fbpx

YugaTech Christmas Gadget Guide 2014: Smartphones

It’s that time of the year again. If you’re looking to give gadget gifts to people you know or maybe even just to reward yourself this Christmas, you’re in luck as we have you covered! Here are the smartphones you should get, from budget-oriented ones to the flagships!

ChristmasGuide2014-A480

Yugatech 728x90 Reno7 Series

Budget Oriented

If you’re on the tightest budget, the best & most affordable smartphones that you can get for their price are probably in the form of two Cherry Mobile devices but with varying operating systems – the CM Flare Lite running Android and the CM Alpha Style running Windows Phone 8.1 (Php2,699 & Php2,999 respectively). The first one runs Android and decent specs to begin with, but the Alpha Style takes it a step higher with a quad-core CPU and the smoothness of WP 8. If you wish for something with TV and a lower price tag of Php1,899 (and lower specs of course), there’s also MyPhone’s Rio Junior TV.

Asus-ZenFone-5

From here, you can now check out the Xiaomi Redmi 1S & the Asus ZenFone 5 – both phones being the cream of the crop at Php5,599 & Php6,495. We doubt you’ll want anything else, but if you do, you can easily just check out local manufacturer flagship phones running octa-core Mediatek CPUs and the like. For more than Php9,000, you can also check out the impressively made 2nd-Gen Motorola Moto G which is probably only available online.

Mid-Range

Just like with the higher class of budget oriented smartphones, this area is once again ruled by Xiaomi & Asus. The Xiaomi Mi 3 was the company’s flagship phone that launched in the Philippines for just Php10,599! It has a full HD display, a Snapdragon 800 CPU with 2GB RAM and a lot more to satisfy your needs. If you want a bigger 6-inch alternative, the Asus ZenFone 6 is around for Php11,995, but it doesn’t match the Mi 3’s specs.

mi3_10

If the person you’re giving a smartphone to wants to be around water a lot, you can take a look at Sony’s waterproof Xperia M2 Aqua which also has LTE radios for faster data. This ranges around Php12-15k depending on where you’ll buy it. If, on the other hand, getting a good Android experience with high-end specs is what’s important, you can still find a Google Nexus 5 which now runs Android 5.0 Lollipop. This is priced at around Php16k. Finally, if Android doesn’t suit your style, the Nokia Lumia 830 is your best bet at Php18,990.

Xiaomi’s latest flagship phone, the Mi4, is not officially available yet around the country, but some online retailers have it for around Php15-17k.

The Best Smartphones

When you’re up high in this price range, it’s a lot harder to find a bad smartphone than a good one. For people who would want to take the best underwater selfies with the best specs, there’s the HTC Desire Eye for Php22,500. If huge phones aren’t your thing, the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact is available online for more or less Php20k.

Then there are this year’s early flagships – the Samsung Galaxy S5, the HTC One M8, the Nokia Lumia 930 & the LG G3 – which will all cost you Php23k and above, lower if you’re lucky, depending on where you get it. Or you can take a look at the Huawei Ascend Mate 7 with it’s very large battery and dual-LTE capability. All of them are equally great, having distinct features from each other. Some of these features include better speakers, water resistance, better cameras, Windows Phone, a 2K display & more. It will all now depend on your taste.

note4-gaming

And finally, there’s the Galaxy Note 4, the Xperia Z3 & the iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus. The Galaxy Note 4 is the Android flagship phone to get with beastly specs from the internals & the display to the camera (plus don’t forget the size & the stylus). This will cost you around Php35k. The Xperia Z3 on the other hand is one of the most polished phones around, beating everyone else with a 20 megapixel camera and high waterproofing certifications, and will cost you Php25-30k. If you have always wanted iOS, then there’s no contest; the best time to upgrade is now with new larger iPhones. The only question now is which size – the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 or the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus? Your call, but there is a huge price difference. You can get the iPhone 6 starting at Php38k, but the latter will cost you Php5k more at Php43k.

iphone6yugatech

And if you want a BlackBerry, the Passport is at Php35,790.

That’s about it for our Christmas Guide on smartphones this year! We’ll have more up soon in the following days, so stay tuned for that. If you have any more to suggest, feel free to leave them in the comments section down below.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 976 other subscribers
Avatar for Bob Freking

Bob Freking occasionally contributes articles to the website. He is a UST Graduate of Commerce & Business Administration, Major in Marketing Management, and a full-time Sith Lord with three dragons.

24 Responses

  1. Avatar for LoneWolf LoneWolf says:

    guys suggestion where to buy nexus 5, physical store much better… thanks!

  2. Avatar for LoneWolf LoneWolf says:

    guys suggestion where to buy nexus 5, physical storeuch better… thanks!

  3. Avatar for wawanaman wawanaman says:

    sana inaalis ng yuga ang comment ng mayayabang dito, lalo na yung mapanglait sa kapuwa. hindi nakatulong yung kayabangan dito lalo na yung mapanghusga sa kapuwa.

    nakakaawa ang mga ganitong tao.

