Smartphones under ₱35K (Php35,000) | Q3 2024

Looking for new premium mid-range smartphones? We’ve got you covered. In this article, we’re doing a rundown of the newest smartphones released in the Philippines during Q3 of 2024 — specifically priced under PHP 35,000USD 596INR 50,561EUR 568CNY 4,344.

So, without further ado, let’s dive right into the list.

DISCLAIMER: The smartphones featured in this list were officially released in the Philippines during Q3 2024 (July to September). Listed prices here reflect their suggested retail prices (SRP) at the time of release.

By the way, before we start, we also have other Q3 2024 lists, so check that out on our website if you haven’t already.

Xiaomi 14T

Starting it fresh with the Xiaomi 14T carrying the lowest price tag in this list at PHP 25,999USD 443INR 37,558EUR 422CNY 3,226.

For the price, you get near-flagship performance complemented with Leica optics. The phone runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Ultra with up to 16GB of memory and 256GB of internal storage.

Now, we don’t have the benchmark numbers yet for the base Xiaomi 14T, but based on our review of the POCO X6 Pro which also runs on the Dimensity 8300 Ultra, it garnered 1,312,011 points in ANTUTU. We can presume the Xiaomi 14T will have more or less the same score.

The phone comes with all sorts of AI essentials including the fancy Circle to Search from Google.

It gets an updated design, although it appears like a straight up copy of the POCO F6 Pro 23. The good thing is, the Xiaomi 14T Series still gets Leica-tuned cameras.

It has a triple rear camera setup including a 50-megapixel main shooter with optical image stabilization, another 50-megapixel for telephoto, and a 12MP ultrawide.

Not much has changed with the display, it is still a 6.67-inch 1.5K AMOLED screen with 144Hz refresh rate, except it now sports a higher 4,000 nits of peak brightness. On the Xiaomi 13T, it was capped at 2,600 nits.

The battery is also the same as before with a 5,000mAh unit paired with 67W of fast charging. For an added layer of protection, the phone gets an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.

Again, the Xiaomi 14T starts at PHP 25,999USD 443INR 37,558EUR 422CNY 3,226 for the base model 12GB+256GB.

Xiaomi 14T full specs 20

• Price: PHP 25,999USD 443INR 37,558EUR 422CNY 3,226 (12+256GB) | Lazada, Shopee

vivo V40 5G

Next, we have the vivo V40 5G finally rocking all ZEISS-ed up cameras. This is the phone’s biggest upgrade because ZEISS cameras were only featured on the Pro model from last year’s V30 Series.

It’s got an updated design as well, and apparently, they brought back the circular fill light or the so-called Aura Light, and it is indeed much brighter than before.

There’s a dual rear camera setup headlined by a 50-megapixel main shooter with optical image stabilization, and another 50-megapixel for wide-angle shots. The third ring that you see here below the fill light is a flicker sensor.

Powering the phone is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 combined with 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of internal storage.

In our ANTUTU test, the phone managed to get 815,842 points.

As for the display, it sports a 6.78-inch 1.5K AMOLED panel with 120Hz refresh rate and 4500 nits peak brightness.

The battery gets an upgrade with a 5,500mAh silicon-carbon unit with 80W of fast charging. With this new rechargeable battery technology, the phone managed to contain a bigger battery for relatively the same thickness at 7.58 mm.

However, despite the new tech, for some reason, the phone did get worse results in our battery life tests. It only lasted 19 hours and 58 minutes on PCMark Work 3.0, that about five hours shorter than the vivo V30’s 24 hours and 54 minutes of battery life.

Regardless, almost 20 hours of battery life is still impressive, but I do hope power consumption on the vivo V40 gets more optimized in the long run.

Want to learn more about these so-called “Silicon-carbon batteries”? Well, we have a short explainer about it, and you can watch that here on the YugaTech channel.

Going back to the vivo V40, another notable feature is the addition of IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.

The vivo V40 has a starting price of PHP 26,999USD 460INR 39,003EUR 438CNY 3,351 for the 12+256GB trim.

vivo V40 5G Review | video review

• Price: PHP 26,999USD 460INR 39,003EUR 438CNY 3,351 (12+256GB) | Lazada, Shopee

realme 13 Pro+ 5G

Another one from the BBK umbrella is the realme 13 Pro Plus 5G. This one also prides itself with AI-powered cameras featuring a 50-megapixel main with optical image stabilization, another 50-megapixel sensor for telephotos, and an 8-megapixel ultrawide lens.

I don’t have much to say about this phone, but I do like its Monet-inspired back panel design. The camera island is also serving premium vibes with that golden accented, knurled edge camera ring.

