The race to be the best brand in Android smartphones happens every year for big-time manufacturers such as Samsung, OnePlus, and Huawei. Year after year, these brands release a flagship smartphone to trump the competition or replace their old flagship model. In such a scenario, consumers are treated to a myriad of choices that makes it difficult for the uninformed. Luckily for you, we are here to sort these things out.
Online reviewers could go raving or ranting about the specs, storage capacity, or camera performance, but the best way to choose is to compare them with each other. Below we provide our top 10 picks of android smartphonesーsome are below ₱30,000ー a comparison table to lay down the specs, and further down is buying guide, fact-checked by IT Specialist JC Rogelio, to help choose a device from different brands that are available in the market today.
The products we introduce below were carefully curated by the mybest team, from the best-sellers of E-commerce sites like Lazada, and using the points mentioned in our detailed and thoroughly researched buying guide.
Disclaimer: These products are recommendations made by our team at mybest Philippines. Our expert, JC Rogelio, is not affiliated with, nor is he endorsing any of the brands we mention below.
**Prices may vary depending on the website and their campaign period**
From ₱69,990
Release date | January 2021 |
---|---|
Android version | 11, One UI 3.1 |
Screen size | 6.8-inch |
Display type | Dynamic AMOLED 2X / 120Hz |
Display protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
Resolution | 1440 x 3200 pixels |
CPU/GPU | Snapdragon 888 / Mali-G78 MP14 |
RAM / Storage | 16GB / 512GB |
Battery/Charging | 5000 mAh / 25W fast / 15W wireless / 4.5W reverse |
Rear camera | 108MP + 10MP + 10MP + 12MP |
Front camera | 40MP |
Connectivity | WiFi6/Bluetooth/GPS/NFC/Radio/USB-C/OTG |
From ₱30,699
Release date | January 2021 |
---|---|
Android version | 11, MIUI 12 |
Screen size | 6.81-inch |
Display type | AMOLED / 120Hz |
Display protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
Resolution | 1440 x 3200 pixels |
CPU/GPU | Snapdragon 888 / Adreno 660 |
RAM/Storage | 8GB / 128GB |
Battery/Charging | 4600 mAh / 55W fast / 50W wireless / 10W reverse |
Rear camera | 108MP + 13MP + 5MP |
Front camera | 20MP |
Connectivity | WiFi6/Bluetooth/GPS/NFC/Infrared/USB-C/OTG |
From ₱55,999
Release date | November 2020 |
---|---|
Android version | 10, EMUI 11 |
Screen size | 6.76-inch |
Display type | OLED / 90Hz |
Display protection | Tempered glass |
Resolution | 1344 x 2772 pixels |
CPU/GPU | Kirin 9000 5G / Mali-G78 MP24 |
RAM/Storage | 8GB/256GB |
Battery/Charging | 4400 mAh / 66W fast / 50W wireless / 5W reverse |
Rear camera | 50MP + 20MP + 12MP |
Front camera | 30MP |
Connectivity | WiFi6/Bluetooth/GPS/NFC/Infrared/USB-C/OTG |
From ₱45,990
Release date | April 2020 |
---|---|
Android version | 10, upgradable to Android 11, OxygenOS 11 |
Screen size | 6.78-inch |
Display type | Fluid AMOLED / 120Hz |
Display protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
Resolution | 1440 x 3168 pixels |
CPU/GPU | Snapdragon 865 / Adreno 650 |
Ram/Storage | 8GB/128GB |
