We’re in the midst of what might be the most unstable time for smartphone prices yet. While everything might look okay on store shelves as you’re reading this, there could be a tariff apocalypse (tari-pocalypse?) headed your way in a matter of weeks or months. Ask Samsung, Apple, and other smartphone manufacturers — as they’ve practically all admitted in their respective Q1 earning calls, the current trade war being waged by the US has left the entire industry on its toes.
That makes right now a pretty solid time to upgrade, and, perhaps, to reconsider what you want out of a smartphone to begin with. Flagships have continued to rise in price — imagine telling someone in 2015 that the Note 5’s natural successor a decade later would start at a whopping $1,300. You get a lot for that price, of course: a big, bright, high-res display; the fastest flagship chipset around; a beefy battery; and practically all of the camera lenses you could ask for.
But in 2025, I’m wondering if the vast majority of shoppers really need a well-rounded flagship package. Sure, some of those elements — a nice display, long-lasting battery life — are practically requirements these days, but I think you can get by without the rest of what makes modern day premium smartphones so expensive. In fact, you can put your savings to better use by buying a mid-range device and utilizing the rest of your savings to supplement your smartphone with something a lot more impressive.
Midrange Android phones aren’t just good — they’re all you really need
And then some
Let’s start with the easy part: the phone. In my eyes, the Pixel 9a is the best $500 you can spend on a smartphone right now, and I don’t just say that to fit into an eye-catching headline. The Pixel 9a shares the vast majority of its DNA with the mainline Pixel 9, right down to its Actua display and promised software support. It’s got a beefy battery, a plastic build that feels surprisingly premium in the hand, and a nearly-unchanged Tensor G4 chipset, give or take a downgraded modem.
I really, really like this phone — I’m still using it as my daily driver, despite filing my review a couple of weeks ago. It contains practically everything I could ask for while cutting corners around elements like on-device AI that even Google understands won’t win over buyers just yet. And have I mentioned my unit’s in a beautiful shade of purple? Someday, OEMs outside of Motorola will understand that colors matter.
Really, it’s the camera system that comes off as the most lackluster element of this phone. It’s not bad — not by a longshot, frankly — but the main sensor isn’t up to par with Google’s more premium offerings, and without a dedicated telephoto lens, you’re only able to (digitally) crop up to 8x for your shots.
However, I’m well aware that plenty of Pixel fans (and haters) alike have reason to be wary of both Tensor as a whole and, more specifically, its Samsung-made modem. While I can’t say I’ve struggled with networking issues on my own Pixel 9a, that’s not a one-size-fits-all experience. Thankfully, the OnePlus 13R, while technically more expensive, is frequently on sale for $500, and offers a similarly excellent experience with some easily accepted cut corners.
That phone gets you a much larger, though equally excellent display, an even beefier battery that I doubt most regular users can kill in less than two days, and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which mixes far better mobile gaming performance with a Qualcomm-made modem. Both excellent experiences, both worth considering, and both factor into the exact situation I’m about to describe.
Related
Skipping out on flagships can open up your budget
Spend those savings on something a little more impressive
When you think about the sort of elements that push people to spend hundreds of dollars more on a device than the $500 or $600 that the Pixel 9a or OnePlus 13R costs, the list is surprisingly short. Better (and more) camera sensors, higher-quality build materials, longer software support, faster and more premium specs — that’s about it. I’d argue both Google and OnePlus have made serious in-roads here, with the Pixel 9a delivering seven years of support and the 13R utilizing a one-time flagship chipset that holds up one year later, but regardless, that’s the list we’re working with.
Smartphones have reached the point where paying $1,300 for a premium device only in order for it to fulfill all of your various needs — regardless of what they may be — no longer makes sense. It’s not that the Galaxy S25 Ultra or Pixel 9 Pro XL are bad devices; rather, the extra cash you’re throwing down upfront doesn’t translate to an experience two or three times better than what you’ll find for around $500. And those missing features you can’t find on the Pixel 9a or OnePlus 13R? They can be found elsewhere — just not on your smartphone.
