25k to 30k Smartphones to Choose From (1H 2023)

Trying to purchase a new smartphone may be quite a daunting task given how many smartphones are now available these days.

When looking at phones towards PHP 30k, you start to get in the territory of more premium smartphones with much-improved build quality as well as high-end specs and features.

In this article, we’ll highlight all the options available from PHP 25,000 to PHP 30,000 released in the first half of 2023.

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G 81

The Samsung Galaxy A54 has been renowned to be a mid-range smartphone that gives a premium smartphone experience. It features the same design language as the more premium Galaxy S23 series.

It features a 6.4-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Its camera also features a 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, and 5MP macro, as well as a 32MP front shooter that all shoot above-average photos and videos.

The Exynos 1380 chipset definitely isn’t the most powerful at this price but it is enough for daily use and some light gaming. It also features 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, IP67 dust and water resistance, and a 5,000 mAh battery with 25W fast charging.

The Samsung Galaxy A54 5G is priced at PHP 26,990 for the 8GB+256GB variant on Shopee 20 and Lazada 31 and comes in either Graphite, Lime, or Purple.

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G specs:
6.4″ FHD+ @ 1080×2340 pixels, Super AMOLED, 120Hz
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Samsung Exynos 1380 octa-core chip
4x Cortex-A78 2.4GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 2.0GHz
Mali-G68 MP5
8GB RAM
128GB, 256GB internal storage
Up to 1TB via microSD
50MP f/1.8 OIS main camera
12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide
5MP f/2.4 macro
4K @ 30fps, 1080p @ 60fps
32MP f/2.2 front camera
4K @ 30fps, 1080p @ 60fps
Dual SIM 5G, 4G/LTE
WiFi-6
Bluetooth 5.3
GPS with aGPs support
IP67 dust and water resistance
Dolby Atmos
5000mAh Li-Po battery, 25W Fast Charging
OneUI 5.1 (Android 13)
Dimensions: 76.7 x 158.2 x 8.2 mm
Weight: 202 grams

POCO F5 Pro 52

If you’re looking to make the most out of your money at this budget, the POCO F5 Pro gives a pretty great package. It features a flagship Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset with the Adreno 730 GPU, giving it more than enough performance for any task.

It also features a 6.67-inch QHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Its cameras feature a 64MP main, 8MP ultrawide, and 2MP macro which won’t compare to premium flagships but are completely decent for casual use.

Other features also include 5G, IP53 resistance, and an impressive 5,160 mAh battery with 67W fast wired charging and 30W wireless charging.

The POCO F5 Pro is priced at PHP 26,999 for its 8GB+256GB configuration and PHP 28,999 for an upgraded 12GB+256GB model on both Shopee 20 and Lazada 22.

POCO F5 Pro specs:
6.67-inch WQHD+ AMOLED DotDisplay @ 3200 × 1440 pixels
Up to 480Hz touch sampling rate, 120Hz refresh rate
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset
Octa-core CPU, up to 3.0GHz
Adreno 730 GPU
8GB, 12GB LPDDR5 RAM
256GB, 512GB UFS 3.1
64MP main f/1.79
8MP ultra-wide f/2.2
2MP 3macro f/2.2
Supports 4K and 8K video recording w/ OIS, EIS
16MP front-facing camera, f/2.45
5G, dual nano-SIM| 4G/LTE
WiFi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 5.3
NFC
IR Blaster
IP53 Rating
USB Type-C
Android 13-based MIUI 14
5,160 mAh battery, 67W wired charging, 30W wireless
White, Black

We hope this list has helped you in making your next smartphone purchase. Let us know which one’s your favorite down in the comments!

If you’re looking for smartphones below 25K then we also got you covered with 20K to 25K Smartphones to Choose From (1H 2023). 553

Author’s Note: This list comprises the official smartphone releases in the Philippines during the first half of 2023 (from January to June 2023). Prices may change without prior notice.