September 2012 - Smartphone Buyers Guide Part 2 (Php15K to 22.5K)

Part on of this article, covering phones priced as Php15,000 or less is found at this link. 

5. Sony LT22i Xperia P - An almost perfect balance (P17,990 to Php19,990)

It is amazing what 18K will buy these days. A dual core smartphone with a 4-inch qHD (540 x 960) display, 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB or storage (non expandable/13 GB user available) and a very decent 8 MP shooter upgradeable to Ice Cream Sandwich. Last year this phone would qualify as a companies flagship phone.

The Sony Xperia P sits in a very interesting place right now. I think this is the cheapest phone a buyer can buy these days, without fear of regretting not having spent more in the future. The form factor makes it terrible compelling, combining a 4-inch display with a frame just 59.5 mm wide and 10.5 mm thick it is a very handy package while offering excellent functionality. Beyond this, we enter the land of the giants.

The only chink in this phones armor is the small 1305 mAh battery which result in below average battery life. Still I have been living with an HTC Desire HD, with a smaller 1230 mAh battery for 19 months, so it is not a deal breaker.

6. Google Galaxy Nexus - The Nexus phone is always a good choice (Php17,400-Php17,990 in the Grey Market, Php30,000 from Smart Communications

Tired of waiting six to nine months for your phone manufacturer to bring the latest update? This is the phone for you. The Google Galaxy Nexus is a Android smartphone commissioned by Google and manufactured for Samsung.  Its main claim to fame is that it is directly supported by Google, and the latest updates come to thus phone first. Ice Cream Sandwich is history for this phone, with the Android 4.1, Jelly Bean update, rolling out for this phone now.

We really cannot recommend at Smart Communications 30K asking price. There are just too many better phones at 22.5-30K. Direct from Google, this phone is priced at just US$349. Grey market pricing reflects the US pricing and at Php17,400 is a reasonable price to pay for this. I normally do not recommend grey market phones. I do not find the 5-10% discount worth giving up an official warranty. But a 40% discount is another matter.

Now your 17.4K gets you one amazing phone. The phone comes with a curved 4.65-inch Super AMOLED display HD (720 x 1280) display. The beauty of the Nexus Galaxy is not only skin deep, with a 1.2 GHz dual core ARM Cortex A9 processor on a TI OMAP chipset backed by 1 GB of RAM.  It is also the cheapest HSDPA+ 21.1 Mbps phone on our list. It is not the fastest smartphone in the market, but it will outrun anything else at this price range in every respect.

Storage is 16 GB with is not user expandable. The battery is a good sized 1750 mAh. All this comes in a frame just 8.9 mm thin. Basically, this is not only the Nexus phone, it is also the least expensive Super phone in the market. It is what I would probably buy, if I were replacing my phone now.
 
This article is continued here.