The Best of 2014: Smartphones under Php5k

The world just turned a year older, and we ought to update the lists we have to have a more complete guide for your purchase. For the budget-oriented, here’s an updated list of some of the best bang-for-the-buck smartphones to buy under Php5k.

As 2014 came to an end, we’ve seen how the smartphone companies release more penny-worthy devices that are aimed for the tight-belted Juan. It had further evolved from the previous years — most now offer quad-core processors, a gigabyte of RAM, and an eight-megapixel rear camera at the least.

Same as last time, we’re going to feature devices that sport at least a 1GB memory, except for Windows Phone (512MB Windows Phone devices can still work fluidly without lag) and Firefox OS smartphones. We’re not going to fill this with all the Cherry Mobile phones available so we can give you a more diverse list from all local brands. We also took into consideration your suggestions from the previous post that we did last October.

Smartphones not yet available in the country will be marked with an asterisk at their name, and all of these will be listed in descending order of price, then name in ascending order.

Blackview JK450

Mobile newcomer Blackview may have been unheard for many, but its JK series of smartphones seem to have great specs.

Specifications:
4.5-inch IPS Display, 854×480, 218ppi
1.3GHz Quad-Core Mediatek MT6582M
1GB RAM
4GB Internal Memory
Expandable up to 32GB via microSD
8MP AF rear camera with LED Flash
2MP front camera
Dual-SIM, Dual-Standby
WCDMA 850/2100
GSM 850/900/1800/1900
WiFi
Bluetooth
GPS, A-GPS
Android 4.2.2 Jellybean
2300mAh battery
Php4,999USD 85INR 7,222EUR 81CNY 620

Cherry Mobile Alpha Luxe

Cherry Mobile’s range of Windows Phone devices doesn’t disappoint, as the Alpha Luxe is one of the cheapest devices sporting the Microsoft’s mobile OS available in the country today.

Specifications:
5-inch HD IPS display, 294ppi
Dragontrail Glass
1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM8212 Snapdragon 200 quad-core CPU
Adreno 302 GPU
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage
up to 32GB via microSD
8 megapixel rear camera
2 megapixel front camera
Dual-SIM, Dual-Standby
HSPA+
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
Windows Phone 8.1 OS
2,000mAh battery
145 x 72 x 9 mm
160 g
Php4,999USD 85INR 7,222EUR 81CNY 620

Firefly Mobile Intense S

Is this a budget monster? We found the Firefly Intense S a few days ago, a lightweight smartphone sporting decent specs, a 5.5-inch display, and a razor-thin body for a price of Php4,999USD 85INR 7,222EUR 81CNY 620.

Specifications:
5.5-inch IPS OGS Display, 950×540, 220ppi
1.3GHZ Quad-Core processor
1GB RAM
8GB Internal Storage
expandable up to 128GB via microSD
13-megapixel rear camera with LED Flash
Unspecified front camera resolution
Dual-SIM, Dual-Standby
HSPA+, 3G
Bluetooth
WiFi
GPS
Fast Charge Technology
Android 4.4.2 KitKat
2600mAh battery
Php4,999USD 85INR 7,222EUR 81CNY 620

Kata F1s

Kata has its latest budget Android offering that sports a 4.5-inch qHD display, dual-SIM capabilities, quad-core CPU, and Android KitKat out of the box.

Specifications:
4.5-inch qHD IPS display, 245ppi
1.3GHz MTK6582M quad-core CPU
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage
up to 32GB via microSD
Free 10GB online storage
8 megapixel AF rear camera w/ LED flash
5 megapixel front camera
3G
Dual-SIM, Dual-Standby
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0 + HS
GPS, A-GPS
Android 4.4 KitKat
1,550mAh battery
134.8 x 68.5 x 8.9mm
136g
Php4,999USD 85INR 7,222EUR 81CNY 620

MyPhone Rio

Still the local brand’s budget flagship that spawned a lot of spinoffs including the Rio Fun, Rio Lite, Rio Craze, Rio Junior, and the Rio Grande, the original Rio proves to be a popular smartphone as it sports different colors.

Specifications:
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
Php 4,999USD 85INR 7,222EUR 81CNY 620

Starmobile UP+

Like the Rio, Starmobile has turned its UP device into a smartphone line, offering great specs at reasonable prices. The 5-inch UP+ got a price cut just recently, making it eligible to enter our list.

Specifications:
5-inch IPS Multi-touch Screen, 854×480, 196ppi
1.3GHz Quad Core ARM Cortex-A7
Mali-400MP2
1GB RAM
8GB Internal Storage
expandable up to 32GB via microSD
8MP BSI rear camera
2MP BSI front camera
Dual SIM (Mini + Micro), Dual-Standby
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
Bluetooth
GPS, A-GPS
OTG, Miracast
Android 4.4 KitKat
2000mAh Li-ion battery
Php4,999USD 85INR 7,222EUR 81CNY 620

Torque DROIDZ Pivot

Torque’s newest Android device features a 180-degree rotating camera for more hi-resolution selfies and video calls.

Initial specs:
5-inch qHD IPS display, 540×960 pixels, 220ppi
1.2 GHZ Quad-Core processor
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage
expandable via microSD
8.0-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, rotating up to 180 degrees
3G 850/2100 MHz, Quad-band
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
GPS
Android 4.4 KitKat
1700mAh battery
Php4,999USD 85INR 7,222EUR 81CNY 620

ZTE Speed*

This ZTE Device is one of the most budget-friendly devices in this list with LTE built in.

