Philippines

Best Midrange Smartphones in the Philippines from P10,000 to P20,000

January 2021 Edition

Published

December 28, 2020

GadgetMatch

When premium phones are out of financial reach and entry-level handsets just don’t make your cut, something in between is the next best thing. This is our updated list of the best midrange smartphones retailing from PhP 10,000 to PhP 20,000.

Formulating this category was tricky, since you can’t set an exact price and some of these devices are, in fact, the flagship phones of their respective brands. To simplify things, we chose a price range that simply sits between our other lists for best budget, upper-midrange, and premium smartphones.

Here they are in no particular order:

Samsung Galaxy A42 5G (PhP 19,990)

Starting this category with what will be the theme for most of this list — 5G-capable phones for less. That’s exactly what the Galaxy A42 5G is. It misses the upper midrange category by a hair but what you’re getting here is everything you’ve come to expect from the Samsung A-Series at this price point but with the benefit of the next gen mobile connectivity.

HANDS-ON: Samsung Galaxy A42 5G

OPPO Reno4Z 5G (PhP 20,990)

Cheating a little bit with the pricing here but it’s only outside the indicated price range here by a hair so can we let it pass? We sure can. The OPPO Reno 4Z 5G performs similarly to the OPPO Reno4 despite having plenty of differences in specs. The one thing that the Reno4Z edges the Reno4 on is 5G. It’s a solid midranger with 5G connectivity. 5G Phones might be the norm in less than a year but for now, it holds a bit of an edge in this price range.

HANDS-ON: OPPO Reno4Z 5G

Moto 5 5G (PhP 16,990)

Motorola is back in the Philippines and while the razr is their top-of-the-line offering, they kept in mind the midrange market by offering what might be the most affordable 5G-ready smartphone right now. That’s great value right there on top of its Snapdragon 750G SoC and a vanilla Android experience.

FIRST LOOK: Moto G 5G

POCO X3 NFC (PhP 12,990)

The POCO X3 NFC might represent the ultimate value-for-money phone. It’s what the brand had been known for and they are doubling down on that mantra. The combination of a smooth 120Hz display, newer Snapdragon 732G chipset paired with Adreno 618 GPU, massive battery, and fast charging out of the box with that price is too hard to pass on.

HANDS-ON: POCO X3 NFC

Samsung Galaxy M31 (PhP 13,990)

This is a battery beast. Sometimes in this segment, you just need to have one standout thing going for you, and for the Galaxy M31, it is the 6,000mAh battery that works just as advertised. You’ll probably run out of juice first before this phone does.

HANDS-ON: Samsung Galaxy M31

Samsung Galaxy M51 (PhP 19,990)

Samsung appears to have a monopoly of battery beasts in this category with both the Galaxy M31 and now the Galaxy M51 making the list. Both will last you longer than you realize with the Galaxy M51 having better overall performance. Cameras are pretty much on the same level but you’re buying this for the massive 7,000mAh more than anything else.

REVIEW: Samsung Galaxy M51

realme 7 (PhP 14,990)

The Pro version is reserved for the Snapdragon chips while the non Pro is equipped with MediaTek. It’s like clockwork now for realme, and this value for money smartphones are what we should expect from them from here on out.

REVIEW: realme 7

Huawei Nova 7 SE (PhP 19,990)

Barely making the price point, Huawei phones are facing a unique problem with the lack of Google Mobile Services. That said, Huawei Mobile Services is making a headway. But the reason the phone lands on this list is because of its 5G capabilities. This is the first smartphone in this category to offer 5G — that has to count for something.

HANDS-ON: Huawei Nova 7 SE

Related Topics:Honor Nokia Realme Redmi Samsung

News

realme 12 5G Philippine price, availability

realme’s 3rd offering under the 12 series

Published

April 25, 2024

GadgetMatch

The realme 12 5G is now official in the Philippines. Months after launching the the 12+ and 12 Pro+ models under its latest number series line, realme is back with the release of the series’ base model. The realme 12 5G is priced at PhP 14,999 and is available through realme’s ecommerce platforms and offline stores.

