Top Smartphones Above PHP30K (Mid-2017)

We’re now starting the second half of 2017, and that means we’re going to have to take a look at the top smartphones released in the Philippines in the first half. To kick-off our guide, we’re going to start with the most expensive ones. Here are the top smartphones above PHP 30K.

Author’s note: The smartphones listed below are those that have officially launched in the Philippines from January to June 2017. The list is arranged by price from lowest to highest.

Huawei P10 Plus

First in our list is the Huawei P10 Plus, which, as the name suggests, is the big brother of the Huawei P10. It was unveiled in February 2017 during the Mobile World Congress, then became available in April in the Philippines. It’s also the most affordable in this range at Php36,990USD 630INR 53,436EUR 600CNY 4,590 SRP for the 128GB model.

Huawei P10 Plus specs:
5.5-inch WQHD display @ 2560×1140, 510ppi
Gorilla Glass 5
2.4GHz HiSilicon Kirin 960
Mali-G71MP8 GPU
6GB LPDDR4 RAM
64GB / 128GB internal storage
expandable via microSD card (hybrid — uses SIM2 slot)
Dual-SIM, Dual Standby
4.5G LTE (4×4 Mimo Quad LTE antennas)
20MP monochrome + 12MP color f/1.8 dual rear cameras with LED Flash, OIS
8MP f/1.9 front camera
WiFi (2×2 Mimo antennas)
Bluetooth
GPS (Huawei Geo Technology)
NFC
Fingerprint Scanner
Water resistance
Android Nougat with EMUI 5.1
3,750mAh battery with SuperCharge
153.5 x 74.2 x 7 mm
165 g

LG G6

It’s not just Huawei who released a flagship device during MWC 2017 as LG also unveiled the G6. Like the P10 and P10 Plus, it also launched in the Philippines in April for Php37,990USD 647INR 54,880EUR 617CNY 4,715. It was subject to criticism because of the company’s decision to equip it with an older Snapdragon 821 chipset instead of the newer Snapdragon 835.

LG G6 specs:
5.7-inch QHD+ FullVision display @ 2880 x 1440, 565ppi
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 2.4GHz quad-core processor
2 x 2.35GHz Kryo & 2 x 1.6GHz Kryo processors
Adreno 530 graphics
4GB LPDDR4 RAM
64GB UFS 2.0 storage
expandable via microSD up to 2TB
LTE-A 3 Band CA up to 600 Mbps
13MP f/1.8 and 13MP f/2.4 Wide-angle Rear cameras with Dual LED Flash
5MP f/2.2 Wide-angle front camera
WiFi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 4.2 BLE
GPS with aGPS support
NFC
FM Radio tuner
IP68 Dust and Water resistance
Dolby Vision
HDR 10
Fingerprint Sensor
32-bit HiFi Quad DAC Chip
USB Type-C 2.0
Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
Android 7 Nougat with LGUX 6.0
3,300mAh Li-Po battery (non-removable)
148.9 x 71.9 x 7.9mm (dimensions)
163 grams (weight)
Colors: Mystic White, Astro Black, Ice Platinum

Samsung Galaxy S8

Samsung skipped the MWC 2017 and revealed its latest flagship smartphone in March during its Unpack event. It features an impressive display, sleek design, and powerful internals. Like the smartphones mentioned above, it also arrived in the Philippines in April for Php39,990USD 681INR 57,770EUR 649CNY 4,963.

Samsung Galaxy S8 specs:
5.8-inch Super AMOLED Quad-HD+ Infinity display @ 2960×1440 pixels, 568ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Samsung Exynos 8895 64-bit 10nm octa-core CPU (4 ARM Cortex A53 1.7GHz + 4 Exynos M1 2.3GHz)
Mali G71MP20 GPU
4GB RAM
64GB internal storage
Expandable up to 256GB via microSD (uses SIM 2 slot)
12MP Dual Pixel rear camera dual-tone, dual-LED flash, f/1.7 aperture
8MP front-facing auto-focus camera with f/1.7 aperture
Dual SIM (hybrid), dual LTE
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 5.0
NFC
GPS with aGPS support, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou
Fast Wireless Charging
Fingerprint Scanner
Heart-Rate Sensor
Iris Scanner
IP68 rating
Android 7.0 Nougat with TouchWiz
Samsung Bixby, Bixby Vision
3,000mAh Li-Ion non-removable battery
Colors: Midnight Black, Maple Gold, Orchid Grey, Coral Blue, Arctic Silver

Sony Xperia XZs

Sony is not to be left out when it comes to high-end smartphones. Although premium and with a great camera and water resistance, the Xperia XZs uses an old Snapdragon 820 chip which is a downer considering its Php39,990USD 681INR 57,770EUR 649CNY 4,963 asking price.

