Remember before the apocalypse when you traveled around the world and didn’t have a care in the world? Google remembers, which is why it’s introducing a new tab to Maps that will allow users to relive past trips.
Google Maps on Android is adding a “Trips” tab in Timeline that will feature a summary of your past vacations, along with information about the places you visited. You’ll also see information like total distance traveled and the modes of travel you used.
The new feature will not only allow users to relive past trips but also share past trips and itineraries with friends and family. When you share a past trip, it’ll include information for hotels, restaurants, and other places you’ve received reservation confirmations for in your Gmail. It’s an easier answer to the question, “Where should I visit?” when people travel.
In addition to a new Trips tab in the Timeline, Google is also planning to bring Timeline to the Photos map view. In Google Photos, users can easily see where on a map they’ve taken photos; it’s a fun way to see where you’ve been and where you enjoy taking photos. With the addition of Timeline, Google Photos users can see the exact path they traveled through photos, like when you drove up the West Coast’s scenic Pacific Coast Highway.
Google said you can choose to show or hide your Timeline from your map view’s settings in Photos, so you’re always in control of the information that’s being collected.
Throughout this unprecedented year, Google has worked to add new features related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and adding a Trips tab to your Timeline is in a way related to the crazy year we’ve all endured.
The company also recently added a COVID layer that allows Maps users to get information about COVID-19 cases in the area. While it wouldn’t be advisable to travel this holiday season, Google Maps will at least make it more bearable by allowing users to easily revisit what their life was like before the pandemic hit.
Finding the best cheap gaming laptop that fulfills all your needs without burning a hole in your pocket can prove to be a herculean task. With eCommerce portals filled to the brim with various SKUs from various manufacturers, you can easily spend hours on end looking for the best laptop that packs in the right hardware required for your favorite games. And the process doesn’t end there.
I, for one, make it a point to go through a couple of reviews for each shortlisted notebook before opening my wallet, which adds another few hours to the process. And for someone who isn’t keeping track of the latest developments in the gaming laptop space, those hours can quickly turn into days. If you don’t want to bother with any of this, then you’re in the right place. Here are our top picks for the best cheap gaming laptops (under $1,000) that you can buy right now!
Navigate this guide to the best cheap gaming laptops:
Powered by AMD’s Ryzen 7 4800H processor, the Lenovo Legion 5 is the most well-rounded affordable gaming laptop in the market right now. Priced at $999.99, the laptop packs in Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics card, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD. The Lenovo Legion 5 features a 15.6-inch full HD (1920 x 1080) 144Hz high refresh rate display with minimal bezels on three sides.
The laptop includes a full-sized keyboard with RGB backlighting and a layout similar to current-gen Thinkpads for a great typing experience. And it has a large offset trackpad that supports Windows Precision drivers for accurate tracking and smooth multi-finger gestures. The Lenovo Legion 5 packs in a respectable 80Wh battery, a substantial array of I/O ports, and a couple of useful software from Lenovo that will help you push the laptop to its limits while gaming.
Speaking of which, the laptop can comfortably run older AAA titles like GTA V and Witcher 3 at well over 60 FPS on average with all the graphics settings maxed out, while newer AAA titles like Metro Exodus and Borderlands 3 run at around 50 fps on average at high graphics settings.
The Lenovo Legion 5 is our top pick as it offers the most well-rounded package. It packs in great hardware and offers impressive gaming performance at an affordable price.
Priced at just $599.99, the Acer Nitro 5 is the most affordable gaming laptop that you can get right now. It’s powered by Intel’s 9th-Gen Core i5-9300H processor, coupled with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 GPU, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 256GB M.2 NVMe SSD. Unlike the Lenovo Legion 5, which has a subtle design, the Acer Nitro 5 goes for a gamer-y aesthetic with angular edges and a loud red/black color scheme.
The laptop also includes a 15.6-inch full HD (1920 x 1080) display, but it’s capped at 60Hz. Given its price tag, Acer has made a couple of other compromises on the Nitro 5. Its build quality isn’t as premium as some of the other notebooks in this post, its keyboard is limited to a single backlight color, and it has a much smaller 57Wh battery. However, none of these things detract from the laptop’s gaming performance.
The Acer Nitro 5 is capable enough to play older AAA titles like Witcher 3 at an average 61 FPS on high settings, and newer titles like Far Cry New Dawn on high/medium settings at an average 50 FPS. When it comes to eSports titles like League of Legends and Rocket League, the laptop can easily push a consistent 60 FPS at high settings.
