The Phone Shelf

Best phones under $500 (October 2026)

Five phones that cost $499.99 or less on their makers' US stores on October 15, 2026, picked on update promises, carrier support and published specs.

Published by Yuriy Andreyev

Published October 15, 2026

Back of a black Samsung Galaxy A27 5G held in a hand in a store, showing its triple camera, with a blank white tag taped across the top
Pictured: Galaxy A27 5G, which didn't make this list. Photo: JGBlue1509, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped) (license)

The Samsung Galaxy A37 5G is the best phone in this price range for most people. It cost $489.99 on samsung.com on October 15, 2026, it works on AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, and Samsung promises up to six Android upgrades and six years of security updates. No other phone on this list matches all three.

Four more phones made the cut, each for a different buyer: a light Motorola with a 3x zoom camera, a Nothing phone with a 144Hz screen, a Motorola with a built-in stylus, and a rugged Motorola for $399.99.

How we picked

We started with every phone we track from Apple, Google, Samsung, Motorola and Nothing that cost $499.99 or less on its maker's US store on October 15, 2026. Then we applied the rules on our how we research page: out go phones with fewer than three years of promised security updates, phones that work on fewer than two of the three national carriers, and phones no longer sold new.

We haven't held any of these phones. Everything below comes from the makers' spec sheets, support pages and stores. The price on each card is the launch price. The text gives the maker's own price on October 15, because three of these five phones cost something different now than when they came out.

Galaxy A37 5G: the longest support for the money

Samsung launched the A37 at $449.99 in April 2026 and raised the price later. On October 15, samsung.com listed the 128GB model at $489.99. That version has 6GB of RAM, the least on this list. The 256GB model has 8GB, but it costs more than this list allows.

On paper you get a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED screen at 120Hz, a 5,000 mAh battery (Samsung's typical figure), 45W wired charging and an IP68 rating. Samsung's US spec page lists security updates through March 2032. Only the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro matches that six-year security window here, and Nothing promises just three years of Android updates. Our guide to how long phones get updates explains how each brand counts.

What you give up: there's no telephoto camera. The rear cameras are a 50MP main, an 8MP ultra wide and a 5MP macro.

motorola edge 2026: the lightest, with a zoom lens

The edge launched at $599.99 in June 2026. On October 15, motorola.com had it on sale for $499.99, with the list price still at $599.99. It fits this list only while that sale lasts, so check the price before you buy.

At 160.5 g with a 6.3-inch Extreme AMOLED screen, it is the smallest and lightest phone here. It is also one of two picks with a telephoto camera: a 10MP 3x lens with optical stabilization, next to a 50MP main and a 50MP ultrawide/macro. Motorola lists a 5,000 mAh battery, 60W wired and 15W wireless charging, and IP68/IP69 water and dust ratings.

The catch is support. Motorola promises two Android upgrades, not a number of years, and its support page lists security updates through June 2029. That is three years from launch, the minimum our rules allow.

Nothing Phone (4a) Pro: big screen, periscope zoom, no Verizon

Nothing sells the 8GB/128GB model for $499 on its US store, the same as its March 2026 launch price. On paper it has the biggest and fastest screen on this list: 6.83 inches at 144Hz. The rear cameras include a 50MP 3.5x periscope telephoto with optical stabilization, and Nothing lists a 5,080 mAh battery with 50W wired charging.

Nothing promises three years of Android updates and six years of security patches, counted from when it went on sale, so through about March 2032.

Verizon is the problem. Nothing's US compatibility sheet calls Verizon support "limited": the phone has to be added to Verizon's device database by hand, and it works only on some 4G LTE bands. On AT&T, Nothing says some 5G bands are missing and Wi-Fi calling isn't supported. T-Mobile works. Its IP65 rating is also lower than the IP68 or better on every other pick.

moto g stylus 2026: built-in pen, fastest charging

The 128GB stylus costs $499.99 on motorola.com, the same as at its April 2026 launch. It is the only phone here with a built-in stylus, and its 68W wired charging rating is the highest on this list. It also has 15W wireless charging, a 6.7-inch Extreme AMOLED screen at 120Hz, a 5,200 mAh battery and IP68/IP69 ratings.

