Top Smartphones Under Php10K (Mid-2016)

Today, getting a quality smartphone without paying too much is just a simple task to do. You do not even need to break the bank to get a very capable smartphone.  One way or another, we could see those amazing features from the flagship devices slowly trickling down to the mid-range phones this year. Although manufacturers need to cut some corners to achieve much lower price like not having a quad-HD display, waterproofing, modular component or the fact it doesn’t have an Apple logo, there are still dozens of really good handsets to choose from.

So if you’re looking to pick up a decent handset and not spend too much cash on it, here’s a list of our top smartphones to buy for less than Php10,000USD 170INR 14,446EUR 162CNY 1,241. Do note that these are not ranked in any particular order.

ASUS ZenFone Max

ASUS ZenFone Max is  a power bank-acting phone which carries a large 5000mAh battery. It has a 5.5-inch HD display with Gorilla Glass 4, Snapdragon 410 quad-core CPU, 2GB RAM, 13MP rear camera, dual-SIM, LTE and faux leather back finish. It also got updated into the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow on top of ASUS ZenUI 2.0 skin.  This phone tops our PC Mark battery test rankings at almost 20 hours and it is now priced at Php7,989USD 136INR 11,541EUR 130CNY 991 (see listing here) down from its Php8,495USD 145INR 12,272EUR 138CNY 1,054 introductory price last January. [See full review here]

ASUS Zenfone Max (ZC550KL) specifications:
5.5-inch HD IPS display @ 1280 x 720 resolution, 267ppi
Gorilla Glass 4
64-bit 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor
Adreno 306 GPU
2GB RAM
16GB internal storage
Expandable up to 128GB via microSD
13MP rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, laser autofocus, and dual-tone LED flash
5MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Bluetooth 4.0, A2DP, EDR
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
Dual-SIM, dual standby
4G LTE
5000mAh Li-Po battery
156 x 77.5 x 10.6mm
202 grams
Android 5.0 Lollipop with ZenUI (upgradeable to Android 6.0 Marshmallow)

Flash Plus 2

Flash Plus 2 is the successor of the powerful and capable Alcatel Flash Plus from last year, which now comes with a full metal unibody design and a fingerprint sensor. It also features a 5.5-inch display with Full HD resolution, Hi-Fi audio and the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box.  Again, it sparked a lot of interest from the public because of its affordable price — 2GB/16GB variant for Php6,990USD 119INR 10,098EUR 113CNY 867 (see listing here) and Php1,500USD 26INR 2,167EUR 24CNY 186 more expensive for the slightly upgraded 3GB/32GB variant which is not yet available in the market. [See full review here]

Flash Plus 2 specs:
5.5-inch OGS LCD display @ 1920×1080 pixels, 401ppi
Mediatek MT6755 Helio P10 chip
4 x 1.8GHz Cortex A53 + 4 x 1.0GHz Cortex A53 processor
ARM Mali-T860 MP2 550MHz dual-core GPU
2GB and 3GB RAM
16GB and 32GB storage
Up to 128GB via microSD card
4G LTE Cat. 6
Dual SIM, Dual Standby
Fingerprint Sensor
FM Radio Tuner
WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.1
HiFi Audio (AK4375)
GPS with aGPS support, GLONASS
13MP rear camera, f/2.0, PDAF, with Realtone dual LED flash
5MP front-facing camera with LED flash
3,000mAh Li-Ion battery
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Venus Gold, Luna Silver
152.6 × 76.4 × 8.2mm (dimensions)
157 grams (weight)

ASUS ZenFone Laser 5.5S

ASUS ZenFone 2 Laser 5.5S is an upgraded version of last year’s ZenFone 2 Laser with better CPU, bigger RAM and bigger storage for an affordable price of Php8,995USD 153INR 12,994EUR 146CNY 1,116 (see listing here). This device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 along with 3GB of RAM and now equipped with a bigger 32GB of internal storage compared to the previous 16GB. It also got its Android 6.0 Marshmallow upgrade this month which promises to improve the overall experience of the device. [See full review here]

