The local market has seen quite a number of great finds in the midrange-phone segment, and, lucky for us, it seems like there’s no end in sight for affordable smartphones with good-to-great specs. Case in point: Starmobile just announced the Starmobile Knight Elite, which is headed to stores on September 15 with a retail price of P9,990. Not bad for a Snapdragon 615-based handset resembling the Sony Xperia Z3 with some genuinely good specs. Both front and rear panels are layered with Corning Gorilla Glass to give the Knight Elite a more upscale appearance worthy of its namesake. The Starmobile Knight …
Sorry, Apple — Android already has ‘Force Touch’
Apple’s next iPhone, as previously reported, is slated to debut this week, and the company is all but expected to bring the Force Touch feature found in the Apple Watch and a few MacBooks to its smartphone line. For those not in the know, Force Touch is Apple’s term for its touch-input technology, which allows a device or machine to differentiate between light taps and harder presses on a touch-sensitive surface. On the Apple Watch, for example, pressing firmly on the screen while in the Messages app brings up additional controls. It’s helpful — and maybe, in some cases, absolutely …
OPPO R7 Series to be sold on Lazada PH starting Sept. 15
Heads up, Android fans. The OPPO R7 Series, which includes the brilliant R7 Plus I wrote about last week, will be available on Lazada’s Philippine website starting September 15. That’s about a week from today, for those keeping count. All (known) phones under the R7 Series feature AMOLED displays and 64-bit, octa-core Snapdragon 615 processors wrapped in seamless, all-metal bodies that make them aesthetically similar to the iPhone 6. They also sport contoured-edge Gorilla Glass to make the edges of the front panel feel smoother to the touch. The OPPO R7 Series will be available on Lazada’s Philippine website starting September 15. …
ZTE Axon Elite to debut in PH end-September as OnePlus 2 rival
Chinese manufacturer ZTE may not be as popular in the Philippines as in its native China and in other parts of the world, but that may soon change with the arrival of the ZTE Axon Elite. Haven’t heard of it? You’re not alone. Few have. It was announced a few hours ago, for heaven’s sake.
Starmobile Super Pack bundles 5-inch phone, P3,500 worth of data
Earlier today, Starmobile added a new phone-and-SIM bundle to its list of offerings, and the bundle includes one of the cheapest Android devices with a 5-inch screen you can get in the Philippines today.
7 reasons to buy the OPPO R7 Plus
(UPDATE, September 4, 2015: OPPO Philippines will unveil the OPPO R7 Series on September 15th. Stay tuned for a follow-up post after the launch event.) The wait is over: OPPO Philippines’ recent posts on social media put to rest any doubts that the OPPO R7 Series is indeed coming to stores soon. And if the last couple of days are any indication, the R7 Plus may very well be the best tablet-like phone I’ve had the pleasure of using this year.
Xiaomi’s Mi 4c is an affordable powerhouse, according to leaks
Image via Electrony.net The midrange Xiaomi Mi 4i has been out just a couple of months in the Philippines, but it is already at risk of being overtaken in the pecking order of desirable smartphones. Or, at least, that is what will likely happen next if the rumors surrounding the upcoming Mi 4c do turn out to be true. A photo of the Mi 4c’s retail packaging has revealed pretty much every detail about the device, right down to its battery capacity and USB connector standard. It appears the 4c will be, in many ways, similar to the 4i so …
ASUS announces ZenFone 2 Deluxe, Selfie, Laser in PH
Most recently, ASUS took to the stage to announce the newest smartphones that will expand its local portfolio. The ZenFone 2 Deluxe, Selfie, and Laser all made their debut appearances in the Philippines, bearing aggressive prices and the latest Android operating system in Lollipop. (Android Marshmallow will see a commercial release later this year, alongside the new Nexus phone.) With more ZenFones in tow than you’d care to remember, ASUS is now armed to the teeth with phones for all pockets and all types of users. The specs for all three devices are listed below. Right now, I want to talk briefly …
ASUS ZenFone Selfie review: more than self-portraits
Metro Manila may never run out of traffic problems to solve, but ASUS clearly hasn’t run out of ZenFone ideas to address the always-evolving tastes and demands of smartphone buyers. We use smartphones all the time, and because of this many thieves would like to come and take them from you for some easy money. You should consider installing a home camera system to protect your phone and other valuables from these thieves! Enter the ZenFone Selfie, which retails for P11,995 in the Philippines. As you may have gathered, it’s a product built around the idea that you, me, and …
Apple to launch iPhone 6s on September 9
Mark your calendars, Apple fans. The American tech giant has officially confirmed a launch date for its latest products: September 9 is the date to watch for, which won’t surprise anyone familiar with Apple’s track record. It will be held exactly a year after the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus debuted in front of an excited audience. And for the first time in a long while, Apple will allow Windows users to stream its product unveiling without using VLC player. Apple has officially confirmed a launch date for its latest products: September 9 is the date to watch for. While this …
OPPO Mirror 5 now comes with free Internet for 2 months
I previously reviewed the OPPO Mirror 5, and noted it was one of the best that the bargain segment has seen in terms of design and all-around performance, which may not come as a surprise to anyone who has played around with the phone. And if you thought it couldn’t get any better, OPPO Philippines is throwing in a Globe prepaid SIM card with 100MB of free monthly data for two months, saving you about P200, to help you get the most out of your shiny new gadget. This offer lasts until November 30, and applies to purchases in OPPO …
