5 BEST smartphones for students and beyond under PHP 15K

The 2025–2026 school year recently kicked off in the Philippines, and smartphones have become essential for students to stay connected and streamline their tasks and projects.

Check our list of recommended phones for students

So, if you are still on a hunt for a new one but your budget is limited, here are some of our highly recommended capable officially available smartphones in the country under PHP 15K.

Read on.

5 BEST smartphones for students and beyond under PHP 15K

realme 14T 5G

1. realme 14T 5G - At PHP 14,999 SRP, the realme 14T 5G is a must-check device if actual battery life is your priority. The device uses a large 6,000mAh battery that can last up to 2 days on a single charge. After that, you can easily fill it with its safe USB-C 45W SUPERVOOC fast charging tech.

Other specs of the phone include a durable body with an IP69 dust and water resistance rating, a large 6-inch 6.67-inch 120Hz FHD+ AMOLED screen with an In-Display fingerprint sensor, power-efficient 6nm MediaTek Dimensity 6300 octa-core processor, 8GB RAM, 256GB internal storage, 50MP main shooter, 16MP selfie cam, and stereo speakers. It runs on Android 15 OS with realme UI 16.0 skin.

The phone's Mecha Design

2. nubia Neo 3 GT 5G - At PHP 12,999 SRP, the nubia Neo 3 is a gaming-focused, affordable mid-ranger. But, it is also a capable smartphone for schoolwork due to its large display and battery, as well as fairly snappy performance.

It is equipped with a better 6.8-inch OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and FHD+ resolution, a more powerful 2.2GHz 6nm UNISOC T9100 octa-core processor, 12GB RAM, 256GB internal storage, and a large 6,000mAh battery capacity with faster 80W Fast charging tech.

It also has a 4,083mm² Multi-Layer Heat Dissipation System to help manage the heat and keep its peak performance even while playing games. For cameras, it arrived with a 50MP main shooter and a 16MP selfie camera. This also has a stereo speaker setup.

POCO X7

3. POCO X7 - Starting at PHP 14,999 SRP for the 8GB/256GB version, the POCO X7 is one of the most capable phones for the price. 

To recap, the handset features an IP68 body with a 6.67-inch OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, 2712 x 1220 resolution, and an In-Display fingerprint reader.

It is powered by the 4nm MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Ultra octa-core processor, Mali-G615 MC2 GPU, 8GB LPDDR4X RAM, 256GB/512GB UFS 2.2, and a 5,500mAh battery with 45W fast charging via USB-C.

The device also has a 50MP main shooter, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, a 2MP macro camera, a 20MP selfie cam, an IR Blaster, and stereo speakers.

The MagCase with MagCharge cooler of the Infinix GT 30 Pro

4. Infinix GT 30 Pro - Speedwise, this is probably the best for the price. Starting at just PHP 13,999 (8GB/256GB), the Infinix GT 30 Pro boasts 

The device highlights a frosted back cover with IP64 rating and Mecha Light, which is available in Shadow Ash, Blade White, and special edition Dark Flare (Gaming Master Edition) colorways paired with a 6.78-inch Gorilla Glass 7i-protected AMOLED with 1.5K resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, an In-Display fingerprint reader, and a top-center punch-hole housing the 13MP f/2.2 selfie camera.

Under the hood, it uses the powerful 3.35GHz 4nm MTK Dimensity 8350 Ultimate chip with Mali-G615 MC6 GPU, 8GB/12GB LPDDR5X RAM, 256GB/512GB UFS 4.0 storage, and a 5,500mAh battery with a 45W USB-C charger, 30W wireless charging, and Bypass charging.

The device also has VC cooling and AI thermal detection for improved cooling when gaming, and 2x haptic GT shoulder triggers to assist players in their games by providing extra controls and combo shortcuts.

The handset also has a 108MP f/1.89 main shooter with AF + 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide snapper + rear dual flash and stereo speakers.

TECNO CAMON 40 Pro 5G cameras

5. TECNO CAMON 40 Pro 5G - Starting at PHP 12,999 SRP (8GB/256GB) up to PHP 14,999 (12GB/256GB), might be the top smartphone for students at this price point? Why? Having a phone with great cameras for photos and videos for school projects might really help with their studies.

To recap, the TECNO CAMON 40 Pro 5G is an affordable mid-ranger equipped with a strong Sony LYT-700C 1/1.56-inch large sensor with OIS. It is paired with an  8MP 114-degree ultra-wide-angle shooter with 3cm macro support and an AI Snap sensor supporting 1/10935s shutter speed. For selfies, it even has a 50MP 91.6-degree wide selfie camera with AF found on its top-center notch.

These cameras are good enough for taking crisp and impressive-looking images across different lighting situations, a rare feat at this price point.

This also has a FlashSnap button to easily capture fast-moving images in great quality, as well as the Universal Tone technology for accurate skin tone reproduction.

DxOMark gave this a Photo score of 146 points, the highest on its Global Photography Ranking under USD 600.

Back and front of the TECNO CAMON 40 Pro 5G

Moreover, the handset is packed with a durable body and capable overall specs for the price.

It arrived in "Swan Neck Aesthetics" design with a curved finish and IP68 and IP69 ratings for dust and water resistance, SGS 5-Star Certified 360-degree Drop Resistance, a slim 7.2mm profile, and is just 179 grams light, available in Galaxy Black, Emerald Lake Green, and Glacier White.

The handset is also equipped with a 6.78-inch AMOLED screen with a 144Hz refresh rate, crisp enough FHD+ 2436 x 1080 resolution, and an In-Display fingerprint reader.

Under the hood, it uses the 2.5GHz 4nm Dimensity 7300 Ultimate octa-core processor with Mali-G615 MC2 GPU, 8GB or 12GB RAM (up to 16GB Extended RAM), 256GB internal storage, and a large 5,200mAh battery capacity with 5 year battery health and USB-C 45W Super Charge which can charge the device from 0 to 100 percent in 43 minutes.

Other features of the phone include a stereo speaker setup, Dolby Atmos audio, WiFi, 5G, 4G LTE, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS, and dual SIM slots.

It runs Android 15 out of the box with Ella AI integrated with DeepSeek AI. TECNO claims that the phone will receive 3 years of major OS upgrades and 5 years of total Android updates.

The company also promises a 72-month lag-free performance with TÜV Rheinland certification.

CMF Phone 1

Honorable mention: CMF Phone 1, the device has an SRP of PHP 15,490 (8GB/128GB). But sometimes, you can get it for less at Digital Walker when on sale.

While it is not as good as the last 3 phones in this list, it has a customizable modular design, a 6.67-inch AMOLED 120Hz FHD+ screen. 4nm MediaTek Dimensity 7300 octa-core processor, 5,000mAh battery, USB-C 33W fast charging, 50MP main cam, and 16MP selfie cam.