Top Smartphones in PH with Large Displays (Mid-2017)

Phablets, or smartphones with large displays, are heaven-sent for those who are looking for a compact device but with enough screen to satisfy the need for a small tablet. These gadgets have been around for a while but if you’re wondering which one to get for this time of the year, here are our top suggestions.

Note: The device listed below have screen sizes of at least 6-inches and launched in the Philippines from January to June 2017.

Samsung Galaxy S8+

First up is the largest of the company’s two flagship devices for this year, the Galaxy S8+. It sports a 6.2-inch Super AMOLED Quad HD+ curved display with a screen-to-body ratio a little over 83% and protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Despite its large screen, it’s narrow at 73.4mm but a tall one at 159.5 mm. The Samsung Galaxy S8+ is priced at Php45,990.

Samsung Galaxy S8+ specs:
6.2-inch Super AMOLED Quad-HD+ Infinity display @ 2960×1440 pixels, 531ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Samsung Exynos 8895 64-bit 10nm octa-core CPU
4 x ARM Cortex A53 1.7GHz + 4 x Exynos M1 2.3GHz
Mali G71MP20 GPU
4GB LPDDR4 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
8-megapixel front-facing auto-focus camera with f/1.7 aperture
Dual SIM (hybrid), dual LTE
WiFi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 5.0
NFC
GPS with aGPS support, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou
Fast Wireless Charging
Fingerprint Scanner
Heart-Rate Sensor
Iris Scanner
IP68 Rating, Dust, and Waterproof
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
159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm
173 g

Xiaomi Mi Max 2

Next is the Mi Max 2 with a 6.44-inch display. The Full HD resolution though can be disappointing to some but it’s still decent at 342ppi. It’s difficult to hold for those with small hands but it compensates in other factors like a good Sony-made camera sensor and a large 5,300mAh battery. The Mi Max 2 is not officially available in the country but can be purchased at Widget City for Php15,500. See listing here.

Xiaomi Mi Max 2 specs:
6.44-inch IPS LCD @ 1920 x 1080 pixels, 342ppi
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core CPU
Adreno 506 GPU
4GB RAM
64GB/128GB internal storage
Expandable via microSD, up to 128GB (Uses SIM 2)
12MP Sony IMX386 PDAF rear camera w/ LED flash
5MP wide-angle front camera
Dual SIM (Nano)
LTE-A
Wi-Fi 802.11ac, dual-band
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS w/ A-GPS, GLONASS
NFC
IR blaster
Fingerprint scanner
Gyroscope
Stereo speakers
5300mAh non-removable battery w/ Quick Charge 3.0
Android 7.0 Nougat w/ MIUI 8
174.1 x 88.7 x 7.6 mm
211 g

OPPO F3 Plus

Let’s not forget OPPO’s F3 Plus that launched in March. It’s the big brother of the F3 and sports a 6-inch Full HD display with Gorilla Glass 5, Snapdragon 653 processor, 4,000mAh battery, and dual selfie cameras consisting of a 16MP and 8MP shooters. It’s priced at Php23,990.

OPPO F3 Plus specs:
6-inch Full HD IPS LCD display @ 1920 x 1080 pixels
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 653 1.9GHz octa-core processor (MSM8976 Pro)
Adreno 510 Graphics
4GB LPDDR4 RAM
64GB internal storage
expandable via microSD up to 256GB (uses SIM2 slot)
16MP f/2.0 normal + 8MP 120-degree wide-angle front cameras
16MP f/1.7 rear AF camera with Dual-tone LED Flash, Dual PDAF, 4K video support
4G LTE
Dual SIM (nano, hybrid)
Dual-band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 4.1
GPS w/ aGPS
Gyroscope
OPPO ColorOS 3.0 (Android 6.0 Marshmallow)
4,000mAh Li-Ion battery (non-removable) with VOOC fast charging
163.63 x 80.8 x 7.35mm
185

Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra

Sony also sees the demand for a smartphone for selfies with a large display and made the Xperia XA1 Ultra. It’s the successor of the XA Ultra from last year and the big brother of the Xperia XA1. Its main feature is the 6-inch Full HD display and the 15MP Exmor R AF front camera with OIS. It’s not officially available in the Philippines as of the moment but can be purchased at Widget City for Php24,000. See listing here.

Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra specs:
6-inch Full HD display w/ Image Enhance Technology
2.3GHz MediaTek Helio P20 octa-core CPU
Mali T880 MP2 900MHz GPU
4GB RAM
32GB/64GB storage
expandable microSD up to 256GB
23MP 1/2.3″ Exmor RS rear camera w/ Hybrid AF, SteadyShot, LED flash
16MP 1/2.6″ Exmor R AF front camera, SteadyShot, OIS
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n
NFC
Bluetooth 4.2, A2DP, apt-X
GPS, A-GPS
USB Type-C
Android 7.0 Nougat
2,700mAh battery w/ Qnovo Adaptive Charging
165 x 79 x 8.1 mm
188 g
White, Black and Gold

Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro

Last, but not the least, is the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro. Yes, I know, it was released in November of last year in China, but it officially arrived in the Philippines in April 2017. It may be the oldest smartphone in the list but it’s not to be scoffed at thanks to the 6-inch Full HD display, 6GB RAM, 16MP rear and front camera, and 4,000mAh battery. It is priced at at Php27,990.

Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro specs:
6-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display, 367ppi
1.95GHz Snapdragon 653 octa-core processor
Adreno 510 GPU
6GB RAM
64GB internal storage
Expandable to 256GB via microSD card
16MP PDAF rear camera with f/1.9 aperture and dual-tone LED flash
16MP front camera with f/1.9 aperture
Dual-SIM (Nano)
4G LTE
Wi-Fi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 4.2, A2DP, LE
GPS w/ A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
USB Type-C
Cirrus Hi-Fi audio codec
Samsung Pay via NFC and MST
Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
4,000mAh non-removable battery
162.9 x 80.7 x 6.9mm
189 grams

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