Despite 2020 being a challenging year, smartphone brands still managed to release numerous devices even in their unique virtual ways. This includes their top-tier phones that are more than enough for your gaming, multitasking, or work from home needs. In this list, we’re enumerating the best of the best with prices going beyond PHP 50k.
Author’s note: The smartphones listed below are those that are officially launched in the Philippines in 2020.
Huawei Mate Xs 5G
Want a foldable smartphone with powerful specs? Then take a look at the Huawei Mate Xs 5G. Having this phone is like having three screens in one device. Unfolded, you’ll get an 8-inch tablet. Folded, you have a 6.6-inch main, then a 6.38-inch secondary. It is powered by the HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 GPU, 8GB RAM, 512GB storage, Leica quad-cameras, and a 4,500mAh battery.
Price: PHP 139,999
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2
With Samsung listening to their consumers’ feedback, the Z Fold2 had excellent upgrades. That includes a larger AMOLED cover display, 5G connectivity, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus CPU, 12GB RAM, and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage.
Price: PHP 109,990
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
Rounding up this list is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, the company’s fanciest phone after the Galaxy Fold. This device features a foldable display in a clamshell form factor, featuring a 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED main display and a 1.1-inch AMOLED cover display. It sports a Snapdragon 855+ CPU, Adreno 640 GPU, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, 12MP dual-rear cameras, 10MP front camera, and a 3,300mAh battery.
Price: PHP 79,990
Motorola Moto Razr 5G
Compared to the 2019 Razr, the Razr 5G is now powered with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G. It has an aluminum frame, a larger RAM at 8GB, bigger storage at 256GB, a higher battery rating at 2,800mAh with 15W TurboPower charging, as well as 48MP rear and 20MP front cameras with Quad Pixel technology.
Price: PHP 72,990
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G
The Samsung Note20 Ultra 5G sports a 6.9-inch dynamic AMOLED display with a 1440 x 3088-pixel resolution, HDR10+, and a 120 Hz refresh rate. Powering the smartphone is an octa-core CPU and 12 GB of RAM internal memory. Aside from its specs, it is also equipped with a stylus for note-taking, doodling, and photo editing.
Price:
PHP 72,990 (telco exclusive)
PHP 67,990 (4G LTE)
Huawei P40 Pro+
The Huawei P40 Pro+ is the all-out best device in the P40 series. It packs a large 6.58-inch 90Hz display, Kirin 990 5G, 5G connectivity, 8GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of storage. It also has 40W fast wireless charging, exclusive ceramic finish, and penta-rear cameras with impressive zoom capabilities.
Price: PHP 69,990
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra (5G)
Samsung’s current flagship lineup is lead by the Galaxy S20 Ultra. This model has a 6.9-inch QHD+ AMOLED 120Hz HDR10+ display, Exynos 990 CPU, 12GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, 108MP quad-rear cameras with 100x zoom, 40MP front camera, 5G connectivity, and 5,000mAh battery.
Price: PHP 69,990
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
As the most high-end model in Apple’s iPhone 12 lineup, the Pro Max has a large 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, 5G connectivity, more camera features, HDR video recording with Dolby Vision, and of course, Apple’s A14 Bionic chip.
Price:
• 128GB – PHP 68,990
• 256GB – PHP 74,990
• 512GB – PHP 86,990
OPPO Find X2 Pro
OPPO’s Find X2 Pro had some notable upgrades from its predecessor. That includes a 6.7-inch QHD+ 120Hz OLED curved display, a Snapdragon 865 processor, 512GB storage, and a generous 12GB RAM. It also features 50x digital zoom and a 4,260mAh battery with 65W fast charging support.
Price: PHP 65,990
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Similar to the iPhone 12 Pro Max, the iPhone 12 Pro offers bigger storage options and more powerful cameras. It’s 5G-ready, IP68 Water and dust resistance, and the same Apple A14 Bionic chip just like all the other iPhones in the 12th series.
