A lot of mid-range smartphones have been released this year with some even beating the flagship smartphones with their specs and features. On the other hand, there are also flagship killers that have the latest and greatest specs at an affordable price. Therefore, you do not have to spend a lot to own a good one. So if you are still undecided about what smartphone to get this Christmas, may it be a gift to yourself or someone, we will help you decide!
OnePlus Nord 2 5G (8GB+128GB variant)
The OnePlus Nord 2 5G is the successor to the OnePlus Nord, the brand’s first take on the midrange market. Its exterior design is reminiscent of the flagship OnePlus 9 series. At the front sits a 6.43-inch Fluid AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and a punch hole 32MP front-facing camera. While at the back is a triple camera set-up sitting on a camera island that comprises the main camera, an ultra-wide, and a monochrome B&W camera.
Running all these is a MediaTek Dimensity 1200 CPU coupled with a generous 8GB RAM and a 128GB internal storage as well as a 4500mAh battery fueled by OnePlus’ signature 65W Warp Charge fast charging technology that is found on the flagship OnePlus 9 series.
- 6.43-inch Fluid AMOLED display, 2400 x 1080px
90Hz refresh rate, 20:9 aspect ratio
Supports sRGB and P3 color gamut - MediaTek Dimensity 1200-AI CPU
ARM G77 MC9 GPU - 8GB LPDDR4x RAM
- 128GB UFS3.1 internal storage
- Triple rear camera with dual LED flash:
50MP f/1.88 main camera with PDAF+CAF, OIS, and 6P lens
8MP f/2.25 119.7 degree ultra-wide camera
2MP f/2.4 mono B&W camera - 32MP f/2.45 front facing camera with EIS
- 5G, 4G LTE, dual nano-SIM
- WiFi 802.11ax (WiFi 6), 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, NavIC - Dual stereo speakers
Noise cancellation support - Supports aptX, aptX HD, LDAC, AAC
- In-display fingerprint scanner
- USB-C port
- OxygenOS 11.3 (based on Android 11)
- 4500mAh battery
65W Warp Charge fast charging - Available colors: Gray Sierra and Blue Haze
Priced at PHP 21,990, the OnePlus Nord 2 5G packs features made for a flagship smartphone at a more affordable price.
OPPO Reno5 5G
The OPPO Reno5 5G highlights videography-centric features for movie making such as Ultra Night Mode, Live HDR, Dual-View Video, AI Color, and Monochrome Portrait Videos. At its rear is a 64-megapixel quad rear camera setup, as well as a whopping 44-megapixel shooter for selfies.
It also features OPPO’s ColorOS based on Android 11, and has a 4,300mAh battery capacity with support for very fast 65-watt charging.
- 6.43-inch FHD+ OLED display, 2400 x 1080 px
90 Hz refresh rate, 410 PPI
Corning Gorilla Glass 5 - 2.34GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G
Adreno 620 GPU - 8GB or 12GB LPDDR4X RAM
- 128G or 256GB UFS 2.1 storage
- Quad rear cameras:
64MP F1.7 (primary)
8MP F2.2 (ultra-wide)
2MP F2.4 (macro)
2MP F2.4 (portrait) - 44MP F2.4 front camera
- 5G/4G LTE, Dual SIM (nano)
- WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, Beidou, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS
- In-display fingerprint scanner, Face Unlock
- 3.5mm audio jack, USB Type-C
- Dolby Atmos
- ColorOS 11.1 (Based on Android 11)
- 4300mAh battery
SuperVOOC 2.0 65W fast charging support
reverse wired charging - Colors: Galactic Silver and Starry Night
Priced at PHP 23,999, the OPPO Reno5 5G is still a good buy at the midrange segment with capable and powerful internals.
OPPO Reno6 Z 5G (8GB+128GB variant)
The younger sibling of the latest Reno6 series, the OPPO Reno6 Z 5G is designed with photography and videography in mind as it boasts several features made for it such as Bokeh Flare Portrait, Portrait Beautification Video, Dual-View Video, and Focus Tracking. On the outside, the OPPO Reno6 Z 5G sports the signature OPPO Reno Glow finish that gives it a unique and fingerprint-resistant finish.
