These $500 Android phones you probably haven't heard of ended up being 2 of my favorite smartphones of 2019. But there's a clear winner between them.

• Both the Asus Zenfone 6 and OnePlus 7 Pro offer high-end features like a borderless screen, 48-megapixel camera, facial recognition, and an ultra-wide-angle camera lens for $500 - about half the price of flagship smartphones.
• They both also have pop up cameras that emerge from the phone as needed, making it possible for the screen to occupy the entire face of the phone.
• Despite their similarities, however, there are some areas in which they both excel over one another and fall short.
• While they both are compelling options for smartphone shoppers on a budget, the OnePlus 7 Pro is a slightly better value thanks to its larger, higher-quality screen and triple camera among other features.
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Buying a new smartphone has become a bigger investment than ever in recent years. As mobile devices have gained new features like edge-to-edge screens and facial recognition, prices have jumped accordingly - resulting in a market where paying nearly $1,000 for a new smartphone has become the norm.

But in 2019, a growing number of companies have started to challenge that notion. Enter the Asus Zenfone 6 and OnePlus 7 Pro. Both smartphones offer modern features like a borderless screen, high-end cameras, and facial recognition for roughly half the price of premium devices from Apple and Samsung. Both phones start at $500, while Apple's iPhone 11 Pro starts at $1,000 and the Samsung Galaxy S10 begins at $900.

OnePlus has always positioned itself as being a cheaper alternative to pricey phones from giants like Samsung and Apple since its debut in 2014. Yet it's facing more competition in 2019 as smartphone makers are starting to offer compelling alternatives at similar price points, like Asus with its Zenfone 6 and Google's $400 Pixel 3a.

The OnePlus 7 Pro and Asus Zenfone 6 are particularly similar: they both cost $500, they both have cameras that pop up when needed and disappear otherwise, and they both have 48-megapixel cameras. Despite these similarities, however, there are a few differences that are worth noting if you're deciding between the two.

Here's a closer look at how the Asus Zenfone 6 and OnePlus 7 Pro compare.