Table of Contents
A lot of readers ask, “Can you list down gaming smartphones under 20k?”
This list is comprised of smartphones that are, as what the title suggest, good for gaming. We will base primarily from its GPU, CPU, and RAM since Battery and Display are the least concerns of some users.
Note: Smartphones included in this list ranges from Php15,000 – Php20,000 since we already made a 15k Gaming smartphone list here, and 10k gaming smartphone here. We will also be implementing a “1 smartphone per brand” policy in this list.
Let’s begin! But first, we will be mentioning some smartphones that haven’t made its way yet in the 15k gaming smartphone list since it has been just released recently.
Huawei Nova 2i
The recently-released Huawei Nova 2i features a Kirin 659 CPU along with its Mali-T830 GPU. These combo provide a decent gaming potential under the 15k price range. Its large screen size with 18:9 aspect ratio also give users a good viewing and gaming experience. It is also powered with 4GB RAM which caters almost every application that is memory hungry. It is priced at Php14,990 and is available on Huawei stores.
Huawei Nova 2i specs:
5.9-inch 18:9 IPS display @ 2160 x 1080 pixels
2.5D Curved Glass Display
2.36GHz Huawei Kirin 659
Mali T830 GPU
4GB RAM
64GB storage
expandable via microSD up to 256GB (uses SIM2)
16MP+2MP rear cameras with LED Flash
13MP+2MP front cameras
4G VoLTE
Hybrid Dual-SIM (nano+nano/microSD)
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS, GLONASS
NFC
Fingerprint Scanner
Huawei EMUI 5.1 (Android 7 Nougat)
3,340mAh Li-Ion battery
156.2 × 75.2 × 7.5mm
164 grams
Motorola G5s Plus
The Moto G5s Plus was launched yesterday and it already made quite a buzz in the community for having good specs. It has a Snapdragon 625 chipset with an Adreno 506 GPU. To top it off, it has a 4GB RAM and a 3,000mAh battery with Turbo Charging, allowing you to easily play again after charging it for a small amount of time. It is priced at Php14,990 and is now available at any authorized dealers nationwide.
Moto G5S Plus Specs:
5.5-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080 IPS Display @ 401ppi, with Corning Gorilla Glass 3
2.0GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 Octa-Core processor
Adreno 506 GPU
4GB RAM
32GB storage
up to 128GB via microSD
Dual 13MP rear camera, f/2.0, Dual LED flash, 8X digital zoom, active viewfinder, depth editing software
8MP with wide-angle lens front camera, f/2.0
Dual-SIM on select models
LTE
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Fingerprint scanner
Water repellent nano-coating
Android 7.1.1 Nougat
3,000mAh battery with TurboPower charger
153.5 x 76.52 x 9.5 mm
168 g
Lunar Grey, Blush Gold
And now, for the main event. Let’s see which ones made the list!
