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Christmas Gift Guide 2017: Best Smartphones Under Php20K

Christmas bells are ringing, and so is the plethora of smartphones that want to win your hearts and pockets this holiday season. We’re continuing our annual Christmas Gift Guide with devices that are priced at the most coveted spot today: under Php20,000.

This year, the trend has moved from donning budget devices, to upper mid-range devices, primarily due to the increasing number of options of availing them in an instant, such as Home Credit. With that being said, we’ve curated a list of smartphones officially released in the Philippines from January 1 to date within the Php10,001 to Php20,000 price range.

Selfie Smartphones

ASUS Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro (Php18,995)

ASUS rebooted its selfie line of smartphones this year to battle it out with other mid-range contenders, and the ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro makes its mark with two front cameras of different angles for a better scope.

ASUS ZenFone 4 Selfie Pro (ZD552KL) specs:
5.5-inch full HD AMOLED display @ 1920×1080 pixels, 401ppi
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 2.0GHz octa-core CPU
Adreno 506 GPU
4GB LPDDR3 RAM
64GB internal storage
expandable via microSD slot up to 128GB (dedicated)
16MP rear camera with LED Flash
12MP + 5MP dual front camera (120-degree wide-angle)
4G LTE Cat4
Dual nano-SIM
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.1, A2DP, EDR, LE
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Fingerprint Scanner
ASUS ZenUI (Android 7.0 Nougat)
3000mAh Li-Ion battery
154.02 x 74.83 x 6.85 mm (dimensions)
145 grams (weight)
Deepsea Black, Sunlight Gold, and Rouge Red

Huawei Nova 2i (Php14,990)

Arguably one of the most popular mid-range smartphones this year, Huawei’s Nova 2i is one of the first in the country to feature four cameras — there are two on each side, and the camera setup is different from the previous one, as the Nova 2i boasts of a secondary camera that offers better depth-of-field, making bokeh effects in selfies more polished.

5.9-inch 18:9 IPS LCD display @ 2160 x 1080 pixels
2.5D Curved Glass Display
HiSilicon Kirin 659 2.36GHz octa-core processor
4 x 2.36GHz ARM Cortex A53 + 4 x 1.4GHz ARM Cortex A53
4GB LPDDR3 RAM
64GB internal storage
expandable via microSD up to 256GB (uses SIM2)
16MP+2MP rear cameras, f/2.2 with LED Flash
13MP+2MP front cameras, f/2.0
4G VoLTE
Hybrid Dual-SIM (nano+nano/microSD)
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS with A-GPS support, GLONASS
Fingerprint Scanner
Android 7 Nougat with Huawei EMUI 5.1
3,340mAh Li-Ion battery
Dimensions: 156.2 × 75.2 × 7.5mm
Weight: 164 grams

OPPO F5 (Php15,990)

OPPO boasts of a 20-megapixel front camera that features AI technology capable of scanning your face and identifying areas that need to be corrected in a more natural way.

6-inch FHD+ (2160 x 1080) display, 402ppi, Gorilla Glass 5
MediaTek MT6763T 2.50GHz octa-core CPU
Mali-G71 MP2 GPU
4GB RAM
32GB internal storage
microSD card support (dedicated slot)
16MP f/1.8 rear camera w/ LED flash
20MP f/2.0 front camera with AI Beautification Technology, screen flash
Dual-SIM (nano)
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS with A-GPS support
Gyroscope
micro USB
Fingerprint scanner
Face Unlock
ColorOS 3.2 (Android 7.1.1 Nougat)
3,200mAh Li-Ion battery

Vivo V7+ (Php17,990)

Vivo, on the other hand, has the V7+ with an 18:9 All View Display and a 24-megapixel front camera with beauty features in tow.

5.99-inch 1440 x 720 FullView display, 267ppi with Gorilla Glass 4
84.4% screen-to-body ratio
Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 octa-core CPU
4GB RAM
64GB internal storage
up to 256GB via dedicated microSD card slot
16MP OV16880 f2.0 rear camera w/ LED flash
24MP f/2.0 front camera w/ Moonlight Glow
Dual-SIM (nano)
4G LTE
Dual-band WiFi b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
USB OTG
FM Radio
Fingerprint scanner
Face ID
AK4376A Hi-Fi Audio Chip
Funtouch OS 3.2 (Android 7.1 Nougat)
3,225mAh battery
155.87 x 75.74 x 7.7 mm
160 g

Vanilla Android Experience

Lenovo K8 Note (Php13,999, but is on sale at Lazada at a lower price)

Lenovo has just made it in time when it launched the K8 Note which is one of the company’s first smartphones to ship with stock Android right out of the box.

5.5-inch 16:9 ratio Full HD IPS LCD display @ 1080 x 1920 pixels, 401ppi
2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass
2.3GHz MediaTek Helio X23 deca-core SoC
Mali-T880 MP4 GPU
4GB RAM
64GB storage
up to 128GB via microSD (dedicated)
13MP + 5MP secondary rear depth camera w/ LED flash
13MP front camera w/ flash
Dual-SIM (nano)
4G LTE
Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 4.1
GPS/A-GPS
Fingerprint scanner
Durable water repellent design
Micro-USB
Dolby Atmos audio
FM Radio
Android 7.1.1 Nougat
4,000mAh battery with TurboPower technology
154.5 x 75.9 x 8.5mm
180g
Venom Black, Fine Gold

Nokia 6 (Php11,990)

HMD Global made the world notice the Nokia brand again when it officially forayed into the Android world. One of the devices in its initial comeback is a mid-range smartphone called the Nokia 6.