Motorola's support page lists security updates through April 2029 but gives no number of Android upgrades for this model. Inside is a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 with 8GB of RAM, and the rear cameras are a 50MP main with optical stabilization and a 13MP ultrawide/macro.

moto g power 2026: rugged, but pricier than at launch

Motorola launched the g power at $299.99 in January 2026. On October 15, motorola.com listed it at $399.99 with no discount. For that you get IP68/IP69 and MIL-STD-810H ratings, a 6.8-inch 120Hz LCD screen, 8GB of RAM, a 5,200 mAh battery and 30W wired charging. Motorola lists no wireless charging.

Security updates run through January 2029, and Motorola publishes no Android upgrade count for it. The Galaxy A37 costs $90 more and doubles the security window, so the g power makes sense only if that gap matters to you or you want its toughness ratings.

Side by side

SpecGalaxy A37 5Gmotorola edge (2026)Phone (4a) Promoto g stylus (2026)
Launch price$449.99$599.99$499$499.99
Released in USApril 2026June 2026March 2026April 2026
Screen6.7-inch Super AMOLED 120 Hz6.3-inch Extreme AMOLED 120 Hz6.83-inch Flexible AMOLED 144 Hz6.7-inch Extreme AMOLED 120 Hz
ChipExynos 1480MediaTek Dimensity 7450Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3
RAM6 GB8 GB8 GB8 GB
Storage128 / 256 GB128 GB128 / 256 GB128 / 256 GB
Battery5,000 mAh5,000 mAh5,080 mAh5,200 mAh
Wired charging45 W60 W50 W68 W
Rear cameras50MP main, 8MP ultra wide, 5MP macro50MP main (Sony LYTIA 710, OIS), 50MP ultrawide/macro, 10MP 3x telephoto (OIS)50MP main (OIS), 50MP 3.5x periscope telephoto (OIS), ultra-wide (resolution not published)50MP main (Sony LYTIA 700C, OIS), 13MP ultrawide/macro
Weight196 g160.5 g210 g192.3 g
Water resistanceIP68IP68/IP69IP65IP68/IP69
Updates promised6 years of OS and security updates2 Android upgrades, 3 years of security updates3 years of OS updates, 6 years of security updates3 years of security updates
US carriers (maker and carrier listings)AT&T, Verizon, T-MobileAT&T, Verizon, T-MobileAT&T, T-Mobile; Verizon: limitedAT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile

If you want to spend less

Three cheaper phones also pass our rules. The Galaxy A17 5G was $269.99 on samsung.com on October 15 and gets the same six-year promise as the A37, with a 90Hz screen and 4GB of RAM. On motorola.com the moto g 2026 was on sale for $249.99 (list price $299.99) and the moto g play 2026 for $199.99 (list price $249.99), each with security updates through December 2028.

What we left out and why

  • Google Pixel 10a. It launched at $499 in March 2026, but Google raised it to $599 around October 2, as Droid Life reported. It keeps Google's seven-year update promise, so it is worth a look if you can stretch. If you can stretch much further, our Pixel 11 overview covers Google's $899 flagship.
  • Samsung Galaxy A57 5G. It launched at $549.99 in April 2026, and Samsung has since raised it to $599.99 on samsung.com. It has been over this list's ceiling since day one.
  • Samsung Galaxy A27 5G. It costs $379.99 on samsung.com (it launched at $349.99 in July 2026) and gets six years of updates, but it fails our carrier rule. Samsung's US announcement named no carriers, AT&T's list of Samsung phones didn't include it on October 15, and we found no Verizon or T-Mobile listing. We'll look again if two carriers list it.
  • Every iPhone. The cheapest iPhone we track, the iPhone 17e, was $699 on apple.com on October 15.
  • Nothing Phone (3). Nothing's US store lists it at $699, down from $799 at launch, which is still well past this price range.

Sources

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