Actually already upper class: five top smartphones up to 500 euros

If you are looking for a smartphone with an excellent price-performance ratio, you will definitely find it in the class up to 500 euros, because since the summer there have been some devices that have a lot to offer for little money. ntv.de presents its five favorites.

It's amazing how good mid-range smartphones are nowadays for less than 500 euros. In the meantime, you hardly have to accept restrictions in terms of display, cameras and performance compared to devices that are twice as expensive. ntv.de has selected five smartphones from the range that are particularly recommended.

iPhone SE (2020)

It's hard to believe, but there is even an Apple smartphone that costs less than 500 euros and is not two years old. Okay, the design of the 2020 iPhone SE is even older and the 4.7-inch screen is just an LCD, but otherwise the device is technically top. And if you don't want to spend at least 780 euros on the iPhone mini, it is practically the only alternative if you want a really small and handy but powerful smartphone.

With Apple's A13 chip, the tiny has so much reserves that users can expect at least four major iOS updates. The 12-megapixel camera on the back is all alone, but does its job well even without super-wide or telephoto support. And although there is no space for a larger battery, the iPhone SE (2020) can easily get through the day. The version with 64 gigabytes (GB) of memory is already available for 420 euros, with 128 GB you get the device for 470 euros.

Google Pixel 4a

The Google Pixel 4a with 128 GB of storage costs only 340 euros and is just as handy as the small iPhone despite a 5.8-inch display. It is only powered by the mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G chip, but you hardly notice that in everyday life. And the fact that it wears a matte plastic dress instead of a fragile glass back is more of an advantage than a disadvantage. The screen is more important, and it's a more than handsome OLED panel.

Even if the chip is not a powerhouse, the Pixel 4a with three version jumps will receive more Android updates than some 1000-euro smartphones. But that won't be the only benefit of having a Google smartphone in a few months. From June 1, 2020, the Pixels will be the only devices that are still allowed to save unlimited high quality photos in the company's cloud storage.

Speaking of photos: the Pixel 4a also only has a single 12 megapixel on its back. But it's great and still delivers really good pictures at night.

Google Pixel 4a 5G

Those who prefer a larger display and want to be prepared for the future with 5G are well catered for with the Google Pixel 4a 5G, which costs just under 485 euros. Its OLED screen is 6.2 inches, it is powered by Qualcomm's more powerful mid-range 5G chip Snapdragon 765G, which has proven to be a very good compromise between performance and economy.

Technically, there would be a few current mid-range androids at this price that are a bit better equipped. But as with the other pixels, Google guarantees three years of updates, which is a year more than the competition. You therefore get the better price-performance ratio with the Pixel 4a 5G.

OnePlus North

For 375 euros, the OnePlus Nord is so heavily equipped that you might be able to do without an Android update. And after all, the manufacturer guarantees two years, which is not a matter of course in this price range.

Among other things, the OnePlus Nord has a magnificent 6.44-inch OLED panel with a high refresh rate of 90 Hertz (Hz). As with the Pixel 4a 5G, the processor is a Snapdragon 765G, which also makes the device 5G-capable. There is also a whopping 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of flash memory.

The camera equipment is anything but sparse. The smartphone has main, super wide-angle and macro cameras as well as a depth sensor on the back. The front of the display has a hole for two selfie cameras. Your results are really impressive, and the optically stabilized main camera is particularly impressive. With the bright aperture of f / 1.75 and up to 48 megapixels (MP), it delivers lots of details, realistic colors and strong contrasts in almost every situation. Even at night it is still good to use.

Xiaomi Mi 10

Buyers of the Xiaomi Mi 10 get perhaps an even better price-performance ratio. When it was launched in Germany in the summer, its price was 600 euros. Now you can get the smartphone for 500 euros. This makes it the most expensive of the five recommendations, but the Mi 10 is technically more of an upper class.

The device is powered by Qualcomm's top 5G chip Snapdragon 865, which can access an impressive 8 GB of RAM. This, like the 128 GB flash memory, belongs to the latest generation, which makes the smartphone one of the fastest smartphones currently on the market. Its AMOLED display is around 6.3 inches and offers 90 Hz. A 4780 mAh battery completes the strong interior.

The camera equipment is also excellent. Unfortunately ntv.de didn't find the time to try them out itself. But other testers are full of praise. Many of them were particularly enthusiastic about the bright, optically stabilized 108 megapixel main camera. There is also an ultra-wide-angle camera, a macro camera and a depth sensor.