10 Most Expensive Phones Sold in the Philippines

As time goes by, the prices of smartphones soar high continuously. It only shows that the most innovative technologies come with a golden price tag. We’ve scoured the most expensive smartphones sold and released in the Philippines for the past decade, and here’s what we found out.  The smartphone models’ prices listed below are listed in descending order.

Vertu Constellation 44

Known for its bling-bling that go ring-ring, the British luxury phone brand Vertu brought its Android Jellybean-based phone worth PHP 297,000USD 5,061INR 429,046EUR 4,820CNY 36,858. Launched in December 2013, it doesn’t have an eye-popping engine configuration compared to today’s smartphones with its 1.7GHz dual-core processor matched with 1GB of RAM and a non-expandable 32GB of internal storage. However, it compensates for the premium materials that make up its body. The Vertu Constellation is equipped with a Grade 5 Titanium chassis, a sheet of 100-carat Sapphire Crystal laid on top of the phone’s front panel, a set of buttons made of Ruby, and a calfskin-covered back panel. According to previous reports, its display is said to be scratchable only by diamond. Now, that’s a phone made for the filthy-rich.

Huawei Mate Xs 5G 29

Huawei’s next entry to the foldable smartphone segment ticks a lot of boxes in terms of hardware and connectivity. Apart from the fancy 8-inch, outwards-folding AMOLED display,  it sports a newer HiSilicon Kirin 990 processor, which is capable of connecting to dual-band 5G. When folded, it features two equally astonishing screens: a 6.6-inch main and a 6.38-inch secondary. It has an unnoticeable Falcon Wing Design Hinge made of zirconium liquid metal, Huawei’s mechanism that makes the display folds and unfolds. Among other remarkable features include Super Sensing Leica Quad Camera system composed of 40MP main, 16MP ultrawide, 8MP telephoto and 3D Depth Sensing lenses, 4500mAh battery with 55w wired charging, Flying Fish Fin cooling system, and Android 10-based EMUI 10. It was shipped in the Philippines last April with a whopping price tag of PHP 139,999USD 2,386INR 202,243EUR 2,272CNY 17,374 for the 8GB + 512 GB variant.

Samsung Galaxy Fold 11

Samsung’s first attempt in exploring the world of foldable smartphones has set the standards in the said niche segment. Just like its name, the Android 9-based smartphone is foldable, thanks to its 7.3-inch main Infinity Flex display made with Dynamic AMOLED.  But aside from its main and 4.6-inch HD+ Super AMOLED cover display, it can charge all sorts of supported devices such as a smartwatch and Samsung Galaxy Buds by placing it at the back of the phone. It is powered by a combination of a 2,135mAh plus 2,245mAh dual battery (4,380mAh battery in total), which supports QC 2.0 wired fast-charging. Onboard is a 5G-capable Snapdragon 855 processor paired with 12GB LPDDR4X RAM and a massive 512GB internal storage. Exclusively offered by major telcos in the country through postpaid plans, the Samsung Galaxy Fold was launched last November 2019 for PHP 109,990USD 1,874INR 158,892EUR 1,785CNY 13,650 with a free Galaxy Buds out of the box. It’s so expensive you can even buy a sports bike for the price.

Porsche Design Huawei Mate 20 RS 14

As its name suggests, this smartphone is a result of a collaboration between the Chinese tech giant Huawei and the German sports car brand Porsche. As the beefed-up version of the Mate 20 Pro, it boasts an all-natural leather back panel gracing the Porsche logo in silver and triple Leica rear camera setup comprising a 40MP RGB sensor + 20MP ultra-wide angle lens + 8MP telephoto lens. At the front are a 24MPM 3D Depth Sensing front camera and a 6.39-inch OLED 2K+ display.  It also offers more RAM and storage space at 8 GB RAM  and 256GB memory. Its internal storage can max out up to 256GB via nano-memory card slot. Underneath its solid build is a Kirin 980 chipset and 4,200mAh battery with SuperCharge, wireless charging, and wireless reverse charging. Also, it is water-resistant and dust-resistant, which makes it a perfect option for gearheads with some bucks to spend. It debuted globally in 2018 but arrived officially in the Philippine shores last February 2019 and is priced at PHP 99,990USD 1,704INR 144,446EUR 1,623CNY 12,409.