The Acer Nitro 5 is the most affordable gaming laptop you can buy right now. Despite its affordable price tag, the laptop delivers smooth gaming performance in most modern AAA titles at medium/high settings.
Although the Lenovo Legion 5 is our top pick as it offers the most well-rounded package, if you’re someone who doesn’t wish to compromise on the display, then the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 is for you. While the laptop isn’t as powerful as the Lenovo Legion 5, it offers a stunning display with some decent mid-range hardware.
The laptop is powered by AMD’s Ryzen 5 4600H chip, coupled with the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 SPU, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD. It has a 15.6-inch full HD (1920 x 1080) 144Hz IPS display, which is slightly brighter and more vivid than the panel on the Lenovo Legion 5.
Despite the weaker hardware, the ASUS TUF Gaming A15 is no slouch when it comes to gaming. The laptop can run older AAA titles like GTA V and Witcher 3 at an average 60 FPS at high settings, and newer AAA titles like Far Cry New Dawn and Metro Exodus on high/medium settings at an average 50 FPS. While the laptop’s gaming performance is similar to that of the Acer Nitro 5, it offers better build quality, a more premium display, and an RGB keyboard to justify its higher price tag.
The ASUS TUF Gaming A15 is a great option for those of you who don't want to make any compromises when it comes to the display. And while it isn't as powerful as the Lenovo Legion 5, it still manages to play modern AAA games at a respectable frame rate.
The HP Omen Laptop (15-EK-0019NR) is the only laptop on this list that packs in an Nvidia RTX 20-series graphics card, and it barely even made the cut. The laptop is currently retailing for $999.99 on HP’s website, and it features an Intel Core i5-10300H processor, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 256GM M.2 NVMe SSD.
The laptop packs in a 15.6-inch full HD (1920 x 1080) 144Hz high refresh rate IPS display, a TKL keyboard with a single colored backlight, and a 70.9Wh battery with fast charging support. To accommodate the premium GPU, HP has cut some corners when it comes to the laptop’s build quality and design. But if you can look past these shortcomings, the laptop can offer the best gaming performance among all the options mentioned in this list.
The HP Omen Laptop (15-EK-0019NR) can comfortably run modern AAA titles like Metro Exodus and Far Cry New Dawn on high/medium settings at over 80 FPS, while older titles like GTA V run at well over 100 FPS at high settings. It goes without saying that you won’t experience any difficulties playing eSports titles on this laptop.
If you want to experience ray-tracing and don't want to shell out a fortune, then the HP Omen Laptop 15-EK0019NR is your only option. The laptop packs in Nvidia's RTX 2060 GPU, which will get you your RTX fix.
The G5 SE is the most affordable entry-level gaming laptop from Dell, which is also the only laptop on this list to feature an AMD processor and graphics card. The laptop is powered by the Ryzen 5 4600H processor and the Radeon RX 5600M GPU, coupled with 8GB of DDR4 memory and a 256GB M.2 NVMe SSD.
The Dell G5 SE features a 15.6-inch full HD (1920 x 1080) display that’s capped at 60Hz, a full-sized keyboard with a single-colored backlight, and a decent selection of I/O ports. The laptop is backed by a 51Wh battery, and it features a design similar to other laptops in the Dell G5 Series. While its design may look a bit dated, the laptop more than makes up for it in terms of performance.
When it comes to modern AAA titles, the Dell G5 SE manages to run games like Borderlands 3 and Metro Exodus on medium/high settings at a solid 70 FPS on average. Older titles like Witcher 3 run at well above 90 FPS on medium/high settings.
The MSI GF63 is the most compact and lightweight budget gaming laptop on this list, making it the perfect choice for anyone looking for a portable gaming laptop. The laptop is just 0.9-inch thick and weighs a mere 3.92 pounds, which is quite compact for a gaming laptop in this price range.
It’s powered by Intel’s 9th-Gen Core i7-9750H processor, which is paired with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD. Despite its compact form factor, the laptop packs in a 15.6-inch full HD (1920 x 1080) display that’s capped at 60Hz, a fair selection of I/O ports, and a 51Wh battery.
The MSI GF63’s gaming performance is comparable to that of the Acer Nitro 5. The laptop manages to push an average of 60 FPS in older AAA titles like Witcher 3 at medium/high graphics settings. Newer titles like Far Cry New Dawn and Borderlands 3 run at around 50 FPS at medium/high settings.
