Holiday Gift Guide 2018: Phones under Php5,000

Written by Carl LamielPublished • December 4, 2018

Here goes the budget part of our Holiday Gift Guide — phones of different shapes and sizes but priced under Php5,000.

There’s no denying that the purchasing power of Filipinos has moved to the mid-range segment this year, but the entry-level phones are still a top choice for the common Juan as their first phone or backup device. We’re listing down phones and smartphones at different price points to identify what’s best for your hard-earned money for the holidays. Let’s take a look now, shall we?

Phones that are released this year make up our 2018 holiday guides.

Table of Contents

Back to basics

Feature phones are always a go-to for those who do not want the extra frills and just need the calls and messages. This year, brands are releasing more than just candy bars and went to slides and flips. Here are some of our recommendations:

Starmobile UNO F301

1.8-inch colored display
up to 500 Phonebook Entries
up to 300 SMS Entries
VGA camera with flash
GPRS
Dual SIM, Dual Standby
Bluetooth
FM Radio with speaker
600mAh battery
110 x 53.2 x 21 mm
82.5g
Php899

Cherry Mobile V5 and V6

1.5-inch display
Dual SIM, Dual Standby
Multimedia player
VGA camera with video recording
Bluetooth Dialer function
Php1,299

MyPhone my111x

2.4-inch display
Multimedia Player
Dual SIM, Dual Standby
VGA camera
Colors: Black, Dark Blue, Copper
Php1,299

Starmobile FeatureSmart EVO1

.4-inch color display
expandable via microSD up to 32GB
VGA camera
4G VoLTE
Dual-SIM
FM radio
Bluetooth
Up to 200h battery
Php1,888 (Smart)

Alcatel 3026

2.8-inch display
128MB RAM
256MB internal storage
expandable via microSD up to 32GB
2MP rear camera with LED Flash
Quick access buttons (SOS, Torch, etc)
Hearing Aid compatibility (M4/T4)
Php2,490

Nokia 8110 4G

2.4-inch QVGA display
1.1 GHz Dual Core Qualcomm 205
512MB RAM
4GB internal storage
2-megapixel rear camera
LTE Cat.4
Dual SIM (micro+nano)
WLAN IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.1
GPS, A-GPS
FM Radio
IP52 drip protection
Nokia Smart Feature OS (KaiOS)
1500mAh battery
133.45 x 49.3 x 14.8 mm
118g
Black, Yellow
Php2,990

Backup phone options

This year, we saw more budget devices have one thing in common, and that’s the use of Google’s Android Go as the primary mobile software, While these seem to sport less hardware, the software itself is optimized for light to moderate tasks, which make them adequate backup devices. Here are our picks:

Cloudfone GO Connect Lite 2

4-inch WVGA Display @ 800×480 px
1.3GHz Quad-Core CPU
512MB RAM
4GB internal storage
expandable via microSD up to 64GB
5MP rear camera with LED flash
2MP front camera
3G HSPA+
Dual SIM (micro), Dual Standby
Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS
Android 8.0 Oreo (GO Edition)
1,400mAh battery
Colors: Black and gold
Php1,699

myPhone myA11

4-inch display
MediaTek MT6580M 1.3GHz Quad-Core processor
512MB RAM
4GB ROM
5MP rear camera
2MP front camera
Dual SIM
3G
WiFi
GPS
USB OTG (MyPhone DTV Dongle Compatible)
Android Oreo (Go Edition)
1,400mAh battery
Php1,899

Cloudfone GO SP 2

5-inch FWVGA Display @ 854×480 px
1.3GHz Quad-Core CPU
512MB RAM
8GB internal storage
expandable via microSD up to 64GB
5MP rear camera with LED flash
2MP front camera
3G HSPA+
Dual SIM (micro), Dual Standby
Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS
Android 8.0 Oreo (GO Edition)
2,000mAh battery
Colors: Matte Black and Rose Gold
Php2,199

Nokia 1

4.5-inch FWVGA IPS display @ 480 x 854px
1.1GHz quad-core processor
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage
5MP rear camera
2MP front camera
4G LTE Cat.4
Wi-FI 802.11/ b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS
Micro USB
Android 8.1 Oreo
2159 mAh battery
133.6 x 67.78 x 9.5 mm
131 g
Php3,990

