Philippines
Best Midrange Smartphones in the Philippines from P10,000 to P20,000
January 2021 Edition
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
News
TNT earns honors at 2025 International Business Awards
TNT Petmaloop campaign earns Gold Stevie
Philippines network provider TNT, the value brand of PLDT’s mobile wireless subsidiary Smart, earned multiple honors at the recent 2025 International Business Awards.
At the 22nd edition of the IBA, TNT bagged a Gold Stevie for Brand Experience of the Year – Consumer. This was for the groundbreaking TNT Petmaloop Challenge.
The campaign gathered content creators nationwide to feature highlights of their hometowns that give them “saya” (joy) using TikTok.
It culminated in an uninterrupted stream that earned a Guinness World Records title for the Longest Travel Livestream after running for 26 hours, 15 minutes, and 29 seconds.
Moreover, TNT also received a Silver Stevie for Viral Marketing Campaign of the Year for its SIM Registration campaign. This blended creativity and humor in urging subscribers to register their SIMs on time.
TNT’s awards form part of the broader recognition received by the PLDT Group and Smart at the same awards, also known as The Stevies.
These reflect the integrated telecommunications provider’s continued investments in network development, innovation, and customer-focused initiatives.
The OnePlus 15R has officially made its way to the Philippines.
Priced competitively starting at PhP 36,990, the OnePlus 15R features flagship performance, a massive battery, and intelligent software.
It is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 mobile platform and runs on OxygenOS 16. Users are promised 36% faster CPU, 11% faster GPU, and 46% improved AI performance.
The device also houses a 7,400mAh battery, the largest yet on a OnePlus flagship. This supports 80W SUPERVOOC charging.
Complementing the hardware is a 360-degree Cryo Velocity Cooling System. This features an aerogel-based screen cooler, a 5,704mm² 3D vapor chamber, and a graphite-backed cooling layer.
Running on OxygenOS 16 out of the box, the OnePlus 15R also boasts of AI-powered experiences.
It has Google Gemini pre-installed, along with AI Writer, AI Recorder, and Plus Mind which lets you save on-screen content.
In front, the OnePlus 15R has a 6.83-inch 165Hz LTPS 1.5K AMOLED display with up to 1,800 nits brightness.
Onto its camera package, the phone sports a 50MP IMX906 main camera, the same sensor found on the OnePlus 15.
This is joined by 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 32MP autofocus selfie camera.
Enhanced by the OnePlus DetailMax Engine, the cameras let users capture sharp, vibrant photos across day, night, and motion scenarios.
The main camera is also capable of up to 4K 120fps recording for content creation.
Fit for the current era, the phone also comes with IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K water and dust resistance ratings.
Price, availability
The OnePlus 15R is available in two storage configurations:
- 12GB+256GB: PhP 36,990 (Charcoal Black, Mint Breeze)
- 12GB+512GB: PhP 39,990 (Charcoal Black)
Customers can avail of the latest device at these stores:
- Shopee Digital Walker
- Digital Walker SM North EDSA
- Digital Walker SM Mall of Asia
- open_source by Beyond the Box (Greenhills)
The preorder period is from January 14 to 25 while the open sales period starts from January 26.
The OnePlus 15R will be available by then at select Digital Walker and open_source stores nationwide, plus the former’s Shopee and Lazada channels.
News
HONOR X9d 5G launches in the Philippines: Price, preorder, availability
‘World’s toughest phone’ comes with performance, durability upgrades
The HONOR X9d 5G is now in the Philippines. Touted as the “World’s Toughest Phone”, HONOR’s latest midrange smartphone is available starting at PhP 17,999.
Customers can avail of this discounted price during the preorder period from January 9 to 23. They can also get a JisuLife Fan 5 and gift box as part of the preorder freebie package.
Do note that the handheld fan will only be part of the package when the phone is claimed on January 24.
In addition, those who preorder can join the raffle giveaway for a chance to win a Tesla Cybertruck.
Meanwhile, from January 24 onwards, customers can get the device for PhP 18,999. Available colors are Reddish Brown, Sunrise Gold, and Midnight Black.
Moreover, the phone is offered through Globe and Smart postpaid plans for flexible payments, as well as through Home Credit.
Tough, durable
Building on the X series’ previous entries which are known for their durability, the latest entry to the popular line features a 2.5-meter drop resistance rating, and an improved IP66, IP68, and IP69K dust and water resistance.
It also has a significantly larger battery capacity at 8,300mAh, with support for 66W charging. Powered by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 platform, users can also expect a leap when it comes to performance.
The lone configuration in the Philippines comes with 12GB RAM (plus 12GB expansion) and 256GB of internal storage.
For its camera, the HONOR X9d still has a 108MP main camera and a 16MP front camera. Users can leverage HONOR’s full suite of AI-powered editing features, including AI Eraser.
In front, there is a 6.79-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with up to 120Hz refresh rate and up to 6,000 nits brightness. This panel is reinforced by Aluminosilicate glass.
The HONOR X9d comes with MagicOS 9 out of the box, along with Google Gemini, and more handy features.
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