Huawei Honor 8
The Huawei Honor 8 has been around earlier this year. It has a Kirin 950 chipset with Mali T880 GPU which is very much viable for gaming. It also has a 4GB RAM and a 3,00mAh. It is priced at Php15,550 (see price listing here)
Honor 8 specs:
5.2-inch full HD IPS display @ 1920×1080 pixels, 423ppi
HiSilicon Kirin 950 2.3GHz octa-core CPU
Mali-T880MP4 GPU
4GB LPDDR4 RAM
32GB storage
Expandable via microSD (Uses SIM 2)
Dual-12MP (monochrome + color) rear camera, f/2.2, 1/25-micron pixel
8MP front camera, f/2.4
4G LTE
Dual-SIM (Asian variant)
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS, A-GPS support
Infrared port
Fingerprint scanner
Gyroscope sensor
Android 6.0 Marshmallow w/ EMUI (Chinese ROM), upgradeable to Nougat
3,000mAh non-removable Li-Po battery
145.5 x 71 x 7.5 mm (dimensions)
153 grams (weight)
OPPO F3
The OPPO F3 has been around since May. Its main feature is the dual-front camera setup which gives users good selfie experience. It has a MediaTek 6750 chipset with a Mali T860 GPU. A 4GB RAM and a 3,200mAh battery is also equipped on the smartphone. It is priced at Php15,990 (see price listing here)
OPPO F3 specs:
5.5-inch In-Cell IPS LCD display @ 1920 x 1080 pixels, 401ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
MediaTek MT6750T 1.5GHz octa-core CPU
Mali T860 GPU
4GB RAM
64GB internal storage
Expandable via microSD, up to 128GB
13MP PDAF rear camera w/ LED flash
16MP + 8MP 120-degree wide-angle front cameras
Dual SIM (Nano + Nano)
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.1
GPS w/ A-GPS
Fingerprint scanner
Android 6.0 Marshmallow with ColorOS 3.1
3200mAh non-removable battery
75.2 x 153.3 x 7.3 mm (dimensions)
153 grams (weight)
Meizu Pro 6
The Meizu Pro 6, despite being released last year, still has good specs in it. It has a Helio X25 chipset equipped with Mali T880 GPU. It has a 4GB RAM with a 2,560mAh battery with mCharge 3.0. It is priced at Php15,991 (see price listing here)
Meizu Pro 6 specs:
5.2-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display @ 1920 x 1080 resolution with 3D Press
2.5GHz MediaTek Helio X25 deca-core processor
Mali T880 GPU
4GB RAM
32GB/64GB internal storage
Expandable up to 128GB via microSD
21MP Sony IMX230 rear camera w/ 10-LED ring flash
5MP front camera
Fingerprint sensor
Dual SIM
USB Type-C
2560mAh battery with mCharge 3.0
7.25mm thick
160 grams
Android 6.0 with Fyme 5.5
Dark gray, silver, red, gold, and rose gold
HTC U Play
The HTC U Play is like the smaller and lite version of the HTC U Ultra but still packs a punch when it comes to gaming capabilities. It has a Helio P10 chipset with Mali T860 GPU which can be used for mid-heavy graphics games. It also has a 4GB RAM but its downside, though, is its 2,500mAh battery. For users who don’t mind its low battery life performance, you can get this one since it offers other good features as well. It is priced at Php17,180 (see price listing here)
HTC U Play specs:
5.2-inch Full HD Super LCD display
Corning Gorilla Glass
MediaTek Helio P10 octa-core CPU
Mali T860 GPU
4GB RAM
64GB storage
up to 2TB via microSD (uses SIM 2 slot)
16MP rear camera, 1um pixels, OIS, PDAF, f/2.0 aperture, dual-tone flash
16MP front camera, 1um pixels, Ultrapixel mode, f2.0 aperture
Dual-SIM (hybrid)
4G LTE
FDD: Bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28
TDD: Bands 38, 40
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
DLNA, Miracast
Bluetooth 4.2
NFC
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Beidou
Fingerprint sensor
USB 2.0 Type-C
Dual-mic w/ Noise Cancellation
Android 7.0 Nougat w/ HTC Sense
2,500mAh
145.99 x 72.9 x 3.5 ~ 7.99 mm
145 g
Vivo V7 Plus
Vivo hasn’t backed out from the fight since with its 18:9 aspect ratio smartphone called V7 Plus. It carries a Snapdragon 450 chipset with its Adreno 506 GPU. With this, its gaming potential is on par with the Snapdragon 625 which carries the same GPU. Other than that, it has a 5.99-inch screen size with a 1440 x 720 resolution and a 3,225mAh battery. It is priced at Php17,990 and is available in any authorized dealers nationwide.