The MSI GF63 is the most compact and lightweight gaming laptop on this list. And despite its smaller footprint, it manages to deliver solid frame rates in games.
For over a year now, Chrome OS has featured an Ambient Mode, which could be enabled via a feature flag. Ambient Mode essentially served as the platform’s version of a screensaver, and in version 88 of Chrome OS Canary, the feature flag has been set to true by default.
The new screensaver option appears under Personalization in Settings. When the feature is active, it will show photos, time, weather, and media info — essentially turning your Chromebook into a Smart Display. Before Ambient Mode was introduced, devices running Chrome OS would simply turn their displays off, seemingly in an effort to preserve battery life.
Adding a screensaver makes Chrome OS feel more like a traditional desktop, rather than a tablet with a keyboard. It’s a small change, but it does make a big difference. For the background, users can choose to either show an art gallery of famous works or their favorite photos and albums from Google Photos, the latter of which adds a nice touch of personalization.
Google’s Ambient Mode has become one of the company’s best inventions since its announcement in 2019. There’s nothing all that groundbreaking or complicated about the feature, but it’s just informative enough, and personal enough, to provide users with an improved hands-off experience. With Ambient Mode turned on by default in Chrome OS, you don’t have to wake your device up to get information like time, weather, and more.
Of course, you have the option to turn Ambient Mode off entirely. But if you’re accustomed to using the feature on your phone or Smart Display, it’s probably one of those features you’d rather leave on. It’s unclear, however, what kind of impact the feature might have on battery life, so be cautious if your Chromebook isn’t hooked up to a power source.
Chrome OS Canary is currently on version 88, which is expected to be promoted to stable during the last week of January 2021.
Update: we’ve been hard at work on bringing the next era of the XDA forum to life. The migration has taken a bit longer than we expected due to difficulty in setting up and configuring our new server cluster (because of high cloud infrastructure demand (thanks 2020!)). You can see our original announcement below, but we have the following updates to share:
The name for the new forum template will be XDA 2021
The forum migration will now take place on 11/30/20 and will result in several hours of downtime (we’ll communicate a precise timeline as we get closer to 11/30)
After hearing from many developer, we have decided that we will continue to maintain the resource neccessary to keep XDA Labs running as an app distribution platform, though development on the app will be suspended until we establish a new development team (hopefully by mid 2021), and the forum component of the app will cease to work (though we’ll be introducing our new XDA forum app around 11/30/20)
The original announcement follows:
Today we have some news to share: over the coming weeks, we will be launching a ground-up forum redesign, which we’re calling XDA 2020. We’ve outgrown vBulletin (which was never designed to handle a community our size) and are moving to XenForo, a more modern platform that powers some of the biggest and best forum communities that you might already be a part of. While it’s difficult to pick an exact date for such a large project, we’re currently targeting mid-October 2020 to make this change and we’ll communicate more specifics as we get closer to the date.
While we’ll be gaining a lot with XenForo, including a new forum design with multiple templates from which to choose (two dark modes, two light modes, and even a “classic” template that is similar to the look of the forum today) and overall much better performance, there are a handful of XDA features and products that we’ll be sunsetting. Doing so ensures we can confidently take a step into the future and make a break with some of the more resource-intense features of the past that our small technical team is unable to support. Some of these features you may not have heard of, which is fine; many of them launched without fanfare and aren’t used much.
All DevDB threads will revert to regular threads. DevDB Downloads will be removed, and we are significantly increasing the max file size for the attachment system on Xenforo. Any files uploaded via DevDB should be downloaded as they will be removed by 12/31/2020. To help ease the transition, we’re working on a mechanism to contact developers that have files on DevDB to provide download links and suggestions on hosting files elsewhere.
Real Life Review will be imported and flattened with no interactivity for now. We have some exciting future plans for reviews in the community that we’ll share a later date.
Our current search system, powered by Algolia, will be replaced by Threadloom, which is built for forums, and in our view gives a better search experience.
The main XDA app on the Play store will undergo a major update in the coming weeks to work with the new forum backend. Support for XDA Labs is tentatively ending at the end of this year, but we’re exploring options to keep it going, because we know that a small handful of developers use Labs to distribute their app. We’re hoping to open source and find a team to take the reins and continue development, and if you’re a developer that wants to work on Labs, send a PM to svetius. We’d be delighted if Labs could continue, but as a small technical team and we don’t have the resources to maintain it. Over the coming weeks we will be taking steps to inform any developer that is actively using Labs about this change so they can plan accordingly.
