The smartphone industry is sprinting forward at breakneck speed, and with half of 2023 already gone, it shows no sign of slowing down.
Phone makers are certainly churning out new models left and right, which leaves you with a ton of choices when it comes to selecting your next daily driver.
To narrow it down, we have covered all the upper flagship smartphones officially released in the Philippines in the first half of 2023, priced between PHP 30,000 and PHP 50,000.
Table of Contents
Tecno Phantom X2 5G
First up, we have the Tecno Phantom X2 5G that shows off a unibody design with comfortable curves all throughout its build. A 6.8-inch AMOLED curved screen with up to 120Hz refresh rate and protected by a Gorilla Glass Victus.
Powering this device is a Dimensity 9000 flagship chip combined with fast memory and storage capabilities 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage. Not to mention it also has a 5GB extended memory.
At the rear, it protrudes an interesting triple camera layout housing a 64MP RGBW primary sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS), a 13MP ultrawide, and an unspecified 2MP lens.
Its battery is rated a bit higher than usual, a 5160mAh cell coupled with 45W fast charging.
The Tecno Phantom X2 5G sets you back PHP 32,999.
Tecno Phantom X2 5G specs
6.8-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080) AMOLED display
120Hz refrest rate, 409ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
MediaTek Dimensity 9000 (4nm)
8-cores, up to 3.05GHz frequency
8GB RAM LPDDR5 (+5GB extended memory)
256GB storage UFS3.1
Triple rear cameras:
• 64MP f/1.7 RGBW main, OIS
• 13MP f/2.2 ultrawide
• 2MP (unspecified)
32MP f/2.5 front camera
Dual SIM
5G, 4G LTE
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/
Bluetooth 5.3
GPS
USB Type-C
NFC
In-screen fingerprint sensor
Android 12
5160mAh battery
45W charging rate (wired)
164.61 x 72.65 x 8.9 mm
Moonlight Silver, Stardust Grey
Tecno Phantom X2 Pro 5G
Next up, we have the Phantom X2 Pro variant. Technically, it’s the same device as the base model, but this one boasts the world’s first retractable 50MP portrait lens with a large aperture (f/1.9) and 65mm focal length. This makes the device great for night photography and portrait shots.
It is accompanied by another 50MP wide camera, and a 13MP ultrawide. And a more spacious 12GB RAM on this.
What also sets it apart from the standard one is you can get the Pro in a visually stunning Mars Orange colorway.
With all of these added capabilities, the Tecno Phantom X2 Pro 5G rightly demands a higher price of PHP 42,999.
Tecno Phantom X2 Pro 5G specs
6.8-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080) AMOLED display
120Hz refrest rate, 409ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
MediaTek Dimensity 9000 (4nm)
8-cores, up to 3.05GHz frequency
8GB RAM LPDDR5 (+5GB extended memory)
256GB storage UFS3.1
Triple rear cameras:
• 50MP f/1.49 telephoto (retractable) 65mm focal length
• 50MP f/1.9 wide main
• 13MP ultrawide
32MP f/2.5 front camera
Dual SIM
5G, 4G LTE
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/
Bluetooth 5.3
GPS
USB Type-C
NFC
In-screen fingerprint sensor
Android 12
5160mAh battery
45W charging rate (wired)
164.61 x 72.65 x 8.9 mm
Mars Orange, Stardust Grey
Xiaomi 13
Moving up the price ladder is the base model Xiaomi 13 carrying the Leica moniker on its blocky yet capable rear camera module. Which consists of a 50MP main lens with support for OIS, a 10MP telephoto, and a 12MP ultrawide.
The AMOLED display spans 6.36-inch and has 120Hz refresh rate.
Under the hood is Qualcomm’s latest flagship chip, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, configured with fast 12GB RAM and 256GB storage.
There’s also a LiquidCool Technology going on in here to keep the phone at optimal temperatures.
The battery is a bit underwhelming at only 4500mAh, but we do have a faster 67W wired turbo charging and 50W wireless charging.
The Xiaomi 13 retails for PHP 44,999.
Xiaomi 13 specs
6.36-inch E6 FHD+ (1080 x 2400) OLED
20:9, 120Hz
Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG, 1900nits
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
8GB, 12GB LPDDR5 RAM
256GB UFS 4.0 internal storage
Triple rear cameras (Leica-tuned):
Leica Vario-Summicron 1:1.8-2.2/15-75 ASPH
• 50MP main camera f/1.8, HyperOIS
• 10MP telephoto camera f/2.0, Leica 75mm Noctilux-M
• 12MP ultrawide camera f/2.2
32MP in-display selfie camera f/2.0
Dual nano-SIM, 5G
NFC
Bluetooth 5.3
WiFi 7
IR Blaster
IP68 water and dust resistant
In-screen fingerprint sensor
Dual speakers, Dolby Atmos
Android 13 based MIUI 14
4500 mAh with 67W Turbo Charging, 50W Wireless, 10W Reverse Wireless
189 grams (weight)
152.8mm x 71.5mm x 7.89mm (dimensions)
White, Black, Flora Green
OnePlus 11
The OnePlus 11 is a kind of a redemption arc for the brand, fixing past slip-ups with its recent offerings—ehem 10T—and it definitely makes a comeback as a true OnePlus flagship experience.
For starters, they brought back the iconic alert slider and the Hasselblad-tuned cameras, both of which they questionably removed on the 10T—its predecessor.
