Our Top 10 Smartphones Under Php20k as of mid-2013

At present, there are a lot of smartphones to choose from and it’s really getting confusing on which one to get. If you are on a tight budget and eyeing on a brand new smartphone, you should check out our rundown of our top 10 smartphones under Php20,000USD 341INR 28,892EUR 325CNY 2,482 that are available now.

Notes:

• Prices are based on online sellers and SRPs; listed in no particular order.
• We wanted to keep the list as diverse as possible.

1. Samsung Galaxy S3 (Php18,000USD 307INR 26,003EUR 292CNY 2,234 – 19,000)

In black, gray, white or blue, with or without LTE, the SGS3 still features very competitive specs such as a fast processor, an amazing 8MP camera and a vibrant Super AMOLED HD display.

However, if you’re not into glossy plastic – you might want to reconsider.

Samsung Galaxy S3 i9300 specs:
4.8-inch Super HD AMOLED screen @ 1280×720 pixels (306ppi)
1.4GHz Samsung Exynos 4 Quad processor
Mali-400MP GPU
1GB RAM
16GB internal storage
up to 32GB via microSD card
HSPA+ up to 21Mbps
8MP rear camera with LED flash
1080p @ 30fps video recording
1.9MP front-facing camera
720p HD video recording
NFC
Bluetooth 4.0
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n with WiFi Bonding
2,100mAh Li-Ion battery
Android 4.0 ICS with TouchWiz UX
8.6mm thickness, 133gram weight

2. Nokia Lumia 920 (Php17,300USD 295INR 24,992EUR 281CNY 2,147 – 17,600)

The Nokia Lumia 920 is the Finnish company’s first Windows Phone to incorporate PureView; it excels in taking low-light photos & it does its best in stabilizing your captures. On top of all that is the smooth and minimalistic OS called Windows Phone 8.

While the handset features beautiful design and solid construction, it is quite hefty – and not everyone might be satisfied with the ecosystem of WP.

Nokia Lumia 920 specs:
4.5-inch 720p display PureMotionHD+ @ 1280×768 pixels
Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 1.5GHz dual-core, Krait processor
Adreno 225 GPU
1GB RAM
32GB internal storage
LTE
NFC
8.7MP rear camera, LED flash
1080p video recording @30fps
1.3MP front-facing camera
720p video recording @30fps
2,000mAh Li-Ion battery
Windows Phone 8
Dimension: 130.3 x 70.8 x 10.7 mm
Weight: 185g

3. Google Nexus 4 (+- Php16,490USD 281INR 23,821EUR 268CNY 2,046)

If you’re looking for the best Google experience on a smartphone, you can stop looking. The Nexus 4 (by LG) is destined to receive stock Android updates first for the following years to come. Not only does it feature the latest Google software, but it also runs on a fast quad-core CPU and 2GB RAM.

Unfortunately, glass-backed phones aren’t everybody’s bet, and the 8 megapixel camera on the rear is below average.

Google Nexus 4 specs:
4.7” True HD IPS+ display 1280 x 720 @318ppi
Gorilla Glass 2 coated display
1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064)
2GB of RAM
Adreno 320 GPU
8/16GB non-expandable internal storage
8MP autofocus camera w/ LED flash
1080p video recording @30fps
1.3MP front-facing camera
HSPA+ 42
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
NFC (Android Beam)
2100mAh non-removable battery
Android 4.2 Jelly bean
Dimension: 133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1 mm
Weight: 139g

4. HTC One X (Php15,990USD 272INR 23,099EUR 260CNY 1,984 – 16,990)

With a fast quad-core CPU, a stunning 720p HD SuperLCD 3 display and a beautiful polycarbonate body, it makes Sense to include the HTC One X on this list.

If you’re looking for a long-lasting battery however, this one might be a tough pick. Also, if you’re looking for a 4G smartphone from HTC instead – you might want to look at the One SV (Php17,480USD 298INR 25,252EUR 284CNY 2,169 – 19,990) with a lot of sacrifices in specs of course.

HTC One X specs:
4.7? Super LCD 2 display, 720×1280 pixels @ 312ppi
1.5GHz quad-core NVidia Tegra 3 processor
1GB RAM
32GB internal storage (26GB usable)
HSPA+ 21Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
NFC
Bluetooth 4.0
8MP autofocus rear camera, 1080p
1.3MP front-facing camera, 720p
GPS w/ aGPS support
FM Radio Tuner
1800mAh Li-Polymer battery
Android 4.0.3 ICS
134.4 x 68.9 x 8.9mm
130 grams

5. Huawei Ascend Mate (+-Php16,990)

Crazy could be your middle name, and in that case – you might be eyeing on a 6.1-inch smartphone. The Huawei Ascend Mate is well spec’d for that matter as it features a quad-core CPU, 1GB RAM and a beefy 4,050mAh battery.

But then again, a phone with a 6.1-inch display will only cater best to a few people.

Huawei Ascend Mate specs:
6.1-inch IPS LCD 720p display @ 1280×720 pixels, 241ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass
Huawei K3V2 1.5GHz quad-core processor
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage
up to 32GB via microSD
HSPA+ 42Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, dual-band, WiFi Direct, DLNA, WiFi hotspot
Bluetooth 4.0
8MP camera with LED flash
1080p video recording
1.2MP front-facing camera
FM Stereo tuner
GPS w/ aGPS support
Li-Ion 4050mAh battery
Android 4.1.2 Jellybean
163.5 x 85.7 x 9.9mm (dimensions)

6. Sony Xperia V (Php13,100USD 223INR 18,924EUR 213CNY 1,626  – Php18,250USD 311INR 26,364EUR 296CNY 2,265)

If you like using 4G while being in wet places (or something close to that), the water-resistant Xperia V could be the one for you. It features decent specs of course, and a high-resolution 13 megapixel camera.