Battery/Charging | 4510 mAh / 30W fast / 30W wireless / 3W reverse |
Rear camera | 48MP + 48MP + 8MP + 5MP |
Front camera | 16MP |
Connectivity | WiFi6/Bluetooth/GPS/NFC/USB-C/OTG |
From ₱35,990
Release date | September 2020 |
---|---|
Android version | 11 |
Screen size | 6-inch |
Display type | OLED / 90Hz |
Display protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 |
Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels |
CPU/GPU | Snapdragon 765G / Adreno 620 |
RAM/Storage | 8GB/128GB |
Battery/Charging | 4080 mAh / 18W fast / 12W wireless / 5W reverse |
Rear camera | 12.2MP + 16MP |
Front camera | 8MP |
Connectivity | WiFi/Bluetooth/GPS/NFC/USB-C |
From ₱23,999
Release date | December 2020 |
---|---|
Android version | 11, ColorOS 11.1 |
Screen size | 6.43-inch |
Display type | OLED, 90Hz |
Display protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels |
CPU/GPU | Snapdragon 765G / Adreno 620 |
RAM/Storage | 8GB/128GB |
Battery/Charging | 4300 mAh / 65W fast / reverse |
Rear camera | 64MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP |
Front camera | 32MP |
Connectivity | WiFi/Bluetooth/GPS/USB-C/OTG |
From ₱25,990
Release date | March 2020 |
---|---|
Android version | 10, upgradable to Android 11, Realme UI 2 |
Screen size | 6.44-inch |
Display type | Super AMOLED / 90Hz |
Display protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels |
CPU/GPU | Snapdragon 865 / Adreno 650 |
RAM/Storage | 12GB/256GB |
Battery/Charging | 4200 mAh / 65W fast |
Rear camera | 64MP + 12MP + 8MP + 2MP |
Front camera | 32MP + 8MP |
Connectivity | WiFi6/Bluetooth/GPS/NFC/USB-C |
From ₱25,999
Release date | July 2020 |
---|---|
Android version | 10, Funtouch 10.5 |
Screen size | 6.56-inch |
Display type | AMOLED, 90Hz |
Display protection | Tempered glass |
Resolution | 1080 x 2376 pixels |
CPU/GPU | Snapdragon 730 / Adreno 618 |
RAM/Storage | 8GB/128GB |
Battery/Charging | 4200 mAh / 33W fast |
Rear camera | 48MP + 13MP + 8MP + 5MP |
Front camera | 32MP |
Connectivity | WiFi/Bluetooth/GPS/NFC/USB-C/OTG |
From ₱33,990
Release date | July 2020 |
---|---|
Android version | 10, ROG UI |
Screen size | 6.59-inch |
Display type | AMOLED, 144Hz |
Display protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 |
Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels |
CPU/GPU | Snapdragon 865+ / Adreno 650 |
RAM/Storage | 12GB/128GB |
Battery/Charging | 6000 mAh / 30W fast / 10W reverse |
Rear camera | 64MP + 13MP + 5MP |
Front camera | 24MP |
Connectivity | WiFi/Bluetooth/GPS/NFC/USB-C |
From ₱72,990
Release date | September 2020 |
---|---|
Android version | 10 |
Screen size | 6.2-inch |
Display type | Foldable P-OLED |
Display protection | Unspecified |
Resolution | 876 x 2142 pixels |
CPU/GPU | Snapdragon 765G / Adreno 620 |
RAM/Storage | 8GB/256GB |
Battery/Charging | 2800 mAh / 15W fast |
Rear camera | 48MP |
Front camera | 20MP |
Connectivity | WiFi/Bluetooth/GPS/NFC/USB-C |
To give you a rundown, here are our top 3 picks for the best Android smartphones you can buy online:
Check out the table below to further compare the characteristics of these three as well as the other seven that made it to our list.