Price:
• 128GB – PHP 62,990
• 256GB – PHP 68,990
• 512GB – PHP 80,990
Samsung Galaxy S20+ BTS Edition
Perfect for fans of K-Pop group BTS, the Samsung Galaxy S20+ BTS Edition has the same internals as the standard Galaxy S20+. What makes it stand out is its limited edition Haze Purple colored design and its software that has pre-installed exclusive BTS content such as live wallpapers, stickers, and lock screen.
Price: PHP 57,990
Huawei Mate 40 Pro 5G
The 5G-ready Mate 40 Pro packs almost everything the company is known to be good at. It packs a 6.76-inch FHD+ OLED 90Hz display, 240Hz touch sampling rate, Huawei Kirin 9000 octa-core CPU, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage, and triple rear cameras.
Price: PHP 55,999
Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G
Huawei’s Mate 30 series launched in 2019, but it was only in 2020 that the company released the 5G variant of the Mate 30 Pro in the Philippines. It has a 6.53-inch FHD+ OLED display, Kirin 990 5G CPU, Mali-G76 GPU, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, 40MP quad-rear cameras, 32MP front camera, and a 4,500mAh battery. A good choice if you’re a fan of the Mate design and in need of 5G connectivity.
Price: PHP 55,990
Samsung Galaxy S20+ (4G)
Sitting in the middle of the Galaxy S20 series is the Galaxy S20+. This one has a 67-inch QHD+ 120Hz HDR10+ display, Exynos 990, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, 12MP quad-rear cameras, 10MP front camera, and 4,500mAh battery. Sadly, this model in the Philippines doesn’t support 5G, but you can get it at a much lower price than the S20 Ultra.
Price: PHP 55,990
ASUS ROG Phone 3 Classic Edition
The ASUS ROG Phone 3 sports an upgraded 6.59-inch AMOLED display, now capable of running at 144Hz, with 10-bit color, DCI-P3, and HDR10+ support. It features 5G connectivity, the latest flagship from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 865+ chipset, paired with up to 16GB of RAM, and 512GB UFS 3.1.
Price: 16GB + 512GB – PHP 54,995
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 (4G)
The Galaxy Note 20 has a large 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass protection. Under the hood, it has a Samsung Exynos 990 processor with 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB storage. It boasts the S-Pen support and triple rear cameras that are capable high telephoto resolution and 8K video recording.
Price: PHP 53,990
Apple iPhone 12
A new iPhone means a new powerful chipset and a few more features. Behind its boxy design is the new A14 Bionic chip, 5G connectivity, IP68 waterproof rating, and dual rear cameras composed of a 12MP F1.6 main and a 12MP F2.4 ultrawide. The iPhone 12 can record up to 4K at 60fps and now supports a 10-bit high dynamic range with Dolby Vision, which results in cinema-grade clips that can be more flexible in post.
Price:
• 128GB – PHP 52,990
• 256GB – PHP 58,990
Apple iPhone 12 mini
The iPhone 12 mini is pretty much identical to the standard iPhone 12. Their only difference is screen size. These are equipped with 5G connectivity and features MagSafe for magnetic wireless charging and for supporting magnetic accessories. Hardware-wise, it has the new A14 Bionic chip, 64/128/256GB of storage, and 4GB of RAM.
Price: 256GB – PHP 52,990
Huawei P40 Pro
Let’s take a look at Huawei’s reasonably-priced flagship devices — the P40 Series. The big brother here is the P40 Pro. It has a 6.58-inch FHD+ OLED display, HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16 GPU, 8GB of RAM, up to 256GB of storage, 50MP quad-rear cameras, 5G connectivity, and 4,200mAh battery. If you want the best photography-centric smartphone in DXOMark’s book, this is it.
Price: PHP 50,990
And that sums it up. If you want to check out all the smartphones launched in the Philippines in 2020, check out our list here.
