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If you want a new phone this holiday season and your limit is $500, you have fewer good choices than you might expect. Three popular mid-range phones, the Pixel 10a, the Galaxy A57 5G and the Motorola Edge 2026, now list for $599 or more. We checked the price of every phone in this guide on Nov. 3, 2026, and kept only the ones you can buy new and unlocked in the US for $500 or less. These are the best phones under $500 right now.
The short version
Three phones are still worth buying under $500 this holiday season, and the Samsung Galaxy A37 5G is the best phone under $500 for most people.
- The Galaxy A37 5G costs $439.99 on sale at Samsung and Best Buy (list $489.99), with six years of security updates promised from when it was first made in the second quarter of 2026.
- The Moto G Stylus 2026 costs $499.99 and is the only phone here with a built-in pen.
- The Moto G Power 2026 costs $399.99 and has a 5,200mAh battery that Motorola rates for up to two days.
- The Pixel 10a, Galaxy A57 5G and Motorola Edge 2026 all list for $599 or more, so they do not fit this budget unless they go on sale.
- The downside: Motorola’s security update page lists updates for the Moto G Power 2026 only through January 2029, far shorter than the six years Samsung promises for the A37 5G.
We haven’t tested these phones ourselves. This guide is built from each maker’s own spec pages, prices and update promises, checked on Nov. 3, 2026.
The best phones under $500: the quick answer
Buy the Samsung Galaxy A37 5G. It has a 6.7-inch AMOLED screen, IP68 water resistance and the longest update promise of any phone in this guide. If you want a pen for notes and doodles, get the Moto G Stylus 2026. If you want to spend the least and charge the least, get the Moto G Power 2026.
What changes for you: phone prices went up this year, so “under $500” buys less than it used to. The good news is that the best phone at this price did not get worse. It just got harder to find.
1. Samsung Galaxy A37 5G: best phone under $500 for most people
Best for: anyone who wants one phone that stays safe to use for years.
Why we picked it: Samsung promises six Android upgrades and six years of security updates, counted from when the phone was first made in the second quarter of 2026. Buy one now and you still have about five and a half years of security patches ahead. At the $439.99 sale price, that works out to about $80 for each year of updates. No other phone in this guide comes close on that number.
You also get a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED screen, an Exynos 1480 chip, a 5,000mAh battery, IP68 water resistance and a 50MP main camera with an 8MP ultra wide and a 5MP macro camera on the back. Samsung says the phone charges to 60% in about 30 minutes with its fast charger.
The downside: that fast charging needs a 45W Samsung charger, which is sold separately. The camera has no zoom lens, so distant shots get soft fast. The 128GB model is the one that fits this budget; the 256GB model is $559.99 on sale.
Skip if: you mostly play demanding 3D games or you want an iPhone.
Samsung Galaxy A37 5G (128GB, unlocked) · paid link
2. Moto G Stylus 2026: best phone under $500 with a pen
Best for: people who take quick notes, sign documents or sketch on their phone.
Why we picked it: it is the only phone in this guide with a stylus built in, and the pen slides into the phone to charge. The 6.7-inch AMOLED screen runs at up to 120Hz and Motorola rates its peak brightness at 5,000 nits, so it is easy to read outside. It has a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chip, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage with a microSD slot for up to 1TB more, a 5,200mAh battery, 68W wired charging, 15W wireless charging and IP68 and IP69 water protection.
The downside: at $499.99 it uses the whole budget, and the front glass is Gorilla Glass 3, an older and less tough glass than you get on pricier phones. Motorola’s security update page, checked Nov. 3, says updates for this phone stop in April 2029, about two and a half years from now.
Skip if: you would never use the pen. The Galaxy A37 5G costs less and will get updates for longer.
Moto G Stylus 2026 (128GB, unlocked) · paid link
3. Moto G Power 2026: best battery for less
Best for: people who hate charging and want to keep $100 in their pocket.
Why we picked it: its 5,200mAh battery is rated for up to two days, and it is the cheapest phone in this guide at $399.99. It has a 6.8-inch 120Hz screen, a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chip, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage with microSD up to 1TB, IP68 and IP69 water protection and Gorilla Glass 7i on the front.
The downside: the screen is LCD, not AMOLED, so blacks look gray next to the Samsung. Charging tops out at 30W. Motorola’s US security update page, checked Nov. 3, says updates for this phone stop in January 2029, which is a little over two years from now. At $399.99, that is about $180 for each year of updates, more than twice the cost per year of the Galaxy A37 5G.
Skip if: you plan to keep your phone more than two years. In our guide to the best phone under $300, we said this phone is a much better buy if it drops to $300, and that is still true.
Moto G Power 2026 (128GB, unlocked) · paid link
Compare the best phones under $500
| Phone | Price on Nov. 3 | Best for | Screen | Battery | The downside |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung Galaxy A37 5G | $439.99 (list $489.99) | Most people | 6.7-inch AMOLED | 5,000mAh | Fast charger sold separately |
| Moto G Stylus 2026 | $499.99 | Notes and sketches | 6.7-inch AMOLED, 120Hz | 5,200mAh | Uses the whole budget, older glass |
| Moto G Power 2026 | $399.99 | Battery life on a budget | 6.8-inch LCD, 120Hz | 5,200mAh | Updates only into early 2029 |
Good phones that do not fit under $500 right now
- Google Pixel 10a: the Google Store lists it at $599, with a sale price of $549 through Nov. 8. Watch it on Black Friday. If it drops to $499 or less, it is worth a look.
- Samsung Galaxy A57 5G: Samsung lists it at $599.99. It is a step up from the A37 5G, but not $160 better for most people.
- Motorola Edge 2026: Motorola lists it at $599.99, and its own product page says it gets two Android upgrades.
Should you wait for Black Friday?
Black Friday is Nov. 27, 2026, and Best Buy says its early Black Friday deals start Nov. 6. The Galaxy A37 5G is already $50 off at both Samsung and Best Buy, and Samsung’s sale price was listed as valid through Nov. 4, so it could go back up before it drops again. If $439.99 works for you, buying now is fine. Best Buy says it will match its own lower price if one shows up during the holiday season, with limits, so keep your receipt. For the two Motorola phones, waiting is the better bet, since a $100 drop would change how good a deal they are.
Not sure a sale is real? Read our list of Samsung phones still getting security updates before you buy an older model on discount, and wipe your old phone before you trade it in.
How we picked
We checked the current US prices of unlocked phones from Samsung, Google and Motorola on their own stores and at Best Buy, then kept those listed at $500 or less on Nov. 3, 2026. We ranked them on how long the maker promises security updates, then screen, battery and water protection. We divided each price by the years of updates left to get a cost per year, because a phone that stops getting security fixes gets riskier to use for banking and payments. Specs come from Samsung’s Galaxy A37 5G page and Motorola’s product pages.
Common questions
Can a phone under $500 last five years?
The Galaxy A37 5G can, because Samsung promises six years of security updates from when it was first made in the second quarter of 2026. The Motorola phones in this guide will need replacing sooner.
