Best Gaming Smartphones Under 10k

Jomar Punzalan asks, “What are the best gaming smartphones under 10k?”

Nowadays, consumers on a tight budget are looking for smartphones with good performance for an affordable price. Many consumers prefer smartphones that can handle games smoothly for their entertainment. Here are some of the best gaming smartphones that you can buy under Php10,000.

When looking for a gaming smartphone, a user must always look at their Graphical Processing Unit (GPU), Central Processing Unit (CPU), Battery life, RAM, Operating System, Screen display, and Screen resolution.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X

This is one of the most popular smartphones under 10k. Aside from its powerful Snapdragon 625, it also has an Adreno 506 which you can hardly find in most smartphones at this price range. It is priced at Php7,199 (see price listing here)

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X specs:
5.5-inch Full HD display @ 1920 x 1080 resolution
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor
Adreno 506 GPU
3GB RAM
32GB internal storage
Expandable via microSD, up to 256GB (uses SIM 2)
13MP rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, dual-LED flash
5MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture
Dual SIM
4G LTE
Wi-Fi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS w/ a-GPS
IR blaster
Fingerprint scanner
4100mAh battery with fast-charging
Android 6.0 Marshmallow w/ MIUI 8 (Global)
151 x 76 x 8.4 mm
175 g

Meizu M3E 

Along with its siblings, the Meizu M3 Note and Meizu M3S is this 5.5-inch smartphone. It has a Helio P10 CPU with Mali T860 GPU.  It has been available since December 2016. It is priced at Php7,299 (see price listing here)

Meizu M3E specs:
5.5-inch Full HD display
2.5D curved glass
1.5GHz MediaTek Helio P10 octa-core processor
3GB RAM
32GB internal storage
Expandable up to 128GB
13MP rear camera
5MP front camera
Dual-SIM
4G LTE with VoLTE
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS, A-GPS
Fingerprint scanner
Android 5.1 Lollipop with Flyme OS
3100mAh battery

 

Huawei GR3 2017

The GR3 2017’s CPU and GPU are the same with the GR5 2017 which already has proven its performance on gaming. Its Kirin 655 CPU and Mali T-830 GPU performs smoothly with NBA 2k16 as seen on our video review for the GR5 2017. It is priced at Php8,990 (see price listing here)

Huawei GR3 (2017) specs:
5.2-inch IPS LCD @ 1920×1080 pixels
HiSilicon Kirin 655 octa-core processor
4 x ARM Cortex A53 2.1GHz + 4 x ARM Cortex A53 1.7GHz
Mali-T830 MP2 graphics
3GB RAM
16GB internal storage
Expandable via microSD, up to 128GB
12-megapixel autofocus rear camera w/ LED flash
8-megapixel front-facing camera
Dual SIM
4G LTE
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.1
GPS w/ A-GPS
NFC
Fingerprint scanner
3,000mAh Li-Ion battery
Android 7.0 Nougat w/ EMUI 5.0

Doogee Mix (4GB)

This bezel-less smartphone shows potential especially with its 4GB/6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. Aside from that, its Helio P25 CPU which is partnered with a Mali T880 GPU have given an Antutu benchmark score of 60,353 which is considered as high for its price. This smartphone is priced at Php9,199 (see price listing here) 

Doogee Mix specs:
5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display, 267ppi
2.5GHz MediaTek Helio P25 octa-core CPU
Mali T880 GPU
4GB RAM
64GB storage
microSD card via SIM 2 slot
16MP + 8MP dual rear cameras, LED flash
5MP front camera
Dual-SIM
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS, A-GPS
Fingerprint scanner
Doogee OS 2.0 (Android 7.0 Nougat)
3,380mAh battery
144 x 76.2 x 7.95 mm
193 g

OPPO A39

This smartphone is a successor to the OPPO A37. It has an MT6750 CPU with a Mali T860 GPU. Its drawback is its outdated Android OS version when bought out-of-the-box. It is priced at Php9,990 (See price listing here)

OPPO A39 specs:
5.2-inch IPS LCD @ 1280 x 720 pixels, 282ppi
2.5D Gorilla Glass 4
1.5GHz MediaTek MT6750 octa-core processor
Mali-T860 GPU
3GB RAM
32GB internal storage
Expandable via microSD, up to 256GB
13-megapixel autofocus rear camera w/ LED flash
5-megapixel front-facing camera
Dual SIM
4G LTE
Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS w/ A-GPS
Gyroscope sensor
2900mAh non-removable battery
Android 5.1 Lollipop w/ Color OS 3.0

Samsung Galaxy J7 Core

The Samsung Galaxy J7 Core has just been released recently here in the Philippines and will be available on Sept. 16, 2017. This smartphone boasts its 14 nm chipset, Exynos 7870 CPU with a Mali T830 GPU, and its Super AMOLED display. It is priced at Php9,990.

