While most new smartphones feel repetitive or don’t bring big changes, today’s budget smartphones have become incredibly powerful and capable compared to those in the past.
The market is also bombarded with too many options plus marketing buzzwords that confuse many customers. So to help you, here is my simple guide on how to choose the right budget smartphone in 2025.
1. Define What “Budget” Means to You
To start with, you must define what “budget” means to you since some users define it under 10K while others PHP 15K or PHP 20K. Well, if you can expand your budget to PHP 15K or above, you can surely get a very decent smartphone already.
Besides, it will also depend on what kind of user are you, are you a student, casual user, businessman, content creator, etc. Just note that the more expensive the phone is, the more it offers great overall quality and value.
When buying a budget smartphone in 2025, you should avoid based on brand hype alone like in previous years since most of the budget phones today know what brand is already reputable. Honestly, budget smartphones from big brands nowadays are usually overpriced or have old specs.
2. Prioritize the Specs That Matter Most
Speaking of specs, you should prioritize checking the specs most as it will be the deciding factor if it is worth buying.
Chipset & Performance
Firstly, check the chipset used in that smartphone because if it is an old chipset or weak chipset, you will be frustrated later on as it slows down or can’t run most of your apps smoothly. Choosing a phone with a weak chipset is not ideal for multitasking, gaming, and future-proofing.
Although we can’t expect a flagship performance on an under PHP 5K phone, there are phones like the realme Note 60 that deliver decent performance that is enough for casual users and students.
If I recommend chipsets, you should choose MediaTek Helio G81, Helio G99, or Unisoc T606 at least. But if you have above PHP 10K budget, the best options are Helio G100 Ultimate, Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, Dimensity 6300, or Unisoc T9100, and above.
Another aspect that affects a budget smartphone’s performance is the memory used. Well, the internal storage is already up to your needs, but the RAM, has factor to give you a smoother experience.
More RAM, the better, and you should aim to get 6GB or 8GB at least. That will already give you decent multitasking performance. However, it is also important to check the type of RAM wheter if it is LPDDR4 or LPDDR5x since the latest the RAM type is, is more faster in data transfer and more power efficient.
Display
Sometimes, most of the users give more importance to display than chipset, but what is the best type of smartphone display? This still will depend on your budget, but the most commonly available is an IPS LCD panel, which is decent but not the best one. It gives vibrant colors but is not accurate and it is also not power efficient. There are also OLED and AMOLED that are better than LCD panels and give more vibrant colors that level up your viewing experience, and they are also not power-hungry.
Another display spec you should check is the resolution, high-resolution displays provide crisper and sharper visuals. We can still see smartphones even above the PHP 10K price point that have HD+ or 720p resolution, and that is a red flag. Depending on your budget, please aim for an FHD+ or 1080p resolution display (better if AMOLED).
If you want to experience the smoothness of performance of your smartphone, there’s also the high refresh rate feature that basically projects more frames per second. The default refresh rate is 60Hz, while there are phones that support 90Hz, 120Hz, and 144Hz.
Maybe it is not a big deal for others, but you can choose a phone with at least a 90Hz refresh rate, I guarantee you a game-changing experience if you previously used a 60Hz refresh rate display.
Battery & Charging
Next is the battery and charging which we always disregard. Most of the budget smartphones especially the newly released ones already feature a larger battery capacity. Look for at least a 5,000mAh battery capacity as it already gives you almost a whole day of juice depending on your usage.
There is also a larger 6,000mAh battery capacity but take note that it still depends on real-life usage and the power efficiency of the phone’s other hardware like display, chipset, and memory.
However, a larger battery capacity also needs faster charging support. For a 5,000mAh battery, I recommend at least 18W-33W fast charging, while at least 45W-60W for 6,000mAh and above. Using a slow charging adapter with a very large battery capacity will take you forever to charge.
Camera System
Another feature to consider when buying a budget smartphone in 2025 is the camera system especially if you always take a photo or you are into mobile photography.
First of all, don’t fall for megapixel marketing, having a high megapixel count is not always equivalent to good image quality. Some of the phones have 50MP or 108MP main cameras but the image quality sucks. For this aspect, I suggest checking blog or vlog reviews to see if the phone provides good image quality or try out the camera of a demo unit in a physical store.
You must also check other camera features like Night mode, ultra-wide, or if it has optical or electronic image stabilization (OIS/EIS).
It’s amazing how budget phones today can deliver surprisingly good image quality—now, even a PHP 3,000 phone can take decent photos.
Software & Updates
Good specs mean nothing if the software is bad. So check if the phone already runs on the latest Android version and UI version. For long-term usage, it is also important to know if it offers at least 2 years of Android upgrades and security patches, for you to be assured that you will receive fixes when there are issues in the software.
Just be careful about the operating system of some brands since they are a little bit crappy and unstable or feel cheap. I can confidently recommend great software like realme UI (realme), ColorOS (OPPO), One UI (Samsung), and MagicOS (HONOR). These are stable, lightweight, and have good support. Although most of them have bloatware that you can manually uninstall.
3. Consider Build Quality & Design
One feature you should consider is the design and build quality especially if you are a little clumsy. The design will be based on your preference, if you want an elegant looking or you want a robotic looking one.
You can also consider the material used, for example plastic body or glass back, since it also defines its durability. Although some of the phones I have tried recently that offers good build quality have a plastic back.
Some phones have drop-resistance certification which is considered a gimmick for some people. But if want the assurance that your phone will not break when accidental drops, consider getting one.
For IP ratings, most of the budget smartphone also now has higher IP ratings like IP69, IP68, or IP66 which means they can survive accidental water splashes, can be submerged, etc.
Personally, I like my phone having those IP ratings, especially for taking photos underwater. It’s a game-changing feature for me because I’ve already used it several times whenever we go swimming.
Some other factors you can personally consider are the weight, feel in hand, and colorways based on your preference.
4. Where to Buy & What to Watch Out For
When buying a phone online or even in a physical store, you need to check if it is authorized. However, there is some reputable third-party store that offers genuine and good customer service like Rulls, Fonestyle, MemoXpress, and more. But to have peace of mind, I suggest buying from authorized resellers.
It is guaranteed that the store is trustworthy on online platforms like Shopee and Lazada if it has a Mall/LazMall/Shopee Mall indicator. This is important to know since a lot of buyers got scammed into some listing that is new or legit. There are still fake or cloned smartphones that we can see on Shopee and Lazada, so watch out!
You can also check freebies, bundles, warranty, or return policies before buying a phone.
Final Thoughts: Choosing the Right Budget Smartphone in 2025
Just a reminder, there is no perfect phone even if it is a flagship phone or a budget phone, just check the right one that meets your needs. Be vigilant to those phones that are very hyped online but they lack value and can also give you a headache in the long run. When you decide to buy that phone, you can also ask other users or join Facebook groups about that phone to know other’s insights and reviews. Let me know what budget smartphone you’re buying in 2025!
