HE Apple iPhone may be designed in the U.S., but most of the units that you see on the market are manufactured in China. Only a small percentage of them are assembled in Brazil. However, a recent report by Times of India, if true, could bring the number of countries making the device to three.
Apple dominates device sales among holiday shoppers
N the battle for smartphone and tablet sales this holiday season, one company ruled them all. Just like last year, Apple was the best-selling brand worldwide from December 19 to 25, getting 44 percent of all device activations during the period. Meaning if you bought a gadget for yourself or your loved ones at the time, chances were it was probably made by Apple.
The Gionee M2017 smartphone has two 3,500mAh batteries in it
UST when you thought smartphone manufacturers were done announcing new products this year, here comes China’s Gionee seemingly telling us that we thought wrong by unveiling what we believe is its last hurrah for 2016 — the Gionee M2017 (click for complete specs).
18-carat, limited-edition phone from China draws ire of internet
E’VE seen a few ostentatious smartphones firsthand — iPhones encased in gaudy gold casings and Vertu handsets made of titanium immediately come to mind. None of them, however, have been scorned by the internet quite like this Forbidden City-themed item from China, which appropriately costs a king’s ransom. To a fault, obviously.
2016’s easiest and hardest smartphones to repair, according to iFixit
OT all smartphones are created equal; there are devices that are easy to fix, and there are those that will make you tear your hair out. Fortunately for us, one company has released its findings of smartphone repairability.
Cherry Mobile Iris review: A peek into the future
F you’ve seen the latest Cherry Mobile phones, we’re talking the more recent ones that made headlines after the 2016 Flare launch event, you’ll probably agree that the Philippines’ top smartphone brand is once again operating outside the box. The company seems to be willing to roll the dice to razzle and dazzle amid an industry-wide slowdown in technological development.
The 7 best smartphones in the Philippines in 2016
TOP looking for the perfect smartphone; you’ll never find it. But there are devices that are more superior than others, and today, as the year draws to a close, we’re paying homage to the best of the best handsets that have officially landed on Philippine shores in 2016.
Samsung Galaxy S8 to launch later than expected — report
AMSUNG fans who, despite the Galaxy Note 7 debacle, still have faith on the brand and are willing to give the Samsung Galaxy S8 more than a passing consideration, may have to wait a bit longer for a Galaxy S7 successor. Later than expected, we mean.
SKK Chronos Era is an unapologetic iPhone 7 Plus knockoff
OU know what the reality is: Smartphone companies get inspired by copy off each other’s design and ideas at times. But Philippine-based SKK Mobile takes the art of imitation to another level with what is said to be the SKK Chronos Era.
Apple iPhone 7 still faster than Android’s fastest
H, the OnePlus 3T (click for complete specs). A Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chip hums under its metal unibody; also inside: 6 gigs of RAM that can handle even the most difficult situations without breaking a bead of sweat. Such a beast of a phone — on paper and otherwise — don’t you think?
7 reasons we do not like the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe
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.
Cherry Mobile Flare X2 review: Style and substance for less
HE Flare X2, one of the more interesting Cherry Mobile offerings of late, is now available nationwide. Retailing at P7,999, it’s aimed at consumers who don’t want to splurge on a smartphone, but also don’t want to compromise on design or performance.
Nokia’s first Android smartphones set to debut in 2017
HE dream of a proper Android phone from Nokia lives on. The storied phone maker will return to the smartphone market in early 2017 under a company called HMD Global, which acquired the exclusive rights to use the Nokia brand on phones and tablets for the next 10 years.
YAAO 6000 Plus smartphone has a 10,900mAh battery
little over a week ago, we featured 10 locally available smartphones with batteries above 4,000mAh. Battery-wise, the most impressive unit we wrote about was the recently announced Cherry Mobile Flare S5 Power, which carries a tablet-grade 6,050mAh cell and provides two days of continued use (or more, if you’re being prudent about what you do with the device).
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.
Lenovo Phab 2, Phab 2 Plus, Phab 2 Pro launched in PH
HE Philippines’ big-screen phone market just got bigger with Lenovo’s latest Phab lineup. The company today announced the Phab 2, Phab 2 Plus, and Phab 2 Pro for the local market, all three aiming to ride the people’s seemingly insatiable addiction to smartphones with monster displays.
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.
The Cherry Mobile Defender is built for tough love
HE Cherry Mobile Defender (click for complete specs) is the company’s first truly rugged smartphone featuring a metal frame and rubberized plastic bumpers. The battery is fixed into the assembly, and all ports are covered with rubber flaps to seal the body. It doesn’t look off-kilter to us — which is not what we expected when we first heard about it. (The list of fairly attractive rugged phones gets thin after Samsung’s Galaxy Active series.)