Vivo V7+ specs:
5.99-inch 1440 x 720 FullView display, 267ppi
84.4% screen-to-body ratio
Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 octa-core CPU
Adreno 506 GPU
4GB RAM
64GB internal storage
up to 256GB via dedicated microSD card slot
16MP OV16880 f2.0 rear camera w/ LED flash
24MP f/2.0 front camera w/ Moonlight Glow
Dual-SIM (nano)
4G LTE
Dual-band WiFi
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
USB OTG
FM Radio
Fingerprint scanner
Face ID
AK4376A Hi-Fi Audio Chip
Funtouch OS 3.2 (Android 7.1 Nougat)
3,225mAh battery
155.87 x 75.74 x 7.7 mm
160 g
LG Q6+
The LG Q6+ is the company’s 18:9 smartphone and dubbed as the “baby G6”. It has a Snapdragon 435 with Adreno 505 GPU which is actually sitting on low-mid tier smartphones but nevertheless, user’s gaming quality is enhanced with its 2160 x 1080 resolution and slim bezel design. It also has a 4GB RAM and a 3,000mAh battery. It is priced Php18,228 (see price listing here)
LG Q6+ specs:
5.5-inch 18:9 FHD+ FullVision Display @ 2160 x 1080 pixels (442ppi)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 1.4GHz octa-core processor
4 x ARM Cortex A53 1.4GHz + 4 x ARM Cortex A53 1.1GHz
Adreno 505 400MHz GPU
64GB internal storage
4GB LPDDR3 RAM
13MP AF Rear camera, 1080p @ 30fps
5MP Wide-Angle front camera
4G/LTE Cat. 7
WiFi 802.11bgn/ac, Dual Band
Bluetooth 4.2
NFC
GPS with A-GPS support, GLONASS
Android 7.1.1 Nougat
3,000mAh Li-Po battery
142.5 x 69.3 x 8.1mm (dimensions)
149 grams (weight)
Astro Black, Ice Platinum, Terra Gold
ASUS Zenfone 4 (SD 630)
The ASUS Zenfone 4 is the titular character of the company’s line-up for this year’s Zenfone 4 series. It has another variant but its price range is above 20k. This smartphone has a Snapdragon 630 chipset with an Adreno 512 GPU. Its gaming potential is without a doubt already good for its price range. It also has a 4GB RAM with 3,300mAh battery. ZF4 SD630 variant is priced at Php19,500 (see price listing here)
ASUS Zenfone 4 (SD630) specs:
5.5-inch Super IPS display @ 1080 x 1920 pixels (401ppi)
Corning Gorilla Glass
64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 630
Adreno 512
4GB RAM
64GB internal storage
Expandable up to 2TB via microSD (uses SIM 2 slot)
12 MP f/1.8 Sony IMX362+ 8MP wide-angle dual rear cameras: OIS 4-axis, Dual Pixel PDAF with dual-LED flash
8MP f/2.0 front camera
Dual-SIM (nano)
4G LTE
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 5.0
NFC
GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BDS
Fingerprint scanner
USB Type-C
ASUS ZenUI 4.0 (Android 7.0 Nougat)
3300mAh non-removable battery
155.2 x 75.2 x 7.5 mm
165 g
Moonlight White, Mint Green, Star Black
Lenovo Moto Z Play
This is the toned-down sibling of the Moto Z. It has a Snapdragon 625 chipset with an Adreno 506 GPU which can already be considered a standard for mid-range smartphones since it gives good overall performance and gaming potential. It also has a 3GB RAM and a 3,510mAh battery. It is priced at Php19,990 (see price listing here)
Motorola Moto Z Play specs:
5.5-inch AMOLED display @ 1080 x 1920 pixels
2.0GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core CPU
Adreno 506 GPU
3GB RAM
32GB internal storage
Expandable via microSD card
16MP Laser AF rear camera w/ dual-tone LED flash
5MP front-facing camera w/ LED flash
4G LTE
Wi-Fi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 4.1
GPS w/ A-GPS
Fingerprint scanner
USB Type-C
3,510mAh battery
Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
156.4 x 76.4 x 7 mm
165 g
OnePlus 3T
Another smartphone with good specs is the OnePlus 3T which sports a Snapdragon 821 chipset and Adreno 530 GPU. We should also note that it has achieved a 162,101 Antutu benchmark score which is exceedingly high compared to other smartphones included in this list. This can be considered as one of the most powerful devices that is under the 20k price bracket. It has a whopping 6GB RAM with a 3,400mAh battery with Dash Charge technology. It is priced at Php19,990 (see price listing here)