The MediaTek Dimensity 800U carries all the hard work inside the smartphone. And to prevent it from overheating and throttling, its Multi-Cooling System handles all the heat dissipation. Meanwhile, the 4310mAh battery will last longer between charges and the 30W VOOC Flash Charge developed by OPPO ensures that the smartphone is ready to use at 100% in just 52 minutes of charging.
- 6.4-inch AMOELD display, 2400 x 1080px
90.8 screen-to-body ratio, 60Hz refresh rate - 2.4Ghz octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 800U CPU
ARM G57 MC3 GPU - 8GB RAM
- 128GB internal storage, with microSD card support
- Triple rear camera with LED flash:
64MP f/1.7 main camera
8MP f/2.2 119 degree ultra-wide camera
2MP f/2.4 macro camera - 32MP f/2.4 front facing camera
- 5G, 4G LTE, dual nano-SIM
- WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, BDS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- USB-C port
- Bokeh Flare Portrait
- Portrait Beautification Video
- In-display fingerprint scanner
- Face Unlock
- ColorOS 11.1 (based on Android 11)
- 4310mAh battery
30W VOOC Flash Charge 4.0
Reverse wired charging (USB-OTG) - Available colors: Aurora and Stellar Black
The OPPO Reno6 Z 5G 8GB+128GB variant is priced at PHP 19,999 and is a sure steal for most users with its powerful specs at a very affordable price.
POCO F3 5G (8GB+256GB variant)
One of POCO’s newest offerings in the affordable flagship segment is the POCO F3 5G. The third generation of the brand’s flagship model touts the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chipset with 5G connectivity, a 120Hz AMOLED display, and Dolby Atmos dual stereo speakers. This also features the LiquidCool Technology 1.0 Plus that dissipates all the heat produced by the processor to prevent the smartphone from overheating.
Other features include a 4520mAh battery that supports 33W of fast charging, a triple rear camera set-up, and a Hi-Res Audio Certification.
- 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED DotDisplay, 2400 x 1080px
20:9 aspect ratio, 1,300 nits peak brightness
HDR10+ support, 120Hz refresh rate
Sunlight display 3.0, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 - 3.2Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor
Kryo 585 CPU
Adreno 650 GPU
X55 5G modem - 8GB LPDDR5 RAM
- 256GB UFS3.1 internal storage
- Triple rear camera with LED flash:
48MP f/1.79 main camera
8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera
5MP f/2.4 telemacro camera - 20MP f/2.45 front facing camera
- 5G, 4G LTE, dual nano-SIM
- WiFi 802.11ax (WiFi 6), Bluetooth 5.1, GPS (L1+L5)
Galileo, GLONASS, Beidou, Navic - Dual stereo speakers
Hi-Res Audio certified
Supports Dolby Atmos - Side mounted fingerprint scanner
- AI Face Unlock
- NFC (in selected markets)
- MIUI 12 for POCO
- 4520mAh battery
33W fast charging - Available colors: Deep Ocean Blue, Arctic White, and Night Black
The POCO F3 5G is priced at just PHP 20,990 and is a great buy for this price segment thanks to its high-end specifications that are perfect for gamers and heavy users.
realme GT Master Edition (8GB+128GB variant)
The realme GT Master Edition is the brand’s flagship bearer for 2021. It sports a triple camera array at the back coupled with a 32MP front-facing camera. Storage-wise, it has 128GB internal storage and is complimented with 8GB RAM and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778 5G processor.
Upfront is a 6.43-inch Samsung Super AMOLED punch-hole display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 360Hz touch sampling rate for more accurate touch response in games. This is also the first realme smartphone released locally to sport a 65W SuperDart Charge that also fuels the 4200mAh battery inside.
