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You can no longer get a decent phone for less than $500

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By Rad Slavov

Published: May 03, 2024, 8:14 AM

Here's an interesting question: can you, or can you not purchase a decent phone for anything less than $500 these days?

And by decent, I mean one that doesn't severely compromise with any major performance area: the camera, the battery life, daily performance, the screen, the software experience...

Of course, I wouldn't expect anything outstanding for that kind of mid-range budget, but you get the idea: $500 is no chump change and it used to get you some pretty functional gear. Unfortunately, as you'll see in the video, the more we discussed the topic of the current mid-range phone landscape, it turns out this is no longer the case.

Let us know what you think in the comments! Should anyone bother with budget phones these days, or should they aim to get last year's flagship on discount?

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Rad Slavov is the Editor-in-Chief at PhoneArena. He joined the media in 2008, right on the cusp of the modern smartphone revolution. Through time and perseverance, he amassed a great deal of knowledge and industry know-how, allowing him to guide and organize the company's growing line-up of talented content creators and ever-expanding content portfolio.

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You can no longer get a decent phone for less than $500

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