Philippines
Best Upper-Midrange Smartphones in the Philippines from P20,000 to P30,000
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 upper-midrange smartphones retailing from PhP 20,000 to PhP 30,000.
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, midrange, and premium smartphones.
Here they are in no particular order:
OnePlus 8T (PhP 29,990)
Die-hard fans of OnePlus will find that there’s a lot to like with the OnePlus 8T. It’s still a relatively premium experience for less. There’s plenty of contention happening in the sub-flagship arena and the OnePlus 8T has a strong case to being your best option with its overall combination of optimized performance and improved cameras.
WATCH: OnePlus 8T Unboxing and Review
Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro (PhP 24,990)
This is our 2020 best value smartphone for simply because of its price-to-feature ratio. You’re getting so much flagship-level specs for about half the price of most flagships these days. The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is the embodiment of Xiaomi’s commitment to bringing great value for money smartphones and is easily the best recommendation in this category.
WATCH: Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro Unboxing and Review
POCO F2 Pro (PhP 29,990)
The priciest in this bunch, the POCO F2 Pro easily also feels and arguably looks most premium. The POCO F2 Pro has the heft, look, and feel that’s typically reserved for the premium flagships. It’s powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 adding fuel to the flagship killer fire. It’s a noteworthy follow-up to the cult classic that was the POCO F1 Pro.
Huawei Nova 7 5G (PhP 23,990)
The marketing around this phone has been centered around it being 5G-capable. However, with 5G still at its infancy in terms of coverage, you should look beyond 5G when considering this phone. And when you do, what you’ll find is perhaps one of better built smartphones at this price. Of course, you’ll have to contend with the lack of Google Mobile Services. Is that a deal breaker? There are workarounds, so if you’re the type who can live with these, the Nova 7 is still solid choice.
realme X3 SuperZoom (PhP 24,990)
The realme X3 SuperZoom is equipped with late 2019 flagship specs — Snapdragon 855+, 64MP main camera, 120Hz screen refresh rate — while being priced at just a little over half the price of phones with comparable specs. realme is playing in that flagship killer territory and certainly deserves more attention.
iPhone SE (PhP 26,990)
One of the world’s fastest processors, a fantastic camera, at a midranger’s price. If we told you, we’re talking about an iPhone you probably wouldn’t believe us but here we are. The iPhone SE’s design is dated, but everything about its performance is near-flagship or flagship 2020 levels.
Samsung Galaxy A71 (PhP 22,990)
Awesome screen, awesome camera, long-lasting battery life — that’s the LSS-inducing theme of the Galaxy A71 as it was being teased. Lo and behold, Samsung wasn’t lying. The phone certainly lives up to the hype and while specs-wise there may be cheaper options out there, the package that Samsung has put together is quite enticing.
Philippines
LG showcases its latest AI TVs in the Philippines
OLED, Micro RGB, and QNED take the spotlight.
LG Electronics Philippines showcased its latest AI-powered OLED, Micro RGB, and QNED televisions at the LG OLED TV Media Launch on October 30, 2026, at the Ayala Museum in Makati City.
Held under the theme “A Canvas of Possibilities,” the event demonstrated how LG’s latest television technologies can enhance home entertainment, gaming, and digital art experiences.
The showcase featured three television lines: the LG OLED evo AI, LG Micro RGB evo AI, and LG QNED evo AI. Each demonstrated different approaches to picture quality, color reproduction, and everyday viewing.
LG highlights its latest TV technologies
The True Cinema showcase highlighted the picture quality of LG’s latest television lineup. The LG OLED evo AI delivered an immersive viewing experience, while the LG Micro RGB evo AI demonstrated its Triple Crown 100% Color Coverage for vibrant, lifelike visuals.
The LG QNED evo AI also showcased its contrast, color reproduction, and motion capabilities, offering another option for viewers seeking an enhanced entertainment experience.
These televisions build on LG’s broader 2026 AI TV lineup, which the company introduced at IFA 2026 in Berlin, Germany.
Among the technologies highlighted was the α11 AI Processor Gen3, which debuted in the LG OLED evo series and extends to ultra-large Micro RGB evo TVs. The processor enables features such as AI Dual 4K Upscaling for sharper images and AI Sound Pro for more immersive audio.
LG also highlighted personalization features, including Voice ID for tailored content recommendations and AI Concierge for content discovery. LG Shield provides an integrated security system designed to protect user information and privacy.
Gaming and digital art take center stage
Beyond traditional television viewing, LG demonstrated how its displays can serve as entertainment hubs for gaming and digital art.
