Best smartphones under 500$

                        BEST SMARTPHONES UNDER 500$

Best Smartphones Under $500

It’s a well-established fact that contract phones are the work of evil. They constrict you to harsh monthly payment plans and to the same phone for up to 3 years. Fear not though, there’s plenty of smartphone goodness to be had under the 500 dollar price point. Not only will you be getting a terrific smartphone, but you’ll have the freedom of doing whatever the hell you want with it. Here are the best smartphones under $500.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2

Best Smartphones Under $500

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 might be a year old now, but it’s still a perfectly capable beast. Armed with a quad-core processor and 2 gigabytes of RAM, it can handle anything you can throw at it. It has a large, beautiful AMOLED screen, on of the best in the business. And then you get to the productivity potential of this smartphone and it starts to standout. Thanks to the S Pen, you can easily use this phone to make quick notes, or just look plain ‘business-like’ when you’re holding it. It’s a lot of smartphone for the money.

LG Optimus G Pro

Best Smartphones Under $500

The LG Optimus G Pro is the precursor to the current Google Nexus 5, so you know this is going to be a terrific phone. At just $429, it offers a lot of value for the money. It has a quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor, like the one used in the HTC One. There’s 2 gigabytes of RAM, and there’s a 13 megapixel camera at the back. On the front you will find a large 5.5 inch IPS LED display with a full 1080p resolution. If you want specs at a low price, the G Pro fits the bill perfectly.

Sony Xperia Z

Best Smartphones Under $500

The Sony Xperia Z is a peculiar phone in that it combines style and ruggedness in one package. On the style front, it features a slim body with excellent industrial design. But apart from being a pretty face, you get a dust and water resistant body. Every phone should be water-proof these days anyway. It’s now a slouch either. It has a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor and 2 gigabytes of RAM. On the rear there’s a 13 megapixel Exmor R camera and on the front there’s a 5 inch 1080p display. For $449, this is a very stylish and very capable smartphone.

Sony Xperia SP

Best Smartphones Under $500

The Sony Xperia SP costs just $299, and offers a lot of bang for your buck. Starting off with that 4.6 inch display that has a 720p screen. On this display size, this resolution will be more than adequate. Heck, it’s retina! On the inside it features a Snapdragon 400 dual-core processor with an Adreno 320 GPU. Fear not, this will handle anything and everything you’ll throw at it. There’s an 8 megapixel camera at the rear. Really, if you want great features at a great price, the Xperia SP should be at the top of your shopping list.

Sony Xperia L

Best Smartphones Under $500

The Sony Xperia L is a midrange smartphone that is strictly a value proposition. It has a very basic 4.3 inch 480p display, so it’s not going to amaze you with the eye candy it offers. What it does offer though, is solid specs at a good price. For just $269, you’re getting a Snapdragon dual-core processor with 1 gigabytes of RAM. There’s an 8 megapixel camera at the back, and it has a VGA front camera. It’ll do all the basics of smartphone duties very well, and should play the odd old game with respectable frame rates as well. If it were our decision though, we would just save an extra $30 and get the Sony Xperia SP instead!