Best phones under £500 in the UK (November 2019)
There are a lot of great phones on UK store shelves today, but many either cost £700 or more to buy outright or are tied to expensive two-year contracts. That might be a way to get hold of the latest and greatest, but it’s certainly not for everyone. These days you don’t have to spend a fortune to pick up a great handset.
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So if you’re looking for a more reasonably priced phone under £500, this guide has you covered. Here are the best phones under £500 in the UK!
Best phones under £500:
Editor’s note: We’ll be updating this list of the best phones under £500 regularly as new mid-range devices launch.
1. Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro
Want the power of a £1,000 flagship phone for less than half the price? Say hello to the Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro.
Essentially a rebranded version of the Redmi K20 Pro for Europe, the £399 Mi 9T Pro packs the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC powering some of the best phones of 2019.
Throw in a 6.39-inch bezel-less AMOLED display, 6GB RAM, an in-display fingerprint sensor, pop-up selfie camera, and a decent triple camera and you’ve got a one hell of a deal.
Xiaomi’s MIUI skin won’t please everyone, but you’ll struggle to find a better phone for under £500.
Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro specs:
- Display: 6.39-inch AMOLED, Full HD+
- SoC: Snapdragon 855
- RAM: 6GB
- Storage: 64GB
- Cameras: 48, 8, and 13MP
- Front camera: 20MP
- Battery: 4,000mAh
- Software: Android 9.0 Pie
2. Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL
What if you could get all of the great features of the Google Pixel 3 in a phone under £500? Say hello to the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL.
These “lite” Pixel 3 phones have an almost identical camera to their premium siblings, which just so happens to be the Pixel 3’s best feature. Not only is the image quality phenomenal for a mid-range phone, you also get Night Sight, Super Res Zoom, Portrait mode, and every other one of the Pixel 3’s acclaimed camera features.
The Pixel 3a and the larger Pixel 3a XL also have headphone jacks, Active Edge for quick Google Assistant access, and a guaranteed three years of updates to Google’s ultra-clean software.
The Pixel 3a is priced at just £399, but if you want a slightly larger screen you can spend a little extra on the Pixel 3a XL for £469.
Google Pixel 3a specs:
- Display: 5.6-inch, Full HD+
- SoC: Snapdragon 670
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 64GB
- Rear cameras: 12.2MP
- Front camera: 8MP
- Battery: 3,000mAh
- Software: Android 10
Google Pixel 3a XL specs:
- Display: 6-inch, Full HD+
- SoC: Snapdragon 670
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 64GB
- Rear cameras: 12.2MP
- Front camera: 8MP
- Battery: 3,700mAh
- Software: Android 10
3. Asus Zenfone 6
Asus’s semi-decent Zenfone series went under the radar for a long while, but that all changed with the release of the excellent Zenfone 6.
The Zenfone 6’s big gimmick is its dual camera which can be used as both the primary and selfie thanks to the phone’s unique rotating camera mechanism.
Related: Asus made a Nintendo Switch and I’m not even mad
That’s not the only thing going for it, however. The Zenfone 6 is powered by top-tier silicon, has a huge 5,000mAh battery, and wireless/reverse wireless charging. It also runs Asus’ ZenUI skin which is about as close to stock as you can get outside of a Pixel or Android One phone.
Starting at £499 for the 64GB version (expandable via MicroSD), the Zenfone 6 is one of Asus’ 2019 highlights in what was a standout year for the Taiwanese brand.
Asus Zenfone 6 specs:
- Display: 6.4-inch, Full HD+
- SoC: Snapdragon 855
- RAM: 6GB
- Storage: 64GB
- Rear cameras: 48 and 13MP
- Front camera: Same as rear
- Battery: 5,000mAh
- Software: Android 9.0 Pie
4. OnePlus 7
If you’re reeling over OnePlus’ decision to take on the big boys with the premium OnePlus 7 Pro and OnePlus 7T Pro, not to mention bumping up the price of the OnePlus 7T beyond £500, then take a deep breath and remember we’ve still got the OnePlus 7!
The OnePlus 7 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, a 48MP primary camera sensor (backed by a 5MP depth sensor), Dolby Atmos stereo speakers, UFS 3.0, RAM Boost, Zen Mode, and gaming mode improvements.
Related: All the 2019 OnePlus phones compared
Otherwise, you’d be forgiven for mistaking the OnePlus 7 for 2018’s OnePlus 6T as they both feature a near identical waterdrop-notched display, in-display fingerprint sensor, and overall design.
The headphone jack is still missing and waterproofing and wireless charging are nowhere to be found, but at a pound under £500 for the 6GB RAM model, it’s hard to argue with what the OnePlus 7 has to offer.
