May 2011 mid-range smartphone buyers guide
Yesterday we took a look at smartphones priced at over Php20,000. Today, we are looking at the next category of mid-range phones, priced from Php15,000 to Php20,000 price range.
At the outset, there is nothing new in this category, but this category is looking better. Looking at last months recommendations...
HTC Desire - Past its prime. The HTC Desire's successor, the HTC Desire S is here. Both phones are Android powered smartphone with a 3.7-inch screen and a 1GHz Qualcomm processor.
But the Desire S is equipped with a second generation processor, a faster graphics processing unit, more RAM, more internal memory, a front camera, a and new unibody case. If you already own a HTC Desire, upgrading to a Desire S is something we would not recommend. The Desire S is a marginal upgrade. On the other hand, if you are thinking of buying a Desire or a Desire S, we recommend getting the more expensive Desire S at Php21,700. The Desire is available at a cheaper Php19,000, but the improvements of the Desire S is woth the additional Php2,700.
 |
| HTC Desire @Php19,000 |
But the Desire S is equipped with a second generation processor, a faster graphics processing unit, more RAM, more internal memory, a front camera, a and new unibody case. If you already own a HTC Desire, upgrading to a Desire S is something we would not recommend. The Desire S is a marginal upgrade. On the other hand, if you are thinking of buying a Desire or a Desire S, we recommend getting the more expensive Desire S at Php21,700. The Desire is available at a cheaper Php19,000, but the improvements of the Desire S is woth the additional Php2,700.
Samsung Galaxy SL i9003 - Still the best choice? The Samsung Galaxy SL i9003, the lower end replacement of the Samsung Galaxy S, is still an amazing phone for its price. We liked this phone at its Php18,700 asking price last month, it looks even better at its current Php16,890 price. Basically, it is a Samsung Galaxy S with no AMOLED display and a slower GPU at a much lower price.
 |
| Samsung Galaxy SL @Php16,890... WOW |
For less than 17K you get a a 4-inch capacitative touchscreen with 480 x 800 pixel resolution S-LCD screen protected by the near scratch proof Gorilla Glass. Inside, the Galaxy SL is powered by a 1GHz Cortex A8 central processing unit and PowerVR SGX530 graphical processing unit. Like the Galaxy S, the camera has no flash.
Okay this phone is not as good as the Sony Ericsson XPERIA ARC, Samsung Galaxy S, the HTC Desire HD and the HTC Desire S. But tt really is not all that far from the "high-end" phones in terms of specifications. At between 5-10K less, it is the best value for money proposition in the market.
Okay this phone is not as good as the Sony Ericsson XPERIA ARC, Samsung Galaxy S, the HTC Desire HD and the HTC Desire S. But tt really is not all that far from the "high-end" phones in terms of specifications. At between 5-10K less, it is the best value for money proposition in the market.