For the Budget Conscious: Smartphones under Php5k

In our series of lists that started with the list of Octa-core Smartphones under 9K, Budget Handsets with 2GB of RAM, and Top LTE phones under 10k, we now give you a rundown of  budget smartphones under five grand.

With the Holiday season now up and in full swing, consumers not only look nowadays for brand names on phones but also the price tags. Budget phones are really popular among the masses, and this list certifies that you do not need to spend a lot to get a decent phone experience. Truly, these phones provide the best bang for the buck, and is definitely made for the budget-conscious.

Devices are listed in descending order.

MyPhone Agua Rio

One of MyPhone’s most popular offering to the masses, the Rio comes in a variety of colors.

MyPhone Agua Rio Specs:
1.3GHz Quad Core MediaTek MT6582M Processor
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS
5.0-Inch HD IPS Display (1280 x 720 Pixels, 294 PPI)
ARM Mali-400 MP2 GPU
8.0 Megapixel Autofocus Main Camera with LED Flash
2.0 Megapixel Front Camera
1GB of RAM
4GB of Internal Storage, expandable up to 32GB via Micro SD
Dual SIM
3G HSPA+, 2G EDGE and GPRS Networks
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS with A-GPS Support
FM Radio
USB OTG Support
2,000 mAh Battery
Price: Php 4,999USD 85INR 7,222EUR 81CNY 620

Nokia Lumia 530

Nokia’s most affordable Windows Phone handset arrived in the Philippine shores just last month.

Nokia Lumia 530 specs:
4-inch FWVGA TFT display, 245ppi
1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 quad-core CPU
Adreno 302 GPU
512MB RAM
4GB internal storage
up to 128GB via microSD
free 15GB via OneDrive
5 megapixel rear camera
HSPA+, 3G
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0 w/ A2DP
FM Radio
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
1,430mAh battery
Windows Phone 8.1 OS
MS Office, Action Center, Word Flow, Cortana
119.7 x 62.3 x 11.7 mm
129 g
Price: Php4,990USD 85INR 7,209EUR 81CNY 619

SKK Mobile V2

The uncanny resemblance that is this phone has to the LG G2 cannot be unseen; nevertheless, the phone’s got its own set of features to boot given the budget-friendly price tag.

SKK Mobile V2 Specs:
5.0-inch IPS display (540×960 resolution)
1.3 GHz MT6582 Quad Core Processor
Mali 400 GPU
8-megapixel rear AF camera with flash
5-megapixel front camera
Dual-Sim 3G HSPA+, Dual Standby
Heart Rate Monitor Sensor
Wifi, FM Radio, GPS
Bluetooth 4.0
2,500 mAH battery
Price: Php4,999USD 85INR 7,222EUR 81CNY 620

Cherry Mobile Flare S3

Photo Courtesy of Cherry Angel

This smartphone may be a little elusive to the purchasing public, but its specs, sans the battery, accompanied by a huge camera megapixel count might be worth all the trouble finding for.

Cherry Mobile Flare S3 Specs:
1.3GHz MT6582 MediaTek Quad-Core Processor
5.0-inch IPS OGS display
1GB RAM
8GB ROM, expandable via MicroSD
13-Megapixel BSI Rear Camera
5-Megapixel Front Camera
Wifi
Bluetooth
HSPA+
Dual Sim
Android 4.4 KitKat
1,800 mAh battery
Price: Php 3,999USD 68INR 5,777EUR 65CNY 496

Starmobile Navi

Starmobile Navi lives up to its name as it is one of the few phones in the country equipped with GLONASS, Russia’s version of the GPS system.

Starmobile Navi Specs:
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
4-inch display with WVGA resolution
1.2GHz quad-core Broadcom BCM23550 processor
VideoCore IV GPU
1GB RAM
4GB internal storage, expandable up to 32Gb via microSD
5-megapixel rear camera, with autofocus and LED flash
0.3-megapixel front camera
Wi-Fi
3G, HSPA+
GLONASS
1500mAh battery
Price: PHP 3,999USD 68INR 5,777EUR 65CNY 496

Asus Zenfone 4

Like its more expensive siblings, this low-cost Zenfone is powered with an Intel processor.

ASUS ZenFone 4 specs:
4-inch TFT LCD, 800 x 480 @233ppi
Intel Atom Z2520 1.2GHz dual-core processor with HyperThreading Technology
PowerVR SGX 544 MP2
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage
64GB via microSD
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
3G/HSPA
Bluetooth
5MP rear camera
VGA front-facing camera
1,200mAh battery
Android 4.3
124.4 x 61.4 x 11.2mm
115g
Price: Php3,995USD 68INR 5,771EUR 65CNY 496

Cherry Mobile Alpha Style

The least expensive phones in this list is a dual-sim phone powered by Windows Phone 8. Check out our Alpha Style unboxing here.

Cherry Mobile Alpha Style specs:
4-inch WVGA IPS LCD display, 800×480 @233ppi
Qualcomm MSM8212 Snapdragon 200 1.2GHz quad-core processor
Adreno 302 GPU
512MB RAM
4GB internal storage
Supports up to 32GB microSD
5MP rear camera
0.3MP front camera
Dual-SIM, Dual Standby
3G/HSPA
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth
Windows Phone 8.1
126 x 66 x 12 mm
130 g
Price: Php2,999USD 51INR 4,332EUR 49CNY 372

We chose the phones listed as those that can deliver a decent phone experience despite the budget price; thus, we eliminated phones running on 512 megabytes of RAM except for Windows Phone devices. Likewise, we wouldn’t want to bombard this list with Cherry Mobile phones from their huge catalog, despite meeting our requirements, to be able to balance it out with other brands.

Did your phone not make it to the list? Feel free to let us know!