The Best Smartphones for Less Than 500 Euros

The smartphone offers a highly attractive overall package due to the Galaxy S21 FE's strong price drop.

The rest of the equipment proves to be coherent: USB 3.2, a 4,500 mAh battery, wireless charging, a good triple camera, and IP68 certification. Samsung also distributes four years of security updates and three Android versions. Furthermore, the Fan Edition is still the only option in Europe to purchase a Galaxy S smartphone with a Snapdragon processor.

The Galaxy S21 FE 5G in Olive color is available on Amazon US for $450.39.

Great performance, long battery life, and a bright 120 Hz AMOLED display – a lot of bang for the buck.

While the 11T allows for wired fast charging with up to 67 W it lacks support for other comfort features, such as wireless charging, an IP certification, expandable storage, or an audio jack. In return, it continues to feature the IR blaster that is so typical for Xiaomi phones.

In the USA, interested users can purchase the device on Amazon at the price $347.50.

The Xiaomi Poco F4 is the classic among the budget flagship smartphones and has now arrived in its fourth generation. Even though the price-performance ratio is no longer as stunning as in the first model, it still offers a lot of smartphones for the money.

The Xiaomi Poco F4 offers a lot of computing power, a bright 120 Hz OLED and good battery runtimes.

With a 6.67-inch AMOLED screen, fast Qualcomm SoC, ample storage, and a 4,500 mAh battery, Xiaomi puts the Poco F4 on a strong footing. The main camera sensor has also been upgraded and takes visibly better pictures. Unfortunately, the manufacturer does not provide any information about the update's duration. 

At the time of writing, the Xiaomi Poco F4 can be order via Amazon, prices starting at $389.99.

The Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE is a really good mid-range smartphone with a slim outline.

While we criticized it for lacking new features of its predecessor when it was first introduced its price took a nosedive pretty much right away, which makes of the lack of new features. The SoC may be slightly weaker, and it comes with the older Gorilla Glass 5 but none of these are noticeable in everyday use.

Currently, Amazon US lists the smartphone, prices starting at $249.50.

Motorola Edge 30 scores with an accurate 144 Hz AMOLED, stereo speakers and fast communication modules, among other things. 

Another advantage of the Edge 30 is its slim build and comparatively low weight. It also already supports Wi-Fi 6E including the 6 GHz band. The battery runtimes are okay, but the Moto smartphone is not an endurance runner. Due to the three-year update supply, it should also still get Android 14. The triple camera can directly use two 50 MP sensors.

At the time of writing, it is hard to find the Motorola Edge 30 in the USA.

The Google Pixel 6a offers a good dual camera and a long update warranty.

The IP67 certification and the USB 3.2 port are also particularly positive. Unfortunately, the Pixel smartphone does not support wireless charging, and the charging speed is not particularly high when using a cord. 

The Pixel 6a can be ordered directly from Google's store, but it is cheaper at Amazon.

High performance and long runtimes is the motto of the realme GT Neo 3T.

The realme smartphone has a triple camera, but you should not expect too much from it. Besides the 64 MPix lens, there are two smaller ones, but they disappointed in the test. The communication modules are modern with 5G and Wi-Fi 6, and the same applies for the charging technology. The included 80-watt power supply fully recharges the long-lasting 5,000 mAh battery within 40 minutes.

The Poco X4 GT is a strong mid-ranger without any real highlights.

In the test, the Poco X4 GT primarily shines with its very good battery runtimes and the main camera also makes a decent impression in daylight. Wired charging with up to 67 watts is also possible. The Xiaomi smartphone does not make any major mistakes. Since there is no AoD, a notification LED would certainly have been useful.

The Poco X4 GT can be purchased directly from the manufacturer's online store, but is also available from Amazon, among others.

The Xiaomi 12 Lite is quite light and has a 108 MPix camera.

The Xiaomi smartphone does not make any real fluff in the test, but it has taken a few steps backwards compared with the predecessor and the update future is uncertain.

Interested users can purchase the smartphone directly from the manufacturer's online store or Amazon US.

Users who want to own a smartphone with an unusual back and light concept will be well served with the Nothing Phone (1).