All Tapatalk integrations (our legacy app for older versions of Android & integration into the main Tapatalk app) will cease to work. We recommend any Tapatalk users download the new XDA forum app once it’s available.
Authentication for Swappa, Xposed, etc will no longer work, but we plan to reintroduce XDA authentication shortly.
Our Forum API will be migrated to the XenForo built-in API
Attached to this post you’ll find a handful of screenshots that should give you a good sense of what XDA 2020 will look like, though they’re subject to change as we continue to refine the look and feel of the new templates. Undoubtedly, the migration won’t be perfect as it involves many moving parts. We expect 6-12 hours of downtime when we make the move, during which time we will have the forum in “read only” mode for as long as possible.
We ask for your patience and understanding as we make this big change. Once launched, we will make a feedback thread for issues, bugs, and comments.
We will follow-up once we have a confirmed launch date, and as always, thanks for all of your support.
MediaTek, the Taiwan-based fabless semiconductor company known for its low-end and mid-range smartphone SoCs, announced its first-ever 5G system-on-chip in the form of the Dimensity 1000 in November 2019. Since then, the company has expanded the 5G Dimensity series of chips by launching the Dimensity 800, Dimensity 1000L, Dimensity 1000 Plus, Dimensity 820, Dimensity 800U, Dimensity 1000C, and the Dimensity 720. Now, the company is back with another group of announcements. It has announced the Dimensity 700, which slots in as the entry-level, low-end option in the Dimensity series. It has also announced the MT8192 and the MT8195 SoCs for Chromebooks.
MediaTek Dimensity 700
The MediaTek Dimensity 700 theoretically slots in below the Dimensity 720, but it’s difficult to distinguish between the members of MediaTek’s increasingly convoluted Dimensity chip portfolio. It’s a 7nm SoC with an integrated 5G modem, just like other Dimensity chips. It’s intended for the mass market, and MediaTek says its addition to the Dimensity series gives device makers a full suite of options for 5G phones, ranging from flagship and premium to mid-range and mass-market devices, thus making 5G more accessible for consumers.
The Dimensity 700 has the expected connectivity features including 5G Carrier Aggregation (2CC 5G-CA) and 5G dual SIM dual standby (DSDS), which theoretically gives users access to fast speeds and 5G-exclusive Voice over New Radio (VoNR) services from either connection. The theoretical maximum downlink speeds are 2.77Gbps.
The Dimensity 700 features two ARM Cortex-A76 big cores clocked at up to 2.2GHz in its octa-core CPU, which means the remaining six are ARM Cortex-A55 little cores, although the company didn’t specify their clock speed. Strangely, the Dimensity 700’s Cortex-A76 cores seem to be clocked higher than those of the Dimensity 720. MediaTek also hasn’t specified the details of the GPU featured in the SoC, although we can make an educated guess that it is probably the Mali-G57 in a 3-core configuration, like the Dimensity 720. The chip features 2133MHz LPDDR4X memory and UFS 2.2 dual-lane storage.
The Dimensity 700 features MediaTek’s 5G UltraSave technology, which delivers advanced power-saving technologies to improve battery life, according to the company. It includes UltraSave Network Environment Detection, MediaTek 5G UltraSave OTA Content Awareness, Dynamic BWP, and Connected Mode DRX. The built-in technology intelligently manages a phone’s 5G connection to cut down on power consumption. It’s worth noting that Qualcomm features a similar technology in its 5G Snapdragon chips.
In terms of display support, it’s a bit disappointing to see that the Dimensity 700 once again opts to forego including support for 120Hz displays, as the maximum display refresh rate supported is 90Hz. For mass market devices, this is acceptable, but 120Hz-featuring devices such as the POCO X3 are already making their way to lower price points. The chip supports a maximum of Full HD+ resolution.
The Dimensity 700 supports 48MP or 64MP main camera sensors with AI-bokeh, AI-color and AI-beauty features. The integrated hardware-based imaging accelerators enable multi-frame noise reduction (MFNR) to enable users to capture better photos with low noise even at night.
Finally, the chip supports voice assistants from global brands such as Alibaba, Amazon, Baidu, Google, and Tencent, which gives device makers more configuration options. For international users, only Google and Amazon are relevant for voice assistants.
