Fast Five: Basic Phones under Php2,500 (Mid-2017)

We’re putting in a new segment to our mid-year lists, and these are phones that could be one’s starter or secondary phone. In this Fast Five, we conclude our 2017 Mid-Year list with unique phones that are priced under Php2,500USD 43INR 3,612EUR 41CNY 310.

Cheap phones have evolved from just being simple alphanumeric candybars and clamshells to bearing niche features that want to capture a segment of the market. These phones we’ll feature have prices below Php2,500USD 43INR 3,612EUR 41CNY 310 and are released in the Philippines between January 1 to June 30, 2017. They’re listed in no particular order, and our Fast Fives will never be sponsored, yo.

Cherry Mobile Click

First up on our list is a Cherry Mobile bar phone that may qualify for another list but we chose to put this here simply because it’s a bar phone with just Android out of the box, which is odd to see nowadays. The Click could be your new phone if you are more into hitting those keypads rather than tapping onto the screen display, and if you’re one who has Php1,299USD 22INR 1,877EUR 21CNY 161 to boot.

Cherry Mobile Click (2017) key specs:
2.8-inch TFT LCD display
1.0GHz Dual Core chip (probably a Mediatek MT6572)
256MB RAM
512MB internal storage
expandable up to 32GB via microSD
5MP rear camera with LED Flash
1.3MP front camera
Dual-SIM, Dual Standby
3G
Bluetooth
WiFi
Android 4.4 KitKat

Cherry Mobile F6

If you’re a fan of flip phones, Cherry also has the F6 (priced at Php799USD 14INR 1,154EUR 13CNY 99) which is one of the few clamshells sold in the country today. It has its own merits — Dual-SIM connectivity, a VGS camera, and that familiar sound and feeling when you close the phone to end a call.

Cloudfone Lite Senior Flip

Cloudfone also has its own version of the clamshell, but this time it’s aimed at senior citizens with large keys and a one-touch SOS button that automatically sends a message to registered contacts and triggers an alarm right off the bat for Php1,299USD 22INR 1,877EUR 21CNY 161.

Cherry Mobile C1i

Cherry Mobile also has a bar phone that has a battery that’s quite not typical in bar phones as this device sports a 1800mAh battery — a huge one compared to typical 900mAh to 1200mAh seen on bar phones. The C1i is also quite a catach for its Php739USD 13INR 1,068EUR 12CNY 92 price tag.

Nokia 3310

Lastly, we have the Nokia 3310 which was officially available in the country last June 30. It may be one of the more expensive phones off this bunch at Php2,490USD 42INR 3,597EUR 40CNY 309, but the device has some merits to boot — it has snake, its battery can last for days, and has a 2-megapixel rear camera, something amiss from its original version more than a decade ago.

Nokia 3310 (2017) specs:
2.4-inch curved window with polarized layer
16MB internal storage
expandable via microSD up to 32GB
2MP rear camera
2G Dual-SIM
FM Radio
MP3 Player
Bluetooth 3.0
3.5mm headphone jack
Nokia Series 30+
Removable 1200 mAh battery
15.6 x 51 x 12.8 mm (dimensions)

Nostalgia aside, this one’s quite a needle in the haystack as we scoured around the metro to purchase one but only find out that it got sold out. We luckily got our own unit at the outskirts of the metro.

And that’s it for some of the top budget phones you can purchase today. We may have featured only five, but do note that there are other phones that offer a thing or two for everyone. Do chime in the comments section for other suggestions.