{"id":11371,"date":"2023-11-16T05:24:48","date_gmt":"2023-11-15T23:54:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/best-cheap-phone-2023-five-smartphones-for-under-500\/"},"modified":"2023-11-16T05:24:48","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T23:54:48","slug":"best-cheap-phone-2023-five-smartphones-for-under-500","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farratanews.online\/best-cheap-phone-2023-five-smartphones-for-under-500\/","title":{"rendered":"Best cheap phone 2023: five smartphones for under $500"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Some of us take a kind of \u201cI eat to live\u201d rather than an \u201cI live to eat\u201d approach to gadgets. They\u2019re tools that help you get things done, not something you want to invest a lot of time or money in. If that\u2019s you \u2014 and there\u2019s no judgment here from a certifiable gadget nerd \u2014 then you can probably think of more worthwhile ways to spend $1,000 than on a phone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Budget phones to the rescue. These devices are roughly $500 or under, and they\u2019re more capable than ever before. You won\u2019t get all the bells and whistles, but you will save a little money to spend on, I don\u2019t know, actual bells and whistles. It\u2019s your world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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What I\u2019m looking for<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

Strong software support<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
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At least a couple of years of OS upgrades and, ideally, three years of security updates. There\u2019s no point in buying even a cheap phone if you have to replace it after just a couple of years because it stopped getting security patches.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A good screen<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
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Since you look at it roughly two thousand times a day, your phone\u2019s screen is one place you shouldn\u2019t compromise. An OLED has richer contrast and color than an LCD, and the big screens on today\u2019s phones really need at least a 1080p resolution. Faster refresh rates like 90Hz and even 120Hz are becoming more common on budget phone screens, but for my money, a smooth-scrolling LCD doesn\u2019t look as nice as an OLED with a standard refresh rate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Serviceable storage space<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
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If you plan to hang onto your phone for a while, you\u2019ll want enough storage space to accommodate all the system files, photos, and videos you\u2019ll accumulate over the years. Ideally you\u2019ll get at least 128GB built in, but at a minimum I look for 64GB with the option to expand space via a MicroSD card.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

One good rear camera, not four mediocre ones<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
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Upgrades like telephoto cameras and optical image stabilization are rare in the under-$500 class, but you can still expect good, basic performance in good lighting from any modern smartphone. Low light is trickier. Phones in this class should offer a night mode to help with non-moving subjects in very dim light. And there are no bonus points awarded for adding extra macro and depth cameras to pad out the rear camera array \u2014 those 2- and 5-megapixel sensors are pretty much useless.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Many of our picks run about $400 or $500, but there are great options for $300 and under, too. You can find a bright, high-definition OLED screen or a battery that lasts for days. If you can hone in on the one or two features that are most important to you and you\u2019re willing to compromise elsewhere, you can get a phone that suits your needs for half the price of a flagship. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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What compromises can you expect from a budget phone? Some combination of the following: slower processors, less storage, and lousier cameras than flagship phones, almost across the board. Many have lower-resolution screens, and most lack official water-resistance ratings, wireless charging, and NFC chips for contactless payment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The best iPhone under $500<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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