Best smartphone for photos under $500

Recalculated at every price check · seen on November 15, 2026 · How we score

By budget: under $350 · under $600 · under $800 · any budget

The ranking

For now, this ranking has fewer than three smartphones.

This ranking combines two scores published by Picksly: the Camera score, based on public measurements, and the Smart score, which rates value for money. The price is the best new price checked at retailers, dated.

Not sure what matters most? Find your phone in 3 questions →

Depending on what matters most to you

Budget — Paying as little as possible — refurbished is fine

  1. Budget

    Apple iPhone 15 Plus

    • Budget 69/100
    • Camera 87/100

    Best Camera score of the 5 models compared · Best Budget score of the 5 models compared

    Released in 2023, more than 3 years ago · updates until 2029 (estimate)

    $396 refurbished at Amazon

    Price checked on 10/25/2026

    $396 for 2 years of updates (estimate): $198 a year

    View offer See the full page and all scores

Smart — The best value for money

No model for this profile within this budget.

Premium — The best quality, even if it costs more

No model for this profile within this budget.

What the Camera score measures

Photo and video quality, from the Camera score of DXOMARK, an independent test lab.

Other budgets

Other uses

All our rankings by useAll smartphones: price and scoresHow we score