Looking for the best budget 5G phones in 2021 now that 5G is starting to become even more prevalent across the Philippines? Don’t fret: despite this article being written in early January of 2021, there’s already a bunch of great, value-for-money smartphones that retail under the Php 20,000/($400) price point.

Here are the Best Budget 5G Phones in the Philippines for 2021 (Q1):

• OnePlus Nord
• Xiaomi Mi 10T
• Motorola Moto G 5G Plus
• Samsung Galaxy A42 5G
• Huawei Nova 7 SE 5G

OnePlus Nord N10 5G

OnePlus’ Nord N10 5G is the most affordable phone on this list, but despite that it still has all the things you look for in a mid-range phone. It has a great 90Hz refresh rate, solid build quality that you’ve come to expect from OnePlus, as well as a fairly powerful Snapdragon 690 processor along with a quad-camera module and 6GB/128GB configuration. It retails in the Philippines at Php 13,990, making it one of the most affordable 5G smartphones you can buy in the country as of press time.

OnePlus Nord N10 5G key specs:

• 6.49-inch display, 90Hz refresh rate, full HD+ resolution, Gorilla Glass 3 protection
• 6GB RAM
• 128GB of expandable storage
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 processor
• 64-megapixel main shooter with f/1.8 aperture, 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, 2-megapixel depth camera, 2-megapixel macro camera
• 16-megapixel selfie camera, f/2.1 aperture
• 4300mAh battery
• 30W fast charging
• Android 10, OxygenOS 10.5

Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G

Leave it to Xiaomi to make a phone so affordable that it squeaks just under our Php 20K/$400 price ceiling to be considered a budget 5G phone, but that’s exactly what their Mi 10T did. The Mi 10T might be the most expensive smartphone on this list, but it’s an affordable flagship that’s armed with a flagship processor along with excellent cameras and a top-tier exterior. If you can stretch your budget to the very limit set by our article, then you should definitely pick up the Mi 10T 5G in Lazada for Php 19,990.

Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G Key specs:

• 6.67-inch display, 144z refresh rate, full HD+ resolution, HDR10+ capability, Gorilla Glass 5 protection
• 6GB RAM
• 128GB of expandable storage
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor
• 64-megapixel main shooter with f/1.9 aperture, 13-megapixel ultra-wide camera, 5-megapixel f/2.4 macro camera
• 20-megapixel selfie camera f/2.2 aperture
• 5000mAh battery
• 33W fast charging
• Android 10, MIU12

Motorola Moto G 5G Plus

Motorola is back in the Philippines and is looking to regain lost ground with its Moto G 5G Plus. This budget offering is a solid return to form, sporting fairly powerful performance thanks to the Snapdragon 765 processor, along with 8GB/128GB configuration and balanced cameras. The best bit is the fact it’s just Php 16,990 here in the Philippines.

Motorola Moto G 5G Plus key specs:

• 6.7-inch display, 90Hz refresh rate, full HD+ resolution, HDR10 capability
• 8GB RAM
• 128GB of expandable storage
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 processor
• 48-megapixel main camera with f/1.7 aperture lens, 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera with f/2.2 aperture, 5-megapixel macro, 5-megapixel depth camera
• 16-megapixel selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture, 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera with f/2.2 aperture
• 5000mAh battery
• 20W fast charging
• Android 10

Samsung Galaxy A42 5G

Samsung’s not about to be left behind in the affordable 5G race, offering Philippine customers their new Galaxy A42 5G. While the Galaxy A42 5G looks the part of an affordable 5G smartphone though, it suffers a bit because of its screen (HD+ resolution only) as well as steep pricing of Php 19,990. Still, it’s an option for people who just won’t buy a phone without the Samsung name plastered all over it.

Samsung Galaxy A42 5G key specs:

• 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display, HD+ resolution
• 4GB RAM
• 128GB of expandable storage
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor
• 48-megapixel main camera with f/1.8 aperture lens, 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera with f/2.2 aperture, 5-megapixel macro, 5-megapixel depth camera
• 20-megapixel selfie camera with f/2.2 aperture
• 5000mAh battery
• 15W fast charging
• Android 10, OneUI 2.5

Huawei Nova 7 SE 5G

Huawei’s Nova 7 SE 5G is one of the earliest available mid-range 5G phones in the market when it was launched in the middle of 2020, which means it’s already gotten several price cuts since then. This beautiful mid-range 5G smartphone is capable of taking great photos, has a performance that’s even better than some of the other phones on this list, and the best part is that it’s only priced at Php 17,999 from Lazada.

Huawei Nova 7 SE 5G key specs:

• 6.5-inch IPS display, full HD+ resolution, HDR10 capable
• 8GB RAM
• 128GB of expandable storage
• HiSilicon Kirin 820 processor
• 64-megapixel main camera with f/1.8 aperture lens, 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera with f/2.4 aperture, 2-megapixel f/2.4 macro camera, 2-megapixel f/2.4 depth camera
• 16-megapixel selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture
• 4000mAh battery
• 40W fast charging
• Android 10, EMUI 10.1

And that’s our list of the best budget 5G phones you can buy in 2021 (Q1). Are you buying any of the phones above?