Nine (9) Php 8K to 12K Smartphones to Choose From (1H 2023)

The smartphone industry is sprinting forward at breakneck speed, and with half of 2023 already gone, it shows no sign of slowing down.

Phone makers are certainly churning out new models left and right, which leaves you with a ton of choices when it comes to selecting your next daily driver.

To narrow it down, we have covered all the entry to lower-midrange smartphones officially released in the Philippines during the first half of 2023, priced between PHP 8,000USD 136INR 11,557EUR 130CNY 993 and PHP 12,000USD 204INR 17,335EUR 195CNY 1,489.

Redmi Note 12

• On sale PHP 8,359USD 142INR 12,075EUR 136CNY 1,037 (8/128GB) via Shopee
• PHP 8,999USD 153INR 13,000EUR 146CNY 1,117 SRP

Redmi Note 12 specs

6.67-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1800) AMOLED
120Hz refresh rate
Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Snapdragon 685 (6nm)
8-cores, 2.8GHz max frequency
4/6/8GB LPDDR4X RAM
64/128GB UFS 2.2 storage
Supports microSD up to 1TB (dedicated slot)
Triple-rear cameras:
• 50MP f/1.8 main
• 8MP f/2.2 ultrawide
• 2MP f/2.4 macro
13MP f/2.45 selfie shooter
Dual SIM
4G, LTE
Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS, GLONASS, Compass, Galileo
USB Type-C
3.5mm headphone jack
Side-mounted fingerprint sensor, face unlock
IP53 water and dust resistant
MIUI 14 (Android 13)
5000mAh battery
33W fast charging
165.66 x 75.96 x 7.85 mm
183.5 grams
Onyx Gray, Mint Green, Ice Blue

realme C55

• On sale PHP 8,499USD 145INR 12,278EUR 138CNY 1,055 via Lazada
• PHP 8,999USD 153INR 13,000EUR 146CNY 1,117 SRP

realme C55 specs

6.72-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080) IPS display
90Hz refresh rate, 680 nits peak brightness
MediaTek Helio G88 (12nm)
8-cores, 2.0GHz max frequency
6/8GB LPDDR4X RAM
256GB storage
Supports microSD up to 1TB
Dual rear cameras
• 64MP main
• 2MP depth sensor
8MP selfie shooter
Dual nano-SIM
4G LTE
Wi-Fi 2.4/5GHz
Bluetooth 5.2
GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
USB Type-C
3.5mm headphone jack
Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
Dirac audio
realme UI 4.0 (Android 13)
5,000mAh battery
33W SuperVOOC
165.6 x 75.9 x 7.9mm
189.5g
Sun Shower, Rainy Night

Tecno Spark 10 5G

• On sale PHP 8,264USD 141INR 11,938EUR 134CNY 1,026 via Shopee
• PHP 9,499USD 162INR 13,722EUR 154CNY 1,179 SRP

Tecno Spark 10 5G specs

6.6-inch HD+ (1612 x 720) IPS display
90Hz refresh rate
MediaTek Dimensity 6020
8-cores, 2.2GHz max frequency
8GB RAM
128GB internal storage
Expandable via microSD
Dual rear cameras
• 50MP f/1.6 main
• AI lens
8MP selfie shooter
Dual SIM
5G, 4G LTE
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
GPS
USB Type-C
Audio jack
Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
HiOS 12.6 (Android 13)
5000mAh battery
18W charging rate
164.4 x 75.5 x 8.4mm
Meta Blue, Meta Black, Meta White

Infinix NOTE 30 5G

• PHP 9,499USD 162INR 13,722EUR 154CNY 1,179 SRP via Lazada

Infinix NOTE 30 5G specs

6.78-inch FHD+ (2460 x 1080) IPS LTPS display
120Hz refresh rate
MediaTek Dimensity 6080
8-cores, 2.2GHz max frequency
4/8GB RAM
128/256GB internal storage
Supports microSD up to 2TB (dedicated slot)
Triple rear cameras:
• 108MP f/1.7 main
• 2MP f/2.4depth sensor
• AI lens f/2.4
16MP selfie shooter
Dual SIM
5G, 4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
GPS
USB Type-C
Headphone jack
NFC
Side-mounted fingerprint scanner
Stereo speakers, JBL tuned
Android 13
5,000mAh battery
45W fast charging, Supports reverse wired charging
168.5 x 76.5 x 8.5mm
204.7g
Magic Black, Interstellar Blue, Sunset Gold

