The midrange segment, specifically the under Php 20,000 price point, is a very important market in the Philippines as this has been the ideal range for Filipinos in buying a new phone. The past few years were predictable–with POCO consistently being our top pick for the under Php 20,000 segment. That changed in 2025, as we’re happy to report that there is a diverse range of good midrange phones at the said price point.
Starting with the obvious, POCO is not limited to the X7 Pro as its absolute bang-for-the-buck phone at under Php 20,000: the X7 is also solid with its use of a Dimensity 7300 processor at a Php 15,000 starting price point. Both phones have decent cameras–a level up from previous POCO phones, along with an IP68 rating that’s becoming a must-have feature for midrange phones.
Infinix had good momentum last year with the GT 20 Pro, and the NOTE 50 Pro+ is the biggest surprise for 2025 for midrange phones. Set to give POCO a true challenger, what we liked about the NOTE 50 Pro+ is its inclusion of a periscope camera at an under Php 20,000 price point–which was decent enough to be used for concerts. Aside from the periscope camera, the NOTE 50 Pro+ has the most premium build we’ve ever seen on a midrange phone in recent years.
Fellow Transsion group brand TECNO also emerged as a strong contender with the CAMON 40 Pro 5G. Critics may argue that its a downgrade over its predecessor, but the CAMON 40 Pro 5G’s lower price tag gives it better bang-for-the-buck by making the Dimensity 7300 accessible at an under Php 15,000 price point. It is also touted as one of the best camera phones in the midrange segment, and we agree with the performance of LYT-700C sensor used for the main camera.
And while we expected Infinix and Transsion to challenge POCO in the midrange segment, the biggest dark horse for 2025 is Nothing with the Phone 2(a) and CMF Phone 2 Pro. Both phones add a telephoto camera at an under Php 20,000 price point, and Nothing OS is one of the cleanest and bloatware-free Android skins in the market. The Phone 2(a) made the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 more accessible, and the CMF Phone 2 Pro expanded its modularity potential with accessories like add-on lenses.
How about the rest? Well, we give credit with realme with the 14 5G as they explored a new processor–the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4–that turned out to be a decent option for gaming. vivo, for their part, made up its underwhelming processor choices for big batteries, and the V50 Lite 5G is proof to that as the midrange phone with the longest battery life based on our tests.
Let’s not forget about Samsung, which promises 6 years of software updates for the Galaxy A26 and A36. Samsung’s update commitment proves that midrange phones can stand out in terms of software longevity so that users get the most out of it.
With all of these solid choices, the Filipino consumer is the biggest winner in 2025 as they have a diverse set of phones to choose from at under Php 20,000. We’re happy to see brands being competitive once again, and we can’t wait to see their future offerings at this lucrative price point.