MediaTek didn’t specify when we should expect the Dimensity 700 to make its way in smartphones. The company’s limited international availability is an issue, as most phones featuring Dimensity chips have been restricted to China-only availability so far, including ones with great value propositions such as the Redmi 10X. In August, the company did state it would make its Dimensity chips available for global smartphones in Q4, but we haven’t seen much momentum on this yet, apart from the T-Mobile LG Velvet, which featured the Dimensity 1000U. When it arrives in phones, the Dimensity 700 will compete with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 SoC, which features newer ARM Cortex-A77 cores and which should also see better device adoption.
MediaTek MT8195 and MT8192 SoCs for next-generation Chromebooks
MediaTek has also announced its new MT8192 and MT8195 chips for the next generation of Chromebooks. The MT8192 is fabricated on a 7nm process and is intended for mainstream devices, while the higher-end MT8195 is manufactured on TSMC’s 6nm process (a step below the cutting-edge 5nm process) and is intended for premium devices. The company promises that with these new chips, brands can design powerful, sleek and lightweight Chromebooks that deliver longer battery life and “incredible computing experiences” from video conferencing and streaming video to cloud gaming and AI-powered applications. These next-generation Chromebooks can have innovative form factors that can flip, fold, or detach while being slim and lightweight. They are promised to offer excellent battery life.
The MT8192 and MT8195 chips both feature a high-performance AI Processing Unit (APU) to power voice and vision-based applications. MediaTek says its APU technology is designed to seamlessly process voice ID recognition and voice control, speech and image recognition, speech to text, live translation, object recognition, background removal, noise reduction, image and video segmentation, gesture control, and Google AR Core-based enhancements, all in real-time. They also have a dedicated audio digital signal processor (DSP) to enable ultra-low-power voice wakeup (VoW) for voice assistants.
With the MT8192 and the MT8195, device makers can design Chromebooks with a variety of camera configurations, as they feature a high dynamic range (HDR) image signal processor (ISP) and hardware depth engine. This gives device makers the option to integrate super-large 80MP 4-cell cameras, single 32MP cameras, or dual camera setups up to 16MP + 16MP for better video conferencing.
MT8195 SoC for premium Chromebooks
The high-end MT8195 integrates an octa-core CPU with four of the latest-generation ARM Cortex-A78 big cores and four power-efficient ARM Cortex-A55 cores to maximize battery life. The chip also integrates MediaTek’s APU 3.0, which provides up to 4 TOPS (trillion operations per second) of performance. Unfortunately, the GPU here is not a high-end variant, as MediaTek has gone with a five-core ARM Mali-G57 (Mali-G57MC5), which is not powerful enough for a SoC intended for premium devices. (The company’s Dimensity 1000+ features the Mali-G77MC9, for instance.)
In terms of memory support, the MT8195 supports quad-channel LPDDR4X RAM. It also supports up to three simultaneous displays. The chip features support for Dolby Vision, 7.1 surround sound audio and a Codec AV1 hardware video accelerator. (Qualcomm has yet to support AV1 hardware decoding in its Snapdragon chips, so MediaTek is ahead here.) MediaTek notes that AV1 hardware decoding uses less data while offering great graphics and smooth video experiences.
MT8192 SoC for mainstream Chromebooks
The MediaTek MT8192, on the other hand, is a lower-end chip with lower-end specifications, as expected. It features two-generations old ARM Cortex-A76 big cores, which is quite disappointing to see as the faster Cortex-A77 cores could have been used as well. The Cortex-A76 cores are paired with the Cortex-A55 little cores as expected. The chip also features a downgraded APU in the form of the APU 2.0, which provides up to 2.4 TOPS. The five-core variant of the Mali-G57 is used here as well, although the company didn’t specify whether there are any clock speed differences between the MT8195’s GPU and the MT8192. 2133MHz LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.1 storage are supported—both standards that are growing long in the tooth already.
The MT8192 supports WQHD displays with 60Hz refresh rate or Full HD+ displays with up to 120Hz high refresh rate. The chip can support two Full HD displays simultaneously.
Both the MT8195 and the MT8192 chips integrate 4K HDR video decoding. In addition, they support PCIe Gen 3 and USB 3.2 Gen 1. These standards aren’t the latest-generation as well.
MediaTek states that Chromebooks powered by the MT8192 SoC will arrive in the market in Q2 2021, while the higher-end MT8195 chip will power premium Chromebooks, smart displays, tablets, and other smart devices, which will arrive in the market at a later, unspecified date. For more details on MediaTek’s new Chromebook chips, users can visit the company’s website.
Looking to get your fitness routine worked out before the holidays threaten to ruin your progress? I commend your dedication to fitness! Best Buy commends that dedication too, and this week, they have a special deal for you. Right now, if you pick up a Samsung Galaxy Active 2 smartwatch, you’ll save $120 on some Samsung earbuds–and that includes the newly released Galaxy Buds Live!
The best part? The Galaxy Watch Active 2 is also on sale! You can save $70 on most of the models. When I added the cheapest available model of the smartwatch ($180), I was able to pick up the Galaxy Buds Live at just $50. The grand total was only $230, which is honestly a pretty great deal on these two items.
This promotional deal also applies to the Galaxy Buds+! If you’re not interested in the Galaxy Buds Live and want to save even more, the Buds+ go for $20 less.
Your total will depend on which version of the Galaxy Watch Active 2 you pick up, though. For me, the 40mm watches work best for me with my small wrists, which is the cheapest of the available models. But those with bigger wrists will probably want the 44mm Active 2, which is $200 (or $20 more than the 40mm size).
There are two special editions of the Galaxy Watch Active 2 that might want to consider, as well. The Under Armor edition allows you to easily connect to Under Armor running shoes, which allows you to track their condition. Just typing that out sounds wild! There is also the Golf edition, which can help you keep better track of your golf games and form. These special editions may be worth the extra price if you’re a big golfer or runner!
If you're looking to get your fitness routine in check, Samsung has the tech to help you get motivated and organized. If you pick up a Galaxy Watch Active 2 from Best Buy, currently $70 off, you can save a huge $120 on a pair of Galaxy Buds Live!
This deal is part of Best Buy’s Holiday Deals event, which offers Black Friday pricing on all sorts of items. If you’re looking for even more deals, give the Holiday Deals page a look!
During the early days and subsequent maturing days of Android, you’d have to fork up several hundred dollars for a flagship smartphone, one that could guarantee a great experience. This panorama was, however, disrupted in recent years. Now, you have a lot of options to consider without needing to fork up obscene amounts of money towards a smartphone. We’ve seen a lot of exciting flagship smartphones this year: from foldable options like the Galaxy Z Fold 2 to more conventional devices like the OnePlus 8T. With so many options in the high-end space, it can be hard to see the vast amount of options you have just one tier below flagships, and how little you lose by going for those options instead of fully-fledged flagships. You can even get 5G connectivity for that price! So let’s see some of the best cheap phones under $500.
Are you looking for a cheap smartphone that will beat it out of the park, but you don’t want to break the bank? Don’t worry — we have you covered! Here are some of the best cheap phones under $500 that you can buy right now in the U.S. We’ll also sneak in some non-US devices that are good enough to actually be worth importing, although we’ll mostly focus on devices that will work in the American market. Let’s dive in!
The Google Pixel 4a 5G is a step in the middle between the Google Pixel 4a, Google’s new mid-range phone we got to know earlier, and the Google Pixel 5, the company’s new flagship smartphone. But as it turns out, it shares a lot more of its DNA with the Pixel 5 rather than the Pixel 4a, despite what its name might suggest. And it’s priced more closely to the Pixel 4a. Bear with me here, though, because it gets better.
It features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, the same processor found on the Pixel 5, and features the exact same camera setup with a main 12.2 MP lens and a 16 MP ultra-wide sensor. It does do away with some things found in the Pixel 5, though: there’s no 90Hz display on the Pixel 4a 5G, it gets 6 GB of RAM rather than the 8 GB in the Pixel 5, and it has no wireless charging. It also has a slightly bigger footprint than both the Pixel 4a and the Pixel 5. But, hey. You get 90% of the phone for $200 less. It’s hard to complain about what we’re losing here.
The Pixel 4a 5G is available for pre-order now. Check it out!
At $499, it is very close to the Pixel 5 in terms of specs and features while keeping the price tag a whopping $200 less, making for an excellent value proposition for a Google phone with stock Android and a world-class camera.
The OnePlus 7T was very easily one of the best devices of 2019, if not the best. It has a Snapdragon 855+ processor, which is still a very capable mobile processor even though it’s almost already 2 years old. And it showed that OnePlus was still able to deliver excellent bang for the buck, with prices for flagship smartphones in a seemingly permanent upward trend. It also enjoys amazing developer support in our forums, making it an amazing deal for enthusiasts.