iPhone 11 Pro Max

Apple’s current flagship smartphone surprised fans when it debuted with highly capable rear-triple cameras composed of 12MP telephoto, 12MP wide, and 12MP ultra-wide sensors akin to some top-of-the-line Android smartphones available in the market. Sporting a larger screen size at 6.5-inch, the iPhone 11 Pro Max has a Super Retina XDR, which is a mixture of HDR 10+, Dolby Vision, and Retina displays all inside its OLED panel. It has a small top-Powered by a new processor, the Apple A13 Bionic chip, it introduced the Deep Fusion technology for its cameras to enhance image quality. It gets a makeover in terms of design, now boasting a sculpted glass and stainless steel on its back. It has Spatial Audio for a more immersive audio experience, enhanced Face ID, IP68 certification, dual SIM capabilities, and longer battery life that supports 18W wired fast charging and wireless charging, and a new touch-and-hold gesture through Haptic Touch.  The iPhone 11 Pro Max also runs on Apple’s latest UI, iOS 13, and personifies the ‘Max’ on its name by offering more storage options up to 512GB for PHP 95,990USD 1,636INR 138,667EUR 1,558CNY 11,912. It officially arrived in the Philippines last September 2019.

iPhone 11 Pro

Everyone knows that the iPhone 11 Pro is a downgrade version of Apple’s latest flagship smartphone. But if you’ll look at it closely, it doesn’t show much difference in terms of hardware. It bears the same A13 Bionic chip, rear-triple cameras, Deep Fusion technology, 12 MP front camera, 18W wired fast charging, wireless charging support, and enhanced Face ID. Other than the key features, it also shares the same special functions of the iPhone 11 Pro Max, like the IP68 certification for water-resistance and dust-resistance, dual SIM capabilities with one slot for e-SIM, and same internal memory configurations up to 512 GB. However, it is equipped with a smaller 5.8-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, lowering the resolution slightly at 2436 x 1125. Launched along with the iPhone 11 Pro Max, the 512 GB variant of the iPhone 11 Pro currently costs PHP 89,990USD 1,533INR 130,000EUR 1,461CNY 11,168.

Samsung Galaxy S10+

Packed with practical features, the 2019 flagship device of Samsung introduced a 6.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display with WQHD+ (3040 x 1440) resolution, which provides punchy colors for games and videos, as well as high visibility in any lighting conditions. There’s the IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, biometric features such as the under-display ultrasonic fingerprint scanner and facial recognition, Samsung Exynos 9820 that makes the smartphone snappy and responsive, dual nano-SIM support, and the latest dual-band WiFi. It was also the first Samsung phone to boast a triple camera setup consists of a 16MP 123-degree ultra-wide-angle, a 12MP 77-degree wide, and a 12MP 45-degree telephoto lenses. Released in February 2019, its 1 TB variant costs PHP 89,990USD 1,533INR 130,000EUR 1,461CNY 11,168.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip

Unveiled simultaneously with the Samsung S20 series, the Samsung Galaxy Z flip boasts a clam-shell form factor and is more compact than the Samsung Galaxy Fold. It has a small display on the exterior, but flipping it reveals a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED display in FHD+ resolution. It has the same Infinity Flex Display and 8 GB RAM from the Galaxy Fold. Also known as the Galaxy Blossom, it sports a 7nm octa-core processor, 256GB of internal storage, dual-rear 12MP main, and 12MP ultra-wide cameras, a 10MP front camera, and a 3,300mAh battery. It retails at PHP 79,990USD 1,363INR 115,554EUR 1,298CNY 9,927 as of this writing.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 14

Looking more fluid and boxy, the latest phablet from Samsung features a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display with slimmer side, bottom, and top bezels. It has a maximum resolution of 3040 x 1440 ideal for streaming online content, AKG stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos for better audio, UHD 4K video recording, HDR10+ support, 3D Scanner for a full 360-degree 3D model of the object of your choice, and new functionalities for the S Pen.  Available in three configurations, the 12GB + 512GB of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ costs PHP 72,990USD 1,244INR 105,441EUR 1,185CNY 9,058. It was released last August 2019 in the Philippine market.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra (5G)

Last but not least is the top-of-the-line model from the Samsung Galaxy S20 series, which was unveiled last February. To justify its PHP 69,990USD 1,193INR 101,108EUR 1,136CNY 8,686 price tag for the 12GB + 128GB variant, it features a larger 6.9-inch Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED display with a maximum resolution of WQHD+ 3200 x 1440 and a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz for seamless scrolling. It has a quad-rear camera module that houses the 108MP main wide-angle, 48MP periscope telephoto, 12MP ultrawide, and TOF 3D lenses. Rivaling other Android smartphone’s zoom technology is the 100x Space Zoom. Other notable features include 40MP front camera, 5G capability made possible by the Samsung Exynos 990, expandable storage up to 1TB via microSD slot, 8K video recording at 30FPS, and a massive 5,000mAh battery with 45W wired fast charging and support for wireless charging.

And that sums up the most pricey smartphones ever released in the Philippines. We bet that in the next few years, it is most likely to see smartphones with more cameras, powerful hardware, and unimaginable form factors packed with upgraded productivity features.