5.5-inch IPS LCD @ 1920 x 1080 pixels, 401ppi
2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 1.4GHz octa-core processor
Adreno 505 graphics
4GB RAM
64GB internal storage
Expandable via microSD, up to 128GB (Uses SIM 2)
16MP PDAF rear camera w/ dual-tone flash
8MP front-facing camera
4G LTE
Dual-SIM
WiFi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 4.1
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Fingerprint scanner
Gyroscope sensor
USB OTG support
3,000mAh Li-Ion battery
Fast charging support
Android 7.1.2 Nougat
154 x 75.8 x 7.85 mm (dimensions)
169 grams (weight)

 

All-around performers

LG Q6+ (Php14,990)

LG has also officially released the beefier Q6 aptly named as the Q6+, and it features a bigger RAM and storage.

5.5-inch FHD+ FullVision in-cell IPS display @ 2160 x 1080 px
1.4GHz Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 435
Adreno 505 GPU
4GB RAM
64GB internal storage
expandable via microSD up to 2TB (dedicated)
13 MP f/2.2 rear camera with LED Flash
5MP f/2.2 front camera with wide angle up to 100 degrees
4G/LTE Cat. 7
Dual SIM, Dual Standby
WiFi 802.11bgn/ac, Dual Band
Bluetooth 4.2
NFC
GPS with aGPS support, GLONASS
LGUI 5.0 (Android 7.1.1 Nougat)
3,000mAh Li-Po battery
142.5 x 69.3 x 8.1mm (dimensions)
149 grams (weight)
Astro Black, Marine Blue

Motorola Moto G5S Plus (Php14,990)

Motorola went out with a bang last month as it launched the G5S Plus, one of the company’s strongest contenders in the mid-range wars today.

5.5-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080 IPS Display @ 401ppi, with Corning Gorilla Glass 3
2.0GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 Octa-Core processor
Adreno 506 GPU
4GB RAM
32GB storage
up to 128GB via microSD
Dual 13MP rear camera, f/2.0, Dual LED flash, 8X digital zoom, active viewfinder, depth editing software
8MP with wide-angle lens front camera, f/2.0
Dual-SIM (hybrid)
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Fingerprint scanner
Water repellent nano-coating
Android 7.1.1 Nougat
3,000mAh battery with TurboPower charging
153.5 x 76.52 x 9.5 mm
168 g
Lunar Grey, Blush Gold

Samsung Galaxy J7+ (Php19,990)

Samsung retaliates with the J7+, its first mid-range phone with dual rear cameras that can provide better depth-of-field.

5.5-inch Full HD AMOLED display @ 1920 x 1080px, 401ppi
2.5D Glass Protection
2.39GHz MediaTek Helio P20 octa-core
4GB RAM
32GB internal storage
expandable via microSD up to 256GB
13MP f/1.7 + 5MP f/1.9 rear cameras with LED flash
16MP f/1.9 front camera with LED flash
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS with aGPS support
Micro USB
Bixby assistant
Fingerprint scanner
Facial recognition
TouchWiz (Android 7 Nougat)
3,000mAh battery

Sony Xperia XA1 Plus (Php16,990)

Last on our list, Sony released the Xperia XA1 Plus this year, and it features a solid build with a long battery life to boot.

5.5-inch Full HD IPS display @ 1920 x 1080 resolution
2.3GHz MediaTek Helio P20 Octa Core 64bit
4 x ARM Cortex A53 2.3GHz + 4 x ARM Cortex A53 1.6GHz
Mali T880 MP2 GPU
4GB RAM
32GB UFS internal storage
microSD up to 256GB (dedicated slot)
23MP 1/ 2.3-inch f/2.0 Exmor RS rear camera: Hybrid Autofocus, 24mm wide-angle F2.0 lens, HDR, SteadyShot with LED flash
8MP 1/4-inch f/2.0 Exmor R front camera: up to ISO 3200, 23mm wide-angle lens, HDI, SteadyShot
4G/LTE
Dual SIM (nano)
SmartAmp
Clear Audio+
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.2, A2DP
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
NFC
Fingerprint scanner
Qnovo Adaptive Charging
Android 7.0 Nougat
3,430mAh Li-Ion battery with Quick Charging (Pump Express+ 2.0)
155 x 75 x 8.7mm (dimensions)
190 grams (weight)
Colors: Black, Blue, Gold, Pink

That’s it for some of the best phones you can buy this holiday season under Php20k. Do you have more recommendations you want to share with our fellow readers? Feel free to post your thoughts in the comments section below.

 

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Avatar for Carl Lamiel

Get in touch with Carl at @lamielcarl on Twitter or visit his website for more updates!

7 Responses

  1. Avatar for Jaboi Jaboi says:

    I believe the Xiaomi Mi A1 or Mi 5x should be in the list as well. QC SC 625 processors and a nice dual camera with portrait mode that is underrated, inside a premium-looking gadget.

    • Avatar for Frenzel Isidro Frenzel Isidro says:

      I agree. Yuga just limited the list to those officially released locally. They should either stop doing that since there is Lazada, or add another section (or separate article altogether) for those not officially released locally.

    • Avatar for Art Art says:

      Which is better among the two my good sir? and May I ask the pricing on both?

  2. Avatar for Yoo Taeyang Yoo Taeyang says:

    Where is the Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro?

  3. Avatar for Martin Martin says:

    The K8 Note’s specs look really nice. Medyo apprehensive lang ako kasi may history ang Lenovo with bad hardware and support. Would you guys say they have changed for the better?

  4. Avatar for The Emacipation of Elusive Chanteuse The Emacipation of Elusive Chanteuse says:

    Meizu M6 Note too…

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