Phillip's Gerbil is known from the floor of the Rift Valley in Ethiopia and Kenya. Around Lake Abaya in southern Ethiopia, survey records placed it in dry scrubland.
The underside of the tail most often has pale hairs.
Around Lake Abaya in southern Ethiopia, the species was recorded only in dry scrubland across the survey seasons. The local scrub included seasonal herbs, shrubs, and Acacia.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.