Moving on to now, the OnePlus 11 boasts the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, up to 16GB RAM and 256GB UFS 4.0 storage. Of course, it also comes with large vapor chamber for cooling solutions.
Display is one of its strong suits sporting a 2K AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass Victus on top.
Like mentioned earlier, the triple rear cameras are tuned by Hasselblad, consists of 50MP main lens with OIS, 48MP ultrawide, and a 32MP telephoto.
Another key feature is its support for 100W SuperVOOC tech, charging its 5000mAh battery from 1-100% in just about 25 minutes.
The OnePlus 11 starts at PHP 45,990 for the 8/128GB combo.
OnePlus 11 specs
6.7-inch QHD+ (3216 x 1440) Samsung E4 AMOLED display
120Hz refresh rate, LTPO 3.0 panel, 525 ppi
Dolby Vision support, 1300 nits peak brightness
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC (4nm)
12GB, 16GB LPDDR5X RAM
128GB, 256GB UFS 4.0 storage
Triple rear cameras, tuned by Hasselblad:
• 50MP f/1.8 Sony IMX890 main, OIS
• 48MP f/2.2 Sony IMX581 ultrawide, FoV 115°
• 32MP f/2.0 Sony IMX709 RGBW telephoto (2x optical, 20x digital zoom)
16MP f/2.4 front
Dual nano-SIM
5G, 4G LTE
WiFi-7
Bluetooth 5.3
GPS with aGPS support
USB Type-C 2.0
NFC
Dual stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos
Under-display fingerprint sensor
OxygenOS 13 (Android 13)
5000mAh battery
100W SuperVOOC charging rate (wired)
163.1 x 74.1 x 8.53 mm (dimensions)
205 grams (weight)
Emerald Green, Volcanic Black
OPPO Find N2 Flip
Having a foldable phone in this list comes a genuine surprise. Being managed to lower the price even lower as compared to the more expensive Galaxy foldables is clearly a win for the OPPO Find N2 Flip.
It has a fairly large cover AMOLED display protected by Gorilla Glass 5 while the main screen spans 6.8-inches using the same AMOLED panel with a UTG glass on top. Both displays have 120Hz refresh rate.
Powering this device is a Dimensity 9000+ chipset combined with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage.
At the back is a dual camera system with 50MP main lens coupled with 8MP ultrawide. Since this is a foldable, you have the freedom to use the these cameras as selfie shooters.
Speaking of selfie, there’s still a dedicated 32MP placed up top on the main display.
The battery, a 4,300mAh cell, is also a large one, which is unexpected in this form factor. It also charges fast with 44W SuperVOOC.
The OPPO Find N2 Flip retails for PHP 49,999.
OPPO Find N2 Flip specs
6.8-inch FHD+ (2520 x 1080) AMOLED main display, 403ppi
3.26-inch (720 x 382) AMOLED cover display, 250ppi
UTG (main), Gorilla Glass 5 (cover)
120Hz refresh rate (main)
120Hz (cover), 240Hz (main) touch sampling rate
1600 nits peak brightness (1200 nits under sunlight)
MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ SoC
Arm Mali-G710 MC10 GPU
8GB LPDDR5 RAM
256GB UFS 3.1 internal storage
Dual-rear cameras:
• 50MP F1.8 main
• 8MP F2.2 ultra-wide
32MP F2.4 front camera
Dual-SIM
5G, 4G LTE
WiFi 6
Bluetooth 5.3
NFC
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC
USB-C
Fingerprint scanner (side)
Stereo speakers
ColorOS 13 (Android 13)
4,300mAh battery w/ 44W SuperVOOC 2.0
166.2 x 75.2 x 7.5 mm (Unfolded)
85.5 x 75.2 x 16.2 mm (Folded)
191 grams (weight)
Astral Black, Moonlit Purple
Asus ROG Phone 7
This list supposedly ended on the foldable, but with just a few thousand pesos more than the 50K price point, you can already get one of the best gaming phones currently out there: the Asus ROG Phone 7.
For gamers looking for a device that can keep up with their gaming needs, the Asus ROG Phone 7 is worth checking out.
The phone flaunts a 6.78-inch AMOLED display and an impressive 165Hz refresh rate, ensuring smooth and seamless gameplay.
It’s also powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and comes with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage.
The device’s rear camera setup is capable too and consists of a 50MP Sony IMX766, a 13MP ultrawide, and 5MP macro lens, while the front camera is 32MP.
Its battery is larger than the bunch with 6,000mAh capacity and supports 65W fast charging.
The Asus ROG Phone 7 starts at PHP 50,999 14 for the 12/256GB configuration.
Asus ROG Phone 7 specs
6.78-inch FHD+ (2448 x 1080) AMOLED
165Hz refresh rate
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Qualcomm Adreno 740 GPU
16GB LPDDR5X RAM
512GB UFS 4.0 storage
Triple rear cameras:
• 50MP Sony IMX766 f/1.9
• 13MP ultrawide f/2.2
• 5MP macro f/2.0
32MP front camera
5G, Dual-SIM
WiFi-6
Bluetooh 5.3
NFC
3.5mm audio jack
GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS, NavIC
Android 13
6000mAh battery
65W charging rate
173mm x 77mm x 10.3mm
239g
Storm White, Phantom Black
Author’s Note: This list comprises the official smartphone releases in the Philippines during the first half of 2023 (from January to June 2023). Prices may change without prior notice.
