HEN it was announced in August that the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL variant (click for complete specs) will retail at P34,995 (roughly $700) in the Philippines, we were dismayed by the pricing. After all, when the device was unveiled at Computex 2016 in May, the company said it would go on sale for $499 (about P25,000). Four months later, now that it’s finally here and we’ve used the smartphone for almost two weeks, we still feel the same way. Here’s why we think it’s not good value for money.
8 of the best Great Christmas Sale deals on Lazada
ALL us Santa’s little helpers. With Lazada Philippines holding its Grand Christmas Sale promo till December 12, 2016, as part of its Online Revolution activity, we scoured the site to look for the best gadget deals, so you won’t have to.
Starmobile’s MacBook clone sells for only P7,990 on Lazada
UNNY, but the latest Starmobile product that has caught our attention is not a smartphone. It’s a silver Windows 10 laptop the company calls the Starmobile Engage Aura. And it looks a lot like the Apple MacBook but sells for only P7,990 on Lazada Philippines starting today, December 7, until the 12th to coincide with the online store’s Grand Christmas Sale.
Bigger, better ASUS ZenFone 3 Max gets priced in PH
HE bigger, better variant of the 5.2-inch ASUS ZenFone 3 Max, the 5.5-inch ZC553KL, finally gets priced in the Philippines, about two weeks before its official release in the country.
OPPO Find 9, where art though?
S it coming soon, or is it not? There’s a story today quashing earlier reports saying that the OPPO Find 9, successor to the Find 7, will not be launched in the first quarter of 2017.
Vivo V5 now official in PH, takes on OPPO’s F1s
EMEMBER that selfie phone Vivo launched in India about a week ago? The one with the 20-megapixel front camera? Well, it’s finally official in the Philippines, with the release slated for November 26, 2016. And with a P12,990 suggested retail price, it seems to be gunning for the similarly priced OPPO F1s’ place in the local market.
Download Super Mario Run for free starting December 15th, but…
EMEMBER that one gaming-related announcement at the Apple iPhone 7 launch that made you take a walk down memory lane? Hold your breath! Nintendo has finally revealed that you can download Super Mario Run for iOS starting December 15 — for free!
When your phone will get Android Nougat
ATA collected by Google on the first week of November tells us the sorry state of Android. It turns out that Android Nougat, the latest version of the mobile operating system released on August 22, is installed on less than 0.4 percent of all Android devices. Most are still stuck on Android Lollipop.
LTE speed in PH improves, but still one of world’s slowest — report
IRELESS-COVERAGE mapping company OpenSignal’s latest State of LTE report is out. The good news? Data taken between July to September 2016 showed that average download 4G connection speed in the Philippines increased from 6Mbps in the fourth quarter of 2015 to 7.27Mbps this time. The bad news? We still lagged behind most other countries in the world.
Smart iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus postpaid plans revealed
week before the official Philippine launch of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus on November 11, Smart Communications has finally revealed its complete postpaid offerings for Apple’s latest smartphones. Globe Telecom had earlier posted its own postpaid plans.
New Huawei Mate 9 said to become faster the more you use it
HERE’S a newly launched large-screened smartphone that’s looking to fill the void left by the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. Meet the Huawei Mate 9, the smaller, 5.9-inch successor to last year’s 6-inch Mate 8.
Here are Globe’s iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus postpaid plans
few hours after Smart Communications put up its registration page for the Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, Globe Telecom’s reservation page went live, but with more info than you can find on Smart’s. It already shows how much your cash-out for each of the model is for every plan being offered by Globe.
Smart iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus registration page is up
OVEMBER is around the corner, and you know what that means for Apple fans for the past three years: A new iPhone is about to be launched in the Philippines. True enough, Smart Communications just put up their registration page for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, coincidentally on the day Apple announced a new MacBook Pro. You can register your interest on this page.
Xiaomi Mi MIX, the future of smartphones, is here
IAOMI dropped a bomb on us at the launch of the Mi Note 2 (click for full specs): It announced the Xiaomi Mi MIX, a concept product that could very well be the smartphone of your dreams. Except that unlike other concept devices which you won’t find in stores at any time soon, it will already be available starting November 4.
Note 7 owners may get Galaxy S8, Note 8 for half the price of S7, but…
AMSUNG Electronics Philippines marketing director Chad Sotelo has confirmed that the tech giant has an upgrade program for Galaxy Note 7 owners. Unfortunately, it’s being offered only in South Korea — for now.
The resurrection of Moto: Why it might be successful in PH this time
ATCHING the re-entry of Moto to the Philippine market is like witnessing the resurrection of a dearly departed — twice. Motorola Philippines, which had been in the country since 1979, ceased operations in 2009. It returned in July 2015 as a company now owned by Lenovo, but went silent early this year. This week saw its comeback, and Moto might just make it this time around.
OPPO R9s, R9s Plus are new ZenFone 3, ZenFone 3 Ultra contenders
HE ASUS ZenFone 3 and ZenFone 3 Ultra are facing new competitors with the launch of the OPPO R9s and R9s Plus, successors to the R9 — also known as the OPPO F1 Plus in the Philippines — and R9 Plus phones that were announced in March 2016.
Sony Xperia XZ, another Note 7 alternative, launched in PH
NOTHER Samsung Galaxy Note 7 alternative just launched in the Philippines. This time, we’re looking at the flagship phone Sony had announced at IFA 2016 in Berlin on September 1, the Sony Xperia XZ.
2016 Cherry Mobile Flare phones: First impressions
T’S been a while since Cherry Mobile gathered dealers and members of the media to launch a slew of devices. That day has finally come with the unveiling of six new phones from what is arguably its most successful series, Flare, and the timing couldn’t be any better — Christmas is just around the corner.
What we know about the OPPO R9s thus far
HE rumor mills are in full swing days before the October 19 launch of the OPPO R9s in China. In fact, OPPO itself has already made the “early registration” page for the smartphone public.