ENOUGH 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
IT 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?
ONE 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
THE 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
JUST 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
HTC 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
SHOTS 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
ASUS 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
LOCALLY 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’
OPPO 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)
LENOVO-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.
Free Wi-Fi on EDSA: Everything you need to know
FOR commuters who regularly pass by the busiest thoroughfare in the Philippines, this is probably a welcome respite from the horrible traffic they usually face on the highway: The Department of Information and Communications Technology has formally launched its “free high-speed Wi-Fi on EDSA” project. This is in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s promise to provide Filipinos better internet service.
Nokia 3310, 6, 5, and 3 are priced competitively in PH
HMD Global, the firm that secured the rights to use the Nokia brand, is back again in the Philippines, this time finally launching the devices that Filipinos are waiting for and not the feature phones that it began selling end of March.
Xiaomi officially in PH? Here’s the company’s statement
“IS it true that Xiaomi will be back again in the Philippines by February?” We were taken aback. We certainly did not see that message coming. Our friend’s question came out of the blue — and just when we were in the middle of covering CES 2017.
Samsung Galaxy J2 Prime review: Not your typical Samsung phone
SAMSUNG has been coming out with some really good premium phones in recent years (you can read about the Galaxy S8 here and here). And the Seoul-based company hasn’t eased off the gas pedal on the entry-level market as it continues with its annual release schedule, which includes the phone you see above, the Samsung Galaxy J2 Prime (click for complete specs).
The OnePlus 5 may be launching sooner than you think
THE OnePlus 5 hype train is in full motion. And as of today, you can add a possible launch date for one of 2017’s most anticipated Android smartphones.
First look: HTC U Ultra big-screen flagship phone
HTC announced the HTC U Ultra (click for complete specs) in January 2017 at a post-CES press conference that attempted to hijack the spotlight away from phones that made their debut at the world’s biggest tech event.
AR-ready ASUS ZenFone with up to 8GB RAM is coming
IT’S been almost five months since the ASUS ZenFone AR was launched at CES 2017 in Las Vegas. So whatever happened to the first Tango- and Daydream VR-enabled phone?
Smartphone maker HTC set to return to PH soon
MANY of HTC’s products have long been praised in the international tech community. In fact, the HTC 10 was hailed as one of 2016’s best smartphones by different technology sites. So if there’s one brand we’ve always wanted to come back to the Philippines, it’s HTC. Fortunately, the tech gods are listening; the Taiwanese smartphone maker is set to make a comeback in the country.