October 24, 2021 | Pei Yiing Before we jump into our list of the best phones for under $500 in New Zealand, we’d relish to tell you that there’s an argument that spending heavily on a high-end phone may not be the best value for your money. While purchasing a phone at the price range of $500, we should research for the best options available in the market, with special attention paid to the rear-facing camera, display, and battery life, which are key to a slaking smartphone experience. The MobilePanda team has brought the list of best phones available in the market. 1. Honor Play 5 5G Price in New Zealand Honor Play 5 5G has a 6.53 inches (403ppi — Pixel Density, 1080 x 2400 pixels) display and a dew drop notch in the middle of the screen for a 16MP selfie camera. It has a quad camera setup on the rear side 64MP primary camera combined with an 8MP ultrawide lens, a 2MP sensor for depth, and another 2MP macro lens. Inside its plastic and glass body, Honor Play 5 5G bears a MediaTek MT6853 Octa-Core CPU with Mali-G57 MC3 GPU. It comes with only one variant, which is 128GB internal memory and 8GB RAM. It runs on Magic UI 4.0 based on Android 10. As the name suggests it supports the latest 5G technology. The phone also packs a Li-Po 3800mAh battery and supports 66W fast charging. Honor Play 5 5G, you may get for about NZD410 in Black, Violet, and Light Blue colors from online marketplaces. Honor Play 5 5G Specifications in New Zealand PRICE NZD410 LAUNCH DATE May, 2021 BODY Height 161 mm Width 74 mm Thickness 7.5 mm Weight 179 g Colours Black, Violet, Light Blue PERFORMANCE Chipset MediaTek MT6853 2.4GHz Octa-core Graphics Mali-G57 MC3 RAM 8GB CAMERA Main Camera 64MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP Front Camera 16MP DISPLAY Screen Size 6.53 inches OLED Resolution 1080 x 2400 pixels Pixel Density 403 ppi BATTERY Capacity 3800 mAh Li-Po Quick Charging Fast charging 66W, 60% in 15 min, 100% in 35 min STORAGE Internal Memory 128GB Expandable Memory Yes (Hybrid) CONNECTIVITY 5G Yes 4G, 3G Yes 2. Vivo V21e 5G Price in New Zealand This Vivo V21e 5G is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G (12 nm) Octa-Core CPU and Mali-G57 MC2 graphics processing unit. It comes with 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage, which is UFS 2.1, and it’s also expandable. The phone also comes with a 6.44 inches AMOLED (1080 x 2404 pixels—20:9 ratio, 409 ppi Pixel Density) display with a tear drop notch in the middle of the screen for the 44MP selfie camera. On the rear side it contains a dual camera setup, a 64MP primary sensor, and an 8 MP ultra-wide angle sensor. The phone also brings a Li-Po 4000mAh battery with 44W fast charging packed within it. The phone runs on the latest Android 11. Vivo V21e 5G is available on online marketplaces for about NZD423 in Blue and other color options. Vivo V21e 5G Specifications in New Zealand PRICE NZD423 LAUNCH DATE December, 2021 BODY Height 161 mm Width 74 mm Thickness 7.4 mm Weight 171 g Colours Blue; other colors PERFORMANCE Chipset Snapdragon 720G 2.2GHz Octa-core Graphics Mali-G57 MC2 RAM 8GB CAMERA Main Camera 64MP + 8MP Front Camera 44MP DISPLAY Screen Size 6.44 inches AMOLED Resolution 1080 x 2404 pixels Pixel Density 409ppi BATTERY Capacity 4000mAh Li-Po Quick Charging Fast charging 44W STORAGE Internal Memory 128GB Expandable Memory Yes CONNECTIVITY 5G Yes 4G, 3G Yes 3. Samsung Galaxy M52 5G Price in New Zealand Samsung Galaxy M52 5G comes with a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED (1080 x 2400 pixels (FHD+), 20:9 ratio, 393 ppi Pixel Density) display. The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G (6 nm) Octa-Core CPU and Adreno 642L graphics processing unit. This device comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of hybrid expandable internal storage. Samsung Galaxy M52 5G is also available with Li-Po 5000mAh battery and it supports 25W fast charging. Samsung Galaxy M52 5G bears a triple rear camera setup, a 64-megapixel primary lens, a 12-megapixel ultra wide camera, and a 5-megapixel lens for macro shots. While it includes a 32-megapixel lens for selfie purposes. In New Zealand, you may purchase this smartphone on online marketplaces for about NZD449. It’s offered in Black, Dark Blue color