The best smartphone you can buy for under $500

These days, you can expect a lot from a midrange phone. Apple, Samsung, and Google all offer devices that include many of the core features of their pricier phones, like top-of-the-line processors, weatherproofing, and software support for five or more years. You can’t have everything, of course, but $400 or $500 goes a long way.

There are great options at $300 and even lower price points, too. You can find a great, high-definition OLED…