We’ve compiled the mid-range phones with a price tag of 20K and lower and where they fall in our smartphone tier list.
Time flies so fast! We just passed the second quarter of 2024 and oh boy, we got more midrangers running amok in the market, which is great!
That’s because premium-level performance, mobile optics, and more have become accessible to a wider audience. In this article, we listed down the officially available mid-range smartphones in the country and ranked them based on the value-for-money factor.
POCO X6 Pro 5G (Super Sulit)
If it’s purely value for money, the POCO X6 Pro 5G is the deal. It delivers flagship-like performance with the MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Ultra in exchange for average camera potential. It also comes with a 5,000 mAh battery and 67 W turbo charging.
| Best Gain | Major Trade-off |
| Performance: 1,391,690 AnTuTu points | Limited ingress protection |
| 67 W wired charging | No wireless charging |
| 1.5K display resolution | No 3.5 mm headphone jack |
Infinix NOTE 40 5G (Maganda Na)
The Infinix NOTE 40 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300. It can handle various mobile games, including some demanding titles. This one also comes with 6.78 inches of AMOLED panel, 5,000 mAh battery, and 15 W wireless charging. The brand promises two years of Android updates and 36 months of security patches.
| Best Gain | Major Trade-off |
| Performance: 693,185 AnTuTu points | Limited ingress protection |
| 108 MP main sensor | No 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| 15 W wireless charging | 33 W wired charging |
| Bypass charging | |
| Expandable storage |
TECNO CAMON 30 5G (Maganda Na)
The base model of the TECNO CAMON 30 5G Series is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7020, which is decent. But what you’re actually getting out of this is a mobile vlog companion on a budget. It has a 50 MP eye-tracking selfie camera for live-streaming needs and vlogging.
| Best Gain | Major Trade-off |
| 50 MP eye-tracking front camera | Under 500,000 AnTuTu points |
| 70 W wired charging | No ingress protection |
| Camera-like body design | No wireless charging |
| No 3.5 mm headphone jack |
TECNO CAMON 30 Pro 5G (Maganda Na)
The TECNO CAMON 30 Pro 5G has more juice to offer with the MediaTek Dimensity 8200 Ultimate. Not only that, but the handset also comes with a better rear camera setup and Pro features like 4K Portrait video at 60 FPS and AI Eraser for images. This handset features the unique LOEWE Design Edition.
| Best Gain | Major Trade-off |
| Performance: 911,751 AnTuTu points | No ingress protection |
| 50 MP eye-tracking front camera | No wireless charging |
| 70 W wired charging | No 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| 144 Hz refresh rate | No 512 GB variant or expandable storage |
Infinix GT 20 Pro 5G (Maganda Na)
Another powered by the Dimensity 8200 Ultimate is the Infinix GT 20 Pro 5G. Its most attractive factor is the cyber mecha design with interactive LED lights. The handset also comes with a 108 MP main camera, 5,000 mAh battery capacity, two years of Android updates, and three years of security patches. If you’re into mobile gaming, this midranger should be on your list.
| Best Gain | Major Trade-off |
| Performance: 911,751 AnTuTu points | Limited ingress protection |
| 144 Hz refresh rate | No wireless charging |
| Frame rate stabilizer | No 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| Bypass charging | No 512 GB variant or storage expansion |
| 108 MP main camera |
realme 12 5G (Maganda Na)
If you want an elegant phone design, pick the affordable realme 12 5G that features a ring-like rear camera island. It has a luxury watch inspired design composed of metal-textured middle frame and 500 gradient sunburst patterns. As part of the realme 12 Portrait Master lineup, the handset supports three filters co-developed with Oscar-winning cinematographer Claudio Miranda.
| Best Gain | Major Trade-off |
| realme UI 5.0 | Limited ingress protection |
| 108 MP 3x Zoom Portrait sensor | Under 400,000 AnTuTu |
| LTPS dynamic refresh rate | Non-OLED panel |
| Has 3.5 mm headphone jack | |
| Expandable storage |
TECNO POVA 6 Pro 5G (Maganda Na)
The TECNO POVA 6 Pro 5G is the brand’s affordable gaming offer this year. While it featured many upgrades, the device still uses the same MediaTek Dimensity 6080 as the predecessor. Included in the upgrades are a larger battery, better charging, and AMOLED display panel. In this list, this one likely has the tankiest battery.
