Point-and-shoot cameras provide great quality images at night or indoors, have a zoom lens, and give you manual control over exposure settings. Your smartphone camera wouldn't probably give you these options.

Moreover, using a point-and-shoot camera means you will not be draining your smartphone's battery.

Besides, modern point-and-shoot cameras are light and compact.

The best point-and-shoot camera under $500: Canon PowerShot G9 X (very slim, quick focusing, touchscreen, built-in Wi-Fi)

The best point-and-shoot camera under $500 with a viewfinder: Fujifilm X30 (electronic viewfinder, faster lens, greater battery life, bulky)