- 6.43-inch FHD+ Samsung Super AMOLED display, 2400x1800px
120Hz refresh rate, 360Hz touch sampling rate - Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G processor
Adreno 642L GPU - 8GB RAM
- 128GB storage
- Triple rear cameras:
64MP f/1.8
8MP f/2.2 ultrawide
2MP f/2.4 macro - 32MP f/2.5 front camera
- Dual 5G, Dual-SIM (nano)
- WiFi 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, GPS, Beidou, Glonass, QZSS, Galileo
- Ultra-linear speakers
Hi-Res Audio certification - USB Type-C
- realme UI 2.0 (Android 11)
- 4,200mAh battery
65W SuperDart Charge - Colors: Voyager Gray, Daybreak Blue
The realme GT Master Edition 8GB+128GB variant is priced at PHP 18,990 and is available in Daybreak Blue and Voyager Gray with the latter boasting a concave design and vegan leather designed by an industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa.
Samsung Galaxy A72 (8GB+256GB variant)
The Samsung Galaxy A72 was launched together with its smaller sibling, the Samsung Galaxy A52. This mid-range smartphone from the Korean brand boasts a youthful vibe due to its “Awesome” color options: Awesome Black, Awesome White, Awesome Blue, and Awesome Violet. It sports a vast 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-O display with a 90Hz refresh rate and has a 32MP front-facing camera.
Inside, a 2.3Ghz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chipset and a 4500mAh battery with 22.5W Adaptive Fast Charge powers the whole smartphone. At the back sits the camera island which comprises a 64MP main camera with Optical Image Stabilization, 12MP ultra-wide, 5MP macro, and 5MP depth camera. This also has a generous 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage. All these features are wrapped in an IP67 dust and water-resistant unibody.
- 6.7” FHD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-O Display
1080 x 2400px, 407ppi, 90Hz refresh rate - 2.3GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chipset
- 8GB RAM
- 256GB internal storage, with microSD up to 1TB (hybrid)
- Quad rear cameras with LED Flash:
64MP f/1.8 OIS AF
12MP f/2.2 FF ultrawide
5MP f/2.4 FF macro
5MP f/2.4 FF depth
— 3x optical zoom, 30x digital zoom - 32MP f/2.2 selfie camera
- 5G (A52 5G only), 4G LTE, Dual SIM (nano, hybrid)
- Dual-band WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, GPS, Galileo, BeiDou, GLONASS
- IP67 Dust and Water Resistance
- Fingerprint scanner (in-display), face recognition
- 3.5mm audio jack
- 4500mAh battery
- Samsung OneUI 3.0 (Android 11)
- 22.5W Fast Charging
- Colors: Awesome Black, Awesome White, Awesome Blue, Awesome Violet
Priced at PHP 23,990, the 8GB+256GB variant of the Samsung Galaxy A72 is a well-rounded smartphone for the needs and activities of the youth.
Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G (8GB+256GB variant)
The Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G is the more improved version of the Samsung Galaxy A52, hence the “s” on its name. This one touts the same water-resistant body, better cameras, and new color options: Awesome Black, Awesome White, Awesome Mint, and Awesome Violet.
A 6.5-inch FHD+ sAMOLED Infinity-O display with a 120Hz refresh rate can be seen upfront. Inside, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G powers the whole device and is coupled with 8GB of RAM and a large 256GB internal storage. On the other hand, the 32MP front-facing camera takes care of selfies and a quad rear camera set-up featuring a 64MP main camera takes care of its photography capabilities.
- 6.5-inch FHD+ sAMOLED display, 2400 x 1080
120Hz refresh rate - 2.4GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G
Adreno 642L GPU - 8GB RAM
- 256GB storage
expandable via microSD up 1TB - Quad rear cameras with LED Flash:
64MP
12MP ultrawide
5MP macro
5MP depth - 32MP front camera
- 5G, Dual-SIM (nano)
- WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BDS, NFC
- IP67 water resistance
- Fingerprint scanner (in-display), Face Unlock
- 3.5mm audio jack, USB Type-C
- Samsung One UI 3.1 (Android 11)
- 4,500mAh battery
25W fast charge - Colors: Awesome Black, Awesome White, Awesome Mint, Awesome Violet
The Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G 8GB+256GB variant is priced at PHP 24,990. This almost has the same specs as the Samsung Galaxy A72 but in a smaller and more compact body.
vivo V21 5G (8GB+128GB variant)
The vivo V21 5G is one of the smartphones in vivo’s V line of midrange devices. It features a MediaTek Dimensity chipset and a generous 8GB RAM coupled with 128GB internal storage. A unique feature of the V21 5G is its ability to use 3GB of its internal storage as extended RAM, a feature that is starting to emerge in the midrange segment.