The phone rocks a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, 12GB of RAM, up to 512GB of internal storage. The phone scored 549,824 points in our ANTUTU benchmark.

Other features of the realme 13 Pro+ is a 6.7-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, a 5200mAh battery paired with 80W of fast charging, and an IP65 rating for dust and water resistance.

The realme 13 Pro Plus 5G sets you back PHP 28,999USD 494INR 41,892EUR 471CNY 3,599 for the 12+256GB config.

realme 13 Pro+ 5G Review | video review

• Price: PHP 28,999USD 494INR 41,892EUR 471CNY 3,599 (12+256GB) | Lazada, Shopee

HONOR 200 Pro

Next one is yet another camera-centric device, the HONOR 200 Pro. It also gets a collaboration with Studio Harcourt, a French photography studio, boosting the phone’s portrait capabilities.

The rear protrudes an oval-shaped camera island housing three cameras: a 50-megapixel main sensor with optical image stabilization support, a 50-megapixel telephoto, also with OIS, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide and macro combo.

Its chipset is a powerful one, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 combined with up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of internal storage.

It has got the highest ANTUTU score in this list, racking up 1.1 million points. That’s at least excluding the Xiaomi 14T because we have yet to confirm its performance scores.

We get a curved display here — 6.78-inch Full HD+ OLED panel with 120Hz refresh rate and 4,000 nits peak brightness.

The phone also uses silicon-carbon tech with a 5,200mAh battery rocking the fastest charging speed in this list at 100W, plus 66W wireless charging.

Unfortunately, I can’t confirm whether the HONOR 200 Pro has better battery life than its predecessor, the HONOR 100 Pro, since the company did not officially release that model in the Philippines.

The HONOR 200 Pro retails for PHP 29,999USD 511INR 43,337EUR 487CNY 3,723 for the lone 12+512GB variant.

HONOR 200 Pro Review 11 | video review

• Price: PHP 29,999USD 511INR 43,337EUR 487CNY 3,723 (12+512GB) | Lazada, Shopee

HMD Skyline 5G

Up next, we have the HMD Skyline which was previously reported to be a revival of the Nokia Lumia… but that didn’t happen.

What we got instead is a new product line only with a hint of the iconic Lumia design, or at least close to it. I know, I know, Windows phone is a thing of the past, so I did not really expect an actual revival of the Nokia Lumia.

Under the hood, the phone runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of expandable storage. Yep, this one has a microSD card slot, and it is surely a plus in our book.

Cameras are also pretty capable with a 108-megapixel main shooter with optical image stabilization, a 50-megapixel telephoto, and a 13-megapixel ultrawide sensor. The front cam also gets a 50-megapixel sensor.

Its battery, however, is a bit smaller than usual — a 4,600mAh unit paired with 33W of fast charging along with 15W wireless charging support.

The HMD Skyline retails for PHP 29,990USD 511INR 43,324EUR 487CNY 3,722.

HMD Skyline 5G full specs 12

Price: PHP 29,990USD 511INR 43,324EUR 487CNY 3,722 (12+256GB) | Lazada, Shopee

OPPO Reno12 Pro 5G

Last, but not the least, we have the OPPO Reno12 Pro. It’s the most expensive of the bunch at PHP 34,999USD 596INR 50,560EUR 568CNY 4,343.

This is a significant bump in price from its predecessors whereas the Reno10 Pro and the Reno11 Pro retailed for PHP 29,999USD 511INR 43,337EUR 487CNY 3,723 and PHP 31,999USD 545INR 46,226EUR 519CNY 3,971, respectively.

Going back to the Reno12 Pro, it is equipped with the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Energy chipset with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of expandable storage — again, that’s a rare feature to have at this price point.

However, the chipset used here is somewhat underwhelming. It’s the most expensive in this list and yet, it got the lowest score in our ANTUTU benchmark where it scored just 705,414 points.

That’s not a bad score, but not good either, considering the hefty price.

Other notable features of the phone include triple rear cameras: a 50-megapixel main, a 50-megapixel telephoto, and an 8-megapixel ultrawide sensor; it has an IP65 rating for dust and splash resistance; and the battery is rated at 5,000mAh with 80W fast charging.

The OPPO Reno12 Pro retails for PHP 34,999USD 596INR 50,560EUR 568CNY 4,343… if you wanted to get this for unknown reasons, perhaps it’s better to wait for it to go on sale.

OPPO Reno12 Pro 5G Review | video review

• Price: PHP 34,999USD 596INR 50,560EUR 568CNY 4,343 (12+512GB) | Lazada, Shopee

And that finally wraps up this list. Will you get one of them soon? Which do you think is the best buy in this price range? Share your thoughts in the comments below!