Sony Xperia XZs (G8232) specs:
5.2-inch Full HD Triluminos display
X-Reality, Dynamic Contrast Enhancement
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU
Adreno 530 GPU
4GB LPDDR4 RAM
32GB/64GB eMMC
19MP 1/2.3-inch Exmor RS rear camera, Motion Eye, Hybrid AF, SteadyShot
13MP 1/3.06-inch Exmor RS front camera
Dual-SIM
4G/LTE
WiFi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 4.2
NFC
GPS with aGPS support
Fingerprint scanner
USB Type-C
IP65/IP68-certified body
2,900mAH battery w/ Qnovo Adaptive Charging
Android 7.0 Nougat
146 x 72 x 8.1mm (dimensions)
161 grams (weight)

ASUS Zenfone AR

The ASUS Zenfone AR was announced during CES 2017 in January. It’s a feature-packed smartphone designed for Augmented Reality (AR) with the help of Google’s Project Tango technology. It launched in the Philippines in June for Php44,995USD 767INR 65,000EUR 730CNY 5,584, which marks it as one of the most expensive smartphones ASUS has released to date.

ASUS Zenfone AR specs:
5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display
Corning Gorilla Glass 4
2.35GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 quad-core CPU
Adreno 530 GPU
Up to 8GB LPDDR4 RAM
Up to 256GB UFS 2.0 storage
23MP Sony IMX318 f/2.0, 2nd-gen, Laser AF camera w/ dual LED flash, OIS, EIS, 4K video
Motion tracking and fisheye depth-sensing camera
8MP front camera
Dual-SIM
4G LTE Cat13
WiFi 802.11ac, dual-band, MIMO
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS w/ A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
NFC
USB Type-C
Fingerprint scanner
3,300mAh battery w/ Quick Charge 3.0
Android 7.0 Nougat w/ ZenUI 3.0
158.67 x 77.7 x 4.6 ~ 8.95 mm
170 g

Sony Xperia XZ Premium

Another smartphone that stole the spotlight during MWC 2017 is the Sony Xperia XZ Premium. Unlike the Xperia XZs, the XZ Premium packs internals worthy of the name like the 5.5-inch 4K display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, and 19MP Exmor RS Motion Eye camera. The price is also on the premium side at Php45,490USD 775INR 65,715EUR 738CNY 5,645.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium specs:
5.5-inch 4K HDR Triluminos display
X-Reality, Dynamic Contrast Enhancement
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 64-bit CPU
Adreno 540 GPU
4GB RAM
64GB UFS
Up to 256GB microSD
19MP 1/2.3″ Exmor RS Motion Eye rear camera w/ Hybrid AF
Super slow motion 960fps video capture
SteadyShot w/ Intelligent Active Mode (5-axis stabilization)
13MP 1/3.06″ Exmor RS front camera
Gigabit LTE
WiFi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS with aGPS support
IP68-certified
USB Type-C
Fingerprint sensor
Android 7.1 Nougat
3,230mAh Li-Ion non-removable battery

Samsung Galaxy S8+

Last, but not the least, is the Galaxy S8’s big brother, the Galaxy S8+. The S8+ is aimed at those who are looking for a phablet with top-notch specs and a bigger display size and battery capacity. It’s gonna cost an arm and a leg though at Php45,990USD 784INR 66,437EUR 746CNY 5,707.

Samsung Galaxy S8+ specs:
6.2-inch Super AMOLED Quad-HD+ Infinity display @ 2960×1440 resolution, 531ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Samsung Exynos 8895 64-bit 10nm octa-core chip
4 x ARM Cortex A53 1.7GHz + 4 x Exynos M1 2.3GHz
Mali G71MP20 GPU
4GB RAM
64GB internal storage
Expandable up to 256GB via microSD (uses SIM 2 slot)
12MP Dual Pixel rear camera dual-tone, dual-LED flash, f/1.7 aperture
8MP front-facing auto-focus camera with f/1.7 aperture
Dual SIM (hybrid), dual LTE
WiFi
Bluetooth 5.0
NFC
GPS with aGPS support, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou
Fast Wireless Charging
Fingerprint Scanner
Heart-Rate Sensor
Iris Scanner
IP68 rating
Android 7.0 Nougat with TouchWiz
Samsung Bixby, Bixby Vision
3,500mAh Li-Ion non-removable battery
Colors: Midnight Black, Maple Gold, Orchid Grey, Coral Blue, Arctic Silver

And there you have it. If we missed anything on the list, let us know in the comments below.