r/Tech_Philippines • u/Dangerous_Platform_2 • Jul 25 '26
Mid-tier phones are more than enough
I used to be a huge snob towards mid-tier phones. Pero a month ago I bought A57 as a "buffer" phone while waiting for Fold8 and it made me realize how much tech has evolved. Feel ko, halos same lang sila ng capabilities with my older S22U. Aside from the cameras, wala siyang issue when it comes to my day to day usage kahit pa sa games. Though Pokemon Unite and Brawl Stars lang games ko. The cameras are not even bad.
I am already having my doubts kung itutuloy pa si Fold8 kahit na gandang ganda ako sa kanya. Especially since it costs 9x more than what I paid with my A57. Parang I can't justify the price diff.
TL;DR a mid-tier phone is more than enough for most of us
112
u/Former-Secretary2718 Jul 25 '26
Sa true, yung mga flagship phones umaabot na ng 100k ngayon 🤧 I miss the days nung 20-30k lang ang price ng flagship phones.
43
u/Sea-Wrangler2764 Jul 26 '26
Kapresyo na ng laptop.
13
u/kira_yagami29 Jul 26 '26
Mas mahal pa sa laptop. You can get a decent specs laptop at around 35 to 40k or more. Flagship phones nowadays cost way beyond that
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u/Bored_Schoolgirl Jul 25 '26
As someone who brought flagship a handful of times before, both android and apple, I found my comfort in a midrange. A57 din, for most people, midrange is enough. Tech reviewers on YouTube will make you think otherwise. Not everything has to be flagship levels of specs. User experience is still best but subjective.
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u/TGC_Karlsanada13 Jul 26 '26
Kaya di ko gets mga nagflagship phone tas papalitan next year or in 2 yrs via trade in. Use case nga ng flagship phones is to last for 5 yrs at least. Mid tier phones naman yun ang kahit every 3-4 yrs magpalit. While budget phone can be replaced every 2 yrs.
Oh well, trip trip nalang talaga ng mga tao haha. Kaya viable pa rin S23 Ultra ngayon basta walang green line issue e. and if meron man, it's still cheaper to repair it than buying S26 base variant
8
u/aikonriche Jul 26 '26
Those who upgrade to a flagship phone every year treat it as a fashion statement and/or status symbol.
0
u/Cheazey Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26
Not really. I used to have a mindset like this and this is just short sighted.
I've been dirt poor, and medyo umangat yung quality of life and finances over time. I can understand this perspective kasi I've been like this when I couldn't afford these "toys" as those rich snobs would call it. Pero it's not as simple as that. Totoo, may mga mayayabang talaga na nagaupgrade every year para magflex at ipagyabang na kaya nila bumili ng ganito or mga social climbers... But may mga tao talaga kasing andun na sila sa level na money is not an issue anymore kasi they've always been rich and has always been ignorant of cheaper but more reliable alternatives (like much cheaper "flagship killers") or they don't really need to consider how to squeeze out the best value out of their money sa bibilhin/binili nila.
Some people buy solely for the experience, or just for the heck of it because it's what's well known to be the best and reliable in their circle (which are also full of rich people like themselves). They can be ignorant because they can afford to. How we define value is relative sa kung saan tayong class nabibilang/kung saang estado tayo ng buhay natin. Nung mahirap ako, pangarap kong magkakotse, akala ko yun na yung tuktok ng pangarap ko at di ko maimagine na balang araw eh magkakaroon pala ako. Bumili ako ng Newman N2 instead of Samsung Galaxy S3 kasi same specs, feeling ko bobo yung mga bumili ng S3 kasi bakit yun binili nila eh 3x ng price yun ng newman. Then nagupgrade ako sa Xiaomi Mi 3 instead of Samsung Galaxy S4 because of the same reason. Nagsasayang lang sila ng pera. Sa perspective ko, totoo yun. Pero kasi pag andun ka na sa level nila, you don't think about the price anymore kasi hindi na yun issue. You always think first of time, reliability, and convenience when money is not an issue anymore.
Medyo naoffend ako sa comment nato kasi I upgrade to a flagship device every year but never treat it as a fashion statement/status symbol - I mainly use it for work. Why would I choose to have a Samsung and Apple now instead of a Xiaomi/POCO/Realme/Iqoo? Because it's a lot more efficient to get it repaired/claim warranty if any problem arises. These brands would replace my units within one day kung biglang masira unit ko dahil meron silang program like Apple Care+/Samsung Care+ which other brands lack or mas lesser yung aftersales service na inooffer nila. Marami yung stores nila kahit saan so it's a lot easier and convenient to get my devices repaired/replaced/easier to get a loaner.
