Here are the top 10 smartphones you can buy in the PH

We’ve already created our top 10 lists for smartphones below Php10k and Php15k, which leaves us only with smartphones priced above Php15k, and luckily, all the flagship phones from all major companies are already out and available in the PH. So, to complete our trilogy of top 10 lists, here are the smartphones you should get above Php15k, or if you’re not thinking about any budget at all.

Notes:

• Prices are based on online prices and SRPs, rounded to the nearest hundreds ; listed in no particular order.

1. Nokia Lumia 930 (Php23,800USD 406INR 34,381EUR 386CNY 2,954 – Php29,990USD 511INR 43,324EUR 487CNY 3,722)

Nokia, the company now under Microsoft, has managed to fit one smartphone in this list and it’s the only one running Windows Phone.

The Nokia Lumia 930 is the fusion of all the company’s hardware & software, from the design to the specs, and it’s currently the best thing that they offer so far. If you’re down for Nokia & Microsoft’s craftsmanship, there is no other choice.

Noteworthy elements:

• Windows Phone 8.1
• 20 megapixel PureView camera

2. HTC One M8 (Php23,200USD 395INR 33,515EUR 377CNY 2,879 – Php31,100USD 530INR 44,927EUR 505CNY 3,860)

The HTC One M8 is undoubtedly one beautiful and capable device. It may not have a QHD display and a high-resolution main camera, but it does almost everything well, not to mention it is wrapped in wonderful aluminum and it packs mind-blowing front-facing BoomSound speakers.

If you’re willing to trade off the metal build for a higher megapixel camera + waterproofing, the HTC Butterfly 2 is also available for a higher price, but we think a lot of people will do just fine with the One M8.

Noteworthy elements:

• Front-facing BoomSound speakers
• Premium metal build

3. Samsung Galaxy S5 (Php22,800USD 389INR 32,937EUR 370CNY 2,829 – Php34,000USD 579INR 49,116EUR 552CNY 4,219)

Water-resistance, a beautiful 1080p Super AMOLED display, a 16-megapixel camera, a heart rate monitor, and a fingerprint scanner – those are just a few things that the Galaxy S5 features, and we’re sure there are a lot more that a lot may like.

However, not everyone is going to enjoy everything about the Galaxy S5 as well; the design being significantly one of them.

Noteworthy elements:

• Water-resistance
• Fingerprint scanner, heart rate monitor

4. LG G3 (Php20,600USD 351INR 29,759EUR 334CNY 2,556 – Php33,990USD 579INR 49,102EUR 552CNY 4,218)

LG polishes its successful G2 in the form of the G3, and we’re not disappointed.

The LG G3 is a beast from the QHD display to its other fast internals. It also has laser autofocus for the camera and this plastic design that aims for a metallic look & feel. The QHD display, however, seems to be holding back the performance of the phone at times, but other than that, this smartphone is still one to beat.

Noteworthy elements:

• 5.5-inch 2560 x 1440 display
• Laser autofocus

5. iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus (Php38,500USD 656INR 55,617EUR 625CNY 4,778 – Php84,500USD 1,440INR 122,069EUR 1,371CNY 10,486)

Instead of just one iOS device in this list, there are two this year, and they’re both taking only a single spot in our top 10 list mainly because these are exactly the same phones except for the size & the small addition of OIS in the camera – meet the larger iPhones 6 & 6 Plus.

Apple finally gave in to the idea of large screens, and with polishing of parts here and there, we can say that the results are wonderful. We do advise however to just stick with the 4.7-inch iPhone instead of the 5.5-inch one just because it’s better to hold and it won’t cost you a limb. And besides, if #bendgate still worries you despite the reports of it being exaggerated, the iPhone 6 is a better choice.

Noteworthy elements:

• Touch ID
• iOS
• Improved 8 megapixel iSight cameras

6. Sony Xperia Z3 (Php27,700USD 472INR 40,015EUR 450CNY 3,438 – Php27,800USD 474INR 40,160EUR 451CNY 3,450)

Again, just like a lot of smartphones in this list, the Sony Xperia Z3 is an incremental upgrade from its predecessor – it has the same camera sensor, the same screen resolution, a similar design and a lot more, but there are small updates here and there that make big changes.

For PS4 users, you will get to enjoy PS4 Remote Play, and for the rest of the experience, you’ll be enjoying a better display outdoors, good battery life, waterproofing, a wider angle lens, higher ISOs for shooting in the dark and more.

Noteworthy elements:

• Waterproofing
• Improved 20.7 megapixel Exmor RS camera

7. Google Nexus 5 (Php15,600USD 266INR 22,536EUR 253CNY 1,936 – Php18,500USD 315INR 26,725EUR 300CNY 2,296)

The Nexus 5 is still a capable phone, and I think we can still recommend the Nexus 5 to a lot of people mainly because it’s a Nexus and its specs still do not disappoint with a great 1080p display, a Snapdragon 800 CPU, 2GB RAM and a lot more.

Apart from what I mentioned above, it’s also worth noting that the Nexus 5 is the most affordable flagship phone you can get, and to top it all off, the Nexus 5 is expected to get the next version of Android when it releases.

Noteworthy elements:

• Upgradable to the next version of Android
• Affordable price

8. Sony Xperia Z3 Compact (Php20,800USD 354INR 30,048EUR 338CNY 2,581 – Php21,000USD 358INR 30,337EUR 341CNY 2,606)

It might just have downgraded specs when you compare it to its bigger brother (ex. from a 1080p display to a 720p panel), but that doesn’t mean the experience is worse. In fact, if you’re going to get any “mini” phone, it’s this one.

The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact packs a very capable 720p display, the same waterproof design, the same 20 megapixel camera used in the Xperia Z3, and it’s all in a smaller and much more manageable form factor.

Noteworthy elements:

• Waterproofing
• Improved 20.7 megapixel Exmor RS camera
• Compact construction

9. Blackberry Passport (Php32,000USD 545INR 46,227EUR 519CNY 3,971)

The new Blackberry Passport is already here, but only barely, and it makes it into this list for one reason alone…

There are still a lot of people who would prefer a QWERTY keyboard and/or a Blackberry phone as a whole for a smartphone over other alternatives. In this instance, there’s only the Passport which packs the latest internals from the company. If you wish to save almost half the price for Blackberry’s previous flagship, you can get the Z30.

Noteworthy elements:

• QWERTY keyboard
• BlackBerry OS

10. Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (Php33,900USD 578INR 48,972EUR 550CNY 4,207 – Php34,500USD 588INR 49,839EUR 560CNY 4,281)

If you’re going to get a phablet, then pick the pioneer that made phablets mainstream.

The Galaxy Note 4 is Samsung’s polishing of the Note line. It hasn’t changed much design-wise, but it does pack a metal casing now which adds a lot into the new premium feel. It also packs the latest hardware from the company which includes the heart rate monitor, the fingerprint scanner, the 16 megapixel camera, a QHD Super AMOLED display, and of course, the much improved stylus called the S-Pen.

Noteworthy elements:

• 5.7-inch 2560 x 1440 Super AMOLED display
• Improved pair of cameras
• S-Pen functionality
• Heart rate monitor, fingerprint scanner
• Better Samsung build

That’s about it for our lists of top 10 phones this year. For the others, you can refer to these links:

• Our Top 10 Smartphones below Php10k for (Mid) 2014
• Our Top 10 Smartphones below Php15k for 2014

Stay tuned for more content and for our other seasonal guides coming soon!