Let’s say you’re shopping for a new device right now, either to get ahead of whatever tariff madness awaits us in the coming months, or simply because you’re due for an upgrade. Let’s also say you have a budget of around $1,500, enough to buy practically any smartphone on the market today that isn’t a foldable (sorry, foldable fans).
Sure, you could spend that entire allotment on any number of Android-powered flagships, but in 2025, that’s no longer the best deal you’ll find on the market. You could also pocket that cash, but let’s be real, I’ve never been one to make sound financial decisions when it comes to gadgets. Instead, budding photographers might be better off picking up a Pixel 9a for $500, and using that extra grand on a real camera. Point-and-shoots have made a real comeback thanks to their popularity on TikTok, and mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses can be a great long-term investment, especially if you’re willing to look at the used market for new bodies or lenses.
(Side note: Those TikTok teens have made the point-and-shoot market pretty dry, especially if you’re shopping new and not refurbished. My overall point stands, however.)
It’s easy to imagine keeping the Pixel 9a in one pocket and something like a Ricoh GR III or Sony’s RX100 VII in another. No matter how excellent Google’s processing is (or, at least, once was), no matter the allotment of lenses delivered by Samsung on the S25 Ultra, shooting on a dedicated camera is going to provide you with more manual control, more flexibility, and frankly, better shots. It’ll likely outlast your Pixel, too, allowing you to keep the camera even if you upgrade to a (hypothetical) Pixel 12a in 2028.
The same goes for gamers and the OnePlus 13R. That’s a phone that can handle practically any action you could throw at it today, from Genshin Impact at maxed-out settings to marathon sessions in Balatro. Even at its full $600 price point, that leaves you with plenty of room leftover to invest your additional cash in dedicated gaming hardware. Picking up a Steam Deck, an ROG Ally, or even a Switch 2 — should you find one available to pre-order — keeps you below your $1,500 budget, while offering a much more premium experience.
Your smartphone isn’t actually a one-size-fits-all device
No matter what various OEMs promise in their sales pitches
The only real sacrifice here is portability. Feeling like you have to carry your point-and-shoot, or your Steam Deck, in order to have the most well-rounded experience on the go might frustrate some buyers. Smartphones allowed us to merge multiple devices — iPods, cameras, gaming handhelds — into one pocket-friendly product. Some readers out there might wonder whether it’s worth going back in time at all when flagships really do operate as jack-of-all-trade gadgets.
But just like how reading on an e-reader will always trump picking up your phone or tablet, shooting on a dedicated camera or playing Mario Kart World on the Switch 2 will always trump their respective mobile experiences. You aren’t giving up a smartphone — you’re giving up the extra bells and whistles designed to leave you dropping hundreds of unnecessary dollars on a single product. And that extra cash can go a hell of a long way on other types of gadgets.
Just one decade ago, shelling out for the best experience possible made a lot of sense. The Galaxy Note 5 cost a (at the time expensive) $700 ten years ago, but it ran circles around something like Motorola’s $400 Moto X Pure. These days, midrange phones are better than certain flagships from just a few years ago, while their prices have stayed relatively grounded. Flagships from brands like Samsung and Google might be impressive, but they simply do not offer the mind-melting experience their price implies. They’re just phones, and frankly, your money might be better spent elsewhere.
-
Google Pixel 9a
$499 $399 Save $-100
Google’s Pixel 9a takes everything that was great about the Pixel 8a and looks to modernize it. With an all-new Pixel 9-inspired look and no camera bump, this might be the best $500 smartphone we’ve seen yet.
-
OnePlus 13R
The OnePlus 13R takes one of our favorite midrange phones from last year a step further. It still features a gorgeous 6.78-inch AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. However, OnePlus added a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 12GB of RAM for 2025, with faster UFS 4.0 storage. The OnePlus 13 is a great performer, all for $600.