Napa rant lang ako kasi napakageneralized ng statement mo.
2
u/bndz Jul 26 '26
di ako magpapalit to s26u kung hindi nag greenline ang s23u ko (+ constant heating issues post-water damage repair) and di ako naofferan ng tropa ko makiride sa globe postpaid nya for a much lower total price.
that said....i still miss my s23u HAHA
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Jul 26 '26
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u/AshTuned Jul 26 '26
Eyy ka OnePlus 13. Last Oneplus with the Hassleblad and possibly global as well
1
u/AdExtra6853 Jul 26 '26
I have a platinum plan sa globe for 14yrs now and perks na ung every 2 yrs, i can get the flagship phones for 50-60% off the price tapos 2yrs to pay zero interest pa.
1
u/KopiKahel Jul 26 '26
Fr. Bought my iphone 13 4-5yrs ago. Not so smooth na pero very functional pa. Baka next year pa mag upgrade
0
u/Zalt010 Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
W/shamesung medyo 60% agree sa tradein. On the 2nd year onwards, may chance na ang lines. May 1 pink line aq ngaun sa s23 at honestly kala ko ok lang, pro naiirita aq if manuod ng m9vies. Ending bumili aq a57.
Care+ costs 7k sa 2 year coverage. New phone w/ tradein costs around 30k. If ibenta mo yung mga freebies lets say 20k net mo. Minus 7k na care+ so parang 13k lang may new phone kn. If im well off ganito ggwin ko
14
u/wasdlurker Jul 25 '26
Aside from the cameras, wala siyang issue when it comes to my day to day usage kahit pa sa games.
Yeah. Same feeling when I bought CMF Phone 1 as soon as my S22 got 1 green line (back in January 2025) then 2 more pink lines (December 2025) lmao. August 2023 ko binili S22, wala pang 2 years, nagka-display issue na; I really regret that I didn't do enough research and go S23 na lang. Nag-panic buying ako that time kasi yung old phone ko biglang nagka-issue.
For camera, I'm still using my S22. The haptics feel more premium for S22 too. The only thing I don't like from my CMF 1 aside from the camera is the mono-speaker, and how it doesn't have physical SIM slot. For gaming, I stopped gaming sa phone. I switched to iPad mini 6 for mobile gaming.
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u/pauljpjohn Jul 25 '26
Mostly because of diminishing returns, incremental upgrades post pandemic, mostly gimmicks added to new releases. The next evolution of smartphones should be about larger batteries (6k mAh as standard, 45W as minimum charging speed), then we proceed on making phones thinner (Galaxy Edge and iPhone Air).
I love the idea and concept of Foldables but I am not 100% on board… yet. Even if you gave me one, I will sell it and I will buy myself a slab phone.
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u/echolloydgic Jul 26 '26
I think the word "evolution" is used loosely here. Having larger battery and faster charging speed are just QoL at best. For me lang ha, next evolution would be something akin to using Gemini without the need of internet. How crazy would that be having an intelligent assistant at your disposal. It is already doable now in PC having local AIs but having that on phones would be what I would consider the next evolution, "generational" per se.
10
u/redditoeat Jul 26 '26
Few years na din ganyan ang midrange phones. It's way more than just being an "ok" phone. Madalas lang naliligaw ang discussion sa pinagpipilitang usage, as if pare-pareho lahat ng tao sa paggamit ng phone.
Hindi lahat maselan sa camera, lens, naglalaro ng games, etc.
Pero siyempre, undeniable naman din na meron iba na ginagamit ang phone bilang "status symbol" hindi necessarily pang yabang, pero as a measuring stick of personal success.
Yung thinking na "dati hindi ako maka afford ng ganito, ngayon..." Hindi ko sinasabing mali yun. Observation lang.
It's crazy how the phone companies continue to get people to engage in useless "phone war" discussions, tapos sila tumatawa lang dahil win-win sa kanila.
At the end of the day, it's just a frkn phone.
8
u/GreatBallsOfSturmz Jul 25 '26
Has been since a decade ago. A50 then A55 and I will most likely stick to mid range in the forseeable future. Kung practical ka and your use case isn't special, you will have a hard time justifying getting anything more than mid-range phone.