The Ultimate Gaming zone gave guests a closer look at the smooth gameplay experience offered by LG OLED evo AI technology. The gaming-inspired lounge highlighted how display innovations can make interactive entertainment more immersive.
Meanwhile, the Digital Art showcase featured LG OLED evo AI, LG QNED evo AI, and LG Micro RGB evo AI televisions displaying digital artworks through LG Gallery+.
The exhibit demonstrated how televisions can double as digital canvases, allowing users to bring artwork into their living spaces when they are not watching movies or playing games.
Through the launch, LG presented its latest televisions as more than displays for traditional entertainment, highlighting their potential to complement different interests, lifestyles, and creative pursuits.
“Through this launch, we wanted guests to see these innovations for themselves and imagine how they could bring the same experiences into their own homes,” said Yongwoo Park, Media Solutions Product Director at LG Electronics Philippines.
Philippines
realme 16 Pro 5G Harry Potter Edition: Price, availability in the Philippines
Hogwarts magic meets smartphone design
The realme 16 Pro 5G Harry Potter Edition is now available in the Philippines for PHP 39,999. This limited-edition smartphone features a color-changing Hogwarts crest, an exclusive Harry Potter-themed interface, and a collection of Wizarding World memorabilia.
Limited to fewer than 200 units nationwide, the special edition is designed for fans and collectors of the beloved franchise.
Hogwarts magic in every detail
The realme 16 Pro 5G Harry Potter Edition comes in Magic Brown, featuring an Enchanted Texture Leather back with a three-dimensional diamond pattern inspired by wizard chessboards.
Its centerpiece is the Hogwarts Four-House Crest, which reveals the signature colors of Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff when exposed to direct sunlight or ultraviolet light. This effect uses realme’s Quadra Light-Sensing Color-changing Tech.
The phone also features a gold Hedwig-inspired camera design, matching gold accents along its edges, and a laser-engraved “Welcome to Hogwarts” inscription on the side.
A Hogwarts-inspired interface
The Harry Potter theme extends to the phone’s software. Exclusive wallpapers depict Hogwarts Castle at different times of the day, with Golden Dawn for daytime and Mystic Dusk for nighttime.
Other customizations include boot-up and fingerprint animations inspired by Hogwarts acceptance letters, more than 30 redesigned app icons, and camera watermarks inspired by the four Hogwarts houses.
A trunk full of collectibles
The limited-edition packaging takes the form of a Harry Potter-inspired trunk featuring the Hogwarts crest and the realme 16 Pro Harry Potter Edition branding.
Inside, fans will find a Hogwarts acceptance letter addressed to Mr. Potter, character postcards featuring Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and bookmarks representing all four Hogwarts houses.
The package also includes Hogwarts Crest pins and a Hogwarts Express-inspired ticket bearing the route from London to Hogwarts via Platform 9¾.
realme 16 Pro 5G Harry Potter Edition price and availability
The realme 16 Pro 5G Harry Potter Edition is priced at PHP 39,999 in the Philippines. Only fewer than 200 units will be available nationwide.
Hogwarts-inspired store displays will be available at the following locations:
- SM Fairview
- SM North EDSA
- SM Calamba
The device will also be available at kiosks in SM Clark, SM Dasmariñas, and SM Megamall.
For further updates, visit realme’s official Facebook page.
Samsung has unveiled the new Samsung Galaxy A18 and Samsung Galaxy A08 smartphones in the Philippines.
These affordable A series handsets bring more capable performance, long-term reliability, and core AI experiences to users.
The Galaxy A18 features a 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display and is powered by a Helio G99+ processor.
It comes with an upgraded DDR5 memory and supports RAM Plus, which uses available storage as virtual memory.
At its back is a 50MP wide camera, 5MP ultra-wide camera, and 2MP macro camera.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy A08 comes with a 6,000mAh battery, Helio G99+ processor, and upgraded memory.
It also comes with a similar 50MP main camera, along with a 2MP depth camera, and 8MP front camera.
Core AI experiences, long-term reliability
Both the Galaxy A18 and Galaxy A08 come with core AI experiences, including Circle to Search.
Moreover, both phones come with multiple AI agents to help users move more seamlessly between supported Galaxy native apps, Google apps, and select third-party apps.
Both handsets also feature IP64 rating for protection against dust and water splashes.
Furthermore, the devices support up to six generations of OS upgrades and six years of security updates.
Price, availability
The Samsung Galaxy A08 comes in Dark Blue, Silver, and Green, for the following prices:
- 4GB+64GB: PhP 11,190
- 4GB+128GB: PhP 13,090
Samsung is offering up to PhP 1,200 in savings until November 30.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy A18 will be available by December in Black, Silver, and Light Blue.
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