Not everyone has a lot of money to spend on a top-notch, cutting-edge smartphone. Fortunately, a lot of brands understand that and provide affordable products to consumers. Not only that, but these affordable smartphones maximize the price point by offering as much as they can in terms of specs, performance, and perks. However, some ‘budget’ phones sometimes sell you short; sure, they’re priced at under PHP 5k, but performance wise, you’re better off with another device.
The Top 5 Best Android Smartphones You Can Get In the Market Today
Here at PinoyTechBlog, we want to help you figure out which of these budget phones are worth your money. Of all the 2017 smartphones under PHP 10k, here are the best of the best:
NUMBER FIVE – Vivo Y55s
- 1.4GHz Quad Core Cortex-A53 Qualcomm Snapdragon 425
- 3GB RAM
- 5.2-inch IPS LCD with 2.5D Arc Glass
- Li-ion 2,730mAh battery
- 16GB storage
- Price: PHP 8,990 SRP
Vivo’s budget-range phone manages to snag the Number Five spot thanks to a decent set on specs, almost tying it with the fourth entry in this countdown. While not the most powerful, nor is it the cheapest in the countdown, the Y55s does tout a specs list that would satisfy most consumers on a budget. In totality, this is a great choice, especially for Vivo fans, though it wouldn’t hurt if it were a bit cheaper.
Related: Top 5 Smartphones Under PHP 20k
NUMBER FOUR – OPPO A71
- 1.5GHz Octa Core Cortex-A53 MediaTek MT6750
- 3GB RAM
- 5.2-inch Capacitive LCD with 2.5D Arc Glass
- Li-Po 3,000mAh battery
- 16GB storage
- Price: PHP 8,990 SRP
When we started formulating this list, we considered putting OPPO and Vivo in the same number as a tie. However, despite having the same price point, RAM, and internal storage, the OPPO does take the lead in other areas. For example, despite the Y55s touting better CPU performance, the A71 offers a better gaming experience with its Mali T860-MP2 GPU. Furthermore, unlike Vivo’s budget device, it comes with Android Nougat out of the box. All of these, plus a larger battery life, and Bluetooth 4.2 (versus 4.1 on the Y55s) guarantees OPPO the fourth spot.
NUMBER THREE – ASUS Zenfone 4 Max
- 1.4GHz Octa Core Cortex-A53 Qualcomm Snapdragon 430
- 3GB RAM
- 5.5-inch IPS LCD with 2.5D Arc Glass
- Li-Po 5,000mAh battery
- 32GB storage
- Price: PHP 9,995 SRP
Despite being the most expensive smartphone on this list, ASUS Zenfone 4 Max nabs number three thanks to also having the best specs. As the Zenfone 4 lineup’s only member to go under the PHP 10k price range, Zenfone 4 Max brings a bit of the premium feel to a budget device. It has a reasonably large internal storage, a large IPS LCD display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 chipset, and a huge 5,000mAh battery. We’re still a little impressed that they fit it all (barely) under a PHP 10k SRP.
Top 5 Budget Smartphones Under Php 5K 2018
NUMBER TWO – Cloudfone Excite Prime 2
- 1.3GHz Quad Core Cortex-A53 MediaTek MT6737
- 3GB RAM
- 5.5-inch IPS LCD with 2.5D Arc Glass
- Li-Ion 3,000mAh battery
- 32GB storage
- Price: PHP 5,999 SRP
The successor to the award-winning Cloudfone Excite Prime, the Excite Prime 2 made a huge mark on the smartphone scene by delivering great specs and a premium-looking design under the PHP 6k mark. With the release of the Excite Prime 2, Cloudfone set a new standard for budget phones by not compromising quality for the sake of a cheap phone. Plus, it rightfully deserves to carry the critically-praised Excite Prime brand. If you’ve never used a smartphone before, the Excite Prime 2 is a great product you can buy.
NUMBER ONE – Cherry Mobile Flare S6
- 1.3GHz Quad Core Cortex-A53 MediaTek MT6737
- 2GB RAM
- 5.2-inch IPS LCD with 2.5D Arc Glass
- Li-Ion 2,600mAh battery
- 16GB storage
- Price: PHP 3,999 SRP
If the Cloudfone Excite Prime 2 set the standard for budget devices, then the Cherry Mobile Flare S6 redefines what a budget smartphone can do. In the past, many would associate budget phones with subpar specs, cheap outer builds, and low-quality displays. To contrast this, the Cherry Mobile Flare S6 expertly fits a good set of specs, decent cameras, and a quality outer build into a super-affordable PHP 3,999 price point.
Moving forward, the budget phone market should look interesting, especially with a brand like Cherry Mobile proving that you don’t have to cut corners on performance to attain a cheap selling price.
HONORABLE MENTION – Cherry Mobile Desire R8
- 1.5GHz Quad Core Cortex-A53 + 1.0GHz Quad Core Cortex-A53 MediaTek 6750
- 3GB RAM
- 5.5-inch IPS LCD with 2.5D Arc Glass
- Li-Po 3,000mAh battery
- 32GB storage
- Price: PHP 9,999 SRP
The Desire R8 almost made it to the list, but the price point barely met our criteria. Nevertheless, this phone is still affordable and brings a great set of specs to the table.