Samsung Galaxy J2 Core

5.0-inch TFT display @ 540 x 960 resolution
1.4GHz Samsung Exynos 7570 CPU
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage
expandable via microSD card up to 256GB
8MP f/2.2 rear camera
5MP f/2.2 front camera
4G LTE
Dual SIM, Dual Standby (SIM1 Locked to Smart/TNT/Sun)
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS, Glonass, Beidou
microUSB
Android Oreo (Go Edition)
2,600mAh battery
143.4 x 72.1 x 8.9 mm
154g
Php4,999 (Smart-exclusive)

Stand out from the crowd

Be it bigger batteries, dual speakers, or dual cameras, these budget phones offer something unique at an affordable price point. Take a look at some of them here:

Cherry Mobile Flare A2 (LTE Connectivity, Snapdragon Chip)

5-inch display
1.1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 210
Adreno 304 GPU
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage
expandable via microSD up to 32GB
8MP rear camera with LED Flash
2MP front camera
4G LTE
Dual SIM, Dual Standby
WiFi
Bluetooth
GPS, A-GPS
CherryOS 3.0 (Android 8.1 Oreo – GO Edition)
2000mAh battery
Php2,999

Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Lite (Dual rear cameras)

5.5-inch Trueview 18:9 Display
1.3GHz quad-core CPU
1GB RAM
8GB storage
microSD up to 32GB
8MP + 2MP dual rear cameras
5MP front camera
Android Oreo (Go Edition)
PHP 3,299

Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Power (5000mAh battery, Triple SIM)

5.45-inch Trueview 18:9 Display
1.3GHz quad-core CPU
1GB RAM
8GB storage
microSD up to 256GB
8MP + 2MP dual rear cameras
5MP + 2MP dual front cameras
Triple SIM
Fingerprint scanner
Android Oreo 8.1
5,000mAh battery
PHP 3,699

Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Max (Dual Speakers)

5.7-inch HD+ Trueview 18:9 Display
1.3GHz quad-core CPU
1GB RAM
16GB storage
microSD up to 128GB
13MP rear camera
5MP front camera
Dual Speaker
Android Oreo (Go Edition)
PHP 3,699

CM Flare S7 Prime (13MP selfie camera)

5.5-inch HD+ Trueview 18:9 Display
1.3GHz quad-core CPU
1GB RAM
8GB storage
microSD up to 64GB
13MP rear camera
13MP front camera
Fingerprint scanner
Android Oreo (Go Edition)
PHP 3,999

Starmobile UP Extreme (Tough display)

5-inch HD display @ 1280 x 720px
2.5D XtremeScreen
MediaTek MT6580 1.5GHz quad-core CPU
Mali400MP GPU
1GB RAM
16GB storage
microSD up to 32GB
8MP AF rear camera, LED flash
8MP FF front camera, dual flash
Dual-SIM
Dual 3G Switching
WiFi
Bluetooth
FM Radio
GPS, A-GPS
USB OTG
Android 7.0 Nougat
2,300mAh battery
144 x 71.5 x 9.6 mm
178 g
Matte Black, Space Gray, Champagne Gold
Php3,999

MyPhone myNX1 (Notched display)

6.18-inch FWVGA+ 19:9 IPS display
1.3GHz Spreadtrum SC7731E
Mali 400 MP2 GPU
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage
expandable via microSD
8MP AF rear camera
5MP front camera
3G HSPA+
Dual SIM, Dual Standby
WiFi
Bluetooth
GPS
Fingerprint scanner
Android 8.1 Oreo (Go Edition)
2950mAh battery
Colors: Silver, Violet, Gold, Blue
Php4,299

Battle of the Tall displays

Local brands are in it to offer 18:9 displays at price points the common Juan can reach. Here are our top picks.

myPhone myX1

4.95-inch 18:9 IPS display @ 960 x 480 px, 217ppi
1.2GHz Quad-Core Spreadtrum SC7731C
Mali-400MP1 GPU
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage
expandable via microSD, up to 64GB
5MP AF rear camera with LED Flash
5MP front camera
Dual SIM, Dual Standby
3G
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS
USB OTG
Android 7.0 Nougat
2150mAh battery
Php2,599

Cherry Mobile Flare S7 Mini

5-inch Trueview 18:9 Display
1.3GHz quad-core CPU
1GB RAM
8GB storage
microSD up to 64GB
8MP rear camera
2MP front camera
Android Oreo (Go Edition)
PHP 2,699