| Best Gain | Major Trade-off |
| 108 MP main camera | Under 500,000 AnTuTu points |
| Has 3.5 mm headphone jack | Limited ingress protection |
| 70 W wired charging | No wireless charging |
| Expandable storage | |
| Extreme cold charging | |
| Waterproof charging mode |
CHERRY Aqua GR 5G (Maganda Na)
CHERRY made a short comeback this year with the Aqua GR 5G. It’s powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7050, which is a decent processor. The smartphone is an all-rounder with near-vanilla software, 8 GB of RAM and a 4,700 mAh battery. If you prefer the local brand with a clean UI, this handset is a good choice.
| Best Gain | Major Trade-off |
| 108 MP main camera | No 512 GB variant or storage expansion |
| 66 W wired charging | No ingress protection |
| No 3.5 mm headphone jack |
POCO X6 5G (Maganda Na)
If the Pro model is too much for your budget, you can get the base model powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2. The smartphone is a versatile companion for casual use, gaming and photography. But unlike others at the same price point, this one has 1.5K resolution.
| Best Gain | Major Trade-off |
| 1.5K display resolution | Limited ingress protection |
| 67 W wired charging | No wireless charging |
| Has 3.5 mm headphone jack |
Sakto Lang
In this section, the prices are a bit steep compared to the offered specs. You can get more out of the devices mentioned above than the ones below.
| Model | SRP | Specs |
| Infinix NOTE 40 Pro+ | ₱13,999 | Dimensity 7020 6.7” 1080p AMOLED 120Hz 12 + 256GB 108MP triple camera 4600mAh + 100W |
| realme 12+ 5G | ₱17,999 | Dimensity 7050 6.67” 1080p AMOLED 120Hz 8/12 + 256GB 50MP triple camera 5000mAh + 67W |
| Nothing Phone (2a) 5G | ₱18,990 | Dimensity 7200 Pro 6.7” 1080p AMOLED 120Hz 8/12 + 128/256GB 50MP dual camera 5000mAh + 45W |
| OPPO Reno11 F 5G | ₱18,999 | Dimensity 7050 6.7” 1080p AMOLED 120Hz 8 + 256GB 64MP triple camera 5000 mAh + 67 W |
| Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G | ₱16,999 | Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 6.67” 1220p AMOLED 120Hz 200MP triple camera 5100mAh + 67W |
| POCO M6 Pro 4G | ₱11,999 | Helio G99 Ultra 6.67” 1080p AMOLED 120Hz 8/12GB + 256/512GB 64MP triple camera 5000mAh + 67W |
| HONOR X9b 5G | ₱16,999 | Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 6.78” 1200p AMOLED 120Hz 12+256GB 108MP triple camera 5800mAh + 35W |
Needs Improvement
These smartphones are simply way off in the value-for-money metric. Though, some users may favor them due to brand or software preference. But those who are maximizing their budget should think twice before buying any of these:
| Model | SRP | Specs |
| HUAWEI nova 12i 4G | ₱12,999 | Snapdragon 680 6.7” 1080p IPS LCD 90Hz 8+256GB 108MP dual camera 5000mAh + 40W |
| HUAWEI nova 12 SE 4G | ₱15,999 | Snapdragon 680 6.67” 1080p OLED 90Hz 8+256GB 108MP triple camera 5000mAh + 66W |
| HONOR X8b 4G | ₱12,999 | Snapdragon 680 6.7” 1080p AMOLED 90Hz 8+512GB 108MP triple camera 4800mAh + 35W |
| Redmi Note 13 Pro 4G | ₱13,999 | Helio G99 Ultra 6.67” 1080p AMOLED 120Hz 8/12+256/512GB 200MP triple camera 5000mAh 67W |
| Samsung Galaxy A25 5G | ₱13,990 | Exynos 1280 6.5” 1080p Super AMOLED 120Hz 6/8+128/256GB 50MP triple camera 5000mAh 25W |
Disclaimer: This list only features devices that have been officially launched in the Philippines. The SRP mentioned here are only as of writing.
So, which device in this tier list did you buy or want to buy?
