Some people have strict budgets when they buy phones, while some don’t really look at price tags when picking up their next mobile. This list is for the latter – if money is no object for you, here are the 5 phones you need to pick up before the year ends:
ASUS’ second-generation gaming phone is as close to a perfect gaming device as you can get in 2019. While it’s not the only flagship available nowadays that has a powerful Snapdragon 855 Plus processor and 90Hz screen, it does have quite a bit of thoughtful gaming-focused design tweaks that give owners an almost unfair advantage when playing.
You can get the ROG Phone II for Php 49,995, though if you’re willing to spring a few more $ you can get the ultimate edition of the phone with 1TB of storage for Php 59,995.
ROG Phone II Specs
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus processor
- Adreno 640 GPU
- 6.59-inch 120Hz/1ms AMOLED panel with 240Hz touch sampling rate, full HD+ resolution, 108% DCI-P3, Corning Gorilla Glass 6, 10-bit HDR (2340 x 1080)
- 12GB of LPDDR4x RAM
- 512GB/1TB of UFS3.0 storage
- 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 sensor with an f/1.79 aperture lens, 13-megapixel wide-angle secondary camera
- 24-megapixel front camera
- Dual SIM
- 3G, LTE
- WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, under-display fingerprint sensor
- Two USB Type C ports
- 6000mAh battery with 30W wired charging
- Android 9 Pie
READ: ASUS ROG Phone II Review: The Gaming Phone, Perfected
Huawei’s P30 Pro impressed us when it was first announced at the beginning of the year, and it’s only gotten better since. A new software update improved the phone’s camera output, and a new storage variant plus colorway gave the phone more longevity in the long term even as Huawei released its second flagship.
The P30 Pro is available for Php 45,990.
Huawei P30 Pro specs
- HiSilicon Kirin 980 octa-core processor
- 8GB RAM
- 6.47-inch Full HD+ AMOLED Curved display, 18.7:9 Aspect ratio, DCI-P3 HDR support, 2340×1080 resolution
- 128GB/256GB/512GB internal storage, expandable via Nano memory card
- Quadruple Leica rear cameras: 20-megapixel 17mm f/2.2 ultra wide-angle camera; 40-megapixel 27mm f/1.6 wide-angle lens with OIS; and 8-megapixel 52mm f/3.4 periscope telephoto camera with OIS; Time of Flight Sensor; with Ultra Macro Mode, Huawei AIS, 10X Hybrid Zoom, 5X Optical Zoom, Master AI, Dual View Video, up to ISO 409600 sensitivity
- 32-megapixel front camera
- Dual SIM
- WiFi, Bluetooth, Dual band GPS, NFC
- In-display fingerprint scanner, face unlock, IP68 rating
- 4200mAh battery with 40W fast charging and 15W wireless charging
- Android 9 Pie (EMUI 9.1)
READ: Huawei P30 Pro Review: Becoming The Benchmark
Samsung’s first flagships for 2019 are still one of the best phones you can find today, and the Galaxy S10 Plus holds a special place in our heart. That 6.4-inch Dynamic Super AMOLED panel is a sight to behold by itself, and only a few phones can match that triple camera system on the rear of the S10 Plus.
The Galaxy S10 Plus also has a large battery that’ll last you quite a while, which makes it a great phone for gaming on the go.
The Galaxy S10 Plus is priced at Php 55,990.
Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus Specs
- Samsung Exynos 9820 octa-core processor
- Mali-G76 MP12 GPU
- 8GB/12GB RAM
- 6.4-inch WQHD Dynamic Super AMOLED Infinity-O display, 3040 x 1440 resolution, dual curved edge, HDR10+
- 128GB/1TB expandable storage, via microSD
- Triple rear cameras: 12-megapixel primary camera with f/1.5 and f/2.4 aperture; 12-megapixel telephoto camera with f/2.4 aperture and 2x optical zoom; 16-megapixel ultra-wide camera; with Dual Pixel, Dual OIS, 960FPS Super Slo-Mo video, 4K HDR10+ shooting at 30FPS/4K shooting at 60FPS
- Dual front cameras: 10-megapixel f/1.9 main camera; 8-megapixel f/2.2 wide-angle camera; dual-pixel autofocus, 4K video recording
- Dual SIM
- 3G, LTE, WiFi 6
- GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
- Ultrasonic Fingerprint scanner, facial recognition, heartbeat sensor, IP68 certification, USB Type-C port, Bixby AI, 3D Emojis
- 4100mAh battery with fast charging and wireless charging
- Android 9.0 Pie (One UI)
READ: Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus Review: The S Series Cream of the Crop
Huawei’s Mate 30 Pro is the pinnacle of smartphone imaging tech. Armed with dedicated 40-megapixel cameras for both photos and videos, the Mate 30 Pro is the ultimate smartphone for budding mobile photographers and videographers. There’s no other phone that can do what it does when it comes to taking photos and videos.
While the Mate 30 Pro is hobbled with the same issues with Google Services as its more affordable brother, workarounds for that issue exists. If you’re willing to put in the work, you can enjoy the Mate 30 Pro’s capabilities for Php 50,990.
Huawei Mate 30 Pro specs
- HiSilicon Kirin 990 octa-core processor
- 8GB RAM
- 6.53-inch FLEX OLED Horizon display, DCI-P3 HDR support, 2400×1176 resolution
- 256GB internal storage, expandable via Nano memory card
- Quadruple Leica rear cameras: 40-megapixel 17mm f/1.8 ultra-wide Cine camera; 40-megapixel 27mm f/1.6 SuperSensing Camera with OIS; 8-megapixel 52mm f/2.4 telephoto camera; 3D Depth Sensor; Laser Autofocus, LED Flash, 4K60 video recording, up to ISO 51200, 7680FPS ultra slow-motion video, 4K HDR+ Timelapse, dual OIS and AIS
- 32-megapixel f/2.0 front camera
- Dual SIM
- 3G, 4G, 5G
- WiFi, Bluetooth, Dual-band GPS, NFC
- In-display fingerprint scanner, 3D Face Unlock, IP68 rating
- 4500mAh battery with 40w wired charging, 27w wireless charging, and 3rd-gen reverse wireless charging
- EMUI 10
READ: Huawei Mate 30 Pro: Two Months Later
Samsung really went all out for the Galaxy Note 10 Plus, and the results show it: it’s one of the best flagships we’ve tested this year, and for a year that saw multiple awesome flagships pop up, that’s quite an accomplishment.
The phone’s overall build, camera performance, speed and the re-invention of the S-pen as not just a creative tool but as an actual useful accessory make the Galaxy Note 10 Plus one of the best, if not the best, flagships you can buy today.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10 Plus is priced at Php 53,990.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ specs
- Exynos 9825 octa-core processor
- 12GB of RAM
- 6.8-inch 3040 x 1440 resolution Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display with HDR10+ certification
- 256GB/512GB of storage, expandable via MicroSD
- Quadruple rear cameras: 12-megapixel f/1.5-2.2 main camera with OIS; 12-megapixel f/2.1 telephoto camera 2x optical zoom and OIS; 16-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera; Time of Flight (ToF) camera; with Dual Pixel, 960FPS Super Slo-Mo video
- 10-megapixel f/2.2 front camera with AF and 4K video recording
- 3G, LTE
- Dual SIM
- WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, BeiDou, USB-C, ultrasonic under-display fingerprint sensor
- S-Pen with 6-axis sensor
- 4,300mAh battery with 45W fast charging capability, Wireless charging, reverse wireless charging
- Android 9.0 Pie with OneUI
READ: Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ Hands-on, Quick Review: All In