Starmobile Play Click LTE

5-inch 18:9 display, 2.5D Glass
1.4GHz Spreadtrum SC9832E chip
Mali-T820 GPU
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage
expandable via microSD up to 32GB
8MP AF rear camera with LED Flash
5MP front camera
4G LTE (with VoLTE support)
Dual SIM (nano), Dual standby
WiFi
Bluetooth
GPS
Android 8.1 Oreo (GO version)
2150mAh battery
139.7 x 65.8 x 10.2 mm
136g
Colors: Black, Gold
Php2,998 (Smart/TNT-locked)

Cherry Mobile Omega Lite 4

5-inch FWVGA+ 18:9 IPS display @ 960 x 480px
1.3GHz Quad Core MediaTek MT6580
Mali-400MP2 GPU
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage
expandable via microSD up to 64GB
8MP AF rear camera with LED Flash
5MP front camera
3G HSPA+
Dual SIM, Dual Standby
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS
Android 8.1 Oreo (Go Edition)
2000mAh battery
Php2,999

Cloudfone Thrill Boost 3

5.45-inch FWVGA+ IPS display @ 960 x 480 px, 197 ppi
2.5 curved glass
1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6580M chip
Mali-400 GPU
1GB LPDDR2 RAM
8GB internal storage
expandable via microSD card up to 64GB
5MP FF rear camera with LED Flash
5MP AF front camera with LED Flash
3G HSPA+
Dual SIM (micro), Dual standby
WiFi b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS, A-GPS
Android 7 Nougat
2500mAh battery (removable)
148.8 mm x 71.8 mm x 8.96 mm
175g
Php2,999

The Budget Powerhouses

Lastly, we have this year’s roster of sub-Php5k powerhouses — these are said to deliver good performance at the given price point.

Xiaomi Redmi 5A

5-inch HD IPS display, 294ppi
1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 quad-core CPU
Adreno 308 GPU
2GB RAM
16GB storage
MicroSD up to 128GB
13MP f/2.2 rear camera w/ LED flash
5MP f/2.0 front camera
Dual-SIM (nano, hybrid)
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.1
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
Ir blaster
3,000mAh battery
MIUI 9 (based on Android 7.1 Nougat)
140.4 x 70.1 x 8.35mm, 137g
Champagne Gold, Rose Gold, Grey
Php4,590

Cherry Mobile Flare S7

5.5-inch IPS LCD 18:9 TrueView display @ 1440 x 720px
1.3GHz Quad-core MediaTek MT6739WA
PowerVR GE8100 GPU
2GB/3GB RAM
16GB internal storage
expandable via microSD card up to 128GB
13MP+2MP BSI rear cameras with LED Flash
13MP+2MP BSI front cameras with Flash
4G LTE with Band 28 support
Dual SIM (Nano), Dual Standby
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS, A-GPS
Fingerprint Scanner
USB Type-C
Android 8.1 Oreo
2,400mAh battery (removable)
150.3 x 72 x 9.2mm (dimensions)
185g (size)
Php4,599 (2GB), Php4,999 (3GB)

Cherry Mobile Omega HD Duo

5.2-inch HD display @ 1280 x 720px
1.3GHz MediaTek MT6737V quad-core processor
2GB RAM
16GB internal storage
expandable via MicroSD
13MPl f/2.2 + VGA rear cameras with LED Flash
8MP f/2.4 front camera with LED flash
4G LTE
Dual SIM, Dual Standby
WiFi
Bluetooth
GPS, A-GPS
fingerprint scanner
2650mAh battery
Android Oreo 8.1
Php4,999

myPhone myx9

5.45-inch 18:9 HD+ IPS display @ 1040 x 720px
1.3GHz MediaTek MT6739
IMG PowerVR GE8100 GPU
2GB RAM
16GB internal storage
expandable via microSD
13MP + VGA dual rear cameras with LED Flash
5MP front camera
4G LTE
Dual SIM, Dual Standby
WiFi
Bluetooth
GPS
Fingerprint Scanner
Face Unlock
Android 8.1 Oreo (Go Edition)
2600mAh battery
Colors: Blue, Black
Php4,999

That’s it for this year’s holiday guide for devices under five grand. Did your favorite budget phone make it on the list? Let us know what we missed at the comments section below.