So you have a budget of 500 AUD and you want a phone that fits into that price category. Today, we have a list of the best phones under 500 AUD. There are a lot of smartphones within that price but we only shared the best ones available. If you decided to pick any phones listed below just know that you are getting value for money. They have the best design, camera, performance, and battery life you can find.
The phones are also available anywhere in Australia. Redmi and Samsung A series phones are usually budget phones from the brands and they dominate the list. We have tried some of the phones on the list personally so we know what using them feels like. If you are in the market for a phone below 500 Australian dollars then welcome. You can also check The Top 10 Best Phones Under $500 [October 2022 Edition]
Sit back and read through while comparing all the phones to find out the best one for you. You will definitely find a perfect budget phone for yourself after reading.
The 10 Best Phones Under 500 AUD in 2023
1. Samsung Galaxy S22 5G
If you want a flagship experience in 2023 for around $500 AUD then the Samsung Galaxy S22 is the perfect phone for you. It has a premium glass build with aluminum frame and an IP68 water and dust resistance rating. The phone has a 6.1 inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1080p resolution. It has a compact form factor and it is receiving the Android 14 and One UI 6 update. The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 with 8GB RAM and 128 or 256 GB storage space. It has a 50MP primary camera, and a 10MP selfie camera. The battery is 3700mAh and that is one of the downsides of the phone. If you are a heavy user you might not get as much battery life as you want.
2. Pixel 7A
The Pixel 7A is one of the best phones under 500 AUD. It has a unique plastic design with a visor that houses the cameras. Google used plastic on the phone to keep the price low. It also has an IP67 water and dust resistance rating. The display is OLED with 90Hz refresh rate and a full HD+ resolution. it has a compact form factor and it is running on Android 14. The phone is powered by the second-generation tensor chipset from Google. You get 128GB storage space and 8GB RAM when you buy the device. It has a 64MP primary camera and a 13MP selfie camera. It is one of the best camera systems within the price category. The battery is 4385mAh and it supports 18 watts fast charging.
3. Redmi Note 12 Pro+
The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ is one of the best budget phones you can buy at the moment. Although it is a budget phone xiaomi didn’t play with the design because it has a glass back, with an IP53 dust and splash resistance rating. It has an OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1080p resolution. It is running on Android 12 and MIUI 13 is the user interface. The phone is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1080 with 8 or 12 GB RAM and 128 or 256 GB storage space. The primary camera is 200MP and the selfie camera is 16MP. The battery is 5000mAh and it supports 120 watts fast charging. It takes around 19 minutes to charge the phone from zero to hundred.
4. Poco X5 Pro
The Poco X5 Pro is another budget friendly option with an AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1080p resolution. It has a plastic build at the back with an IP53 water and dust resistance rating. The phone is running on Android 12 and MIUI 14 for Poco is the interface. The Snapdragon 778G 5 G powers it with 6 or 8GB RAM and up to 256GB storage space. The primary camera is 108MP and it has a 16MP selfie camera. It has a 5000mAh battery and the phone supports 67 watts fast charging. It is one of the best phones under $500 AUD.
5. Honor 90 Lite
The Honor 90 Lite has a good plastic build with support for 5G connectivity. It has an IPS LCD with 90Hz refresh rate and 1080p resolution. The display size is 6.7 inches and it has minimal bezels for its price point. It is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6020 with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage space. It is running on Android 13 and Magic UI 7.1 is the user interface. The primary camera is 100MP and we have a 16MP selfie camera on the phone. It has a 4500mAh battery and it supports 35 watts fast charging.
6. Poco F5
The Poco F5 is another option with a budget around 500 AUD. It has a plastic build with an IP53 dust and splash rating. It is powered by the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 with 8 or 12GB RAM and 256GB storage space. The phone is running on Android 13 and MIUI 14 for Poco is the user interface. it has a 6.67 inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1080p resolution. The display can also reach 1000 nits of brightness outdoors. It has a 64MP primary camera and a 16MP selfie camera. It has a 5000mAh battery and 67 watts fast charging support. The phone charge from zero to hundred in 46 minutes. It is also available in a number of colors.
7. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE was released in early 2022 and it is one of the best phones for under 500 Australian dollars. It is powered by the snapdragon 888 and it comes with 6 or 8GB RAM. The phone has a 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with a Full HD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It has plastic at the back, with an aluminum frame. The phone also has IP68 water and dust resistance rating.
It runs on Android 12 and OneUI 4 and it will get the Android 13 upgrade and OneUI 5. The main camera is 12MP and the selfie camera is 32MP. They can both shoot 4K videos at 30fps, and it has an optical under-display fingerprint scanner. The battery is 4500mAh and it supports 25Watts fast charging.
8. Redmi Note 11S
The Redmi Note 11S is another great budget option that cost far less than 500 AUD. It comes with an AMOLED display with 1080p and a 90Hz refresh rate. The phone has an IP53 splash and dust resistance rating. It is powered by the MediaTek Helio G96 and it comes with 6 or 8GB RAM. The phone has a 108MP primary camera, with a 16MP selfie camera. It has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner with a stereo speaker.
It comes with a 5000mAh battery and it supports 33Watts fast charging. You can pick the phone up in different color options.
9. OnePlus Nord CE 2
The OnePlus Nord CE 2 is a great option if you want a budget phone that cost below 500 AUD. It comes with a typical OnePlus build, and it has an AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. The display size is 6.43 inches with a 1080p resolution. It runs on Android 12 and OxygenOS 12 is the user interface.
The phone is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 900 and it has 6 or 8GB RAM and 128GB storage space. It has a 64MP main camera and a 16MP selfie camera. The phone also has an optical under-display fingerprint scanner. It has a 4500mAh battery and it supports 65Watts fast charging. The OnePlus Nord CE 2 is one of the best phones under 500 AUD.
10. Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
The Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G has a bright 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1080p resolution. It has a premium build quality with an optical under-display fingerprint scanner. The phone also has IP67 water and dust resistance rating. It runs on Android 12 and OneUI 5 as the user interface.
The Snapdragon 778 5 G powers the phone with up to 8GB RAM and 256GB storage space. It has a 64MP camera and a 32MP selfie camera that can both shoot 4K videos. The phone has a 4500mAh battery and it supports 25Watts fast charging.
A Quick Recap – Best Phones under 500 AUD in Australia 2022:
- Samsung Galaxy S22
- Pixel 7A
- Redmi Note 12 Pro+
- Poco X5 Pro
- Honor 90 Lite
- Poco F5
- Redmi Note 11S
- OnePlus Nord CE 2
- Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
