Top Smartphones Php30k and above (Mid-2016)

The final chapter of our Top Smartphones for Mid-2016 is all about flagship. In the range of Php30k and above, manufacturers have put in the best specs and design they can give to consumers. Are you willing to shell out this much cash for a smartphone? If you are, read on to see which of these is the smartphone for you.

Note: The list is arranged from the least to the most expensive listed price. Chosen smartphones were released in the country from January to June 2016.

HTC 10

HTC’s latest shot in the realm of Android smartphones was a great hit, well in terms of performance and overall quality. Camera department gets the best HTC can offer including an optically stabilized selfie camera. BoomSound also gets an upgrade with incorporation of Hi-Fi technology.

The HTC 10 is not officially released in the Philippines but WidgetCity is offering the handset starting at Php 30,500 depending on your chosen configuration. Check out their listing here.

HTC 10 specs:
5.2-inch QHD display @ 2560 x 1440 pixels, 565ppi
Super LCD 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor 2.15GHz quad-core processor
4GB RAM
32GB, 64GB internal storage
up to 2TB via microSD
4G LTE Cat. 9
Bluetooth 4.2
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
NFC
12MP (HTC UltraPixel 2) rear camera w/ laser autofocus, OIS, f1.8 aperture (ultra wide-angle lens)
1.55um per pixel
5 MP, f/1.8, 23mm, OIS, autofocus, 1.34 µm pixel size, 1080p, HDR
HTC BoomSound Hi-Fi Edition
Dolby Audio
USB Type-C
Fingerprint sensor
GPS with aGPS, GLONASS
3000mAh battery
Android 6.0.1 with HTC Sense UI
Carbon Grey, Glacier Silver, Topaz Gold, and Camellia Red

Huawei Mate 8

Huawei may have brought their Mate 8 flagship to the country a little too late but its beauty and performance deserve a warm welcome. With their home-baked Kirin 950 processor paired with 4GB of RAM, the Mate 8 took the spot of the best performance found on an Android handset. Plus, the huge 6-inch display with minimal borders and large 4000mAh battery will please content-savvy users.

During its local launch, Huawei introduced Mate 8 as a corporate handset focusing on the features helpful in doing business. SRP is at Php 32,990 with two color options locally available — Champagne Gold and Mocha Brown.

Huawei Mate 8 specifications:
6.0-inch Full HD IPS-NEO display, 368ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 4
HiSilicon Kirin 950 octa-core processor (4 x 2.3GHz, 4 x 1.8GHz) w/ i5 coprocessor
4GB RAM
64GB internal storage
up to 128GB via microSD (uses SIM 2 slot)
16MP PDAF rear camera w/ OIS and dual-tone flash
8MP front camera
Dual-SIM (nano)
Dual-4G LTE, 3G HSPA+
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 4.2, A2DP, EDR, LE
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
FM Radio
NFC
USB OTG
Fingerprint scanner
4,000mAh battery (non-removable)
Android 6.0 Marshmallow w/ Emotion UI 4.1
157.1 x 80.6 x 7.9 mm
185 g

LG G5

Considered as the first modular smartphone to be commercially available, the LG G5 impresses in different aspects. It’s got a dual-rear camera setup, beastly Snapdragon 820, and a removable battery slot that doubles as a gateway to multiple accessories or ‘friends’ as LG calls them. This includes the LG Cam Plus and the LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O Play. There’s also non-modular companions like the LG 360 VR and 360 Cam, and the LG Rolling Bot.

Unfortunately, most of the ‘friends’ are still not available for purchase and only the LG Cam Plus is bundled for every purchase with suggested retail price of Php 34,990. Smart is offering the handset under their postpaid plans as well.

LG G5 (H860N) specs:
5.3-inch Quad HD IPS Quantum Display @ 2560×1440, 554ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 4
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Processor
Adreno 530 GPU
4GB LPDDR4 RAM
32GB UFS ROM
microSD up to 2 Terabytes
Dual-SIM (Hybrid)
4G/LTE Cat. 12 up to 600Mbps
WiFi 802.11b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 4.2
NFC
16MP rear camera, f1.8
8MP wide angle rear camera, f2.4
8MP front-facing camera
2,800mAh Li-Ion battery (removable)
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
LG Optimus UX 5.0 UI
USB Type-C
Silver, Titan, Gold, Pink
149.4 x 73.9 x 7.7mm (dimensions)
159g (weight)

Samsung Galaxy S7

Samsung’s latest Galaxy flagship is definitely one of the best smartphones in the market today. The Galaxy S7 takes all the important cues from its S6 predecessor and improved upon it. The result? A notable Android flagship that takes amazing photos and videos, beautiful design and display, and to top it all, it’s water-resistant.

The handset retails in the Philippines for Php 34,990 for the 32GB model. If you don’t want to shell out that much cash, you can also avail of the postpaid plans from Globe and Smart.

Samsung Galaxy S7 specs:
5.1-inch Super AMOLED Quad-HD display @ 2560 x 1440 pixels
Gorilla Glass 4
Samsung Exynos 8890 64-bit octa-core CPU
4GB RAM
32GB internal storage
Expandable via microSD, up to 200GB (Uses SIM 2)
Dual SIM, Dual LTE hybrid
WiFi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 4.1
NFC
12MP Dual Pixel rear camera dual-tone, dual LED, f/1.7
5-megapixel front-facing camera, f/1.7
Fast Wireless Charging
Fingerprint Scanner
Heart-Rate Sensor
IP68 Rating
3,000mAh Li-Ion non-removable battery
Android 6.0 Marshmallow with TouchWiz
Gold, Silver, White and Black

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

A Samsung trend that started with the Galaxy Note Edge back in 2014, the use of a curved edge display continue with the Galaxy S7 Edge. Basically, the S7 Edge is a bigger variant of the S7 with a 5.5-inch display vs 5.1-inch. Apart from the ingenious use of the edge display and a bigger battery, there’s not much difference between the two.

You’re getting all the goodness of the S7 with a more beautiful body thanks to the curved display that adds an illusion of infinity thus making the phone virtually borderless. The Galaxy S7 Edge has an SRP of Php 39,990 and of course, postpaid plans are available from both Globe and Smart.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge specs:
5.5-inch Super AMOLED quad-HD display @ 2560 x 1440, 557 ppi
Gorilla Glass 4
Samsung Exynos 8890 64-bit octa-core CPU
4GB RAM
32GB, 64GB internal memory, expandable via micro SD
Up to 200GB via micro SD
Dual SIM, dual LTE hybrid (2nd SIM tray is for microSD)
WiFi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 4.1
NFC
12MP Dual Pixel rear camera dual-tone, dual LED, f/1.7
5-megapixel front-facing camera, f/1.7
Fast Wireless Charging
Fingerprint Sensor
Heart-Rate Sensor
IP68 Rating
3,600mAh Li-Ion non-removable battery
Android 6.0 Marshmallow with TouchWiz
Gold, Silver, White and Black

Did we miss anything? Hit the comments section below and tell us so we can add it to the list. While we’re at it, check out why flagship smartphones are worth getting.