Specifications:
4.5-inch IPS Display
1.2 GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage
expandable via microSD card
5MP rear FSI camera with HRD and LED Flash
2MP front camera
3G, 4G, Enhanced LTE
HD voice enabled
WiFi
Bluetooth 4.0
Android 4.4 KitKat
2000mAh Battery
$99.99PHP 5,868INR 8,474EUR 95CNY 728 (approx. Php4,500USD 77INR 6,501EUR 73CNY 558)

Lenovo K3*

The cheapest Dual-SIM LTE device to date, the Lenovo K3 doesn’t disappoint with its specs given the light price tag. We can’t wait for this one to arrive on our shores.

5-inch HD IPS display, 294ppi
1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad-core CPU
Adreno 306 GPU
1GB RAM
16GB internal storage
up to 32GB via microSD
8 megapixel camera w/ LED flash
2 megapixel front camera
Dual-SIM, Dual-Standby
4G (TD-LTE), 3G (TD-SCDMA)
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.1 LE
GPS, A-GPS
Waves MaxxAudio
2,300mAh battery
Android 4.4 KitKat w/ VIBE UI 2.0
141 x 70.5 x 7.9mm
128g
CNY599PHP 4,828USD 82INR 6,974EUR 78 (approx. Php4,300USD 73INR 6,212EUR 70CNY 534)

Cherry Mobile Omega Spectrum

CM’s Omega Spectrum packs a 5-inch HD display with Dragontrail glass, an 8 megapixel camera, 1GB RAM and a quad-core Broadcom chipset. Check out our review here.

Specifications:
5-inch HD IPS display with Dragontrail glass, 294ppi
1.2GHz Broadcom BCM 23550 quad-core CPU
VideoCore IV Multimedia Technology
1GB RAM
4GB internal storage
up to 32GB via microSD
8 megapixel rear camera w/ LED flash
2 megapixel front camera
HSPA+, 3G
Dual-SIM, Dual-Standby
WiFi b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
GLONASS GPS
USB OTG
Miracast
2,000mAh battery
Android 4.2 Jellybean / 4.4 KitKat
Php3,999USD 68INR 5,777EUR 65CNY 496

Happy Mobile Neo

Happy Mobile wants to capture your hearts with their Neo smartphone, available in an array of colors.

Specifications:
4.5 IPS Display, 854×480, 218ppi
1.4GHz Quad-Core processor
1GB RAM
4GB Internal storage
expandable up to 32GB via microSD
8-megapixel rear camera
2-megapixel front camera
Dual-SIM, Dual-Standby
WiFi
Bluetooth
GPS
3G
Android 4.4 KitKat
2000mAh battery
Php3,999USD 68INR 5,777EUR 65CNY 496

THL T6S

A quadcore phone with Android KitKat and rooted from the start for only Php3999USD 68INR 5,777EUR 65CNY 496? You can never go wrong with the THL T6S.

Specifications:
5-inch JDI FWVGA display, 196ppi
1.3GHz MTK6582M quad-core CPU
Mali-400MP GPU
1GB RAM
8GB storage
up to 32GB via microSD
5MP rear camera
VGA front camera
3G
WiFi
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS, A-GPS
FM Radio
Android 4.4 KitKat
1,900mAh battery
143.9 x 71.6 x 8.2 mm
Php3,999USD 68INR 5,777EUR 65CNY 496

Asus Zenfone 4

The Asus Zenfone 4 is the cheapest Intel-powered smartphone to date.

Specifications:
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
Php3,995USD 68INR 5,771EUR 65CNY 496

Nokia Lumia 530

Nokia’s Microsoft’s cheapest Windows Phone just got a lot cheaper. Check out our review here.

Specifications:
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
Php3,990USD 68INR 5,764EUR 65CNY 495

SKK Mobile Phoenix G1

SKK Mobile’s cheapest quad-core is a selfie phone with its 5-megapixel front snapper, runs on Android KitKat, and retails for Php3,799USD 65INR 5,488EUR 62CNY 471.

Specifications:
5-inch IPS LCD (540×960 qHD), ~220ppi
1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582 processor
Mali-400 MP2 GPU
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage
expandable up to 64GB via microSD
8-megapixel AF main camera with LED flash
5-megapixel front camera
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Dual-SIM, dual standby
3G HSPA+
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS, A-GPS
145.8 x 73.1 x 8.73mm
Android 4.4 KitKat
2000mAh battery
Php3,799USD 65INR 5,488EUR 62CNY 471

Cherry Mobile Ace

Rounding up our list is Cherry Mobile’s Ace, the first Firefox OS smartphone in the country. It is the cheapest smartphone you can get at Php1,499USD 26INR 2,165EUR 24CNY 186.

Key specs:
3.5-inch display
1GHz CPU
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
2 megapixel camera
Dual-SIM
expandable up to 16GB via microSD
200 hours standby time
Php1,499USD 26INR 2,165EUR 24CNY 186

And that’s it for some of the best budget-oriented smartphones we had in 2014. Did we miss anything in this list? Drop those suggestions down the comments section below.