2013-07-19

At present, there are a lot of smartphones to choose from and it’s really getting confusing on which one to get. If you are on a tight budget and eyeing on a brand new smartphone, you should check out our rundown of our top 10 smartphones under Php20,000 that are available now.

Notes:

Prices are based on online sellers and SRPs; listed in no particular order.

We wanted to keep the list as diverse as possible.

1. Samsung Galaxy S3 (Php18,000 – 19,000)

In black, gray, white or blue, with or without LTE, the SGS3 still features very competitive specs such as a fast processor, an amazing 8MP camera and a vibrant Super AMOLED HD display.



However, if you’re not into glossy plastic – you might want to reconsider.

Samsung Galaxy S3 i9300 specs:

4.8-inch Super HD AMOLED screen @ 1280×720 pixels (306ppi)

1.4GHz Samsung Exynos 4 Quad processor

Mali-400MP GPU

1GB RAM

16GB internal storage

up to 32GB via microSD card

HSPA+ up to 21Mbps

8MP rear camera with LED flash

1080p @ 30fps video recording

1.9MP front-facing camera

720p HD video recording

NFC

Bluetooth 4.0

WiFi 802.11 b/g/n with WiFi Bonding

2,100mAh Li-Ion battery

Android 4.0 ICS with TouchWiz UX

8.6mm thickness, 133gram weight

2. Nokia Lumia 920 (Php17,300 – 17,600)

The Nokia Lumia 920 is the Finnish company’s first Windows Phone to incorporate PureView; it excels in taking low-light photos & it does its best in stabilizing your captures. On top of all that is the smooth and minimalistic OS called Windows Phone 8.



While the handset features beautiful design and solid construction, it is quite hefty – and not everyone might be satisfied with the ecosystem of WP.

Nokia Lumia 920 specs:

4.5-inch 720p display PureMotionHD+ @ 1280×768 pixels

Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 1.5GHz dual-core, Krait processor

Adreno 225 GPU

1GB RAM

32GB internal storage

LTE

NFC

8.7MP rear camera, LED flash

1080p video recording @30fps

1.3MP front-facing camera

720p video recording @30fps

2,000mAh Li-Ion battery

Windows Phone 8

Dimension: 130.3 x 70.8 x 10.7 mm

Weight: 185g

3. Google Nexus 4 (+- Php16,490)

If you’re looking for the best Google experience on a smartphone, you can stop looking. The Nexus 4 (by LG) is destined to receive stock Android updates first for the following years to come. Not only does it feature the latest Google software, but it also runs on a fast quad-core CPU and 2GB RAM.



Unfortunately, glass-backed phones aren’t everybody’s bet, and the 8 megapixel camera on the rear is below average.

Google Nexus 4 specs:

4.7” True HD IPS+ display 1280 x 720 @318ppi

Gorilla Glass 2 coated display

1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064)

2GB of RAM

Adreno 320 GPU

8/16GB non-expandable internal storage

8MP autofocus camera w/ LED flash

1080p video recording @30fps

1.3MP front-facing camera

HSPA+ 42

WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n

Bluetooth 4.0

NFC (Android Beam)

2100mAh non-removable battery

Android 4.2 Jelly bean

Dimension: 133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1 mm

Weight: 139g

4. HTC One X (Php15,990 – 16,990)

With a fast quad-core CPU, a stunning 720p HD SuperLCD 3 display and a beautiful polycarbonate body, it makes Sense to include the HTC One X on this list.

If you’re looking for a long-lasting battery however, this one might be a tough pick. Also, if you’re looking for a 4G smartphone from HTC instead – you might want to look at the One SV (Php17,480 – 19,990) with a lot of sacrifices in specs of course.

HTC One X specs:

4.7? Super LCD 2 display, 720×1280 pixels @ 312ppi

1.5GHz quad-core NVidia Tegra 3 processor

1GB RAM

32GB internal storage (26GB usable)

HSPA+ 21Mbps

WiFi 802.11 b/g/n

NFC

Bluetooth 4.0

8MP autofocus rear camera, 1080p

1.3MP front-facing camera, 720p

GPS w/ aGPS support

FM Radio Tuner

1800mAh Li-Polymer battery

Android 4.0.3 ICS

134.4 x 68.9 x 8.9mm

130 grams

5. Huawei Ascend Mate (+-Php16,990)

Crazy could be your middle name, and in that case – you might be eyeing on a 6.3-inch smartphone. The Huawei Ascend Mate is well spec’d for that matter as it features a quad-core CPU, 2GB RAM and a beefy 4,050mAh battery.

But then again, a phone with a 6.3-inch display will only cater best to a few people.

Huawei Ascend Mate specs:

6.1-inch IPS LCD 720p display @ 1280×720 pixels, 241ppi

Corning Gorilla Glass

Huawei K3V2 1.5GHz quad-core processor

2GB RAM

16GB internal storage

up to 32GB via microSD

HSPA+ 42Mbps

WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, dual-band, WiFi Direct, DLNA, WiFi hotspot

Bluetooth 4.0

8MP camera with LED flash

1080p video recording

1.2MP front-facing camera

FM Stereo tuner

GPS w/ aGPS support

Li-Ion 4050mAh battery

Android 4.1.2 Jellybean

163.5 x 85.7 x 9.9mm (dimensions)

6. Sony Xperia V (Php13,100  - Php18,250)

If you like using 4G while being in wet places (or something close to that), the water-resistant Xperia V could be the one for you. It features decent specs of course, and a high-resolution 13 megapixel camera.