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser 5.5 S (ZE550KL) specs:
5.5-inch IPS HD display, 267ppi
1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939 octa-core CPU
Adreno 405 Graphics
3GB
32GB internal storage
Up to 64GB via microSD card
13MP rear camera with Laser AF, LED flash
5MP front-facing camera
Dual-SIM, micro-SIM card
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS w/ aGPS, GLONASS
3,000mAh Li-Po removable battery
Android 5.0 Lollipop with ZenUI (upgradeable to Android 6.0 Marshmallow)
152.5 x 77.2 x 3.9 ~ 10.8 mm
170 g
Gold/red/grey/white

Infinix Note 2

Infinix Note 2 is a new phablet-type device by Infinix Mobility, a Hong Kong-based smartphone maker. It has a 6-inch display, octa-core CPU, 2GB RAM, 13MP rear camera, large 4,000mAh battery with Quick Charge support, and has the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow on top of the company’s XUI skin out of the box.  It’s definitely an affordable device intended for those who are looking for a smartphone with a large display and battery. It will be available at Lazada for Php5,999USD 102INR 8,666EUR 97CNY 744 (see listing here). [See full review here]

Infinix Note 2 specs:
6.0-inch HD IPS display, 245ppi
1.3GHz Mediatek MT6753 64-bit octa-core CPU
Mali-T720 GPU
2GB RAM
16GB internal storage
up to 64GB via microSD
13MP PDAF rear camera w/ LED flash
5MP front camera
4G LTE, 3G
Dual-SIM (micro), Dual standby
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot
Bluetooth
GPS, A-GPS
micro USB v2.0
4,000mAh battery w/ Quick Charge
Android 6.0 Marshmallow with XUI
159.5 x 82.5 x 9.3 mm
194g

LG K10 LTE

LG K10 LTE is the company’s latest offering for mid-level smartphone market. This device looks incredibly good with its 2.5D arc-shaped glass pebble design, textured back cover and really slim design. As for the rest of the specs, it has a 5.3-inch display, 2GB RAM, 13MP rear camera, 2300mAh removable battery and 4G LTE. It came preloaded with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop and is now available for Php8,990USD 153INR 12,987EUR 146CNY 1,116 in white, indigo and gold colors. [See first impressions here]

LG K10 LTE (K430DSY) specs:
5.3-inch HD In-cell Touch display, 277ppi
2.5D Arc-Shaped Glass Pebble Design
1.14GHz MediaTek MT6753 octa-core CPU
2GB RAM
16GB internal storage
up to 32GB via microSD
13MP rear camera w/ LED flash
5MP front-facing camera
Gesture Shot, Tap and Shot, Gesture Interval Shot, Flash for Selfie
4G LTE, 3G HSPA+
Dual-SIM
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 4.1
GPS, A-GPS
2,300mAh removable Li-Ion battery
Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
146 x 74.8 x 8.8mm
142 g
White, Indigo, Gold

Elephone P8000

Elephone P8000 is a smartphone with a massive 4,165 mAh battery and a fingerprint scanner from a Chinese manufacturer, Elephone. It sports a spacious Full HD display, octa-core processor, 16GB internal storage with micro-SD support, 3GB RAM and Samsung’s 13MP rear camera for just Php6,999USD 119INR 10,111EUR 114CNY 869 (see listing here).  If you want a phone that can run all your tasks through a day or four, this device is a good choice. [See full review here]

Elephone P8000 specs:
5.5-inch Full HD display @ 1920 x 1080 px, 401ppi
1.3GHz MediaTek MT6753 octa-core CPU
Mali-T720 GPU
3G RAM
16GB internal storage
up to 128GB via microSD
13M Samsung 3L2 rear camera w/ LED flash
5MP front camera
Dual-SIM (micro)
4G LTE, 3G
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS, A-GPS
Fingerprint scanner
4,165mAh battery
Android 5.1 Lollipop
155.2 x 76.6 x 9.2mm

