1080p@30/60/120fps |
| Audio | Stereo Speakers |
| Security | Face Unlock |
| Connectivity | 4G LTE, (2.4/5Ghz) Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC, USB Lighting 2.0 port |
| Battery | 3110mAh |
| Charging | Wired: 18W, Reverse Wireless Charging Available |
| IP Certification | IP68 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.
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:
| Body | 160.7 x 74.1 x 8.4 mm, 188g |
| Display | 6.55-inch Fluid AMOLED panel, HDR10+ |
| Resolution | Full HD+ (2400 x 1080 Pixels), 20:9 ratio |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz |
| Touch Sampling Rate | 240Hz |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Processor | Snapdragon 865 5G (7nm+) |
| CPU | Octa-core (1×2.84 GHz Kryo 585 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 58) |
| GPU | Adreno 650 |
| RAM | 8/12GB |
| Storage | 128/256GB (non-expandable) |
| OS & UI | Android 10 (Upgradeable to Android 12), OxygenOS 12 |
| Rear Camera | Quad-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 Camera | 16MP with f/2.4 |
| Video | Rear: 4k@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps Front: 12080p@30fps, gyro-EIS |
| Audio | Stereo Speakers |
| Security | Fingerprint (Optical Under Display) & Face Unlock (Software-Based) |
| Connectivity | 5G, 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 |
| Battery | 4500mAh |
| Charging | Wired: 65W, 100% in 39 minutes |
| IP Certification | Not Available |
| Colors | Aquamarine 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.
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 |
| Display | 6.34-inch OLED, HDR |
| Resolution | Full HD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels) |
| Refresh Rate | 60Hz |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G 5G (7nm) |
| CPU | Octa-core (1x 2.4Ghz Kryo 475 Prime & 1x 2.2Ghz Kryo 475 Gold & 6x 1.8Ghz Kryo 475 Silver) |
| GPU | Adreno 620 |
| RAM | 6GB |
| Storage | 128GB (non-expandable) |
| OS & UI | Android 11 (Upgradeable to Android 12) |
| Rear Camera | Dual-Camera Primary: 12.2MP with f/1.7, dual-pixel PDAF, OIS Ultrawide: 16MP with f/2.2, 119-degree FOV |
| Front Camera | 8MP with f/2.0 |
| Video | Rear: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps Front: 1080p@30fps |
| Audio | 3.5mm headphone jack, Stereo Speakers |
| Security | Fingerprint (Rear-Mounted) & Face Unlock (Software-Based) |
| Connectivity | 5G, 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 |
| Battery | 4680mAh |
| Charging | Wired: 18W |
| IP Certification | IP67 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.
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:
| Body | 159.6 x 74.8 x 8.1 mm, 189g |
| Display | 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display |
| Resolution | Full HD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels) |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz |
| Touch Sampling Rate | 240Hz |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Processor | Exynos 1280 (5nm) |
| CPU | Octa-core (up to 2.4Ghz) |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB (expandable) |
| OS & UI | Android 12, One UI 4.1 |
| Rear Camera | Quad-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 Camera | 32MP with f/2.2 |
| Video | Rear: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps Front: 4k@30fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Audio | 3.5mm headphone jack, Stereo Speakers |
| Security | Fingerprint (Optical Under Display) & Face Unlock (Software-Based) |
| Connectivity | 5G, 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 |
| Battery | 5000mAh |
| Charging | Wired: 25W |
| IP Certification | IP67 (Up to 30 mins for 1m) |
| Colors | Black, 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.
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 |
| Display | 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display |
| Resolution | Full HD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels) |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz |
| Touch Sampling Rate | 240Hz |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G (8nm) |
| CPU | Octa-core (2x 2.2Ghz Kryo 570 & 6x 1.8Ghz Kryo 570) |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB (expandable) |
| OS & UI | Android 11 (Upgradeable to Android 12), One UI 4.1 |
| Rear Camera | Quad-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 Camera | 32MP with f/2.2 |
| Video | Rear: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps Front: 4k@30fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Audio | 3.5mm headphone jack, Stereo Speakers |
| Security | Fingerprint (Optical Under Display) & Face Unlock (Software-Based) |
| Connectivity | 5G, 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 |
| Battery | 4500mAh |
| Charging | Wired: 25W |
| IP Certification | IP67 (Up to 30 mins for 1m) |
| Colors | Black, 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:
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max Price in USA, Leaks, Renders, Release Date
Motorola Moto G52 unveiled with 90Hz AMOLED display and 50MP camera
- iPhone 15 Pro Max Price in Nepal, Full Specs, Launch Date - September 13, 2023
- How to Choose Your Next Phone: A Comprehensive Guide - September 5, 2023
- How to Watch Asia Cup 2023 Live in Nepal? (Free Methods) - September 2, 2023