On a side note, there really isn’t anything that spectacular that the Xperia V offers apart from the competition, aside from 4G and water-resistance.

Sony Xperia V LTE specs:

4.3” HD display @ 1280×720 pixels, 342ppi

Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2

1.5GHz dual-core MSM8960 Snapdragon processor

Adreno 225

1GB RAM

8GB internal storage

Expandable up to 32GB via Micro-SD

13MP autofocus camera w/ LED Flash

1080p video recording @30fps

VGA Front-facing camera

DC-HSDPA 42Mbps, LTE 100Mbps

WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, dual-band

Bluetooth 4.0

NFC

GPS w/ aGPS support, GLONASS

1750mAh Li-Ion battery

Dustproof (IP5X) and Water resistant (IPX5/7)

Android 4.0 upgradable to Jelly bean

Weight: 120g

Dimension: 129 x 65 x 10.7mm

7. Motorola Razr Maxx (+-Php18,490)

This phone might be a shadow from Motorola’s past as they released a lot of new models already (priced higher than Php20k locally), but the Razr Maxx still makes it to our list. Why? It’s because of the 3,300mAh battery inside that Kevlar chassis.

A dual-core processor, a qHD display and some other outdated hardware specs come with the Razr Maxx, but if that’s all you need and an extremely heavy duty battery – maybe you don’t need to look elsewhere after all.

Motorola RAZR Maxx specs:

4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced screen @ 540×960 pixels, 256ppi

TI OMAP4430 1.2GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9

1GB RAM

16GB internal storage

up to 32GB via microSD

HSDPA, HSUPA

WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, WiFi hotspot

8MP rear autofocus camera, LED flash

1080p video recording @ 30fps

1.3MP front-facing camera

Bluetooth 4.0

Android v2.3.6 Gingerbread out of the box (upgrade to v4.0.4 ICS now available)

Li-Ion 3300mAh battery

130.7 x 68.9 x 8.99mm (dimensions)

145 gram (weight)

8. Nokia 808 PureView (+-Php16,990)

The Nokia 808 PureView doesn’t really pack a lot of good hardware and software features; a single core CPU, 512MB RAM and a 4-inch nHD display all running on the late Symbian. But anyways, it remains unmatched by the competition in one field – the 41 megapixel camera packed with Zeiss, Xenon and more.

Nokia PureView 808 specs:

4-inch AMOLED nHD Nokia ClearBlack display w/ Corning Gorilla Glass

1.3GHz ARM 11 processor

Broadcom BCM2763 GPU

512MB RAM

16GB internal storage

Expandable up to 32GB via Micro SD

41MP Carl Zeiss Optics autofocus camera w/ Xenon flash

1080p video recording @30fps

VGA Front-facing camera

HSPA 14.4Mbps

Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n

Wi-Fi Tethering via JoikuSpot app

Bluetooth 3.0

GPS w/ A-GPS support

1400mAH Battery

Dimension: 123.9 x 60.2 x 13.9 mm

Weight: 168g

9. BlackBerry Bold 9900 (+-Php19,900)

If you want the best of BlackBerry without having to spend on BB10, then the Bold 9900 is still perfect for you. It offers decent specs, both touch and type inputs, and of course, BlackBerry services.

On the downside, apps and future-proofing might be a problem for you as BlackBerry has already shifted all their attention to their new OS.

BlackBerry Bold 9900 specs:

2.8-inch capacitive touch screen display @ 640—480, 287 dpi resolution

QWERTY keyboard, optical trackpad

1.2 GHz processor

768 MB RAM

8GB on-board memory,

microSD slot supporting up to 32GB

NFC technology

5MP camera w/ 720p HD video recording

Orientation Sensor (Accelerometer)

Digital Compass (Magnetometer)

Proximity Sensor

GPS with aGPS support

Dual-Band WiFi 802.11 b/g/n @ 2.4 GHz and 802.11 a/n @ 5GHz

Bluetooth 2.1+EDR

1230 mAh Li-Ion battery

BlackBerry 7 OS

10. LG Optimus G (+-Php18,990)

Let’s say you want a great LG phone, but you don’t want to get vanilla Android and a sub-par camera; you might want the LG Optimus G, the Nexus 4’s father.

It packs the same premium glass build, a fast quad-core CPU, a vibrant HD display and a 13 megapixel shooter. However, the question still remains – do you want LG’s UI on top of Android, or would you prefer something else?

LG Optimus G (E975) specs:

4.7-inch True HD 720p IPS display @ 1280×768 pixels, 318ppi

Corning Gorilla Glass

Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon S4 Pro 1.5GHz quad-core

Adreno 320 GPU

2GB RAM

32GB internal storage

HSPA+ & LTE 100Mbps

NFC

Bluetooth 4.0 w/ A2DP

WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, dual-band, WiFi Direct, DLNA

13MP rear camera, LED flash

1080p video recording @ 30fps

1.3MP front-facing camera

720p video recording @ 30fps

GPS w/ AGPS support, GLONASS

TV-out (via MHL A/V link)

Jellybean 4.1.2

2100mah Li-Po battery

131.9 x 68.9 x 8.5mm (dimensions)

145 grams (weight)

That’s about it guys. If you have any more in mind, feel free to drop it in the comments down below. For the meantime, you might also want to check out our previous lists:

Our Top 10 Android Smartphones under Php10k for 2013

10 Smartphones with over 5-inch Displays

Top 5 Most Affordable Windows Phone 8 Devices in PH

The post Our Top 10 Smartphones Under Php20k as of mid-2013 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

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