We’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about our top picks for smartphones in the Php20,000-Php25,000 price range. It’s probably because people are starting to get their 13th month pay and Christmas bonuses, lol. Anyway we checked the various online shops for the latest prices of the flagships of different brands and we were really surprised to find that most of them were already selling below Php25,000! Definitely fascinating because almost all of them debuted barely 3 months ago with a price tag above Php30,000.

Check out our top 10 picks below. Note that they’re not arranged in any order or sequence.

LG G2 (Php22,480)

Quite possibly the best Android smartphone to date, the LG G2 offers extreme value for money now that you can get it at just Php22,480. It has monstrous specifications, a gorgeous 5.2-inch display, a fantastic camera, and it has one of the longest lasting batteries for an LTE smartphone. Definitely one of our favorite products for 2013. Click here to read our review of the LG G2.

iPhone 5C 16GB (Php24,500)

Apple fans the iPhone 5C is now selling for as low as Php24,500 in online stores like Kimstore. Some of the more popular colors are above Php25,000 but some of them are priced at Php24,500. In a nutshell the iPhone 5C is very much like the iPhone 5 except that it sports a colorful polycarbonate body. Click here to read our full review of the iPhone 5C.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra LTE (Php22,980)

The Sony Xperia Z Ultra is one of our favorite phablets of all time. It’s massive at 6.4-inches and it’s actually more of a tablet with phone functions than a phone with a big screen, hehe. If you’re the type that loves watching movies and videos on your mobile device, this is the best option for you right now. It’s also LTE capable so you’ll have a blast watching YouTube without buffering as long as you have good signal. Click here for our full review of the Sony Xperia Ultra Z. Please note that the non-LTE variant goes for Php22,400. Just Php500 difference so it makes more sense to just get the LTE variant.

LG Nexus 5 (Php21,780)

Android Kitkat 4.4. First to receive latest updates from Google. 5.0-inch Full HD display. LTE connectivity. Win. We have actually yet to get one but we’re definitely going to pick one up this December.

Samsung Galaxy S4 in Gold (Php23,400)

If you’re thinking of getting the Samsung Galaxy S4, you might as well get the new gold-colored variant. It looks ridiculously sezzy, hehe. However note that if you use this in public you will be attracting a lot of eyeballs so this probably isn’t for people who commute a lot, lol. Click here for our full review of the Samsung Galaxy S4.

Nokia Lumia 1020 (Php24,950)

The Nokia Lumia 1020 is the smartphone with the best camera on it. If the camera performance is your main decision point for a smartphone, the 1020 is a no-brainer. The Windows Phone ecosystem is also growing incredibly fast and we’ve seen Instagram, Vine, and Waze come on board to the platform. Click here to read our full review of the Nokia Lumia 1020.

Sony Xperia Z1 (Php24,280)

Arguably one of the best cameras in a smartphone that’s also waterproof! The Sony Xperia Z1 is without a doubt Sony’s finest creation yet and it’s a thrill to see it priced more affordably. If you’re into water sports or you’re always in situations where you can get wet you might wanna invest in this one. Click here for our review of the Sony Xperia Z1.

HTC One 32GB (Php22,800)

For a long time the HTC One was our perennial favorite Android smartphone. However the biggest flaw was the restricted LTE band. It could only connect to Globe’s LTE network and not Smart’s. That’s why we eventually let go of it even if we felt that it was the best one could get during its time. Click here for our full review of the HTC One.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 LTE (Php19,780)

We were really hoping to put the Galaxy Note 3 on this list but it’s still selling way above Php25,000 as of this writing. The alternative? The Galaxy Note 2 LTE! Apparently this model sells for an unbelievably low price of just Php19,780. Definitely worth every centavo.

BlackBerry Z30 (Php23,980)

If you’re a BlackBerry fan you might want to check out the new BlackBerry Z30. It runs BlackBerry OS 10 and it sports a much larger display. We haven’t had the chance to play around with a unit but we’ll try to get our hands on one this December.

And that’s a wrap! Did we miss anything?

If you feel that we missed out on a good smartphone in this category please do leave a comment below so we can check. We’d love to hear from you guys.

To those shopping with their 13th month pay or Christmas bonus, please remember that you shouldn’t blow it all away. Make sure you save a big part of it. Cheers!