Here’s our next installment for our shopping guide!

Today we’ll be taking a look at 5 smartphones under 10K that we think offers great value for money. Now that we’re working with a bit more of a budget, you can get better devices for your hard-earned money that has more RAM and better processors. Here’s five devices that we personally handled and reviewed that you may want to take a look at when looking for a new smartphone under 10K. You can check out our previous guide for gift and smartphone ideas for under 5K. 

Xiaomi Redmi 1S

The Redmi 1S is Xiaomi’s most affordable smartphone to date, priced at just Php 5,599. Don’t think for a minute that that means the Redmi 1S has shoddy internals – far from it. The device is powered by a 1.6GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, along with 1GB of RAM and an Adreno 305 GPU.

(Read the Xiaomi Redmi 1S review here)

Xiaomi Redmi 1S specs

• 1.6GHz quad-core MSM8228 Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor
• Adreno 305 GPU
• 1GB of RAM
• 4.7-inch HD display protected by AGC Dragontrail Glass, 720 x 1280
• resolution
• 8GB of storage expandable via microSD up to 64GB
• 8-megapixel rear camera
• 1.6-megapixel front camera
• WiFi, Bluetooth, USB OTG, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
• Dual-SIM, dual standby
• 3G, HSPA+
• Android 4.3 with MIUI
• 2000mAh battery
• 137 x 69 x 9.9 mm
• Php 5,599

We found it quite pleasant to use when we reviewed it a few months ago, though we did suffer from a number of restarts and freezes from the included MIUI in the device. The good news is that MIUI is continually being updated by Xiaomi to improve stability, and we’ve heard from a couple of people that still have the device that their Redmi 1S’ no longer suffer from the issues we encountered. While the Redmi 1S’ availability is usually up to Xiaomi’s schedule for flash sales, there’s one that’s coming up in the next few days if you decide to get one.

Cherry Mobile Pulse

The Cherry Mobile Pulse gets on this list because it’s the most affordable octa-core smartphone from the company. While there’s an even lower priced octa-core device offered by another brand, we personally have no experience with that device so we’re hesitant to recommend it.

(Read the Cherry Mobile Pulse review here)

Cherry Mobile Pulse specs

• 1.7GHz MediaTek MTK 6592 processor
• 1GB of RAM
• 5-inch HD IPS display, Dragontrail Scratch Resistant glass protection, 1280 x 720 resolution
• 8GB of storage, expandable via microSD up to 64GB
• 13-megapixel camera with LED flash
• 5-megapixel front camera
• Dual-SIM
• 3G, HSPA+
• WIFi, Bluetooth, GPS
• 2000mAh
• Android 4.4 KitKat with double tap to wake feature
• Php 6,499

Anyway, the Cherry Mobile Pulse has enough power under the hood to ensure a smooth, lag free experience and is a great device for gaming as well. Probably the only issues that we can see is that the camera isn’t as great as other devices, and that the 2000mAh battery is definitely not enough if you’re a heavy user. The Pulse retails for Php 6,499.

ASUS Zenfone 5

If there’s one clear winner in the fight for sub 10K smartphone here in the PH, that is definitely ASUS’ Zenfone 5. The device sells out quickly whenever it’s stocked by retailers, which says a lot about how much demand there is for the product.

(Read the ASUS Zenfone 5 review here)

ASUS Zenfone 5 specs

• 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Atom Z2560
• 2GB RAM
• 5-inch HD IPS display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection, 1280 x 720 resolution
• 8GB/16GB storage, expandable via microSD
• 8-megapixel f/2.0 PixelMaster Camera
• 2-megapixel front camera
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
• Dual-SIM
• 3G, HSPA+
• 2110mAh, non-removable battery
• Android 4.3 ( will update to 4.4 KitKat ) with ASUS ZenUI
• Php 6495 8GB/ Php 6995 for 16GB

While it’s not perfect (Intel’s SoC needs more tweaking, especially in the low-end) its camera and overall look makes up for its shortcomings. You’re getting a lot for its retail price of Php 6495 for the base 8GB version of the device.

MyPhone Infinity Lite

While MyPhone’s first flagship Infinity managed to impress us, we feel that their second, more affordable Infinity is the best octa-core device that the company has released. It has good battery endurance, excellent camera as well as good all round performance.

(Read the MyPhone Infinity Lite review here)

MyPhone Infinity Lite specs

• 1.4GHz octa-core processor
• 1GB of RAM
• 4.7-inch HD IPS display, 1280 x 720 resolution
• 8GB of storage, expandable via microSD up to 32GB
• 8-megapixel rear camera
• 5-megapixel front camera
• WiFi, Bluetooth
• Dual SIM
• 3G
• 2000mAh battery
• Android 4.4 KitKat
• Php 7999

 

It’s also drop dead gorgeous (at least in our opinion). The downside is that dual-SIM slot – you will have to choose if a microSD expansion card or a second SIM is what you need as you can’t have both inside the phone at the same time.

Motorola Moto G

The Moto G may be a bit long in the tooth, but it’s still a good buy from the folks at Motorola (now part of Lenovo). While it’s not as affordable as some of the other entries in this guide, there’s still something to be said about international smartphones and their overall build quality and durability.

(Read our unboxing of the Motorola Moto G here)

Motorola Moto G Spec Sheet

• 1.2GHz Quad-core Processor, Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 Chipset
• Adreno 305 Graphics
• 1GB RAM
• 8GB/16GB Internal Storage
• 4.5-inches HD (720 x 1280) IPS Display, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• 5.0-megapixels primary camera with autofocus, LED flash
• 1.3-megapixels secondary camera
• Dual SIM, Dual Standby
• 3G, HSPA+, WiFi, WiFi Hotspot, Bluetooth, GPS/aGPS/GLONASS
• Android 4.3, Upgradable to 4.4
• 2070mAh Battery

Probably the only downside is the low internal storage of the Moto G which also doesn’t have an expandable slot, something to keep in mind when you’re considering it. Widget City Hub has the 8GB version in stock for Php 8,880, while Kimstore has the 16GB version for Php 10,800. We suggest getting the 16GB version even though it’s a bit over the 10K limit for this guide.

That’s it for this guide. We’ll be doing another one for smartphones under 20K in the next few days. If you have a suggestion for a phone that wasn’t included in this guide, let us know in the comments below.