YugaTech Christmas Gadget Guide: Smartphones

We’ve had a big year of smartphones this 2013; quad-core became mainstream, 1080p HD panels turned possible & we’ve seen a lot innovations in the camera department. There are many more so to speak, but Christmas is fast approaching. For all the tech-heads out there still looking for the perfect present, YugaTech has you covered! Read on to see our holiday guide to smartphones down below.

A couple of months ago, we outed lists of the best smartphones you can buy for specific budgets. Now that time passed by, we’re very sure that prices got a little more affordable, selections got more wider and newer phones got better.

For the budget-conscious

If you want the most affordable smartphone out there that still packs a punch, you might want to look at the Cherry Mobile Flare 2X which is pegged at around Php4,499USD 77INR 6,499EUR 73CNY 558. It’s decently spec’d with a good display, an 8MP camera and a quad-core CPU with 1GB RAM. If the local selection is not your play, you can spend a little more with the almost similarly spec’d Sony Xperia L which nears the Php10k mark.

We do have to say though that when it comes to smartphones, it’s hard to compete with the local brands when it comes to bang for the buck. If you look at phones like the Cherry Mobile Cosmos S, Cosmos Z and the Starmobile Knight, you’ll know what we are talking about – the Cosmos S offers a beautiful package in a thin & premium body, the Knight offers a balance of all things and the Cosmos Z offers a 1080p display, something you’ll only find in more expensive phones. The aforementioned phones can be bought at the Php10USD 0.17INR 14EUR 0.16CNY 1-12k range.

Let’s go a little higher

For a price of more or less Php15k, you can get the Google Nexus 4 which is a very capable performer with a quad-core S4 Pro CPU, 2GB RAM & soon, the latest version of Android – KitKat. Another viable option is the Sony Xperia SP which also packs Android & LTE on-board.

Also playing below the Php20k mark are a few great legends packing fast processors and unique features. The waterproof Sony Xperia Z is one of them, and the Windows Phone 8 PureView camera-touting Nokia Lumia 925 is another.

The Cream of the Crop

If you’ve made it to this section of the article, then we guess you’re not looking for anything basic or usual – you’re looking for a titan!

The HTC One & the Samsung Galaxy S4 makes it into this place with their well-balanced multimedia strengths (around Php25k), but for those who can spend more and need more power than that, enter Snapdragon 800 Android phones. These include the LG G2, the upcoming Google Nexus 5, the Sony Xperia Z1 & the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 – which are already approaching a sharp Php35k.

And you guessed it! For those who need the best cameraphone, the Nokia Lumia 1020 is also here which has a behemoth 41 megapixel camera with a lot of craftsmanship behind it. To top it all off, if you have more than Php35k to spend and iOS is your endgame – there’s only the Apple iPhone 5S with a fast A7 CPU, Touch ID & a great camera.

(Sorry iPhone 5C & Vertu, you don’t make it into this list, heh)

That’s it folks! If you’re making a purchase anytime soon, feel free to tell us about it in the comments section. We’ll be outing more Christmas Gadget Guides soon so stay tuned!