Image | 1 ![]() Samsung | 2 ![]() Xiaomi | 3 ![]() Huawei | 4 ![]() OnePlus | 5 ![]() | 6 ![]() Oppo | 7 ![]() Realme | 8 ![]() Vivo | 9 ![]() Asus | 10 ![]() Motorola |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G | Mi 11 | Mate 40 Pro 5G | 8 Pro | Pixel 5 | Reno 5 5G | X50 Pro 5G | X50 | ROG Phone 3 | Razr 5G |
Features | The Best and Latest Smartphone from Samsung | A Xiaomi Flagship on a Mid-Range Price | Simply the Best from Huawei | OnePlus' Fastest, Lightest, But Most Expensive | Google's Latest Handset Offering | A Budget-Friendly Mid-Range Smartphone | Realme's High-End Handset With 5G Connectivity | A Solid Smartphone with a Great Camera | Asus's ROG Is Still the Best Mobile Gaming Device | The Return of the King of Foldable Phones |
Price Starts at | ₱69,990 | ₱30,699 | ₱55,999 | ₱45,990 | ₱35,990 | ₱23,999 | ₱25,990 | ₱25,999 | ₱33,990 | ₱72,990 |
Release date | January 2021 | January 2021 | November 2020 | April 2020 | September 2020 | December 2020 | March 2020 | July 2020 | July 2020 | September 2020 |
Android version | 11, One UI 3.1 | 11, MIUI 12 | 10, EMUI 11 | 10, upgradable to Android 11, OxygenOS 11 | 11 | 11, ColorOS 11.1 | 10, upgradable to Android 11, Realme UI 2 | 10, Funtouch 10.5 | 10, ROG UI | 10 |
Screen size | 6.8-inch | 6.81-inch | 6.76-inch | 6.78-inch | 6-inch | 6.43-inch | 6.44-inch | 6.56-inch | 6.59-inch | 6.2-inch |
Display type | Dynamic AMOLED 2X / 120Hz | AMOLED / 120Hz | OLED / 90Hz | Fluid AMOLED / 120Hz | OLED / 90Hz | OLED, 90Hz | Super AMOLED / 90Hz | AMOLED, 90Hz | AMOLED, 144Hz | Foldable P-OLED |
Display protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | Tempered glass | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Tempered glass | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | Unspecified |
Resolution | 1440 x 3200 pixels | 1440 x 3200 pixels | 1344 x 2772 pixels | 1440 x 3168 pixels | 1080 x 2340 pixels | 1080 x 2400 pixels | 1080 x 2400 pixels | 1080 x 2376 pixels | 1080 x 2340 pixels | 876 x 2142 pixels |
CPU/GPU | Snapdragon 888 / Mali-G78 MP14 | Snapdragon 888 / Adreno 660 | Kirin 9000 5G / Mali-G78 MP24 | Snapdragon 865 / Adreno 650 | Snapdragon 765G / Adreno 620 | Snapdragon 765G / Adreno 620 | Snapdragon 865 / Adreno 650 | Snapdragon 730 / Adreno 618 | Snapdragon 865+ / Adreno 650 | Snapdragon 765G / Adreno 620 |
RAM / Storage | 16GB / 512GB | 8GB / 128GB | 8GB/256GB | 8GB/128GB | 8GB/128GB | 8GB/128GB | 12GB/256GB | 8GB/128GB | 12GB/128GB | 8GB/256GB |
Battery/Charging | 5000 mAh / 25W fast / 15W wireless / 4.5W reverse | 4600 mAh / 55W fast / 50W wireless / 10W reverse | 4400 mAh / 66W fast / 50W wireless / 5W reverse | 4510 mAh / 30W fast / 30W wireless / 3W reverse | 4080 mAh / 18W fast / 12W wireless / 5W reverse | 4300 mAh / 65W fast / reverse | 4200 mAh / 65W fast | 4200 mAh / 33W fast | 6000 mAh / 30W fast / 10W reverse | 2800 mAh / 15W fast |
Rear camera | 108MP + 10MP + 10MP + 12MP | 108MP + 13MP + 5MP | 50MP + 20MP + 12MP | 48MP + 48MP + 8MP + 5MP | 12.2MP + 16MP | 64MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP | 64MP + 12MP + 8MP + 2MP | 48MP + 13MP + 8MP + 5MP | 64MP + 13MP + 5MP | 48MP |
Front camera | 40MP | 20MP | 30MP | 16MP | 8MP | 32MP | 32MP + 8MP | 32MP | 24MP | 20MP |
Connectivity | WiFi6/Bluetooth/GPS/NFC/Radio/USB-C/OTG | WiFi6/Bluetooth/GPS/NFC/Infrared/USB-C/OTG | WiFi6/Bluetooth/GPS/NFC/Infrared/USB-C/OTG | WiFi6/Bluetooth/GPS/NFC/USB-C/OTG | WiFi/Bluetooth/GPS/NFC/USB-C | WiFi/Bluetooth/GPS/USB-C/OTG | WiFi6/Bluetooth/GPS/NFC/USB-C | WiFi/Bluetooth/GPS/NFC/USB-C/OTG | WiFi/Bluetooth/GPS/NFC/USB-C | WiFi/Bluetooth/GPS/NFC/USB-C |
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Here are some key points to consider:
Many smartphone users take battery capacity for granted. Having the latest processor and largest RAM on your device will be useless if you can only use the device for a short period. It will be constantly plugged in a charger, and it won't last a whole day if you're always on the go. Also, newer components require a lot of power to operate, which is how an Android smartphone works.
