If you’re shopping for a new phone and your budget is capped at $600, you’re in luck. This price range, once considered upper mid-range, now delivers impressive value with phones that offer high-end features, excellent cameras, powerful processors, and premium designs. In June 2025, several smartphones stand out by offering the best combination of performance, reliability, and smart software at this price point.
This article looks at five smartphones that deserve your attention, even though one slightly exceeds the $600 mark. These phones are from trusted brands that have continually pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in a midrange device. Whether you’re a mobile gamer, a photography enthusiast, or just want a fast and durable phone that lasts all day, there’s something here for you.
Best Smartphones Under $600
1. Vivo T4 Ultra
The Vivo T4 Ultra brings a strong balance of style and substance to the under-$600 segment. Known for its vibrant AMOLED display, the T4 Ultra comes with a 6.67-inch Full HD+ 120Hz panel that delivers deep blacks and punchy colors. It’s ideal for streaming, browsing, and gaming.
Powered by the Dimensity 9300+ processor, the phone handles multitasking and graphics-intensive games with ease. What makes the T4 Ultra particularly compelling is its emphasis on imaging. It sports a 50MP primary sensor with optical image stabilization and a dedicated night algorithm that significantly improves low-light photos. A secondary 50MP ultra-wide camera gives you more flexibility when shooting landscapes or group shots.
The phone also has a 5,500mAh battery with 90W fast charging, ensuring you get a full charge in less than 50 minutes. Vivo’s Funtouch OS has matured over time and now includes several smart features without being bloated. The build quality feels premium with a slim metal frame and matte glass back. Overall, it offers a high-end experience at a reasonable price.
2. Google Pixel 9a
The Pixel 9a is Google’s most recent attempt to make the Pixel experience more accessible, and it succeeds brilliantly. Priced comfortably under $500, it inherits much of the software magic found in the flagship Pixel 9 series, particularly when it comes to photography and AI features.
The 9a features a 6.3-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, and while it’s not the brightest panel in the class, it’s plenty sharp and color-accurate. The Tensor G4 chip inside the Pixel 9a ensures smooth day-to-day use and brings AI smarts to everything from voice dictation to on-device photo editing.
What stands out is the camera. The 48MP main sensor doesn’t look impressive on paper, but Google’s computational photography ensures that it takes excellent pictures in almost every lighting condition. Features like Magic Eraser and Photo Unblur remain exclusive to Pixel devices and give you editing power right on your phone.
The Pixel 9a runs clean Android with no bloatware, and Google promises at least five years of software updates, making it one of the most future-proof options in this list.
Best Smartphones Under $600
3. Realme Neo 7
Realme continues to carve a niche in the budget and midrange segments, and the Neo 7 is one of its best offerings to date. Targeted at users who want raw performance, the Neo 7 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9200+, one of the fastest chips in this class.
The 6.78-inch AMOLED screen supports a 120Hz refresh rate, which is more than what you usually get at this price. The panel is also HDR10+ certified, making it excellent for video playback. Realme has also prioritized thermal management, so the phone stays cool even during extended gaming sessions.
On the camera front, the Realme Neo 7 features a 50MP Sony IMX890 main sensor. While the secondary cameras are more basic, the primary shooter performs very well for the price, delivering solid dynamic range and color accuracy. The huge 7,000mAh battery paired with 80W fast charging is another major strength—you can get from 0 to 100% in about 25 minutes.
While Realme UI has a few pre-installed apps, it’s fairly customizable and runs smoothly. For those who want speed above all else, the Neo 7 is a performance-focused device that doesn’t cut too many corners elsewhere.
4. Motorola Edge 50 Fusion
The Motorola Edge 50 Fusion is a stylish and well-rounded phone that appeals to users who want a clean Android experience with good hardware at an affordable price. The phone is built around a 6.7-inch curved pOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, and its slim design with a vegan leather finish gives it a distinctive look.
The Edge 50 Fusion is powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, a capable midrange chip that keeps things snappy for everyday tasks and light gaming. Motorola has also kept the software experience close to stock Android, which results in faster updates and less clutter.
Camera performance is surprisingly good. The 50MP main sensor with OIS and a 13MP ultrawide lens deliver consistent photos in both daylight and low-light scenarios. It doesn’t quite match the Pixel 9a’s computational photography, but it gets close enough for most casual users.
The 5,000mAh battery easily lasts a full day, and the included 68W TurboPower charger gets you back to 100% fairly quickly. Motorola’s focus on design, display quality, and user-friendly software makes the Edge 50 Fusion a solid choice in this price bracket.
Best Smartphones Under $600
5. OnePlus 13s
While technically priced around $670, the OnePlus 13s earns a place on this list due to its significant value relative to higher-priced flagships. It’s one of the few phones just above the $600 line that feels like a proper flagship in every category.
The 13s features a 6.32-inch LTPO AMOLED panel with QHD+ resolution and an adaptive refresh rate ranging from 1Hz to 120Hz. This makes it ideal for everything from reading to high-frame-rate gaming. The display is one of the best in its class and supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+.
Under the hood, it’s powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite. You also get UFS 4.0 storage and fast LPDDR5X RAM, which results in faster load times and excellent multitasking.
Camera-wise, the OnePlus 13s includes a 50MP main sensor with OIS, a 50MP ultrawide, and a 32MP front lens. The Hasselblad-tuned camera system delivers sharp, color-accurate photos. It won’t beat the absolute best, but it gets very close.
With OxygenOS now balancing features and speed better than in previous years, the user experience is clean, fast, and fluid. The 5,850mAh battery with 80W fast charging ensures you can get back to 100% in under 30 minutes.
While it’s a bit over $600, the OnePlus 13s is a good investment if you’re willing to stretch your budget slightly for flagship-level performance.
Conclusion
In 2025, the under-$600 smartphone segment is more competitive than ever. Whether you prioritize photography, gaming performance, display quality, or software support, there’s a phone on this list to suit your needs. The Vivo T4 Ultra and Realme Neo 7 bring impressive specs for power users, while the Pixel 9a and Motorola Edge 50 Fusion offer refined software and dependable cameras. For those willing to go a bit beyond the budget, the OnePlus 13s delivers flagship capabilities without the flagship price.