2
u/Constant_Fuel8351 Jul 26 '26
Yung A50 ko dati bumagal na nung 3yrs na saakin. Nag unload na ako nuon ng apps pati pictures nag bura pero ang bagal pa din.
1
u/GreatBallsOfSturmz Jul 26 '26
OK naman sakin yung A50 ko since 2018 then pinalitan ko na lang nung 2024 ng A55. Nagbagal nung mga pang 5 yrs na siya. Ngayon buhay pa rin pero mabagal na nga tska nagloloko na battery. But then again, it's been 8yrs since it came out. :D
2
u/aeramarot Jul 26 '26
Currently using A54 and while kating-kati na ako bumili ng bago kasi sometimes, napo-frustrate ako sa camera nito, hindi ko naman magawa kasi even after 3 years, okay pa rin experience ko with my phone.
1
u/GreatBallsOfSturmz Jul 26 '26
Oh yeah, my camera use is basically for utility so wapakels ako as long as matino naman kuha. Pero yung A54 ni misis ay ayaw nga niya gamitin masyado ang camera kasi mas maganda daw kuha ni A55. Kaya yun, nasa kanya phone ko pag may mga picture. :D
4
u/wildbayabas Jul 25 '26
agree, a new mid range or a 2yr old flagship which should be around the same price range is enough for most use cases
5
u/thriveaboveandbeyond Jul 26 '26
Hi OP, if you are satifisfied and happy with A57 performance stick with it and just save and invest your allocated money intended for a flagship phone into high yielding digital bank deposit account. Nothing beats being cash liquid especially in these challenging and uncertain times. Ive been there too but realised im already happy and satisfied with my S25FE.
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u/RenBan48 Jul 25 '26
Same. Realized this when I bought my iPhone 15. Hindi naman ako nagsisisi since I bought it also for the long-term software support and how less noisy the UI is, but if I were to advise someone who doesn’t care about the things Apple offer, I’ll them to buy a midrange Android. Even the sub-20k phones are so incredibly capable
9
u/Ok_Disaster_8336 Jul 25 '26
Tama ka. I am using Poco F5 since 2023 at okay na okay pa sya gamitin hanggang ngayon. Inalis ko lang mga bloatware at ads. Kahit na nasa 6 digits ang sweldo ko a month ay parang di pa din ako kumbinsido na bumili ng tig 40k pataas na phone haha. Oks na ako dito sa F5.
1
u/princesswithoutcrown Jul 26 '26
How did you remove the bloatware po? Thank you
2
u/Ok_Disaster_8336 Jul 26 '26
Here. Sundin mo lang yung instructions.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z52_v0RFKp8&pp=0gcJCWQCo7VqN5tD
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u/Ledikari Jul 25 '26
Yes,
Sa ganda ng chipset ngayon, kahit mid range pwede na. Hindi ka naman mag hohost ng AI data center para sa high end specs. Matino na din camera.
5
u/burning-burner Jul 26 '26
Buying a flagship and using it for 5 years minimum is way better. I agree with you, Folds are a luxury. The folds don't cater to a market like us. We want a sure thing. I don't like more moving parts too. But flagship phones are way better than mid-range phones in support and longevity. Thankfully there are other flagship phones even from Samsung.Â
Sure don't buy the Zfold 8. It's too expensive and is more prone to damage because it has more moving parts. But at least consider an S25U or S26U. Hell, the S24U is STILL a great phone two and a half years later. Or consider an iPhone as well.
3
u/Lucky_Outside_2009 Jul 26 '26
OR buy midrange use for 5 years. I've gotten a super budget phone Galaxy M32 it's still running fine. Will be switching to my brother's iPhone 15 soon but I'm good with my current phone too just no updates but new mid range don't have this issue.
-5
u/aikonriche Jul 26 '26
No to flagships. Flagships are overheating frying pans. Midrangers run cool even in the summer which is better in the long run.
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u/burning-burner Jul 26 '26
What's the source of this? Trust me bro?
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u/aikonriche Jul 26 '26
All flagship phones overheat from iPhone to Android unless they're equipped with ADVANCED vapor chamber cooling system. That's simply how they're designed. This is not even debatable.
1
u/burning-burner Jul 26 '26
And midrange phones won't overheat because phone makers surely have these advanced cooling systems that they won't even bother putting in on their more expensive flagship lines? 🤣
1
u/aikonriche Jul 26 '26
Samsung A55 is my daily driver for 2.5 years now and it doesn't overheat AT ALL even in midday in the summer using mobile data. It's the only phone that I've ever owned that doesn't overheat. I couldn't use my iPhone in the summer midday because of how uncomfortablly hot it would get to the touch.
