Seriously, we’re paying thousands of dollars and even more while buying Apple’s top-end smartphones such as iPhone X and newly announced Apple iPhone XR, XS and XS Max. The Samsung’s high-end Galaxy S9 Plus and Galaxy Note 9 aren’t really that much cheaper. To help you find a cheaper and more budget-friendly alternative we’ve come up with a list of Best Mobile Phones of 2018 Under $500 Australia you can go for without leaving a solid dent on your wallet.
However, if you’re standing in a market and looking for a new smartphone which is having something nicer as compared to any midrange flagship handset, you’ll be encountered with really nice options between AU$400-500 as technology is moving forward day by day and smartphones are becoming more dazzling and super-powerful with an ability to do more, So, without a further ado, let’s have a look at the best cheap smartphones under dollar 500 Australian.
1. Oppo R11s ($559 RRP, $469 Actual)
Do you really like Apple’s latest iPhones? Are you really willing to pay thousands of bucks? If not, then Oppo’s R11s might be for you. Without a doubt, Chinese smartphone brand “Oppo” has a bunch of exquisite smartphone offering an experience which benefits from an open-ended ecosystem of Android while offering a taste of Apple iPhones.
The Oppo R11s boasts a gorgeous 6.01-inches Ultra-wide AMOLED screen with an aspect ratio of 18:9 as well as houses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 Processor and 4GB of RAM. From Oppo, R11s is the Best Android Phone Under $500 Australia and it’s an alternative to an iPhone 8. The camera rig is nice and overall performance is great.
| Display Size | 6.01 inches, 93.7 cm2 (~80.0% screen-to-body ratio) |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 7.1.1 (Nougat) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SDM660 Snapdragon 660 (14 nm) |
| GPU | Octa-core (4x2.2 GHz Kryo 260 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 260) |
| RAM | 4 GB RAM |
| ROM | 64 GB |
| Rear Camera ( DUAL ) | 16 MP + 20 MP |
| Front Camera | 20 MP |
| Battery | 3,205 mAh |
| Colors | Red, Black, Champagne |
The Pros
- Reasonable Price
- Outstanding Camera
- 1080p Display
- Expandable Storage
The Cons
- There is No NFC
- Micro USB Only
- The display doesn’t have Oleophobic coating
Related Article: Oppo R11s – Review, Pricing & Full Specifications ( Australia )
2. OnePlus 6 ($859 RRP, $665 Actual)
The OnePlus 6 is Company’s Best Value for Money Android Phone Australia which is specially made “$400 flagship”. Later, however, OnePlus has been slowly and steadily grown its price but new OnePlus 6 is still an amazing value-for-money offering.
You do get OnePlus 6 with exquisite glass and metal design and powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Chip. There is also a dual rear camera which in most circumstances can easily mate the best camera smartphone around and a fast charging system is quite reliable and faster as compared to any other mid-range smartphone.
All these are making OnePlus 6 stand out from a crowd and, of course, the one when we speak about affordable flagships.
| Display Size | 6.28 inches, 98.4 cm2 (~83.8% screen-to-body ratio) |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 8.1 (Oreo) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845 (10 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 630 |
| RAM | 8 GB RAM / 6 GB RAM |
| ROM | 128/ 256 GB / 64 GB |
| Rear Camera ( DUAL ) | 16 MP + 20 MP |
| Front Camera | 16 MP |
| Battery | 3300 mAh |
| Colors | Midnight Black, Mirror Black, Silk White, Amber Red |
Pros
- Perfect Battery Life
- Fantastic Software Experience
- Good Glass Design
- Brightest Screen
Cons
- Missing Several Flagship Features
- Lacks microSD Card
- Not Really Water Resistant
Related Article: OnePlus 6 – Review, Pricing & Full Specifications ( Australia )
3. Asus ZenFone 5 ($599 RRP, $489 Actual)
Are you looking for Best Android Phone Under $500 Australia? The Asus ZenFone 5 is the right answer.
The handset combines premium appearance alongside an affordable price. It’s made of Aluminum with
Toughened Glass and having large and bold 6.2-inches IPS LCD screen. The handset is powered by
Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 845 which is coupled with Adreno 630 and 4/6/8GB of RAM and
64GB/128GB and 256GB of onboard memory respectively.
Most important of all, users can expand its onboard memory further up to 256GB with a help of microSD
card. There is also a fast charging feature which helps restore juice around 50% in a couple of minutes.
Outback, you’ll see a 12MP + 8MP sensors whereas an 8MP camera is holding its position on the front.
