Smartphones under Php10,000 have become more and more capable in the last few years, benefiting a lot of budget-phone hunters out there. Today, we’ll be comparing two of the most capable devices in this price range.
First, we have the Vivo T1x, one of the first in the T series to arrive in the Philippines. Vivo is trying to lure budget-conscious buyers with its fast display and powerful processor — all crammed in a device that doesn’t break the bank.
TECNO Mobile, a newcomer in the country, also wants a piece of the market share when they launched the Pova 3.
Like the former, this one is also big in numbers to try to offer you the most smartphone that the money can buy.
Now, the question is, which between the two is actually worth your money? We find out in our Vivo T1x versus TECNO Pova 3 specifications comparison. Let’s start.
| Vivo T1x | TECNO Pova 3 | |
| Operating System | Android 12 Funtouch 12 | Android 12 HiOS |
| Display | 6.58-inch FHD+ IPS 2408 x 1080 pixel resolution 401ppi 90Hz refresh rate | 6.9-inch FHD+ IPS 90Hz refresh rate |
| Processor | 2.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 octa-core | MediaTek Helio G88 Graphite cooling |
| RAM | 4GB | 6GB up to 11GB via virtual RAM expansion |
| GPU | Adreno 610 | Mali-G52 MC2 |
| Storage | 64GB expandable via microSD up to 1TB | 128GB expandable via microSD |
| Front Camera | 8-megapixel | 8-megapixel |
| Rear Camera | 50-megapixel (f/1.8, PDAF) 2-megapixel (macro) 2-megapixel (Depth sensor) LED flash | 50-megapixel 2-megapixel AI lens LED flash |
| Audio | Single loudspeaker Headphone jack | Stereo speakers DTS audio Headphone jack |
| Connectivity | HSPA+, 4G LTE WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band Bluetooth 5.0 GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BDS FM Radio USB Type-C | HSPA+, 4G LTE WiFi, WiFi hotspot Bluetooth GPS, A-GPS USB Type-C |
| Security | Side-mounted fingerprint scanner Face unlock | Side-mounted fingerprint scanner Face unlock |
| Others | – | LED back light (Electric Blue only) |
| Colors | Space Blue Gravity Black | Eco Black Tech Silver Electric Blue |
| Dimensions and Weight | 164.3 x 76.1 x 8mm 182g | – |
| Battery and Charging | 5,000mAh 18W fast charging | 7,000mAh 25W charging support 33W adapter included |
| Price | 4GB/64GB: Php8,999 | 6GB/128GB: Php8,999 6GB/128GB (Electric Blue): Php9,399 |
Design and Build Quality
Both the Vivo T1x and TECNO Pova 3 have their own unique designs, and it will be up to you to decide which one looks better.
However, the Pova 3 might have won this round due to one technicality. As you saw above, it comes in a special Electric Blue color, which comes with a special LED color strip on the back for that extra gamer-y look.
But even without it, the standard Eco Black and Tech Silver colors of the Pova 3 still offer a more edgy look compared to the T1x. This leads us to give the win to the TECNO device.
Winner: TECNO Pova 3
Display and Audio
Possibly an easy win for the Pova 3. While the T1x also has an FHD+ IPS panel with a fast 90Hz refresh rate, the TECNO device has a much larger 6.9-inches size, giving you more room for multitasking and making gaming and watching videos more immersive.
What’s more, it also boasts a stereo speaker setup for a complete entertainment experience. The Vivo settles for a single bottom-firing speaker.
Winner: TECNO Pova 3
Hardware and Performance
The TECNO Pova 3 sure looks more appetizing thanks to its bigger 6GB of RAM and even comes with virtual memory expansion that could reach up to 11GB for an extra performance boost. It also has twice the storage capacity at 128GB.
But if we’re talking about sheer power, there’s no denying that the newer Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 chipset of the Vivo T1x could provide more oomph compared to the aging Helio G88 CPU of the Pova 3.
Since you can easily purchase a microSD card to expand the storage and entry-level phones barely take advantage of 6GB of RAM anyway, we gotta hand the win to the T1x for this one.
Winner: Vivo T1x
Battery
A big win for the TECNO Pova 3. As you can see, it has a whopping 7,000mAh battery that is not too large just for this price range, but in pretty much any category. Meanwhile, the T1x settles for the standard 5,000mAh.
If that’s not enough, the Pova 3 also boasts 25W fast charging support and TECNO even threw in a 33W adapter in the box. The T1x only comes with an 18W brick.
Winner: TECNO Pova 3
Cameras
Both devices share the same sharp 50-megapixel main camera and an auxiliary 2-megapixel sensor. On the front, we have an 8-megapixel selfie snapper.
Related
The Vivo device managed to pull the win in this one, only thanks to the extra 2-megapixel sensor.
Winner: Vivo T1x
Conclusion
While the Vivo T1x comes with a more powerful processor, the TECNO Pova 3 obviously offers more features that make it a more compelling option for the price. It has a much larger screen, stereo speakers, edgy design with LED lights, more RAM and storage, and of course, an enormous battery that could easily last you for days.
All that while having the same price of Php8,999 as the Vivo T1x. Add Php400 to get that fancy Electric Blue color.
Winner: TECNO Pova 3