  4. Avatar for neil neil says:

    Guys what do you think of the GS4 LTE-A with Snapdragon 800? its priced at 15k is it still a great buy?

  5. Avatar for roiji roiji says:

    san yang 15-17k na Xiamo Mi4? haha

  6. Avatar for Jhay Jhay says:

    Nice article! Maiba lang, where can I buy Yugatech magazine? :D

  7. Avatar for mgainggetero mgainggetero says:

    Wala namang masama sa mga comments ni archie, helpful pa nga ang mga info niya at alam niya ang sinasabi niya. Nayayabangan at nagdadrama lang kayo dahil nababara niya kayo sa ibang topic. Mas mabuti na yung mayabang na may nashashare sa community kesa sa nonsense magcomment.

    • Avatar for Daves Daves says:

      Yup. Deadmahin lang ang mga troll na walang magawa at walang magagawa.

    • Avatar for archiesalsal archiesalsal says:

      LOL can you be more obvious? Sige, alternick ka pa ng iba para makumbinsi mo na may nagtatanggol sa’yo.

    • Avatar for archie archie says:

      @archiesalsal Batang hamog na nautusan lang bumili ng suka, magcomment ka na lang tungkol sa gadgets. Tech blog site ito hindi pesbuk para sa mga squatter na tulad mo. Hindi rin ako nagbabasa ng yugatech para maghanap ng kakampi. Kung naangasan ka sa akin patanggal mo yung comment section ng yugatech. Pumunta ka sa bundok walang tao doon wala kang makakaaway sira ulong troll. Mga pinoy talaga puro pikon.

    • Avatar for engot ka engot ka says:

      At lumabas uli ang tunay na kulay ng unggoy. So di lang pala sa mga mahihirap ka galit kundi sa lahat ng Pilipino. At sino kaya ang pikon ngayon? Wahaha.

    • Avatar for archie archie says:

      @engot Bobo ka talaga at mahina umintindi. Sinabi ko lang pikon ang mga pinoy galit na? At anong pakialam mo kung ayaw ko sa mga squatter na katulad mo? di ako galit sa mahirap, galit ako sa mga palamunin at laging nakasahod ang kamay sa ibibigay ng gobyerno. Kung unggoy ako e ano pa tawag sayo? Wag ka magbasa ng yugatech kung ayaw mo sa mga comments ko bobong squatter.

  8. Avatar for lemerdaL lemerdaL says:

    Hi YUGATECH, please help me to what to choose on this smartphone…MI3 / LG G3 MINI / MEIZU MX4 / HUAWEI HONOR 6 / ZENFONE 5….alam ko iba-iba ang mga price range niya pero need ko lang po opinion dito sa mga pinagpipilian kong phone. THanks

  9. Avatar for weryou@ weryou@ says:

    Thanks for narrowing it down. pansin ko lang walang OnePlus. Due to supply and availability?

    @ Engot ka and Easy E: Pansin ko nga din haha.

    • Avatar for engot sya engot sya says:

      Ang galing mo nakuha mo. It’s not my first encounter with that matapobreng asshole. Akala mo kung sinong mayaman magsalita yan.

    • Avatar for archie archie says:

      @engot Siyempre magegets niya. Di naman pangmatalino ang blind item nyo e kaya madaling malaman kung sino sinasabi nyo. Iiyak ka na? Huhuhuhu uwi ka muna sa nanay mong naghihirap para may pambaon ka. Pati pambili nyo ng bigas pinampipiso net mo. Masyado kang balat sibuyas sa mga simpleng comment. Kaya napapahiya ang mga Pinoy sa ibang bansa dahil sa mga bobong katulad mo.

  10. Avatar for Engot ka Engot ka says:

    Yeah, arrogant chimpanzee knows eveything. Laging nagmamagaling yan. Super yabang pa.

  11. Avatar for Rose Rose says:

    Hi Bob,

    Do you know where can I buy the xiaomi redmi note?
    or can you ask Xiaomi when will they be sending stocks here in the Philippines?

    Please help!
    Thanks.

  12. Avatar for zcrowd zcrowd says:

    nice, thanks for the guide author, i wonder if the 64bit phablet called longrich 2 can reach the ph, like xiaomi products, we need those buget devices with monster specs to join the competition. thanks

  13. Avatar for Easy E Easy E says:

    wow! he knows everything.

  14. Avatar for Roberto Roberto says:

    Where can I buy the 2nd Gen Moto G?

    • Avatar for archie archie says:

      Meron sa kimstore pero basa ka muna ng reviews outside our country. Parang may faulty display ang Moto G. Katulad ng naging problema ng vlogger na si Erica Griffin sa Nexus 6 niya.

  15. Avatar for xperiaboi xperiaboi says:

    Where can I buy the Mi4?

    • Avatar for archie archie says:

      Madidisappoint ka lang kung hihintayin mo ang Mi4. Hindi priority ng Xiaomi ang Pinas kaya walang kasiguruhan na dadating sa bansa natin yun. Browse mo na lang ang fb ng kimstore, kakaupdate lang ng price list nila.

Leave a Reply
JOIN OUR TELEGRAM DISCUSSION

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *