Don’t be too fast to dismiss these top 5 local mobile brands! Despite being manufactured locally, these brands guarantee quality, affordability, and accessibility.
Which brands are we talking about? Read on to find out!
What goes on your mind when you hear the words “local brand”? More often than not, we Filipinos set it aside to mean something of inferior quality and taste. Even in the technology and mobile industry, we’re hesitant to patronize local mobile brands; instead, we’re forever gunning for latest Apple or Samsung releases.
But here’s the happy truth: our mobile industry is booming and there are proudly local brands out there with releases that will make us cry #pinoypride tears.
Aside from sporting top-of-the-line smartphones, it doesn’t hurt that these local mobile brands are easy on the pockets as well.
MyPhone
It’s hard to imagine that MyPhone started more than 10 years ago when smartphones are not yet a main staple in an average person’s life. But even back then they were front-runners in the realm of locally made phones. Their motto? “Filipino phone for Filipino users.”
It is in this light that MyPhone became one of the first local mobile brands to ever introduce the dual SIM feature in the Philippine market.
Fast forward to 2018, MyPhone has released a wide range of gadgets including Android phones, specialty phones, tablets, and even digital TVs! They even launched one of their newest models, the MyPhone MyX8 just this July. The 5.45-inch smartphone boasts of an 18:9 aspect ratio, 2GB of RAM, a 1.25GHz Quad-core MediaTek MT6739 CPU and a price tag of less than ₱5,000.
Read: 5 Best Dual Camera Smartphones under 15k
Cherry Mobile
Another long-running local mobile brand is Cherry Mobile. Since its inception in 2008, the brand held on to its core vision of “Everything for Everyone” by giving us gadgets that transcend ages and lifestyles without breaking the bank.
Among these are the first ever locally-made Android tablet, first-ever local LTE smartphones, powerbank phones (can you say “whaaaaat?!”), and even tri-SIM mobile phones!
Right now it seems the brand is busy expanding on its already-diverse lines of Android smartphones. From the looks of it, their more expensive offerings (gunning at around ₱3,799) are chock full of features that you’ll find on high-end brands. Their most affordable unit, on the other hand, Check out the list of available Cherry mobile units here.
Read: 5 Best Budget Smartphones Under 10k (June 2018)
Cloudfone
It can be said that affordability is one of the core values of Cellprime, the company behind Cloudfone. For them, creating quality gadgets is one thing but creating quality and affordable products is another.
And in the many years that it has been operating in the country, Cloudfone has definitely lived by that core value through their many gadget offerings. From tablets with TV (remember those?) to locally produced 4000mAh battery for smartphones, and with collaborations from different brands (Microsoft, MediaTek, Intel, Spotify, and even Disney), Cloudfone gave the Filipino consumers a wide range of affordable products for their everyday life.
Nowadays, Cloudfone can be seen experimenting on upper mid-range offerings with their Excite Prime 2 Pro (₱9,999 on Lazada) and the Next Infinity Plus (₱8,999). However, for those looking for more affordable offerings, they still have smartphones a little more than 2k and candy bar phones for less than 1k!
Starmobile
While relatively new, Starmobile came into the field with both guns blazing starting with a first-ever mobile device with a built-in Bluetooth headset. What followed is the fruition of a 15-year aspiration to create a local mobile brand that can go toe-to-toe with international giants.
Read: Top 5 Smartphones with 4GB RAM under 15k
And Starmobile definitely didn’t hold back. In just a span of a few years, the brand gave birth to a great many “firsts” in the industry. There’s the tablet that can receive a wide and diverse range of TV signals. They gave us android phones with wide camera lenses and front-facing flash. They’re the first to (locally) produce wireless-charging phones. And if you think a locally produced 4,000mAh phone battery is amazing, wait ‘til you see Starmobile’s 5,000mAh battery!
More importantly, your budget can go a long way with Starmobile. While they have recently released phones with heftier price tags of 20 to 25k (Starmobile Octa and Starmobile Knight X, respectively), you can still get a solid smartphone for less than 4k.
Torque
Probably one of the most affordable and accessible local mobile brand is Torque. While most brands offer a 3k to 4k smartphone as a quality starting point, Torque does so with a jaw-dropping less than ₱1,500.
This is because the main goal of Torque goes beyond simply providing affordable quality gadgets in the market. It goes beyond being a trailblazer in the field of mobile technology. Its goal is empowering the Filipino people.
Browsing through Torque’s online catalog, you will notice that the most expensive Torque offering is less than 5k. That’s some serious affordability right there! And with this amount of money, you already get a 4G capable smartphone with 5.5-inch HD LCD Display, with 1GB of RAM and 8GB expandable external memory.
Quite a catch for such a low price!
Nowadays, it’s not just the big boys of tech that can capture the market’s attention. More and more local brands are upping their games and offering a diverse collection of products that are easy on the budget. And now that you know of the few local mobile brands that are shaking the market, what do you think? Are you willing to give them a try?
Sound off in the comments below!
Awesome deals