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New smartphones with 18:9 screens for under Php12K

We’re only through the first two months of 2018 yet we already have a handful of new smartphones for the Philippine market. The best part is most of them have 18:9 displays and are priced under Php12K. So if you’re looking for that kind of smartphone with that budget, here are some recommendations.

Note: The smartphones listed below are those that were announced in 2018 and are available for purchase in the Philippines.

ASUS Zenfone Max Plus

The ASUS Zenfone 4 Max Plus launched in the Philippines on January 14 for Php11,995USD 204INR 17,328EUR 195CNY 1,489 and was tagged by the company as the “Battery King”. It has a 5.7-inch FHD+ display with 18:9 aspect ratio, MediaTek MT6750T CPU, 4GB RAM, 16MP + 8MP dual rear camera,s and a large 4,130mAh battery.

ASUS ZenFone Max Plus specs:
5.7-inch FHD+ IPS display @ 2160 x 1080px, 424ppi
2.5D curved glass
1.5GHz Octa-core 64-bit MediaTek MT6750T
Mali-T860MP2 GPU
4GB RAM
32GB internal storage
expandable via microSD
Dual 16MP f/2.0 + 8MP f/2.4 wide-angle AF rear cameras w/ LED flash
8MP front camera w/ screen flash, Face Unlock
4G LTE
Dual SIM Dual standby
WiFi
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS, A-GPS
Gyroscope
Fingerprint scanner
ASUS ZenUI 4.0 (Android 7.0 Nougat)
4,130mAh battery
152.6 x 72.7 x 8.8 mm
160 g
Colors: Black, Silver, Gold

OPPO A83

The OPPO A83 launched in the Philippines on January 14 and is priced at Php9,990USD 170INR 14,432EUR 162CNY 1,240. It has a 5.7-inch Full Screen display, MediaTek Helio P23 processor, 3GB RAM, 13MP rear camera, 8MP front camera with A.I. Beautification Technology, and 3,180mAh battery.

OPPO A83 specs:
5.7-inch 1440 x 720, 18:9 Full Screen display, 282ppi
MediaTek MT6763T Helio P23 2.5GHz octa-core processor
Mali-G71 MP2 GPU
3GB RAM
32GB storage
microSD card slot (dedicated slot)
13MP rear camera, LED flash
8MP front camera, screen flash
A.I. Beautification Technology
Dual-SIM (nano)
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS, A-GPS
microUSB 2.0
USB OTG
Face Unlock
ColorOS 3.2 (Android 7.1.1 Nougat)
3,180mAh battery
150.5 x 73.1 x 7.7 mm
143 g

Cloudfone Thrill Boost 3

The Cloudfone Thrill Boost 3 became official on February 10 for Php2,999USD 51INR 4,332EUR 49CNY 372, making it one of the most affordable smartphones in the market with an 18:9 display. As expected, specs are entry level with a 5.45-inch FWVGA+ IPS display, MediaTek MT6580M quad-core CPU, 1GB RAM, 5MP rear and front cameras, and a 2,500mAh battery.

Cloudfone Thrill Boost 3 specs:
5.45-inch FWVGA+ IPS display @ 960 x 480 px, 197ppi
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

Infinix Hot S3

The Infinix Hot S3 launched in the Philippines on February 21 for Php7,999USD 136INR 11,555EUR 130CNY 993. it is the company’s selfie-centric mid-ranger for this year that has a 20MP front camera with LED flash. It also has a 5.65-inch HD+ display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 CPU, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, 4,000mAh battery, And Android 8.0 Oreo.

Infinix Hot S3 specs:
5.65-inch HD+ 720 x 1440 IPS 18:9 display
Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 1.4GHz octa-core processor
Adreno 505
3GB RAM
32GB storage
microSD up to 128GB (dedicated slot)
13MP rear camera w/ LED flash
20MP front camera w/ LED flash
Dual-SIM (nano)
4G LTE Cat4
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS, A-GPS
USB OTG
4,000mAh battery
XOS 3 (Android 8.0 Oreo)
153 x 72.85 x 8.4 mm

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus / Redmi Note 5

The Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus first made an appearance in China in December but it was only this month it became available globally as the Redmi Note 5. it has a 5.99-inch FHD+ display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 CPU, up to 4GB RAM, and a large 4,000mAh battery. It’s not officially available in the Philippines but you can purchase it at Widget City for Php9,800USD 167INR 14,157EUR 159CNY 1,216. See listing here.

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus specs:
5.99-inch 18:9 FHD+ display @ 1080 x 2160 pixels
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 2.0Ghz Octa-core CPU
Adreno 506 GPU
3GB or 4GB RAM
32GB or 64GB Internal Storage
12MP Rear camera with 1.25-micron pixel sensor and dual-LED Flash
5MP front camera with soft-light LED
4G LTE
Dual SIM (Nano, Hybrid)
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
IR Blaster
Fingerprint scanner (rear-mounted)
micro-USB
MIUI 9 (Android 7.1.2 Nougat)
4,000mAh Battery
158.5 x 75.5 x 8.1 mm
180 g