Fact: The Philippines has one of the longest Christmas seasons in the world, with festivities starting as early as September and drawing to a close four months later.

It is in our nature. We Filipinos love to celebrate; it’s one way to reconnect or get together with family and friends. And while we know that the best gift is something money can’t buy, most of us show our appreciation to loved ones through gift-giving, especially during this time of the year. We also tend to reward ourselves for what we’ve accomplished the whole year round.

If you are thinking of giving a gadget to someone or to yourself, you may want to consider a Huawei phone. Huawei devices have been known to pack fantastic features at prices that don’t break the bank. No wonder the company has easily elbowed its way to the No. 2 position in the global smartphone ranking.

Here are the models we recommend you check out.

For the creative executive: P40,990 ($778) Huawei Mate 20 and P49,990 ($949) Mate 20 Pro

Huawei has outdone even itself with the Mate 20 series. With a powerful 7nm chip that represents a generational leap for the tech giant and triple rear cameras that make capturing more artistic shots possible, as we’ve shown in this article and in this video, you can let your creative juices flow and allow the phone to take care of the rest. What’s more, the content you create can easily be shared on a bigger screen through wireless projection.

SEE ALSO: Huawei Mate 20 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 9: Battle between Android’s finest

If you ever find yourself out for quite some time during long workdays or by yourself playing games during your downtime, you won’t have to worry that your Mate will run out of power; the batteries are rated at up to 4,200mAh, after all. The Pro version can even be used to charge other phones wirelessly. But even if the battery does reach dangerously low levels, it’s nice to know that it can get to 70-percent battery capacity in just 30 minutes.

Huawei Mate 20 specs

• 6.53-inch LCD display, 2,244 x 1,080 resolution
• Octa-core Kirin 980 processor
• 4GB/6GB RAM
• 128GB expandable storage (via nano SD card)
• Triple rear cameras with Leica lens and LED flash (12MP main camera, 16MP ultra-wide camera, 8MP telephoto camera)
• 24-megapixel front camera
• Fingerprint sensor (rear-mounted)
• 4,000mAh battery with 40-watt fast charging
• Android 9.0 Pie

Huawei Mate 20 Pro specs

• 6.39-inch OLED display, 3,120 x 1,440 resolution
• Octa-core Kirin 980 processor
• 6GB RAM
• 128GB expandable storage (via nano SD card)
• Triple rear cameras with Leica lens and LED flash (40MP main camera, 20MP ultra-wide camera, 8MP telephoto camera)
• 24-megapixel front camera with 3D system for face unlock
• Fingerprint sensor (in-display)
• 4,200mAh battery with 40-watt fast charging
• Android 9.0 Pie

For the passionate photographer: P30,990 ($588) Huawei P20 and P40,990 ($778) P20 Pro

Nine months since their launch, and they still haven’t been kicked out of the top 10 camera phones listed on image-quality-ranking tool DxOMark’s site. This speaks highly of the strength of Huawei’s partnership with German optics firm Leica.

The top-rated P20 Pro’s triple-camera system on the back — a true market first — pairs a 40-megapixel color camera with a 20-megapixel monochrome one for extra detail and an 8-megapixel telephoto shooter that allows magnification up to 3x with optical zoom. Low-light ISO is impressive at up to 102,400, higher than what some modern professional cameras can manage.

READ ALSO: iPhone XS Max fails to unseat Huawei P20 Pro in camera rankings

On the regular P20 is a 20-megapixel black-and-white sensor with f/1.6 aperture and a 12-megapixel RGB sensor with f/1.8 aperture.

Needless to say, any one of these two is a must-have for every mobile-photography enthusiast.

Huawei P20 specs

* 5.8-inch LCD display; 2,244 x 1,080 resolution (18.7:9)
* HiSilicon Kirin 970
* 4GB RAM
* 128GB expandable storage
* Dual rear cameras (12MP color + 20MP monochrome) with dual-tone LED flash
* 24-megapixel front camera
* 3,400mAh battery
* Fingerprint sensor
* Android 8.1 Oreo

Huawei P20 Pro specs

* 6.1-inch OLED display; 2,244 x 1,080 resolution (18.7:9)
* HiSilicon Kirin 970
* 6GB RAM128GB expandable storage
* Triple rear cameras (40MP color + 20MP monochrome + 8MP telephoto) with dual-tone LED flash
* 24-megapixel front camera
* 4,000mAh battery
* Fingerprint sensor
* Android 8.1 Oreo

For the fashion-forward prosumer: P15,990 ($304) Huawei Nova 3i and P25,990 ($493) Nova 3

The stylish glass design, the back glass seamlessly connecting to the metal, plus colors that go from classic white and black to striking red and a bold gradient that mixes deep shades of blue and purple. These Nova smartphones are stars in their own right.