On a side note, there really isn’t anything that spectacular that the Xperia V offers apart from the competition, aside from 4G and water-resistance.

Sony Xperia V LTE specs:
4.3” HD display @ 1280×720 pixels, 342ppi
Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2
1.5GHz dual-core MSM8960 Snapdragon processor
Adreno 225
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage
Expandable up to 32GB via Micro-SD
13MP autofocus camera w/ LED Flash
1080p video recording @30fps
VGA Front-facing camera
DC-HSDPA 42Mbps, LTE 100Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, dual-band
Bluetooth 4.0
NFC
GPS w/ aGPS support, GLONASS
1750mAh Li-Ion battery
Dustproof (IP5X) and Water resistant (IPX5/7)
Android 4.0 upgradable to Jelly bean
Weight: 120g
Dimension: 129 x 65 x 10.7mm

7. Motorola Razr Maxx (+-Php18,490)

This phone might be a shadow from Motorola’s past as they released a lot of new models already (priced higher than Php20k locally), but the Razr Maxx still makes it to our list. Why? It’s because of the 3,300mAh battery inside that Kevlar chassis.

A dual-core processor, a qHD display and some other outdated hardware specs come with the Razr Maxx, but if that’s all you need and an extremely heavy duty battery – maybe you don’t need to look elsewhere after all.

Motorola RAZR Maxx specs:
4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced screen @ 540×960 pixels, 256ppi
TI OMAP4430 1.2GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9
1GB RAM
16GB internal storage
up to 32GB via microSD
HSDPA, HSUPA
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, WiFi hotspot
8MP rear autofocus camera, LED flash
1080p video recording @ 30fps
1.3MP front-facing camera
Bluetooth 4.0
Android v2.3.6 Gingerbread out of the box (upgrade to v4.0.4 ICS now available)
Li-Ion 3300mAh battery
130.7 x 68.9 x 8.99mm (dimensions)
145 gram (weight)

8. Nokia 808 PureView (+-Php16,990)

The Nokia 808 PureView doesn’t really pack a lot of good hardware and software features; a single core CPU, 512MB RAM and a 4-inch nHD display all running on the late Symbian. But anyways, it remains unmatched by the competition in one field – the 41 megapixel camera packed with Zeiss, Xenon and more.

Nokia PureView 808 specs:
4-inch AMOLED nHD Nokia ClearBlack display w/ Corning Gorilla Glass
1.3GHz ARM 11 processor
Broadcom BCM2763 GPU
512MB RAM
16GB internal storage
Expandable up to 32GB via Micro SD
41MP Carl Zeiss Optics autofocus camera w/ Xenon flash
1080p video recording @30fps
VGA Front-facing camera
HSPA 14.4Mbps
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Wi-Fi Tethering via JoikuSpot app
Bluetooth 3.0
GPS w/ A-GPS support
1400mAH Battery
Dimension: 123.9 x 60.2 x 13.9 mm
Weight: 168g

9. BlackBerry Bold 9900 (+-Php19,900)

If you want the best of BlackBerry without having to spend on BB10, then the Bold 9900 is still perfect for you. It offers decent specs, both touch and type inputs, and of course, BlackBerry services.

On the downside, apps and future-proofing might be a problem for you as BlackBerry has already shifted all their attention to their new OS.

BlackBerry Bold 9900 specs:
2.8-inch capacitive touch screen display @ 640—480, 287 dpi resolution
QWERTY keyboard, optical trackpad
1.2 GHz processor
768 MB RAM
8GB on-board memory,
microSD slot supporting up to 32GB
NFC technology
5MP camera w/ 720p HD video recording
Orientation Sensor (Accelerometer)
Digital Compass (Magnetometer)
Proximity Sensor
GPS with aGPS support
Dual-Band WiFi 802.11 b/g/n @ 2.4 GHz and 802.11 a/n @ 5GHz
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
1230 mAh Li-Ion battery
BlackBerry 7 OS

10. LG Optimus G (+-Php18,990)

Let’s say you want a great LG phone, but you don’t want to get vanilla Android and a sub-par camera; you might want the LG Optimus G, the Nexus 4’s father.

It packs the same premium glass build, a fast quad-core CPU, a vibrant HD display and a 13 megapixel shooter. However, the question still remains – do you want LG’s UI on top of Android, or would you prefer something else?

LG Optimus G (E975) specs:
4.7-inch True HD 720p IPS display @ 1280×768 pixels, 318ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass
Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon S4 Pro 1.5GHz quad-core
Adreno 320 GPU
2GB RAM
32GB internal storage
HSPA+ & LTE 100Mbps
NFC
Bluetooth 4.0 w/ A2DP
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, dual-band, WiFi Direct, DLNA
13MP rear camera, LED flash
1080p video recording @ 30fps
1.3MP front-facing camera
720p video recording @ 30fps
GPS w/ AGPS support, GLONASS
TV-out (via MHL A/V link)
Jellybean 4.1.2
2100mah Li-Po battery
131.9 x 68.9 x 8.5mm (dimensions)
145 grams (weight)

That’s about it guys. If you have any more in mind, feel free to drop it in the comments down below. For the meantime, you might also want to check out our previous lists:

• Our Top 10 Android Smartphones under Php10k for 2013
• 10 Smartphones with over 5-inch Displays
• Top 5 Most Affordable Windows Phone 8 Devices in PH