The software is Android 8.0 with company’s own ZenUI skin, offering several customization options.
| Display Size | 6.2 inches, 96.9 cm2 (~83.6% screen-to-body ratio) |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 8.0 (Oreo) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SDM636 Snapdragon 636 (14 nm) |
| GPU | Octa-core Kryo 260 |
| RAM | 4/6 GB RAM |
| ROM | 64 GB |
| Rear Camera ( DUAL ) | 12 MP + 8 MP |
| Front Camera | 8 MP |
| Battery | 3300 |
| Colors | Midnight Blue, Meteor Silver |
Pros
- Bright and Bold Screen
- Marvelous Price
- 3 Different Variants
- Good Color Options
Cons
- Iffy Fingerprint Scanner
- No AMOLED Screen Technology
- Average Amount of Battery
Related Article: Asus Zenfone 5 – Review, Pricing & Full Specifications ( Australia )
Motorola Moto G6 Plus ($498 RRP, $399 Actual)
The little big size of Motorola Moto 6G Plus over Moto G6 is making it fall in the category of Best Android Phone 2018 Australia. The handset is backed by a hard, acrylic frame along with a solid feel. It’s equipped with a 5.9-inch IPS LCD screen with an aspect ratio of 18:9 with a resolution of 1080 pixels.
The brain behind Motorola Moto G6 Plus is Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 with a RAM of 4GB or 6GB, which is good enough for playing games or working on multiple apps at once. The onboard memory is 64GB/128GB with an option to expand it further up to 256GB. It delivers users a good battery life of 15 hours with mixed activities – being powered by a 3200mAh battery.
The rear camera is 12MP + 5MP whereas an 8MP FaceTime is offered bright and detailed selfies and video calls with your loved ones. It’s available in 3 dazzling colors – Gold, Deep Indigo and Nimbus.
| Display Size | 5.9 inches, 89.8 cm2 (~74.4% screen-to-body ratio) |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 8.0 (Oreo), planned upgrade to Android 9.0 (Pie) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SDM630 Snapdragon 630 (14 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 508 |
| RAM | 4/6 GB RAM |
| ROM | 64/128 GB |
| Rear Camera ( DUAL ) | 12 MP + 5 MP |
| Front Camera | 8 MP |
| Battery | 3200 |
| Colors | Gold, Deep Indigo, Nimbus |
Pros
- High-Quality and Eye-Catching Design
- Fast Charging
- Excellent Rear Cameras
- Beautiful Color Options
Cons
- Lots of Bloatware
- Battery Life isn’t Impressive
- Awkward Fingerprint scanner
Related Article: Motorola Moto G6 Plus – Review, Pricing & Full Specifications ( Australia )
Motorola Moto G6 ($399 RRP, $305 Actual)
Under $400, one can’t do better over Motorola’s polished and easy-to-use Moto X4 smartphone. The phone is considered to be the best option for those who are looking for something beyond expectations and fully-baked features but don’t want to spend a lot.
The overall design of Moto G6 has drastically improved over Motorola G5S from 2017. The rear edges are curved and enabling users to hold it more comfortably in a hand. The screen size is 5.7-inches based on IPS LCD with a maximum resolution of 1080 pixels by 2160 pixels resolution.
There is a rear 12MP + 5MP rear cameras and 8MP FaceTime sensor alongside several features such as Phase Detection Autofocus, Dual-LED Dual-Tone Flash, Panorama and HDR. Inside Moto 6G, there’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 Chipset – partnered with 3GB/4GB of RAM for butter smooth performance.
| Display Size | 5.7 inches, 83.8 cm2 (~75.4% screen-to-body ratio) |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 8.0 (Oreo), planned upgrade to Android 9.0 (Pie) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SDM450 Snapdragon 450 (14 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 506 |
| RAM | 4/6 GB RAM |
| ROM | 32 / 64 GB |
| Rear Camera ( DUAL ) | 12 MP + 5 MP |
| Front Camera | 8 MP |
| Battery | 3000 |
| Colors | Deep Indigo, Silver, Blush, Black |
Pros
- Superb EIS for Videos
- Nice Images due to Portrait Mode
- Gorgeous Screen with High Resolution
- Turbo Charge for Fast Charging
Cons
- Average Amount of Battery
- Lacks 4K Video Recording
- Not Waterproof
- Standard Model is only Amazon Exclusive
Related Article: Motorola Moto G6 – Review, Pricing & Full Specifications ( Australia )
Final Words
The Best Budget Smartphone Australia 2018 under $500 are no frills devices. If you’re not willing to spend thousands of dollars on a smartphone, listed above options are offering decent features as well as an extensive amount of eye-catching and jaw-dropping specifications without breaking your bank. They all are competitively priced and can serve you as great as their more expensive counterparts. Above handsets use good CPUs and run on Android’s Oreo 8.0 software and even feature like bezel-less edge-to-edge screens. Perhaps these aren’t having cutting-edge features but can indeed capably manage most of your routine tasks for playing games and working on multiple apps simultaneously.
So, what do you think? Which smartphone you would like to get your hands on? What is the best Android smartphone according to you? Share your thoughts in a comment section below and don’t forget to share it with your techie friends.