Battery life should always be the priority of power smartphone users. Get a smartphone with at least 4000mAh of battery capacity to sustain your daily usage. Other brands offer more than that and have the latest tech that allows quick charging. The charging brick that comes with the device lets you fully charge the smartphone in just over an hour.
If you're going to use your mobile device for games, photography, or video conferences, you might need a bigger battery capacity, or you might as well bring a portable power bank if you're always in transit.
Some brands have wireless charging or reverse charging capability to provide juice to other devices. Just keep in mind that wireless charging docks are generally sold separately.
Others only have wired charging and it won't be much of a hassle if you are always close to a wall socket or devices that have USB ports. Whichever way you want to charge the smartphone is your choice but to be future-proof, choose a unit that has a Type-C USB slot.
Gauging a device's performance will always boil down to its processor, RAM capacity, and storage capacity. These two components should be on top of your mind when looking for the best Android device.
We're not going to dive down to the nitty-gritty of how a processor works in this article. But in the simplest terms, everything that happens within your smartphone relies on the capability of the processor. Specific smartphone brands use different processors in their devices: Snapdragon, MediaTek, Kirin, and Exynos, to name a few.
Take note that the graphics processing unit or GPU can be manufactured by a different brand and always come already packaged on the processor to fit in a smaller device. As of January 2021, Nanoreview has released the latest ranking of processors for mobile devices.
On that list, Snapdragon 888 with Adreno GPU, made by Qualcomm, is considered the leading processor nowadays. Followed by Exynos 2100 with Mali-G78 from Samsung, HiSilicon's Kirin 9000 with Mali-G78, Dimensity 1000 Plus with Mali-G77, and Helio G95 with Mali-G76, both by MediaTek. These are the best processors that you may want to be installed on your next mobile device.
Random Access Memory in PCs works the same with smartphones. A higher-capacity RAM lets you operate multiple tasks simultaneously without slowing down the system. An Android operating system is very notorious for having tons of bloatware from a smartphone brand on top of Google's software.
Wherein bloatware is always running in the background and constantly eating up significant RAM space, thus limiting your phone's ability to operate multiple apps. It is advisable to get at least 4GB of RAM to have a decent experience on your mobile device.
Anything and everything that you put into your phone eats up storage space. All the apps, photos, videos, or documents go straight to your ROM (Read-Only Memory). Cheaper models offer 16GB of space, but with the number of vital apps that a user might need, this space is not enough. Maxing out a smartphone's storage could also result in lags and a frustrating experience.
At least a 32GB space should be enough for light users, for those who do business or pleasure on their smartphones should consider getting a 128GB variant. Well, when it comes to purchasing a mobile device, what you pay for is what you will get.
One of the biggest factors that consumers consider is the display type and how big is the screen size. All modern mobile phones have touchscreens so it is only logical to make the screens responsive, tougher, and with high resolution.
Imagine watching your favorite Korean drama on a small screen, where you have to squint your eyes so you can read the small subs below the screen. Hard, isn't it?
A huge screen lets you enjoy streaming and better social media interaction. Anything above 5.5 inches should be your target size when you're planning to play online games or watch the next episode of your anime series on Netflix.
Smartphones currently have three types of display: AMOLED, IPS LCD, and LCD. By far, AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) is the best type of display that you can get. In the case of Samsung smartphones, their flagship phones use a Super AMOLED display. It provides the best viewing angle, highest brightness and produces the best color contrast, among others.
An IPS LCD (in-plane switching liquid crystal display) can perform at par with AMOLEDs, but the viewing angle is not ideal and is a notch lower when it comes to brightness. Some manufacturers still use this display because of its lower price to keep their flagship devices more affordable.
LCDs belong to the lowest tier of the display hierarchy. These displays are commonly found on budget and older phone models that have smaller screen sizes and lower resolutions.
Most smartphones released at least six years ago have some kind of toughened glass screen cover. This protects the display from scratch, nicks, and bumps for careless users. Today, there are four types of glass being used by brands on their smartphone models: a 2.5D, Sapphire, Asahi Dragontail Glass, and Corning Gorilla Glass.