options. Samsung Galaxy M52 5G Specifications in New Zealand PRICE NZD449 LAUNCH DATE December, 2021 BODY Height 164 mm Width 76 mm Thickness 7.4 mm Weight 173 g Colours Black, Dark Blue PERFORMANCE Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G (6 nm) 2.4GHz Octa-core Graphics Adreno 642L RAM 6GB CAMERA Main Camera 64MP + 12MP + 5MP Front Camera 32MP DISPLAY Screen Size 6.7 inches Super AMOLED Resolution 1080 x 2400 pixels Pixel Density 393ppi BATTERY Capacity 5000mAh Li-Po Quick Charging Fast charging 25W STORAGE Internal Memory 128GB Expandable Memory Yes (Hybrid) CONNECTIVITY 5G Yes 4G, 3G Yes 4. Realme GT Master Price in New Zealand Realme GT Master is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G Octa-Core 5G chipset with Adreno 642L graphics processing unit. The phone is also available with 8GB RAM and 128GB/256GB internal non-expandable space. It has a Li-Po 4300mAh battery that supports 65W fast charging. Realme GT Master comes with a 6.43-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED (1080 x 2400 pixels (FHD+), 20:9 ratio, 409ppi Pixel Density) display. For the camera section, this device bears a triple-camera setup on the rear side, a 64MP primary unit, an 8MP ultrawide sensor, and a 2MP macro lens. On the front side, the phone has a 32MP camera for selfies. Realme GT Master is available in Gray, White, Aurora color options and is expected to be priced around NZD455 for the 128GB internal storage model. Realme GT Master Specifications in New Zealand PRICE NZD455 LAUNCH DATE July, 2020 BODY Height 159 mm Width 73 mm Thickness 8.0/8.7 mm (depending on color) Weight 174/178 g (depending on color) Colours Gray, White, Aurora PERFORMANCE Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G (6 nm) 2.4GHz Octa Core Graphics Adreno 642L RAM 8GB CAMERA Main Camera 64MP + 8MP + 2MP Front Camera 32MP DISPLAY Screen Size 6.43 inches IPS LCD Resolution 1080 x 2400 pixels Pixel Density 409 ppi BATTERY Capacity 4300mAh Quick Charging Fast charging 65W, 100% in 33 min STORAGE Internal Memory 128GB / 256GB Expandable Memory No CONNECTIVITY 5G Yes 4G, 3G Yes 5. Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G NE Price in New Zealand The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G NE comes with a 4250mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging. Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G NE is powered by a Qualcomm SM7325 Snapdragon 778G 5G Octa-Core CPU for 5G version. It packs with Adreno 642L. You‘ll be getting two choices in terms of RAM and storage space. 6Gb/8 GB RAM paired with 128GB/256 GB internal storage. The phone is built with a 6.55 inch AMOLED (1080 x 2400 pixels (FHD+), 20:9 ratio, 402ppi Pixel Density) display with Full HD+ resolution. For the camera section it has a triple-camera setup on the rear side, a 64MP primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide lens, and a 5MP macro sensor. To take beautiful selfies of yourself, it uses a 20MP front camera. In New Zealand, the phone is available from NZD468 for the 5G model in Truffle Black (Vinyl Black), Bubblegum Blue (Jazz Blue), Peach Pink (Tuscany Coral), Snowflake White (Diamond Dazzle) color options. Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G NE Specifications in New Zealand PRICE NZD468 LAUNCH DATE September, 2020 BODY Height 160 mm Width 75 mm Thickness 6.8 mm Weight 158 g Colors Truffle Black (Vinyl Black), Bubblegum Blue (Jazz Blue), Peach Pink (Tuscany Coral), Snowflake White (Diamond Dazzle) PERFORMANCE Chipset Qualcomm SM7325 Snapdragon 778G 5G (6 nm) 2.4GHz Octa Core Graphics Adreno 642L RAM 6GB / 8GB CAMERA Main Camera 64MP + 8MP + 5MP Front Camera 20MP DISPLAY Screen Size 6.55 inches AMOLED Resolution 1080 x 2400 pixels Pixel Density 402 ppi BATTERY Capacity 4250mAh Quick Charging Fast charging 33W STORAGE Internal Memory 128GB / 256GB Expandable Memory No CONNECTIVITY 5G Yes 4G, 3G Yes The prices written in this article are the current prices. There may be a variation in the price at the time you check them out. NZD500 is a big amount so you must choose wisely. We tried to pick the best mobile phones under NZD500 2021 from our side and provided information as much as we could. All of them are available on online marketplaces you may check them. Happy Shopping!