MANILA, Philippines – Chinese phone maker Xiaomi has launched a new budget phone, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5, for P11,990.

The phone will be available on May 15. 

The phone features a Snapdragon 636 chip, also found in the Asus Zenfone 5, the Zenfone Max Pro M1, and allegedly, the Nokia X. (WATCH: The new ASUS ZenFone 5 unveiled)

The Note 5, pictured below, is cheaper than the Zenfone 5, which launched for P19,990, but is slightly more expensive than the Zenfone Max Pro M1 based on international prices. The M1 is unreleased in the Philippines. The Nokia X is expected to be more expensive than the Note 5, with prices nearing that of the Zenfone 5’s. (READ: Nokia 2 lands in PH for P5,290)

John Chen, Xiaomi’s overseas business development manager, at the launch in Makati, Friday, May 11, touted the phone’s “flagship-level” dual camera, boasting of its electronic image stabilization, camera pixel size equivalent to the Samsung Galaxy S9’s, and dual pixel autofocus.

He also showed several impressive-looking comparisons with photos taken using flagship phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S9 and the iPhone X, such as the ones below:

Chen also touted the phone’s “flagship-level AI front camera,” which comes with a high-dynamic range (HDR) feature and beautification processing that, aside from the usual skin-smoothing and face-slimming, includes nose bridge heightening. (READ: Samsung unveils Galaxy S9, announces starting price of P45,990)

Chen compared the Note 5 to the Huawei Nova 2i, the Oppo F5, and Asus Zenfone 5 during his presentation, as seen below. Huawei also has the cheaper Huawei Nova 2 lite in its stable, which launched at P9,990. 

The phone also has a 4,000 mAh battery, 4GB RAM, 64GB of storage with microSD expansion, 4G dual-sim, and a 5.99-inch full HD display. 

At the same event, Xiaomi launched its flagship, the Mi Mix 2S. – Rappler.com