Choosing a smartphone could be tough, as you’ve got to have sufficient storage for your apps, games, and multimedia content. We take you to a list of the most affordable phones in the Philippines with a 256GB storage option in this article.
Let’s face it, 256GB should be the norm for mobile storage in 2024 given that files for games, apps, and even photos and videos are all growing by the year. Here are some you should consider that are under Php 10,000 as of this writing:
| Brand | Model | RAM | Storage | Storage Type | SRP (Php) |
| itel | A70 | 4GB | 256GB | eMMC 5.1 | 5,499 |
| TECNO | Spark 20C | 4GB | 256GB | eMMC 5.1 | 6,299 |
| Infinix | Hot 40 | 8GB | 256GB | eMMC 5.1 | 6,499 |
| itel | P55 5G | 8GB | 256GB | eMMC 5.1 | 6,999 |
| itel | P55 NFC | 8GB | 256GB | eMMC 5.1 | 6,999 |
| Infinix | Hote 40i | 8GB | 256GB | eMMC 5.1 | 6,999 |
| TECNO | Spark 20 | 8GB | 256GB | UFS 2.1 | 6,999 |
| Infinix | Hot 30 | 8GB | 256GB | eMMC 5.1 | 7,499 |
| Infinix | Hot 40 Pro | 8GB | 256GB | eMMC 5.1 | 7,999 |
| TECNO | Spark 10 Pro | 8GB | 256GB | eMMC 5.1 | 8,299 |
| TECNO | Pova 5 | 8GB | 256GB | UFS 2.2 | 8,799 |
| realme | C53 | 8GB | 256GB | eMMC 5.1 | 8,999 |
| realme | C55 | 8GB | 256GB | UFS 2.1 | 9,999 |
| TECNO | Camon 20 Pro | 8GB | 256GB | UFS 2.1 | 9,999 |
Transsion brands take the cake for having more smartphones with 256GB of storage in the under-Php 10K market as of this writing, with the itel A70 being the most affordable 256GB phone available in the market now with an official price of Php 5,499.
itel, Infinix, and TECNO all have at least 3 phones available with 256GB of storage in this price range, which seems to be the reason why they were able to catapult themselves to the top of the local market and make their mark as a Top 5 brand in worldwide market shipments.
realme, on the other hand, also has a 256GB storage option in the form of the realme C53, featuring a Unisoc SOC and a 5000mAh battery capacity. The realme C55 also made it to the list, as it had a price cut just before 2023 ended. We’re expecting the brand to get more affordable phones to the market later this year as evidenced by its Note series and the upcoming realme C65 once it arrives on our shores as well.
Know your Storage: eMMC vs UFS
Most phones that offer 256GB storage nowadays seem too affordable to pass as a legitimate product, but recent technological innovations have made it cheaper for manufacturers to offer bigger storage on phones. A reason for that is that the cheaper ones tend to use eMMC technology initially used in laptops, tablets, and older phones.
eMMCs integrate the flash memory chips and a controller into a single package, making it a compact and cost-effective storage solution for manufacturers. They’re the choice for most affordably-priced phones, which is why many brands are now starting to offer larger storage capacities at more affordable prices. eMMCs are good for general-purpose devices.
UFS storage modules, however, are much faster, with more recent versions capable of keeping up with 5G speeds in terms of writing. They’re also more expensive, which is why you’ll see this on pricier smartphones especially flagships, with older phones usually getting dated, but still good-performing UFS storage versions.
We’re looking forward to seeing bigger storage on affordable phones starting this year, and we hope that this will also answer the demands of the users seeking devices that can give them more capacities to store their memories and apps all in one device without needing additional storage.