But make no mistake, beyond their Instagram-worthy looks are internals that are beefed up to give you a taste of the flagship experience. This is especially true for the Nova 3 with its fast and AI-enabled Kirin 970 processor, the same chip that powers the P20 and Mate 10 series devices.

SEE ALSO: Huawei Nova 3i review: Brilliant in almost every way

The fun factor is on a different level as well, with artificial intelligence coming into play in the handsets’ four cameras. The front-facing setup can recognize eight kinds of portrait backgrounds. Plus there’s a new beauty algorithm, 3D Portrait Lighting, 3D Qmoji, HDR Pro, and 360-degree face unlock. The rear cameras, on the other hand, can identify 22 objects and sceneries. Just point and shoot, shoot, shoot. No need to get worked up about storage; the internal storage is sizable at 128GB.

Huawei Nova 3i specs

* 6.3-inch display, 2,340 x 1,080 resolution (19.5:9)
* Octa-core Huawei Kirin 710 processor clocked at 2.1GHz
* Mali-G51 GPU
* 4GB RAM
* 128GB expandable memory
* Dual 16- and 2-megapixel rear cameras (AI)
* Dual 24- and 2-megapixel front camera (AI)
* Fingerprint sensor (rear-mounted)
* 3,340mAh battery
* Android 8.1 Oreo-based EMUI 8.2

Huawei Nova 3 specs

* 6.3-inch display, 2,340 x 1,080 resolution (19.5:9)
* Octa-core Huawei Kirin 970 processor
* Mali-G72 MP12 GPU
* 6GB RAM
* 128GB expandable memory
* Dual 24- and 16-megapixel rear cameras (AI)
* Dual 24- and 2-megapixel front camera (AI)
* Fingerprint sensor (rear-mounted)
* 3,750mAh battery
* Android 8.1 Oreo-based EMUI 8.2

For the first-jobber: P12,990 ($247) Huawei Y9 2019

Not everyone needs all the bells and whistles that come with flagship smartphones. For the younger set who’s after a big battery and a sizable screen, the Y9 2019 is a fantastic option for the value it offers.

READ ALSO: Huawei Y9 2019 review: A heavyweight with a lightweight price

The device’s 4,000mAh battery should last you more than a day between charges on most occasions, so you can focus on the tasks ahead and not on whether your phone can keep up with your now-busier lifestyle. And the 6.5-inch display is perfect for media — games included for those times you just need to unwind — but is still comfortable to hold with one hand.

Huawei Y9 2019 specs

* 6.5-inch LCD display, 2,340 x 1,080 resolution (19.5:9)
* Octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 710 processor
* 4GB
* 64GB expandable memory
* Dual 16- and 2-megapixel rear cameras with LED flash
* Dual 13- and 2-megapixel front cameras
* Face unlock
* Fingerprint sensor (rear-mounted)
* 4,000mAh battery
* EMUI 8.2 based on Android 8.1 Oreo

For the hardworking student: P5,990 ($114) Huawei Y6 2018

This budget blower is ideal for students, whose major concern should be studying anyway.

A great choice for first-time smartphone users, the Y6 2018 rocks an extra-tall 5.7-inch HD display with an 18:9 aspect ratio — something that most handsets in the bargain basement do not offer. In the aesthetics department, it doesn’t look like a sub-P6,000 device, what with its attractive design and slim bezels surrounding the screen.

SEE ALSO: Huawei Y6 2018 vs Samsung Galaxy J2 Pro (2018) vs OPPO A71 (2018)

This Huawei model already runs Android Oreo and features decent cameras coupled with an in-device camera app that includes some basic AR effects for fancier pictures.

Huawei Y6 2018 specs

* 5.7-inch IPS LCD display, 1,440 x 720 resolution (18:9)
* Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor
* 2GB RAM
* 16GB built-in memory
* MicroSD card, up to 256GB
* 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash
* 5-megapixel front camera with LED flash
* 3,000mAh battery
* Android 8.0 Oreo (EMUI 8.0)

Deals made sweeter

It’s the perfect time to get any of our recommendations above because until January 15, 2019, every purchase of select Huawei models comes with freebies. For the Mate 20 Pro, there’s a wireless charger worth P3,990 ($76). The Mate 20 and Nova 3 series are bundled with a free outdoor speaker priced at P2,990 ($57). The P20 lineup, Y9 2019, and Y6 2018, on the other hand, come with a P1,490 ($28) body-fat scale, a P1,490 ($28) Puredea speaker, and a P499 ($9) phone case, respectively.

Even better, Huawei has recently entered into a partnership with non-bank, consumer-finance group Home Credit, so those who don’t have a credit card can apply for a loan with fast approval and wide availability. You can go to any Huawei concept store in the Philippines, and in 10 minutes, you can walk out with your favorite phone without shelling out cash. You’ll enjoy 0 percent down payment and as low as 4.45 percent interest rate for a 9-12-month period.

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