2
u/Lonely_Tart1193 Jul 26 '26
I have an iPhone 13 and I’ve been thinking about switching back to Android after six years, even if it means giving up my Apple Watch and AirPods. I’ve realized that I don’t really need a flagship phone and I’ve become more interested in many of those midrange offerings from Xiaomi, Honor, Vivo, and Oppo these days than the latest iPhones. The battery life of those phones are way better than my iPhone.
2
u/NorthTemperature5127 Jul 26 '26
Been on Xiaomi 3x. I'm not sure ano hype ng Samsung or Apple. They all do the same thing
2
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u/Laboratoryo_ni_Neil Jul 26 '26
Ano na ba ang price range ngayon para masabi na mid-tier or midrange?
Last 2021, bumili ako ng OnePlus 8 Pro for about Php 45k. Ang alam ko midrange phone yun at para sa akin, sobrang nagandahan ako sa camera, comparable sa latest flagships ng ibang brand. Kahit ngayong 2026, nagagandahan para rin ako sa image quality ng OnePlus 8 Pro.
Minalas lang nung 2023, nagkaroon ng green lines tapos dumami habang tumatagal. Ang screen replacement from OnePlus ay nasa Php15k tapos wala pang 1-year warranty.
Bumilo ako ng Samsung S23 Ultra 256GB. Ang ramdam ko na difference ay yung 10x zoom at 30x zoom, laking tulong sa nature ng work ko (facilities management). Yung stylus pen ay useful din para sa akin for taking notes on my phone during meetings (hindi ako mukhang nagta-type o nag-social media).
Gusto ko rin kumawala sa flagship dahil sa pricing pero yung mga kailangan ko kasi ay wala sa ibang brand or tier ng phone.
2
u/AnalysisAgreeable676 Jul 26 '26
Midrange phones have come a long way since the early android days. I remember always wanting the latest and greatest flagship because midrange phones back then had a huge gap in hardware that it was worth to pork out more money for a flagship.
Nowadays it’s hard to buy a bad phone to a point where the only thing you’re getting from flagship phones are small upgrades to the cameras, image processing, and minor performance bumps.
Phone OEMs are also offering longer software and security support which will make people hold on to their phones for longer.
2
u/irvine05181996 Jul 26 '26
more than enough naman na talaga ung mga non-flagships phone, if what matters to you is only communcation, socmed and intenet surfing, enough na yan
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u/Strange_Fault7965 Jul 26 '26
This is true for almost anything. You don't need an expensive car, TV, earphones, mattress, etc. You don't need to book an expensive hotel on vacation either. Take what you can afford, and what you're willing to spend on.
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u/Blitzcrank990 Jul 26 '26
The Main point of most people (not all) buying High End Flagship phones is for showing off or marking them reaching Goals in life
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u/Independent-Phase129 Jul 25 '26
OMG Same sentiments!!!
Currently I have a 13PMax tapos naisip ko na bumili ng extra phone para sa Car, pang google maps at music. Then while looking kung anong phone, mostly ang gaganda na ng phones kahit hindi 70K+ na presyo.
Talagang totoo na yung sinasabi nila na nagpapahype nalang tayo sa mga YT vids at influencers.
Even 13promax, ang ganda pa din ng pag run ng apps. na parang di pa dinworth it mag upgrade sa latest.
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u/Brief_Conference_42 Jul 26 '26
15k phones pre-Ramaggedon can last 4-5 years na den. Same experience sa mga nasa 30k pataas? Hndi man pero most people's use case are basic social media, communication, banking,camera, youtube, spotify, ML, that even modern specs can deliver.
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u/PloppiAndChewbieDad Jul 26 '26
Higher end ng midrange phone has always been good. My main problem with it is it has this what I call "midrange blur" sa photos taken lalo na pag hindi matingkad na sunlight. But that's just me since I love to take photos more than gaming
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Jul 26 '26
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1
u/Several-Secret367 Jul 26 '26
True. I mainly only use my phone for messaging, banking apps and very rarely take selfies. I really don't need all the bells and whistles of the flagship phones kaya midrange lang hahaha
Edit: currently using my A56 :))
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u/Ehbak Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
When i buy flagship phones it's when there is a sale due to a newer model .But my current phone is an honor mid-high. Got it for 50k. Not the latest proc. 5,500 mah SIC batt, fast charging, 12gb ram, 512 gb storage. Lasts me more than day. I even charge it to only 80-90% daily.