As part of its launch, realme is offering customers exclusive deals starting April 25th:

Lazada Flagship (May 5 to 10)

Free realme Buds T100
Free TechLife Hair Dryer

Shopee Official Store (May 5 to 10)

Free TechLife Power Bank 2 20,000mAh
Free TechLife 4.5L See-Through Air Fryer

TikTok Shop (April 25, 7:30 PM to 30)

Free realme Pocket Bluetooth Speaker
Free TechLife Cooling Fan

James Afante TikTok Shop (April 25, 7:30 PM)

Freebie package 1: TechLife Cooling Fan and Free TechLife 4.5L See-Through Air Fryer
Freebie package 2: realme Buds T100 and Free TechLife 4.5L See-Through Air Fryer
Freebie package 3: TechLife Portable Steam Iron, TechLife Electric Kettle, and TechLife Portable Electric Pot

ALSO READ: realme 12+ 5G review: One month later

For offline purchases, customers also stand a chance to win freebies worth up to PhP 24,999 with the Mystery Box promo. Furthermore, they may join the Lucky 12 Challenge for additional freebies when they purchase the realme 12 5G from any of the 100 selected concept stores, kiosks, and exclusive stores.

realme 12 5G

The realme 12 5G is just as capable as its 12+ and Pro+ counterparts. The model boasts of a 108MP 3X zoom portrait camera, taking off from the series’ Portrait Master positioning.

The phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ 5G chipset, has 8GB of base RAM with 8GB RAM expansion, and a 5,000mAh battery with 45W SUPERVOOC Charge. In front is a 6.72-inch FHD+ 120Hz Sunlight Display that has a maximum brightness of 950nits. There is also an 8MP AI selfie camera.

Lastly, the handset also has a similar watch face design at the back. It is available in Twilight Purple and Woodland Green.

ALSO READ: realme 12 Pro+ 5G review: A midrange marvel

News

ZTE nubia Neo 2 5G now in the Philippines: Pricing, details

ZTE’s budget gaming phone gets an upgrade

Published

April 25, 2024

GadgetMatch

ZTE has announced the availability of the nubia Neo 2 5G in the Philippines. The successor to the nubia Neo budget gaming smartphone, the second iteration is armed with an upgraded gaming control experience for Filipino gamers to enjoy.

The nubia Neo 2 5G retains the distinct Bionic Mecha with “Hero Eye” design from its predecessor. It is available in Storm Gray, Sunfire Yellow, and Frost Silver for PhP 9,999.

The phone is powered by a Unisoc T820 processor (6nm). It supports even more Dynamic RAM at 12GB to complement its 8GB base RAM, and also offers 5G dual-card intelligent switching. Additionally, the nubia Neo 2 5G carries an even larger 6,000mAh battery, which supports 33W fast charging.

ALSO READ: ZTE nubia Neo 5G: Decent for gaming

In front, the device sports a 6.72-inch FHD+ display with a 2,400 x 1,800 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate for seamless viewing and scrolling. At the back is a 50MP main camera.

Upgraded Game Space

The nubia Neo 2 5G features Game Space 2.0, an assistance tool that is reminiscent of a professional gaming layout. Here, users may tinker with game optimization functions, including Game Performance Enhancement. This adjusts the device’s CPU and GPU resources to help it manage power and battery usage.

The phone also supports ByPass Charging for uninterrupted gaming. Users may activate this charging feature while the charging cable is connected to the device. When under ByPass Charging, the phone gets powered up but without the battery charging so it can reduce heat.

Upgraded experience

Furthermore, one of the highlights of the nubia Neo 2 5G is its gaming shoulder triggers. This gives users more freedom and control while navigating and playing. Users may also customize the shoulder buttons based on their personal preferences.

Meanwhile, the phone’s Dual Stereo Speakers with DTS:X Ultra provide impressive sound quality. This is further enhanced with four built-in sound effects.

News

Xiaomi Redmi A3 Philippine pricing, availability

Budget smartphone with high refresh rate display

Published

April 23, 2024

GadgetMatch

Xiaomi is bringing high refresh rate displays to its budget line with the announcement of the Redmi A3. The latest addition to the entry-level Redmi line boasts of an expansive 6.71-inch HD+ display with up to a 90Hz refresh rate.

The Redmi A3 is available in Midnight Black, Star Blue, and Forest Green. The smartphone is priced at PhP 3,399 (3GB+64GB) and PhP 3,999 (4GB+128GB) respectively for its two configurations.

Customers may preorder the phone until April 27 via Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok. General sale begins April 26th in all Xiaomi stores nationwide. Freebies are a Basic Piston Earphone for online purchases and a 3-month Viu Premium subscription for in-store purchases.

The Redmi A3’s immersive screen allows users to consume various content in high-definition with better smoothness, a boost for a phone of its price point. The screen has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection as well, and DC dimming to reduce blue light exposure.

The phone also sports a refined design that lets go of the iPhone-looking camera arrangement. Instead, the main camera is now in the middle as part of a watch face-looking setup similar to other Android phone offerings.

Speaking of, an 8MP main shooter highlights the back of the Redmi A3. In front is a 5MP front camera. The phone is powered by a MediaTek Helio G36 processor and runs on an Android 14-based OS. Furthermore, it has a 5,000mAh battery with 10W of USB-C charging.

Other handy Redmi A3 features for users to utilize include a 3.5mm jack, Face Unlock, and Fingerprint Unlock.