Last year, there were a lot of affordable smartphones launched in the Philippines, ranging in various price ranges. But for those who want something really budget-friendly, we’ve compiled our pick of smartphones launched in 2023 that are priced under PHP 5,000.
As you might expect from smartphones in these price ranges, these phones don’t have the most powerful chipset, pack the coolest features, or come with the greatest camera. But for all intents and purposes, these are phones that you can use for your daily needs, play light games, and a little more.
Let’s check out some of the best smartphones launched in 2023 that are under PHP 5,000.
Now do note that these phones are listed in no particular order.
TECNO Spark Go 2024 35
The TECNO Spark Go was launched in late 2023 with an SRP of PHP 4,999, making it one of the most expensive phones on this list. It features a minimalist design, which makes it look a bit more premium. Not to mention you get DTS dual-speakers too.
At the front, you get a 6.54-inch LCD panel with a 90Hz refresh rate. It also features a hole-punch front camera, helping it look a bit more modern. Despite it being a budget smartphone, you do get the TECNO’s Dynamic Port which resembles Apple’s Dynamic Island.
Powering the Spark Go is a UNISOC T606 with only 1.6GHz clock speed paired with 4GB of RAM and up to 128GB of storage. Storage can be expanded further via the microSD slot. It runs on Android 13 Go skinned with HiOS.
In terms of cameras, you get a 13MP main shooter and an AI lens secondary sensor which captures decent images and video. For selfies, there’s an 8MP shooter. Other features include a 5,000mAh battery with 10W charging.
TECNO Spark Go 2024 specs:
6.6-inch HD+ LCD
720 x 1612 pixels, 90Hz refresh
UNISOC T606 (12nm)
8-cores, 2.2GHz max clock speed
4GB RAM (+4GB extended memory)
128GB storage
Supports microSD up to 1TB
Dual rear cameras:
– 13MP f/1.8 main
– AI lens
8MP selfie camera with dual flash
Dual SIM
4G LTE
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
GPS
USB Type-C
3.5mm audio jack
Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
DTS dual stereo speakers
Android T-Go
5000mAh battery
10W charging
Composite Material: 163.69 x 75.6 x 8.55mm
Magic Skin: 163.69 x 75.6 x 8.75mm
Mystery White, Alpenglow Gold, Magic Skin, Gravity Black
Infinix Smart 8 40
Infinix is known for making well-packaged budget smartphones and the Infinix Smart 8 is no exception. It features similar performance as with other phones on this list, but at a more affordable price of PHP 3,199.
The ultra-budget Infinix Smart 8 features a rather louder design, especially with the color options available. Unlike the TECNO Spark Go, this phone only comes with a single loudspeaker but is tuned by DTS. It also uses a microUSB port instead of the new USB-C.
You get a 6.6-inch HD+ LCD panel with a 90Hz refresh rate. Like the TECNO Spark Go 2024, it also features a hole punch camera front camera, where you’ll find Infinix’s version of the Dynamic Island called Magic Ring.
Powering the Smart 8 is also a Unisoc T606 chipset, but only comes with 3GB of RAM but can be expanded virtually by another 3GB. Storage is limited to just 64GB but can be expanded by a microSD. It runs on the full version of Android 13 skinned with XOS 13.
As for the cameras, you also get a 13MP main shooter paired with an AI secondary lens along with an 8MP front shooter. There’s a 5,000mAh battery with 10W fast charging.
Infinix Smart 8 specs:
6.6-inch HD+ IPS LCD
1612 x 720 pixels, 90Hz refresh
UNISOC T606 SoC
8-cores, 1.6 GHz
3GB RAM (+3GB extended memory)
64GB storage
Supports microSD
Dual rear cameras:
– 13MP rear camera
– Secondary AI lens
8MP selfie camera (hole-punch notch)
Dual SIM
4G LTE
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS/ GLONASS/ Beidou
microUSB
3.5mm audio jack?
Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
200% volume with DTS processing
XOS 13 (Android 13)
5000mAh battery
10W charging
Timber Black, Shiny Gold
POCO C65 60
Another great budget smartphone maker is POCO, and the C65 makes it onto the list. Like the Infinix, it’s also on the expensive side with an SRP of PHP 4,999. However, it does pack a bit more punch in terms of specs.
The POCO C65 is a great-looking phone, and looks rather premium for its price point. It features a 6.74-inch IPS LCD panel with a 90Hz refresh rate, giving it one of the biggest screens on this list.
Powering the POCO C65 is a Mediatek Helio G85 chipset, making it more powerful than other smartphones here. It comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, which can be expanded further by a microSD slot. It runs on Android 13 skinned with MIUI 14. While there is an 8GB + 256GB variant, it doesn’t fit this list since it is more expensive.