It was an amazing device then, and it’s still an amazing device now, even with the OnePlus 8T now available and with OnePlus’ new lineup of mid-range smartphones out. Now, it’s one of the best cheap phones under 500 dollars: it’s available on T-Mobile for $449.99, making it more tempting than ever.
At $449, you're getting one of the best devices of 2019, with a Snapdragon 855+ processor, up to 12 GB of RAM, and a 90Hz display. The new launches by OnePlus have only made it an even better deal now than ever.
Google deserves a lot of kudos for the Pixel 4a lineup. While I recommended the Google Pixel 4a 5G earlier on, I also mentioned that the device actually had a slightly bigger footprint than both its older brother, the Pixel 4a, and its newer, more powerful cousin, the Pixel 5. But the Pixel 5 is $700, and we’re talking about slightly cheaper phones. So the logical step down here is the Pixel 4a.
You’re still getting a lot of phone for what you’re paying. The Snapdragon 730G, while a step down from the Snapdragon 765G on the other phones, is still a very capable and snappy mid-range SoC, and one of the best cheap phones under $500. And at 5.8″ instead of 6.2″, you’re getting a more compact phone that does very similarly. Oh, and the camera. Don’t forget the camera. While it has only one 12MP sensor instead of the dual-camera setup in the higher-end variants, it is just as capable.
At $349, you're getting a very capable mid-range Pixel with the same world-class camera on the higher-end models, a Snapdragon 730G processor, 6 GB of RAM, and Google's amazing software. It's one of the best, if not the best, budget phones of the year.
Motorola’s cheapest 5G device to date comes in the form of the Motorola One 5G, a device that immediately stands apart from a crowd of similar-looking phones. The two front-facing cameras are contained within two individual hole punches instead of a single pill-shaped device, which makes it look very unique.
And another very unique thing about it is the battery. It has a 5,000 mAh cell, quite outstanding for a device around this price point as bigger batteries are normally relegated to lower-end, budget devices. And with the 7nm Snapdragon 765G processor on it, we’re expecting a very good mix between battery life and performance out of this phone. It also has a 48MP quad-camera, Android 10, and comes for pretty cheap compared to the alternatives.
Starting at $449, you're getting a 5G-enabled Motorola device with a Snapdragon 765G and a massive 5,000 mAh battery that should be more than able to keep up with you and your habits, no matter how exigent they are.
Moto is taking another of our recommendations here. The Motorola Edge is the smaller, lower-end brother of the Motorola Edge+, Motorola’s first flagship smartphone in years. But it shares the very same outstanding looks that can be seen on the higher-end model. It already looks good in a $1000 phone, and at a lower price point, it looks even better.
The materials aren’t anything outstanding, featuring a glossy plastic back, an aluminum frame, and a glass front courtesy of Gorilla Glass 5. But it has a 95% screen-to-body ratio, has an extra-curved display that extends through the sides of the phone (in a waterfall-like fashion), and the front-facing camera hole punch is pretty small, helping with its premium looks. It has a Snapdragon 765G, up to 6 GB of RAM, and a 4,500 mAh battery.
This phone normally retails for around $700, but you can grab it from Motorola’s website right now for just $500.
The Motorola Edge can be yours for $499 with a beefy 4,500 mAh battery, a Snapdragon 765G, and a waterfall 90Hz display. It's also sporting the looks of a much more expensive smartphone on a budget.
TCL might not be the first brand you think about when choosing a smartphone, but as it turns out, they’re bigger than you think. They manufactured a lot of devices from BlackBerry quite recently, for example, and they also made the newest Palm ultra-small Android phone. This time, though, they are making phones under their own brand, and their two newest ones, the TCL 10L and the TCL 10 Pro have also been released state-side.
The TCL 10 Pro comes with a Snapdragon 675, a very capable mid-range processor, up to 6 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of storage, making for one of the best cheap phones under 500 dollars. The phone is running Android 10 with TCL’s own UI on top and has a planned upgrade to Android 11. TCL is a rising player in smartphones in the USA, and their latest offering is very much excellent for what a lot of people will be using a smartphone. Check it out!
The TCL 10 Pro retails for $449 and brings excellent value to the table with a Snapdragon 675, quad cameras on the back, a stunning display, and up to 128 GB of storage. It's a fan favorite on Amazon, and we see why.
