In the world of tech, not all new phones are released in the Philippines. Many factors affect this, and one of the most important is market demand. Filipinos are known as price-conscious consumers, so when you add taxes and duties, the price increases even more, making some brands reluctant to release certain models here.
For many, the word “premium” is often synonymous with Apple. Thus, brands like Xiaomi and HONOR prefer to focus their resources on more affordable and popular lines like the Redmi Note or X-series, rather than competing in the ultra-premium segment. However, brands are continuously evaluating the Philippine market to see if it is viable to bring their flagship phones here.
For example, you have a phone with impressive specs: a powerful battery, good cameras, and it's globally released. But when it comes to announcing availability in the Philippines, we often don't include it in the list. This is what happened with the Find X9 Pro, as well as with some HONOR phones like the gaming-focused Win and Power2 with a 10080mAh battery. Even though Marques Brownlee made a video about the Power2, its global availability in the Philippines is still unclear.
According to Tomi Adrias, Head of Marketing of Xiaomi Philippines, the pricing and availability of their products is based on market analysis, consumer behavior, and purchasing power. He said: “We conduct in-depth assessments of local market dynamics, consumer behavior, purchasing power, and the broader competitive landscape. These insights enable us to optimize our pricing strategies and distribution plans, ensuring that our products remain accessible, relevant, and competitive.” Because of this, Xiaomi prefers to only release standard flagship models in the Philippines and focus on their Redmi Note series, which is most popular here along with the online-only POCO phones.
It's not just Xiaomi; OPPO, HONOR, and Samsung are also doing the same. For example, the OPPO Find X series was sold again in the Philippines after more than two years starting with the Find X8, while the HONOR Magic Pro series was only sold last year. Sometimes, high-end phones like the Samsung S25 Edge don't even come because brands know that Filipinos would prefer the Galaxy S Ultra. So, don't be sad if not all your favorite phones are released here—because brands are constantly market study, and they are gradually bringing some premium and midrange models if they see a target audience in the Philippines.
