The Best Budget Camera Phones Under $500: In the world of high-end mobile photography, you’ll often find that people are willing to pay a lot of money to get incredible image quality out of their camera phones. This can be fine if you have the money to spare, but what if you’re on a budget? In this guide, we’ll explore five of the best budget camera phones under $500 in 2022, all from different manufacturers and each offering something unique that may be useful to you. Whether you want the best low-light camera phone or one with great HDR capabilities, there’s something here for you!
Samsung Galaxy A53
The Best Budget Camera Phones Under $500
The Samsung Galaxy A53 is one of the best budget camera phones you can buy in 2022. It has a quad-camera setup with a 64MP main sensor, 12MP ultrawide sensor, and 5MP depth sensor. Plus, it has a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 5,000mAh battery.
The Galaxy A53 is powered by Exynos 1280 (5 nm) Octa-core (2×2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) processor. This processing power allows the phone to run smoothly, even if it’s not the most powerful processor available. The Samsung Galaxy A53 comes with Android 12, One UI 4.1 as its operating system (OS).
The phone also has many built-in security features: fingerprint sensor, face recognition unlock that works even if your eyes are closed (which is great for using the phone while driving), and Samsung Pay support with NFC tags that can be purchased from select retailers nationwide.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
The Best Budget Camera Phones Under $500
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro is a great budget camera phone that offers a lot of features for its price tag. It has a camera setup with a main 108MP + 8MP (ultrawide, 118-degree, f/2.2) + 5MP (macro, f/2.4) + 2MP (depth, f/2.4). The camera performance is good in both daylight and low light conditions. Cameras have OIS support for steady shots even when the phone is held upside-down or tilted sideways at an angle (which is perfect for selfies). The phone is powered by a Snapdragon 732G processor and has 6GB of RAM. It also has a large 6.67-inch display and a massive 5,020mAh battery. The screen has a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and an aspect ratio of 20:9. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5, so it should be able to withstand some drops without shattering.
One drawback to the phone is the lack of any water resistance rating. However, it’s still one of the best budget camera phones on the market right now.
Realme 9 Pro Plus
The Best Budget Camera Phones Under $500
The Realme 9 Pro Plus is one of the best budget camera phones you can buy in 2022. With a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display, a triple-lens camera, and a powerful MediaTek Dimensity 920 (6 nm) processor, it’s no wonder that the Realme 9 Pro Plus is one of the most popular smartphones in the world.
The Realme 9 Pro Plus supports a 120Hz touchscreen refresh rate for smooth animation and seamless scrolling. It also comes with a 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS
8 MP, f/2.2, 119˚, 16mm (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro), and OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) to let you capture high-quality photos and videos at any time of day or night in any lighting condition—all while keeping your hands steady!
It also has 6GB RAM + 128 GB ROM / 8GB RAM + 128GB ROM options so you can choose which storage size will suit your needs best. The phone runs onAndroid 12, Realme UI 3.0 out-of-the-box with AI enhancements for better performance, battery efficiency, enhanced security features, and more.
Google Pixel 6a
The Best Budget Camera Phones Under $500
The Google Pixel 6a is the best budget camera phone for under $500. The phone has a 6.1-inch OLED display with an HD resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, which makes it easy to watch videos and play games with this phone. It also comes with some powerful specs like a Google Tensor (5 nm) processor and 6GB of RAM.
The Pixel 6a has 128GB (UFS 3.1) of storage space on board so you can store all of your favorite apps and games on this device without worrying about running out of room. The phone’s battery life is also very impressive thanks to its 4410 mAh battery capacity. This can allow you to use your new phone for many hours without having to worry about charging it up before bedtime or while out on the go during the day.
The camera is 12.2MP with optical image stabilization (OIS), and phase detection autofocus. Its 12MP ultrawide camera has a 114-degree FOV with an 8MP selfie camera. The camera also has a lot of features that make it stand out from other phones in its price range, including object tracking, wide aperture mode, and slow-motion video capture.
OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G
The Best Budget Camera Phones Under $500
The OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G is a great phone for anyone looking for a mid-range device with a fast processor, good battery life, and a big screen.
The phone features a MediaTek MT6877 Dimensity 900 (6 nm) Octa-Core processor, 6 GB RAM, and 128GB internal storage. The phone is equipped with a large 6.43-inch AMOLED display screen which offers a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels.
The device’s rear camera is equipped with 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.97″, 0.7µm, PDAF 8 MP, f/2.2, 119˚ (ultrawide) 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro)with LED flash and Portrait Mode, while its front camera is 16MP. The OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G sports a 4500 mAh battery capacity that can be charged using its USB-C port. It also features fast charging capabilities that allow you to charge it from 0% to 100% in just 30 minutes!
Moto G Power (2022)
The Best Budget Camera Phones Under $500
The Moto G Power (2022) is the newest member of the Moto G family. It sports a 6.5-inch Full HD+ display, and it’s powered by the MediaTek Helio G37 processor. This means you can expect a smooth performance from this phone, even while running multiple apps at once.
This phone comes with 4GB RAM and 128GB internal storage space. You can expand this storage space up to 2TB via a MicroSD card slot. The battery capacity is 5000mAh, which is good enough for moderate use.
There are 5 color variants available: Blue, Silver, Dark Grove, Gray, and Ice Blue. This phone runs on Android 11 with Moto Actions built-in — this means you’ll have quick access to gestures such as pinching-to-zoom.