OnePlus 7 specs:
- Display: 6.41-inch, QHD+
- SoC: Snapdragon 855
- RAM: 6/8GB
- Storage: 128/256GB
- Cameras: 48MP
- Front camera: 5MP
- Battery: 3,700mAh
- Software: Android 10
5. Honor View 20
Not a fan of OnePlus’ muted design and spartan approach to software? Then you might want to check out the Honor View 20.
The Honor View 20 is an absolute beast with a sizeable 6.4-inch LCD display, Sony-made 48MP rear camera (f/1.8 aperture) with a 3D Time-of-Flight sensor, and a huge 4,000mAh battery, all powered by Huawei’s Kirin 980 chipset.
The View 20 also has an attention-grabbing design with its V-pattern on the rear glass and a display punch hole like Samsung’s Galaxy S10 series.
Originally available for £499 with 6GB RAM and 128GB ROM and now often found for around the £400 mark, the Honor View 20 joins the OnePlus 7 in offering flagship specs in the under £500 bracket.
Editor’s note: The Honor View 20 launched before the Huawei Android ban so future software updates are expected to be unaffected. That said, you should be aware of the circumstances and potential ramifications of the ban before parting with your money.
Honor View 20 specs:
- Display: 6.4-inch, QHD+
- SoC: Kirin 980
- RAM: 6/8GB
- Storage: 128/256GB
- Cameras: 48MP and TOF
- Front camera: 25MP
- Battery: 4,000mAh
- Software: Android 9.0 Pie
6. Samsung Galaxy A70
Samsung has gone all out refreshing its A series and one of the best new entries is the Samsung Galaxy A70.
Aside from that ultra-glossy rainbow finish, the Galaxy A70’s big selling points are its monster 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display and equally huge 4,500mAh battery that make it perfect for video- and social media-hungry shoppers. With 25W fast charging and MicroSD card support, there’s nothing stopping you from watching movies on the Galaxy A70 for hours.
Read more: Best Samsung phones you can buy right now: flagship, mid-range and budget models
With an in-display fingerprint sensor and that notched, almost bezel-less display, you might be wondering why the phone retails for £369 as standard. That’s because under the hood, the Galaxy A70 drops down from Qualcomm’s flagship processors to a Snapdragon 675. There’s also no IP rating for waterproofing, but you do get a headphone jack.
The Galaxy A70’s triple-lens camera also leaves a little to be desired, though the ultra-wide sensor is a welcome option for capturing more scenery in your shots.
Alternatively, if you really want a Samsung phone but want can’t live with the downgraded processor, you might be able to find the Samsung Galaxy S9 on a deal for below £500 if you shop around.
Samsung Galaxy A70 specs:
- Display: 6.7-inch, Full HD+
- SoC: Snapdragon 675
- RAM: 6GB
- Storage: 128GB
- Cameras: 32, 8, and 5MP
- Front camera: 32MP
- Battery: 4,500mAh
- Software: Android 9.0 Pie
7. Motorola One Zoom
Motorola is all-in on Android One phones and one of its best is the Motorola One Zoom.
As the name suggests, the One Zoom is all about its camera and the 3x optical zoom. In fact, you get four cameras total — a 48MP regular shooter, a 16MP wide angle camera, a 5MP depth sensor, and the aforementioned 8MP telephoto lens.
There are plenty of other things to like about the One Zoom too, such as the stock software, metal and glass build, the 3.5mm headphone jack, and plenty of storage.
The Snapdragon 675 processor will leave a little to be desired for power users, but for camera fans the Motorola One Zoom is a real treat for just £379.
Motorola One Zoom specs:
- Display: 6.39-inch, Full HD+
- SoC: Snapdragon 675
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 128GB
- Cameras: 48, 16, 8, and 5MP
- Front camera: 25MP
- Battery: 4,000mAh
- Software: Android 9.0 Pie
8. Sony Xperia 10 Plus
The Sony Xperia 10 Plus offers something a little different from the other phones under £500 on this list thanks to its “super widescreen” display.
The 21:9 aspect ratio makes the phone far taller than your average smartphone. With more movies and TV content moving to the wider format Sony wants to be ahead of the curve across all of its phones, including its mid-range duo.
Elsewhere, the Xperia 10 Plus comes with a Snapdragon 636 chipset, dual rear cameras, and an impressive audio suite.
Sony Xperia 10 Plus specs:
- Display: 6.5-inch, Full HD+
- SoC: Snapdragon 636
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 64GB
- Rear cameras: 12 and 8MP
- Front camera: 8MP
- Battery: 3,000mAh
- Software: Android 9.0 Pie
If you’re looking for the best phones under £500, these are some of the best options you will find in the UK. We’ll add more phones as new devices become available.
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