Samsung Galaxy A14 LTE

• On sale PHP 7,990USD 136INR 11,542EUR 130CNY 992 via Samsung website
• PHP 9,990USD 170INR 14,432EUR 162CNY 1,240 SRP

Samsung Galaxy A14 LTE specs

6.6-inch FHD+ (1080 x 2408) PLS LCD display
2GHz octa-core processor (unspecified)
4GB RAM
128GB storage
Supports microSD up to 1TB
Triple rear cameras:
• 50MP f/1.8 main
• 5MP f/2.2 ultrawide
• 2MP f/2.4 macro
13MP f/2.0 selfie shooter
Dual SIM
4G, LTE
WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2.4G + 5GHz
Bluetooth 5.1
GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS
USB Type-C
3.5mm headphone jack
NFC
Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
One UI (Android 13)
5000mAh battery
167.7 x 78.0 x 9.1 mm
201 g
Black, Silver

Tecno Camon 20 Pro

• On sale PHP 8,549USD 146INR 12,350EUR 139CNY 1,061 via Shopee
• PHP 9,999USD 170INR 14,445EUR 162CNY 1,241 SRP

Tecno Camon 20 Pro specs

6.67-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080) AMOLED display
120Hz refresh rate
MediaTek Helio G99
8-cores, 2.2GHz max frequency
8GB RAM (+8GB extended memory)
256GB internal storage
Triple rear cameras:
• 64MP f/1.7 main
• 2MP depth
• QVGA
32MP selfie shooter
Dual SIM
4G LTE
WiFi
Bluetooth
GPS
USB Type-C
Headphone jack
Under-display fingerprint sensor, face unlock
Stereo speakers
HiOS 13 (Android 13)
5,000mAh battery
33W fast charging
163.4 x 76.7 x 8.2mm
Predawn Black, Serenity Blue

Tecno Camon 20 Pro 5G

• PHP 11,999USD 204INR 17,334EUR 195CNY 1,489 SRP via Lazada

TECNO CAMON 20 Pro 5G specs

6.67-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080) AMOLED display
120Hz refresh rate
MediaTek Dimensity 8050
8-cores, 3.0GHz max frequency
8GB RAM (+8GB extended memory)
256GB internal storage
Triple rear cameras:
• 64MP f/1.7 main, OIS
• 2MP depth
• 2MP macro
32MP selfie shooter
Dual SIM
5G, 4G LTE
WiFi
Bluetooth
GPS
USB Type-C
Headphone jack
Under-display fingerprint sensor, face unlock
Stereo speakers
HiOS 13 (Android 13)
5,000mAh battery
33W fast charging
163.4 x 76.7 x 8.2mm
Dark Welkin, Serenity Blue

Honor X8a

• On sale PHP 10,890USD 186INR 15,732EUR 177CNY 1,351 via Shopee
• PHP 10,990USD 187INR 15,876EUR 178CNY 1,364 SRP

HONOR X8a specs

6.7-inch FHD+ (2388 x 1080) LTPS LCD
MediaTek Helio G88
8-cores, 2.0GHz max frequency
8GB RAM
128GB internal storage
Triple rear cameras:
• 100MP f/1.9 main
• 5MP f/2.2 ultrawide
• 2MP f/2.4 macro
16MP f/2.45 selfie shooter
Dual nano-SIM
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 5.1
GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/BeiDou/ Galileo
USB Type-C
NFC
Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
MagicUI 6.1 (Android 12)
4500mAh battery
22.5W charging rate
162.9 x 74.5 x 7.48 mm
179g
Cyan Lake, Titanium Silver, Midnight Black

HUAWEI nova 11i

• On sale PHP 9,999USD 170INR 14,445EUR 162CNY 1,241 via Huawei website
• PHP 11,999USD 204INR 17,334EUR 195CNY 1,489 SRP

HUAWEI nova 11i specs

6.8-inch FHD+ (2388 x 1080) IPS display
90Hz refresh rate, 385ppi
Qualcomm Snapdragon 680
8-cores, 2.4GHz max frequency
8GB RAM
128GB, 256GB internal storage
Dual rear cameras:
• 48MP f/1.8 main
• 2MP F/2.4 depth sensor
16-megapixel front
Dual SIM,
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC, BDS
USB Type-C
Side-mounted fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
EMUI 13
5,000mAh battery
40W SuperCharge
164.6 x 75.55 x 8.55mm
164.5g
Mint Green, Starry Black

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.