The best smartphones are those that give you great value for money at a low price tag.
If you are looking for a budget phone, you are in luck because major phone brands like Samsung, Google, and Apple now offer features in budget phones that were once restricted to expensive flagship phones. Brands such as OnePlus have brought budget devices to the market that keep the price down with well-thought-out compromises.
Having said all of that, it is hard to find a phone that will do everything right on a budget. Hence, you should prioritize the features that are the most important for you when buying a budget phone.
Apple iPhone SE (2020)
The Apple iPhone SE 2020 is a model that gives you the overall best in terms of longevity, software, battery life, speed, build quality, and camera. Although it is now more than a year old, it is excellent value for money.
The phone has the same 4.7 inch LCD screen that has been used from the iPhone 6 onwards. The screen is small by today’s standards, and the bezels are also bigger.
The design follows the same tried and tested principle that Apple has used over the years, so nothing really new here.
The A13 Bionic processor is not the fastest Apple processor, but it is much faster than average in today’s market. It is good to have such a fast processor on a budget phone.
The longevity of the phone is also good since Apple gives you four years of software updates. Hence, even a few years from now, the Apple iPhone SE 2020 will feel fast and responsive while having the latest security updates.
The battery life is also good, although it is not the best. The phone battery can last an entire day. In this iPhone, you get wireless charging – a feature that is often unavailable at this price range. And since the shape of this phone is the same as many other previous iPhone models, you can find a lot of cases and chargers for it. Finding accessories for this model will not be such a problem. This is something you cannot expect from budget Android phones.
There are single cameras on the front and back at 7 megapixels and 12 megapixels, respectively. These cameras don’t sound like much on paper, but the fact is that this is the best camera quality that you can get for under $500. One point to note here is that the Google Pixel 4A is the absolute best in the sub $500 category in camera quality. Another point to take note of is that night mode is missing.
The iPhone 2020 SE represents the best smartphone that you can buy on a budget. The investment is even lower if you consider it every year, considering that it can last 4 to 5 years, thanks to software updates. With this phone, you have access to a wide array of accessories, the support network, and the vast spectrum of iOS apps.
Google Pixel 5A
The Google Pixel 5A has an OLED screen that measures 6.34 inches. This screen is slightly smaller in the budget category. However, the good news is that it is larger than the previous model’s screen size, which measured just 6.2 inches.
The battery is also bigger at a size of 4,680 mAh. At this capacity, the phone can last a full day, even with heavy use. If you use it lightly, it will last into the second day.
The phone has IP67 water resistance that will protect the phone if you happen to drop it in water or spill something on it.
These are some of the major improvements that the 5A has concerning the previous model. The last version, the 4A, was also a highly capable phone, and the 5A makes several useful improvements over it. The 6 GB RAM, 128 GB storage, and the Snapdragon 765G processor all have robust performance in the 5A Pixel.
One thing that many users will appreciate is the software. It has built-in Android 11 OS and is free of bloatware that phone makers often add to their models. You will get three years of software updates with the Pixel 5A. This is not as long as the software updates that Samsung and Apple are offering. However, this is better than the Android market average.
The phone also has 5G connectivity and is thus cutting edge.
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G is one best Android phones in terms of value for money. It has certain features that you won’t commonly find in a budget phone, such as monthly security updates, IP67 water resistance, and quick refresh screen rate.
The 6.5 inch OLED screen is quite bright and has good contrast, due to which it is high quality. However, the best thing about the screen is the 120 Hz refresh rate. At such a high refresh rate, everything from swiping the home screen to scrolling down social feeds to going through menus feels so much smoother. The 120 Hz refresh rate is something that you might see in more budget phones in the future, but it is pretty rare now, and the Samsung A52 is one of the few budget models that have this excellent feature.
The 6 GB RAM and the Snapdragon 750G processor deliver robust performance. Heavy tasks may occasionally cause some stutter. However, navigation, scrolling, and app switching are all fairly responsive, smooth, and fast. Although the display consumes plenty of power, you can still get through an entire day even with heavy use, thanks to its 4,500 mAh battery.
Bottom Line
Shown above are some of the best smartphones that you can buy on a budget. They offer great value for money at low prices.
