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Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Technology
Philip Michaels

I test phones for a living and this is the best phone under $500

Samsung Galaxy A54 in hand showing cameras

Flagship phones may come packed with features, but that can mean high price tags — sometimes in the quadruple digits. Who needs that weighing down their credit card bill? Not me and not you either — not with so many cheap phone options out there right now delivering good value for money.

I should know. As the managing editor for mobile at Tom's Guide, I see all kinds of phones come and go. And the crop of affordable midrange devices as of late has impressed me to the point where I would argue that no one needs to spend $800 or more on a smartphone.

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