Thanks to the chipset, it does pack a bit more punch even enough to run Genshin. As for the cameras, the C65 comes with a dual-rear shooter highlighted by a 50MP main shooter, a 2MP macro lens, and an 8MP front camera.
POCO C65 specs:
6.74-inch HD+ IPS LCD, 90Hz refresh rate, 600 nits (HBM) (720×1600 resolution)
Mediatek MT6769Z Helio G85 (12nm)
4x Arm Cortex-A75 @ 2GHz, 4x Arm Cortex-A55 @ 1.8GHz
Arm Mali-G52 MC2 1GHz GPU
6GB, 8GB RAM LPDDR4x
128GB, 256GB eMMC 5.1 storage, expandable via microSDXC
50MP, f/1.8 main camera, PDAF
2MP, f/2.4 macro
LED flash, HDR, 1080p@30fps video
8MP, f/2.01 front-facing
Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
4G / LTE
WiFi 802.11ac, dual-band
Bluetooth 5.1, A2DP, LE
GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS positioning system
FM radio, recording
USB Type-C 2.0
Fingerprint sensor (side-mounted)
3.5mm audio jack
Android 13, MIUI 14 for POCO
5,000mAh Li-Po battery, 18W wired charging
Black, Blue, Purple (colors)
168 x 78 x 8.1 mm (dimensions)
191 grams (weight)
Coolpad CP12
Coolpad might be a newcomer in the smartphone scene, but the brand makes some really affordable smartphones that are quite decent like the CP12. The Coolpad CP12 comes with a starting price of just PHP 3,899 for the 4GB+64GB variant.
Compared to other smartphones on this list, the CP12 might look a bit dated when it comes to design and styling, but not on power The front display features a 6.517-inch waterdrop HD+ LCD panel, which looks decent.
Under the hood, the Coolpad CP12 packs a Unisoc SC9863A chipset with 4GB of RAM. There are two storage options available – 64GB and 128GB. If that’s not enough, you can expand it further via microSD.
As for cameras, you get a 13MP main shooter, a 2MP macro AI lens, and a 5MP selfie camera. The battery on the CP12 is a bit smaller too at 4500mAh.
It’s a rather basic phone, but for the very affordable price, you can’t go wrong.
Coolpad CP12 specs:
6.517-inch waterdrop HD+ display @ 1600 x 720 pixels
Unisoc SC9863A (octa-core)
GE8322 GPU
4GB RAM
64GB, 128GB storage
Dual rear cameras:
– 13MP main
– 2MP macro AI dual camera
5MP selfie camera
dual-SIM
microSD card slot
Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n
Bluetooth 4.2
USB Type-C
3.5mm headphone jack
Fingerprint unlock (side)
Face Unlock
Android 13
4,500 mAh battery
164.2 x 75.7 8.4 mm
190g (weight)
Blue, Silver, Black
realme C51 18
Rounding up the list is the realme C51. Specifically, the 3GB + 64GB variant, which also retails for PHP 4,999.
The realme C51 features a rather stylish and glittering design, especially in the mint colorway. It also comes with a large 6.74-inch IPS display with a 90Hz refresh rate and a maximum brightness of 560nits.
Powering it is a Unisoc T612 chipset together with 3GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Storage can be expanded further by 2TB via a microSD card slot. The phone runs on Android 13 skinned with realme UI T edition.
As for the cameras, you have a 50MP main shooter along with an auxiliary lens and a 5MP front camera for selfies. Perhaps the best feature of the phone is the battery which is a 5,000mAh unit, but comes with 33W SuperVOOC fast charging. This makes it the only phone on the list with faster charging.
realme C51 specs:
6.74” display
90Hz refresh, 560nits brightness
Unisoc T612 chipset
12nm, 8-cores, up to 1.82GHz
3GB, 4GB LPDDR4X RAM
64GB, 128GB storage
Supports up to 2TB expansion
Dual rear cameras:
– 50MP f/1.8 main
– Auxiliary lens
5MP selfie shooter
Dual SIM
4G LTE
2.4/5GHz Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS /AGPS / GLONASS / Galileo
USB Type-C
3.5mm audio jack
realme UI T Edition (Android 13)
5000mAh battery
33W SuperVOOC
167.2 x 76.7 x 7.99mm
~186g
Mint Green, Carbon Black
Conclusion
So out of the phones on this list, which one is your pick? Or, would you rather choose something else that isn’t on here? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
There are a lot more budget phones coming this 2024, and we can’t wait to see them all.