OnePlus 3T specs:
5.5-inch Full HD Optic AMOLED display, 401ppi
2.35GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 quad-core CPU
Adreno 530 GPU
6GB LPDDR4 RAM
64GB
16MP Sony IMX298 PDAF rear camera w/ OIS, LED flash
16MP front-facing camera
Dual-SIM (Nano)
4G LTE Cat.6
WiFi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 4.2
NFC
GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou
USB 2.0 Type-C
Fingerprint sensor
Dirac HD Sound
OxygenOS (Android 6.0 Marshmallow)
3,400mAh battery w/ Dash Charge (5V, 4A)
152.7 x 74.7 x 7.35 mm
158 g
Samsung Galaxy J7 Plus
The J7 Plus is Samsung’s second smartphone that has a dual rear camera setup. It has a Helio P20 chipset with Mali T880 GPU. For anyone who’s wondering, imagine that the Huawei GR5 2017 has a Mali T830 GPU and it has little to no stutters when playing NBA 2K16 set at a high setting. This just means that the GPU of this smartphone has a better gaming potential than the GR5 2017. It has a 4GB RAM with 3,000mAh battery. It is priced at Php19,990 and is available in Samsung stores and Home Credit.
Samsung Galaxy J7+ specs:
5.5-inch Full HD sAMOLED display @ 1920 x 1080px, 401ppi
2.5D Glass Protection
2.39GHz MediaTek Helio P20 octa-core
Mali T880 GPU
4GB RAM
32GB internal storage
expandable via microSD up to 256GB
13MP f/1.7 + 5MP f/1.9 rear cameras
16MP f/1.9 front camera
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11/b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS with aGPS support
Bixby assistant
Fingerprint scanner
Facial recognition
TouchWiz (Android 7 Nougat)
3,000mAh battery
Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
Sony is known for its good build quality with powerful camera setups. In this case, this smartphone is also good for its gaming potential since it equipped with Helio P20 chipset and Mali T880 GPU. A 6-inch screen display can also be found on this smartphone along with its 4GB RAM and 2,700mAh battery with Qnovo Adaptive charging. One of this device’s downsides is its low battery capacity but nevertheless, still a good gaming smartphone. It is priced at Php19,990 (see price listing here)
Sony Xperia XA1 specs:
6-inch Full HD display w/ Image Enhance Technology
2.3GHz MediaTek Helio P20 octa-core CPU
Mali T880 MP2 900MHz GPU
4GB RAM
32GB/64GB storage
expandable microSD up to 256GB
23MP 1/2.3 Exmor RS rear camera w/ Hybrid AF, SteadyShot, LED flash
16MP 1/2.6 Exmor R AF front camera, SteadyShot, OIS
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.1
GPS, A-GPS
Android 7.0 Nougat
2,700mAh battery w/ Qnovo Adaptive Charging
165 x 79 x 8.1mm
Rainbow White, Black, Pink, and Gold
Xiaomi Mi 5S Plus
Xiaomi is one of the crowd-favorite brands. It has a Snapdragon 821 chipset with an Adreno 530 GPU. It also received a 119,311 score from Antutu which is already considered as high-end. We can safely say that this is one of the most powerful smartphones in this list right now. It also has a 4GB RAM with 3,800mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 technology. It is priced at Php19,990 (see price listing here)
Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus specs:
5.7-inch IPS LCD @ 1920 x 1080 pixels, 386ppi
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor
Adreno 530 GPU
4GB RAM
64GB internal storage
Dual 13 MP Sony rear camera w/ dual-tone LED flash
4MP front-facing camera
4G+
Wi-Fi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 4.1
GPS w/ A-GPS
NFC
USB Type-C
Fingerprint scanner
3800mAh battery w/ Quick Charge 3.0
Android 6.0 Marshmallow with MIUI 8
There you have it! Do you agree with our list? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