I’ll have to go down quite a bit from our suggested pricing for this one, but it’ll be worth it. The Nokia 5.3 costs less than $200, but for that price, you get a Snapdragon 665 processor, up to 6 GB of RAM, a 4,000 mAh battery, and Android One software based on Android 10. This is Redmi-like levels of value with considerably lighter and arguably better software, as it’s running stock Android instead of MIUI. HMD also does pretty well with updates.
It does have its downsides, though: the rear camera’s overall performance can be quite poor depending on who you ask, but it’s still pretty versatile with ultra-wide and macro sensors. The front camera is a single 8 MP sensor housed in a teardrop notch. It’s still agood smartphone for what you’re paying and it should be able to satisfy most users looking for an ultra-cheap device.
The Nokia 5.3 is an ultra-affordable smartphone packing a mid-range Snapdragon 665 processor and quad cameras for just under $200, providing both the cheapest device and possibly the best value out of this list.
The Samsung Galaxy A51 was one of Samsung’s biggest hits in 2020 for the mid-range specs, improving upon what the company did in 2019 with the Galaxy A50 and the Galaxy A50s. And it was also one of the company’s first mid-range 5G devices with the launch of the Galaxy A51 5G, a 5G-enabled variant of the A51 with better specs such as an Exynos 980 processor.
The Galaxy A51 5G is available in an unlocked flavor as well as in T-Mobile and AT&T. If you go for Verizon, you can get the Galaxy A51 5G UW, a variant of the phone using the Snapdragon 765G and enabled for use on Verizon’s mmWave network. It earns a spot in our list of the best cheap phones under 500 dollars because you can get it on all US carriers and it will be compatible with 5G networks on all of them, making it a bargain for US consumers. Check it out!
The Samsung Galaxy A51 5G is Samsung's cheapest 5G device, featuring an Exynos 980 processor, quad cameras, and support for 5G connectivity across all US carriers. You can also grab it unlocked if that's your sort of thing.
A succesor to the POCO F1, Xiaomi’s flagship killer that brought flagship specs to a dirt-cheap package, has long been awaited by fans and enthusiasts. And that succesor came (sort of) in the form of the POCO F2 Pro (which was actually a rebrand of the Redmi K30 Pro). It is one of the very few sub-$500 devices to be powered by a full, fat flagship-grade Snapdragon 865 processor—and, of course, touting 5G support.
It’s not a perfect phone. It has a 60Hz panel, which might be bad for those that might be coming over from a phone with a high refresh rate display, and the camera performance is not really going to blow you away either compared to other offerings. It’s also not available in the US, meaning that you’ll have to import it if you want to give it a go. But if you really want the raw horsepower the Snapdragon 865 brings on an extreme budget and don’t mind hopping through some hoops to get your phone working on your carrier… then heck, this might be your only choice. It’s one of the best cheap phones under 500 dollars, and very clearly one of the best-performing ones, if not the best.
The POCO F2 Pro brings unparalelled performance to a lower price point, and it's quite likely one of the only Snapdragon 865 devices that you can find right now for under $500. It's also got versatile cameras and a notch-less display.
OnePlus knocked it out of the park with the launch of their first device in their mid-range Nord series, the OnePlus Nord. Not the Nord N10 5G or the Nord N100 that were just announced, just the regular, OG Nord. While the flagship killer vibes that once made OnePlus so great are not here anymore, the Nord returns to this price range while bringing a lot of the DNA from the newer, more powerful OnePlus flagships.
You get Android 10 based on OxygenOS and it’ll be surely one of the first phones in line for Android 11 once OnePlus does a wider roll-out. It also comes with up to 12 GB of RAM, 256 GB of storage, and a 48MP quad rear camera setup with dual front cameras.
It gets an honorable mention because it’s the option that OnePlus is pushing for users looking to buy a phone under $500, yet it’s not available in the US, and importing it might get more expensive than you’d like. The Nord phones that will launch in the US, the Nord N10 5G and the Nord N100, seem more like watered-down versions of the regular Nord, featuring LCD panels, cheaper builds, and worse cameras. The regular Nord is one of the best cheap phones under 500 dollars, as long as you live in a country where it’s sold.
The OnePlus Nord is the company's first smartphone to not feature a Snapdragon 800 series processor, and represents the company's comeback to the mid-range market after the OnePlus X. It also has a lot of the genes from the flagship models as well, and comes just as packed with features.
Here are the options we can recommend for different needs under the $500 price tag. Do you agree with our choices? What would you choose under the different categories. Let us know in the comments below!