At the back sits its triple camera set-up that comprises a 64MP main, 8MP wide, and 2MP macro. While at the front is a 44MP camera with Optical Image Stabilization which is a rare feature for a mid-range smartphone. Other features include a 4000mAh battery with 33W fast charging, an in-display fingerprint scanner, and 5G connectivity.
- 6.44-inch FHD+ (1080×2404) AMOLED display
- MediaTek Dimensity 800U 5G
- 8GB RAM, with 3GB RAM extension via storage
- 128GB internal storage
- Triple rear cameras:
- 64MP f/1.79 main
- 8MP f/2.2 wide
- 2MP f/2.4 macro
- 44MP F2.0 front camera with OIS
- 5G, 4G LTE, Dual-SIM (nano)
- WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, BEIDOU, GALILEO, GLONASS
- Fingerprint scanner (in-display)
- USB Type-C
- Funtouch OS 11.1 (Android 11)
- 4,000mAh battery 33W fast charging
- Colors: Dusk Blue, Sunset Dazzle
The vivo V21 5G 8GB+128GB variant touts powerful specs at this price point. This is priced at PHP 23,999 and comes in Dusk Blue and Sunset Dazzle colors.
Xiaomi Black Shark 4 (6GB+128GB variant)
The Xiaomi Black Shark 4 is the brand’s answer to the gaming-centric smartphone market. All the powerful specs, features, and gaming capabilities were packed inside this smartphone. This includes a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, one of the highest in any smartphone, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G processor that can also combine both 5G and its built-in WiFi 6 connectivity, Magnetic pop-up triggers, external gaming accessories, and an improved cooling system with the help of an external cooling attachment.
Storage-wise, the 6GB+128GB combination is a generous offer at this price range considering that this is a gaming-focused smartphone. Found at the back is a triple camera set-up and at its front is a 20MP selfie camera. On the audio side of things, this touts a 3.5mm headphone jack and symmetrical dual stereo speakers tuned by DTS and Cirrus Logic Technology. Lastly, its 4500mAh battery is split into two 2250mAh battery that also enables the smartphone to charge up to 120W at its peak.
- 6.67-inch AMOLED display, 1080 x 2400px,
144Hz refresh rate, 720Hz touch sampling rate
20:9 aspect ratio, 1,300 nits brightness (HDR)
DCI-P3 color, 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio
HDR10+ support, MEMC - 3.2Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor
Kryo 585 CPU
Adreno 650 GPU
X55 5G modem - 6GB LPDDR5 RAM
- 128GB UFS3.1 internal storage
- Triple rear cameras with LED flash:
48MP f/1.8 main camera with PDAF
8MP f/2.2 wide-angle camera
5MP f/2.4 macro camera - 20MP f/2.45 front facing camera
- 5G (SA+NSA), 4G LTE, dual nano-SIM
- WiFi802.11ax (WiFi 6), 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BEIDOU, Galileo, QZSS
- 3.5mm headphone jack
Symmetry Stereo Speakers
Tuned by DTS and Cirrus Logic Technology - Magnetic Pop-up Triggers
- Upgraded Sandwich Liquid Cooling System
- JOYUI 12.5 OS based on MIUI 12
- 4500mAh battery (dual 2250mAh)
Up to 120W Hyper Charge (Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0) via USB-C - Available colors: MIrror Black and Pale Grey
Priced at PHP 24,950, the Xiaomi Black Shark 4 6GB+128GB variant is an excellent buy at this price point especially if you are looking for a proper gaming smartphone.
We cannot believe that we can get really powerful smartphones in this segment! From casual use to the most demanding tasks, there is a smartphone for that at this price point. If you have already decided on what smartphone to get, just click on the links provided. And if you wanted to suggest more or if we missed something, let us know by dropping a comment on the comments section.