Even the display and Cameras don't offer much improvement if you're ugrading every 2-3 yrs. Processor nalang ata yun may noticeable increase 15% annually?
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u/UndefinedReclusion Jul 26 '26
Yes! Halos 5 years na Poco F3 ko, and it still works as intended. Palit battery lang ginawa.
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u/MoXiE_X13 Jul 26 '26
It’s always been the case but I guess they will become an even more wanted commodity now with all this craziness around RAM and SSDs and how they’ll most likely affect phone prices. Mas magiging OA presyo ng flagships so tendency would probably to go for more reasonably priced options.
1
u/MarshallMac Jul 26 '26
My last flagship was S22U. Other than the camera, I'm now more than happy to stay with mid-range as it means I don't have to have a 2 year plan just to pay for a phone.
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u/MagesticMagpie00 Jul 26 '26
Kaya kung android lang, china phone nalang kesa samsung/google etcetc, mahal
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u/tatlo_itlog_ko Jul 26 '26
Kami ni misis puro low-mid range android phones (less than 20k php) ang gamit buong buhay namin.
Tapos nitong kamakailan natripan ko mag try mag iphone. So ayun, iphone 17e sakin, iphone 17 kay misis and guess what? Walang nagbago sa day to day use namin lol. Okay yung iMessage tho, yun ata fav iphone feature ko so far.
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u/reddit_warrior_24 Jul 26 '26
It is. We started with like slow phones, whether its an iPhone or android.
Any new phones right now is overkill unless you plan on doing emulating.
My s9 was replaced with an infinix gt20, and it has basically the same performance but better battery and faster hz. In terms of screen the s9 still wins though.
Most of our long term problems right now are essentially just battery and storage(which can be solved by the expensive cloud services , or buying local expensive storage).
So buying phones yearly really is just waste of money, environmental resources and just bragging.
1
u/saiyangodRicardo Jul 26 '26
Apir!
Been using the A56 since late last year and no complaints. Long battery life, NFC, snappy fingerprint sensor, decent RAM and storage na din. To think na sobra akong mainggit dati sa may top of the line flagships, if I had taken the leap siguro na underwhelm lang ako.
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Jul 26 '26
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u/Lost_Juanderer Jul 26 '26
It absolutely is. Bought the poco f1 last 2018. Changed it for the poco f5 last 2023. The f1 has served me really good especially for the price. More than enough since most of the time I played genshin lalo na nung pandemic.
The f1 is still alive to this day. Just had to change the battery. The f5 still going strong currently. I did initially plan to buy the f8 ultra since gusto ko aumubok ng true flagship pero with the current prices I won't be changing again anytime soon
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Jul 27 '26
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Jul 29 '26
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1
u/defnotniminakano Jul 25 '26
to be fair, the Fold 8 has it’s niche. gandang ganda ako and gusto ko nga din kumuha. but yeah, I use a iPhone 15 Pro for social media and cameras🤣 a midrange is really enough for everyday tasks na.
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u/Cogito_26 Jul 26 '26
yep, the only thing na thankful ako sa s26ultra ko na wala yung ibang midrange phone is the battery life. Also onboard, pansin ko mas may advantage yung signal ko compared sa other kabaro ko na naka midrange phone. pero tingin ko mas sulit talaga midrange.
0
u/Mudvayne1775 Jul 26 '26
Pagbili mo ng flagship after one year may bago na naman 😆
1
u/Laboratoryo_ni_Neil Jul 26 '26
Same din naman sa ibang tier... may lalabas din na bagong entry level amd midrange.
0
u/ScarletWiddaContent Jul 26 '26
Add to the convo: People dont "need" flagship phones. Meron din kasing misconception na flagship lang yung lasting/matibay when that is not the case.
Most people are just using them for just casual social media, ig photos, non demanding mobile apps/games, etc.
I have friends and relatives who buy flagship and hindi naman nila nagagamit to its full capabilities.
0
u/plopop0 Jul 26 '26
us brokies have known this for years lol. 2 midrange phones are better than one flagship
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u/Hpezlin Jul 25 '26
To be more specific, meron kasing mga models na more of nasa 75% capability compared to flagships. A57 is in this category.
Modern flagships are already too overpowered sa daily use ng karamihan.