Leaked video gives us best look at Apple iPhone 6s
Try to act surprised: A video of the new iPhone (a.k.a iPhone 6s) has surfaced, weeks ahead of its rumored unveiling on September 9. Unlike previous leaks, this one allegedly gives us the best look at Apple’s next smartphone so far. The short clip, which runs a little over a minute, shows some of the phone’s innards, including its logic board and LTE modem, while the phone itself is booting up. That’s it. A short clip of the iPhone 6s has surfaced, showing some of its innards, including its logic board and LTE modem, while the phone itself is booting up. There’s …
The major Samsung Galaxy Note 5 design flaw you should know about
Those fortunate enough to afford the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 should probably consider keeping it away from the hands of curious peers and children. For the rest of their Note 5’s existence, if possible, or until Samsung issues a massive product recall, which is highly unlikely at this point. The Note 5 has a fatal design flaw that could either result in the S Pen being lodged in the holster or the holster itself losing its stylus-detection function. Why? Because, according to reports, the Galaxy Note 5 has a fatal design flaw that could either result in the S Pen …
Cherry Mobile One G1 review: experience matters
The Google-led Android One collaboration has so far been met with reservations in countries where it is commercially available. But that hasn’t stopped the American tech giant from soldiering on in pursuit of offering the best smartphone experience possible for under $150, or roughly the equivalent of two pairs of Nike sneakers. And thus we have the Cherry Mobile One G1, the new face of Google’s local efforts to prove that you don’t have to pay top money for a great smartphone anymore.
This ZenFone 2 has more storage than a base-model MacBook Pro
Image via ASUS Fanaticos You’d think ASUS would have run out of ZenFone 2 ideas by now, given that its popular smartphone line probably already has more variants than the Encyclopedia Britannica has volumes, but it hasn’t. Enter the ZenFone 2 Deluxe Special Edition, yet another new addition to the growing ZenFone family. The kicker this time around is an insane amount of onboard storage for something that fits most pockets. “Just how much storage are we talking about here?” you ask. 256GB. To put things into perspective, that’s twice the capacity of the ZenFone 2 Deluxe and, more impressively, …
Cheapest Android Lollipop phone to go on sale in PH Aug. 22
Just weeks after the Cherry Mobile One G1, a well-priced and well-spec’d smartphone that offers a pure Android experience, became official, the local tech company is at it again with another low-cost Android Lollipop offering. Except it’s cheaper than the G1, coming in at P2,999, and will go on sale tomorrow at noon on Lazada’s Philippine site. This is the Cherry Mobile Touch HD. It’s got a 5-inch IPS display with 720p resolution and, judging from the images on Lazada’s website, a metallic trim and a fake-leather backing. It runs the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system on a …
Now available: P1,999 MyPhone my21 with 3G, quad-core CPU
You may have read about MyPhone’s new line of locally inspired phones recently, and surprisingly one of them has been listed on Lazada Philippines’ website, without fanfare or publicity. The MyPhone my21, which may not be the most exciting name for a smartphone. “What does ’21’ mean or represent?” you may ask. Who knows? I sure don’t. Not that it should matter too much to anyone looking for a daily driver with a rock-bottom price tag. For P1,999 — or less than what you’d typically pay for a cellphone, let alone one that runs Android KitKat — you’re looking at a 4-inch …
Actual image of 2015 Nexus 5 leaks online
Image via Marques Brownlee It being mid-August, it was only a matter of time before details about the upcoming Nexus 5 reboot appeared online. The latest in the stream of information leaked to the masses shows the backplate of what could be Google’s next flagship smartphone in white and in the wild. The image seems to match up with renders uploaded last week, adding to the speculation that what we’re looking at is the real deal, or at least a prototype of it. The new Nexus appears to have a curved plastic back with a matte finish and a camera that …
ASUS PH to unveil ZenFone 2 Laser, Selfie, Deluxe August 29th
Brace yourselves for more ZenFones in the very near future. ASUS Philippines will be adding at least three more variants to its Android portfolio come August 29, particularly the ZenFone 2 Laser, Selfie, and Deluxe phones. The launch event is open to the public, meaning just about anyone can get his or her hands on the new ZenFones and stand a chance of winning one. Admission is free, but pre-registration is required by August 27. The ZenFone 2 Laser occupies the bottom rung in ASUS’s upcoming ZenFone lineup and will likely fetch the least amount when it becomes available. Not that …
The curious case of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+
I’m worried about Samsung. Not because its profits continue to fall on the back of the market’s lukewarm reaction to the now-discounted Galaxy S6, arguably its most compelling smartphone yet. Not because it has tampered with the Galaxy formula by jettisoning microSD expansion and removable batteries, much to the disappointment of long-time fans. Not because Apple’s market dominance shows no signs of slowing. I’m just worried, because Friday’s announcement could have ended with one super-sized phone, except it ended with two. In one corner: a Samsung sequel that, as expected, puts its extra screen real estate to even better use and rightfully bills …