Samsung Galaxy J7 Core specs:
5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED Display @ 1280 x 720
1.6GHz Exynos 7870 Octa-core processor
Mali T830 GPU
2GB RAM
16GB internal storage
expandable via microSD card up to 256GB
13MP rear camera, LED flash
5MP front camera
Dual SIM (micro)
4G LTE
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz
GPS, GLONASS
Micro-USB
Android 7.0 Nougat
3,000mAh battery
152.4 x 78.6 x 7.6mm
170 g
Black, Gold

Vivo V5 Lite

The Vivo V5 Lite was introduced last January as a part of the company’s V5 series. It has an MT6750 CPU and a Mali T860 GPU. Aside from its good GPU, it has a commendable camera quality based on our review. It is priced at Php9,990 (see price listing here)

Vivo V5 Lite specs:
5.5-inch HD IPS display @ 1280 x 720 resolution, 267ppi
1.5GHz MediaTek MT6750 octa-core CPU
Mali-T860 GPU
3GB RAM
32GB storage
microSD card support (uses SIM 2)
13MP rear camera w/ LED flash
16MP front camera w/ Selfie Softlight
Dual-SIM
LTE
WiFi
Bluetooth
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
USB OTG
FunTouch OS 3.0 (Android 6.0 Marshmallow)
3,000mAh non-removable battery
153.8 x 75.5 x 7.6 mm
155 g
Crown Gold, Rose Gold

 

Nokia 5

This is one of HMD Global’s 3 smartphones that has been launched along with the Nokia 3 and Nokia 6. It has a good build quality with a Snapdragon 430 CPU and an Adreno 505 GPU. It is priced at Php9,990 (see price listing here)

Nokia 5 specs:
5.2-inch HD IPS LCD display
2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass
Qualcomm Snapdragon 430
2GB RAM
16GB internal storage
expandable via microSD up to 128 GB
single SIM and dual SIM variants
LTE Cat. 4
13MP PDAF, 1.12um, f/2 rear camera with dual tone flash
8MP AF, 1.12um, f/2, 84 degrees wide-angle front camera
WiFi
Bluetooth 4.1
GPS
Gyroscope
NFC
Android 7.1.1 Nougat
non-removable 3000mAh battery
149.7 x 72.5 x 8.05 mm

Asus Zenfone 4 Max ZC554KL

This is one of the longest lasting budget smartphones on this list. It has a large 5000mAh battery with a Snapdragon 430 chipset and an Adreno 505 GPU. The sd 430 chipsets are known for its battery optimization so rest assured power consumption and thermals will be kept to a minimum. It is priced at Php9,995 (see price listing here)

ASUS Zenfone 4 Max (ZC554KL) specs:
5.5-inch HD IPS display, 267ppi
2.5D glass
1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core CPU
Adreno 505 GPU
3GB RAM
32GB ROM
up to 256GB via microSD card (dedicated slot)
13MP Omnivision 13855 rear main, 1.1 um pixel size, f/2.0, EIS, PDAF, LED Flash
5MP OmniVision 5675 rear wide-angle, 1.12um pixel size, f/2.0
8MP OmniVision 8856 front, 1.12um pixel f/2.2, w/ LED flash
Dual-SIM (nano)
4G LTE Cat.4
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.1
micro-USB 2.0
USB OTG
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, BDS
Fingerprint scanner
Android 7.1.1 Nougat w/ ZenUI
5,000mAh non-removable battery
Deepsea Black, Sunlight Gold, Rose Pink

Cloudfone Next

This is a smartphone from a local brand with a good CPU and GPU. It has a Snapdragon 430 partnered with Adreno 505 GPU. It also has a 4GB RAM as well so you won’t have problems with its gaming performance. It is priced at Php9,999 (see price listing here)

Cloudfone Next specs:
5.2-inch Full HD IPS display, 423ppi
2.5D Gorilla Glass 3
1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core CPU
Adreno 505 GPU
4GB RAM
32GB internal storage
up to 128GB via microSD
16MP Samsung S5K3P3 ISOCELL sensor w/ PDAF, LED flash
8MP front BSI camera
Dual-SIM
4G LTE
WiFi
Bluetooth
GPS, A-GPS
Fingerprint scanner
USB OTG
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
3,000mAh battery w/ Quick Charge
148 x 72.4 x 9.5

And there you have it. Let us know in the comments below what you think of our short list.