Is buying brand new an issue? What about a used iphone or android flagship?

LG G5 from Bextech for 495.

Best phone I've had - camera is fantastic.  The additional wide angle camera is very well executed and performs very well in my opinion.

G6 comes out any day, but for under $500 - G5 should be worth a look.

P10 lite? Seems to get decent reviews.

sxz:

LG G5 from Bextech for 495.

Best phone I've had - camera is fantastic.  The additional wide angle camera is very well executed and performs very well in my opinion.

G6 comes out any day, but for under $500 - G5 should be worth a look.

Bextech are parallel imports?

I'd get the huawei P8 - 

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/MPHHUA8100/Huawei-P8-Smartphone-16GB-Titanium-Grey

http://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_p8-review-1263p8.php

"Huawei has been putting a lot of emphasis on the P8's night photography capabilities as well. The RGBW sensor is intended to help in low-light environments and the results are pretty good. We took a few shots after dark and were pleasantly surprised by the level of detail the phone picked up. Noise is also kept at bay quite well."

It's one of the cheapest phones with OIS I could find. 

Might be able to talk this guy down

http://www.gpforums.co.nz/threads/518242-Samsung-Note-5-32GB-Black-Sapphire

If not then the Note 4 is still a bloody solid phone. G5 still has a great camera, but battery life is pants and it's still plagued with boot loop issues.