Mobile gaming has grown steadily globally, and smartphone brands are taking advantage of it by making their budget mid-range phones offer enough power to handle the most popular mobile titles out there. While dedicated gaming phones may cost a fortune, our picks for the best budget gaming phones in the Philippines prove that you don’t need to go over Php 16k to get yourself one that is decent enough for serious gaming. Here’s our list of 5 best budget gaming phones that you can buy in the Philippines for 2021:

Best Budget Gaming Phones Philippines (2021)

• TECNO Camon 18P
• realme 8i
• Infinix Note 11s
• POCO X3 Pro
• POCO M4 Pro 5G

TECNO Camon 18P

Php 10,990 8GB/128GB

TECNO Camon 18P Philippines specs

• MediaTek Helio G96 processor
• 8GB RAM
• 128GB internal storage, expandable via microSD
• 6.8-inch Full HD+ IPS Display, 120hz refresh rate
• 48-megapixel f/1.8 main camera with PDAF, 13-megapixel telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom, 2-megapixel depth sensor; LED flash
• 16-megapixel f/2.2 selfie camera
• LTE
• WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, side-mounted fingerprint scanner
• 33W fast charging
• 5000mAh battery
• Android 11, HiOS

The middle child of the Camon 18 series offers serious value for money with its use of a very capable Helio G96 processor that is paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage—just enough to handle serious gaming without breaking the bank. Added perks of the Camon 18P include a large 6.8-inch full HD+ display with a 120hz refresh rate, 33w wired charging, and a very usable 13-megapixel telephoto camera.

realme 8i

Php 9,990 – 4GB/64GB

Php 11,990 6GB/128GB

realme 8i Philippines specs

• MediaTek Helio G96 processor
• 4GB/6GB RAM
• 64GB/128GB internal storage, expandable via microSD
• 6.6-inch IPS Full HD+ display, 120hz refresh rate
• 50-megapixel f/1.8 main camera, 2-megapixel mono camera, 2-megapixel depth-sensing camera, LED flash
• 16-megapixel camera
• LTE
• WiFi, Bluetooth, side-mounted fingerprint scanner
• 18W fast charging
• 5000mAh battery
• Android 11, realme UI 2.0

Not wanting to be outdone by new players, realme has a compelling offering with the 8i. With a starting price of under Php 10K, you have a Helio G96 processor, a 6.6-inch Full HD+ display with a 120hz refresh rate, and a 5000mAh battery to keep you going with your gaming sessions.

Infinix Note 11s

Php 10,499 – 8GB/128GB

Infinix Note 11s Philippines Specs

• MediaTek Helio G96 processor
• 8GB LPDDR4X RAM
• 128GB UFS 2.2 internal storage, expandable via microSD
• 6.95-inch Full HD+ IPS display, 120hz refresh rate, 180hz touch response rate
• 50-megapixel f/1.6 main camera  2-megapixel macro camera, 2-megapixel depth sensor, LED flash
• 16-megapixel selfie camera
• LTE, 4G
• WiFi, Bluetooth, side-mounted fingerprint scanner
• Stereo speakers
• 33w charging
• 5000mAh battery
• Android 11, XOS 7.6

If you are after serious gaming power and a large display for under Php 11k, the Note 11s is the champ as far as this list goes. Aside from an Helio G96 processor that is paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage, the Note 11s has a huge 6.95-inch Full HD+ display with a 120hz refresh rate, 180hz touch response rate, and stereo speakers.

POCO X3 Pro

Php 12,990 – 6GB/128GB

Php 15,990 – 8GB/256GB

POCO X3 Pro Philippines Specs:

• Snapdragon 860 processor
• 6GB/8GB LPDDR4X RAM
• 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 storage
• 6.67-inch Full HD+ IPS display, 120hz refresh rate, 240hz touch sampling rate
• 48-megapixel f/1.79 main camera with PDAF, 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera, 2-megapixel f/2.4 macro camera, 2-megapixel f/2.4 depth sensor
• 20-megapixel selfie camera
• 4G
• WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5, side-mounted fingerprint scanner
• IP53 rating, stereo speakers, NFC
• 5160mAh battery
• 33w fast charging
• Android 11, MIUI 12

If you can stretch your budget a little bit more, the POCO X3 Pro is the absolute best budget gaming phone you can buy from a pure price-to-performance perspective. With a starting price of under Php 13k, the POCO X3 Pro is the only phone you can buy in the Philippines that has a Snapdragon 8-series processor. During our time with it, the POCO X3 Pro managed to run Genshin Impact at the highest graphics settings and at 60FPS without a sweat.

POCO M4 Pro 5G

Php 11,990 4GB/64GB

Php 12,990 6GB/128GB

POCO M4 Pro 5G Philippines Specs

• Dimensity 810 processor
• 4GB/6GB RAM
• 64GB/128GB storage
• 6.6-inch Full HD+ LCD display, 90hz refresh rate
• 50-megapixel f/1.8 main camera with PDAF, 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera
• 16-megapixel f/2.25 selfie camera
• 4G, 5G
• WiFi, Bluetooth 5.1, side-mounted fingerprint scanner
• Stereo speakers
• 5000mAh battery
• 33w wired charging
• Android 11, MIUI 12.5 for POCO

If you are looking for a phone that is decent for serious gaming AND has 5G capabilities, the POCO M4 Pro 5G is your best option. It is one of the few phones in the Philippines that uses a Dimensity 810 processor, and our tests show that the processor offers vastly better overall performance compared to the rest of the competition that settles for a Dimensity 700 processor.

That wraps up our picks for the best budget gaming phones in the Philippines for 2021. Which phone will you most likely buy?