Firefly Aurii Envy

With a hardware configuration almost similar as the Flash Plus 2, the Firefly Aurii Envy offers a slightly lower price tag starting Php6,990USD 119INR 10,098EUR 113CNY 867 for the 2GB/16GB variant and Php7,999USD 136INR 11,555EUR 130CNY 993 for the 3GB/32GB variant (check our specs comparison here). That comes with a 5.5-inch full HD IPS display, a 64-bit octa-core processor with 2GB or 3GB of RAM, 13MP rear/8MP front Sony camera, and 3,480mAh battery with fast charging capability. Take note though that this handset is not yet available in the market but the company is now accepting pre-orders with a target release date on the first week of July.

Firefly Mobile Aurii Envy specs:
5.5-inch Full HD display
Gorilla glass front and back
64-bit 1.3GHz MT6753 octa-core processor
2GB/3GB RAM
16GB/32GB internal storage
13MP Sony IMX214 rear camera
Expandable up to 128GB via microSD
8MP Sony IMX219 front camera with front flash
Glass and metal build
4G
Wi-Fi
Digital audio processor
Fingerprint scanner
USB-OTG
3480mAh battery w/ fast charging capability}
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Gold and silver colors

DEAL ALERT!

Now is also the perfect time to get one of these smartphones listed below because aside from having capable specifications, these have also been repriced to fairer amount for only less than Php10K – perfect for those who are on a tight budget!

Huawei Honor 6

Specifications:
5-inch IPS LCD full HD display @ 1920 x 1080 resolution, 441ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Kirin 920 octa-core processor (4 x ARM Cortex A15 1.7GHz and 4 x A7 1.3GHz cores)
Mali-T624 GPU
3GB RAM
16GB internal storage
up to 64GB via microSD card
HSPA+, LTE Cat. 6 300Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, dual-Band
13MP rear camera with Sony IMX214 sensor and f/2.0 aperture
Dual-LED flash
5MP front camera
IR Blaster
GPS with aGPS support
Android 4.4.2 KitKat with Emotion UI 2.3
Li-Ion 3100mAh battery
139.8 x 68.8 x 7.5mm
135 grams
Mall Price: Php8,990USD 153INR 12,987EUR 146CNY 1,116

Motorola Moto X

Specifications:
5.2-inch AMOLED display @ 1920 x 1080, 423ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 3
2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor
Adreno 330 GPU
2GB RAM
16GB internal storage
13MP rear camera with f/2.25 lens and ring flash
4K video recording
2MP front camera
Full HD video recording
4G LTE, 3G HSPA+
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, hotspot
Bluetooth 4.0
NFC
GPS, GLONASS
2,300mAh battery
Android Lollipop
140.8 x 72.4 x 10 mm (dimensions)
144 grams (weight)
Lazada PH Price: Php8,199USD 140INR 11,844EUR 133CNY 1,017

LG G4 Beat

Specifications:
5.2-inch Full HD IPS LCD (1920×1080 pixels), 423ppi
1.5GHz Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615
Adreno 405
1.5GB RAM
8GB internal storage, expandable up to 64GB via microSD
8-megapixel laser autofocus rear camera w/ LED flash
5-megapixel front-facing camera
LTE Cat4
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.1
GPS w/ A-GPS, GLONASS
FM Radio
2300mAh Li-ion battery
Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
142.7 x 72.6 x 9.9mm
139g
CMK Cellphones Price: Php9,600USD 164INR 13,868EUR 156CNY 1,191

That ends our list of top smartphones for under Php10K. So if you want to get a quality smartphone without paying too much, you will be pleasantly surprised at what these smartphones have to offer. It may not have the best power, cameras or display, but the thing is that you can get a great device for a fraction of the cost of flagship phones.

Something to add to our list? Share it with us in the comment section below.