A 2.5D is used on curved displays, while Sapphire glass is an exceptionally hard but brittle material that other brands considered. Dragontail glass is a Japanese-made alkali aluminosilicate that has the same properties as Gorilla glass. This type is favored by Chinese smartphone makers to create larger and thicker screens.
As of writing, Corning Gorilla Glass is the gold standard when it comes to durability, scratch-resistance, and clarity. This company boasts of withstanding fifteen repetitive one-meter drop tests without damage.
A resolution defines the number of pixels on a display, and it matters when you have a big screen size. The more pixels it has, the more defined and sharper the images will be.
You may have a large screen but don't have a higher resolution; the image will appear pixelated and unpleasant to look at. Whether in full-HD, full-HD+, and Quad HD, there no significant difference among the three.
A higher camera megapixel doesn't necessarily equate to high-quality photos or videos. Do your due diligence when looking for a smartphone with claims of incredible camera capabilities. The trend today on flagship devices is to put as much camera at its rear to cover as much room for photo or video-shooting customizations. Also, selfie cameras are not an exception.
As a minimum requirement, you must be looking at a 16MP rear main camera and an 8MP selfie camera. Unfortunately, the camera sensors should be the real concern of any user. Even if the brand claims that it can shoot at 108MP, but the camera sensor is of lower quality, you might just be kidding yourself into believing that you're shooting at high MP quality.
If you're focused on the customizations and manipulation of images and videos, any camera app can do that for you. Again, the quality of the camera sensors must be scrutinized first before your purchase. If you're not too sure about it, you can always watch a YouTube vlog review to inform yourself.
After discussing the essential factors in choosing the best smartphone, let's take a step forward by knowing some of the best features that might love to have on your devices.
Consumers today just don't want a pretty picture, it must also sound as pretty. A stereo-quality playback means you don't need a separate listening device if you're watching or just enjoying a smooth jazz track.
Some models are actually sacrificing their unit's thickness just to fit in a surround stereo speaker. Oftentimes, thinner smartphone models may produce crappy and shattered sound because of the small driver, but you can always use a Bluetooth headphone or speaker for that.
Flagship devices are equipped with several connectivity options to make them future-proof. Bluetooth and NFC (near-field communication) connections are the common interfaces that most smartphones have.
In terms of WiFi connections, there are options to use dual bands such as 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz. A 4G/5G connectivity is a must for frequent travelers and tourists to take advantage of the newer and faster SIM carrier connection.
Users with an active outdoor lifestyle should have an IP68 rated smartphone to protect the device from both solid and liquid particles. The first number on the IPXX rating indicates how the device handles solid particles, while the second number is how it fares against liquids.
Almost all mobile phones today have some sort of unlocking feature such as face unlock, fingerprint unlocks, or voice unlock. Apart from these, the standard 4-digit PIN or pattern unlock still exists.
There are two main ways to purchase an Android smartphone: mobile carriers and retailers. The price and payment method will change depending on what you choose, so we’ll discuss the pros and cons of each.
If you can’t afford a single purchase spending, then getting an Android phone through a postpaid plan might be a good option. Yes, you’ll be locked in a contract for two years, but it allows you to pay in installments. The initial cash-out for the phone will come out cheaper, but the cost will incur in the long run, as you are gradually paying for it on top of your monthly subscription and line usage.
If you do need the services that a postpaid plan offers, it will most likely be worth it. But if you’re signing up just for the sole purpose of acquiring a smartphone, it might be wise to think about it more carefully.
If you’re not comfortable with having monthly payments or don’t need the services of a postpaid plan, then it’s better to buy the device from a retailer. These phones come unlocked, which means you’ll be able to choose your carrier or could replace the SIM card if you're out of the country.
Plus, you are not bound to a contract with any mobile carrier and won't receive pesky spam messages because you're on the mailing list of a mobile carrier.
If you're searching for the right Xiaomi or Realme handset for your needs, or just looking around for a cheaper smartphone to fit your budget, check our recommended list products that might help you. Just click on the links below and find the latest device for you or your family.
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Our buying guide was carefully researched and crafted by the mybest team of writers and editors, in collaboration with the expert featured in this article. We used the buying guide as a basis for choosing and ranking the product recommendations, and we looked at reviews and ratings from different E-commerce sites like Lazada, Shopee, and more.
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