HE ASUS ZenFone 3 Max (click for complete specs) was one of the better budget phones on the local market in 2016, impressing with its upmarket looks, good performance (for the price), and excellent battery life. This year’s iteration, the predictably named ASUS ZenFone 4 Max (click for full specs), seems determined to break new grounds while remaining grounded on the values of its predecessor.
Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro quick review: Midranger with pro features
HEN you taunt another brand about the very thing that it claims to be an expert in, you better make sure that your product delivers in the area where it’s supposed to be good at. So when Samsung Electronics Philippines posted this teaser video for what turned out to be the Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro (click for complete specs), we were determined to find out if the smartphone can really capture great photos in low light, as the Korean tech giant claims.
Sony Xperia XA1 review: Don’t sleep on this Sony
OR the past couple of years, Sony has come out with so many flagship smartphones that it’s easy to forget it still cares about its midrange game. In the previous months alone, the Xperia XZ, XZs, and XZ Premium have, in that order, rotated as the face of the Japanese firm’s Android efforts — possibly to the detriment of lesser phones that arguably offer more bang for the buck.
Cherry Mobile Taiji phone-slash-ebook reader now on sale
EMEMBER the Cherry Mobile Taiji (click for complete specs), a smartphone-slash-ebook reader that we previewed last year? It’s finally out in stores nationwide.
Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro preorder starts today, July 1
OW, it can be said: The teaser video that clearly challenges OPPO’s “selfie experts,” posted on Samsung Electronics Philippines’ Facebook page almost two weeks ago, was for the Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro (click for complete specs).
You can now buy the Nokia 3310
EMEMBER this day. Today, June 30, marks the return of the most popular feature phone in 2000. Or, fine, the modern version of it. HMD Global, through the Nokia Mobile Facebook page, has announced that the Nokia 3310 2017 edition (click for complete specs) is now out in Philippine stores.
Sorry, iPhone 7 Plus. You’re not the fastest phone anymore
TOP the presses! The Apple iPhone 7 Plus is no longer the best-performing phone around, according to one popular benchmarking app. The HTC U11, aka the squeezable smartphone, is — and this news is yet another ringing endorsement for the Taiwan-made Android flagship.
6 ASUS ZenFone 4 phones reportedly in the pipeline
ISAPPOINTED that no new ZenFones were announced at Computex, where ASUS traditionally reveals new handsets? If a post spotted on the ZenTalk forum is to be believed, you may not have to wait long before ASUS ZenFone 4 smartphones are launched. And it could be as early as July.
Alleged Google Pixel 2, Pixel XL 2 specs leak out
NOUGH of talks about the Apple iPhone 8 and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 for now. We’re finally getting a whiff of the next iteration of the Google Pixel and Pixel XL phones that were launched in October 2016.
ASUS ZenFone AR with 8GB RAM launched in PH
T is the world’s first smartphone with 8GB of RAM. It is the first device to support Google’s Daydream virtual-reality and Tango augmented-reality platforms. And it is landing in the Philippines in July — for a price. Say hello to the ASUS ZenFone AR (click for complete specs).
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 about 40% costlier than the Note 7?
NE market-research company warned early this year that next crop of smartphones could be more expensive. We already saw devices like the Huawei P10 and P10 Plus getting higher suggested retail prices than their predecessors at launch. And it seems that the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will be in the same boat as well.
This might just be what the iPhone 8 looks like
HE next iPhone — the Apple iPhone 8, if you prefer, although the naming scheme hasn’t been confirmed yet — isn’t expected to appear until another couple of months. However, the internet sure hasn’t been shy about kicking around design rumors of Apple’s upcoming smartphone.
OnePlus 5 now official; launch marred by benchmark cheating allegation
UST seven months after the OnePlus 3T’s surprise launch, the sister brand of OPPO and Vivo is back with a new flagship smartphone that the company’s co-founder, Carl Pei, says is now their “fastest-selling device ever.” Meet the OnePlus 5.
HTC U Play review: If looks could sell
TC is making its way back to the Philippines soon, with the Taiwanese phone maker already making it known that the HTC U11 will be announced locally on July 11. But as we said earlier, the 2017 flagship isn’t the only HTC model that will be introduced next month. In fact, it might not be the first to make the trip.
Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro to challenge the OPPO F3
HOTS fired. Samsung Electronics Philippines has posted today a teaser of a new handset — believed to be the Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro (click for complete specs) — that makes a reference to OPPO’s stable of “selfie expert” smartphones.
ASUS ZenFone AR price revealed — and you won’t like it
SUS has launched the ZenFone AR in its native Taiwan, (officially) revealing the price of the second-ever Tango smartphone, and the first to support Google’s Daydream VR platform. It’s also the first phone to have both. But as many had feared, it won’t come cheap, with the 8GB RAM model going for 24,990 New Taiwan dollars — about $822 or P41,000 — on the Taiwanese market.
First in PH: Starmobile starts phone assembly in Calamba
OCALLY branded smartphones are not really assembled in the Philippines. You know that, right? They buy the devices from original design manufacturers or ODMs, which are mostly based in China, and tweak them to their liking, so to speak. But in a first in the Philippines, a local technology company is assembling mobile phones in the country.
OPPO A57 is an affordable and handy ‘selfie expert’
PPO has announced the OPPO A57 (click for complete specs) in the Philippines, providing a more affordable option for those who want a reasonably powerful, selfie-centric phone but can’t stretch their budget to cover the cost of an OPPO F3 or F1s. It also completes the trio of mid-tier devices for the company, at prices separated by just P2,000, or approximately $40.
Moto C is an Android Nougat phone for under P4,000 ($80)
ENOVO-OWNED Motorola has a new budget smartphone available for purchase in the Philippines through online retailer Lazada. The Moto C (click for complete specs) is about as low-end as they come these days. It’s as cheap as acceptable budget phones come, too, checking in at P3,699 or around $75.
Cherry Mobile Desire R7 mini quick review: An iPhone clone for cheap
HERRY Mobile’s recently outed Desire series of smartphones places a premium on aesthetics over everything else. And although the Desire R7, R7 Plus, and R8 phones serve as the de facto faces, another model may be more distinguishable than the rest.
