SPEED has always been a big talking point within the smartphone community — though we would be quick to argue that having more CPU cores and more RAM are not necessarily as advantageous as some companies make them out to be. The iPhone 7, to wit, has a quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM, but it handily beats its Android counterparts in real-word and synthetic tests.
Xiaomi Mi MIX, the future of smartphones, is here
XIAOMI 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…
SAMSUNG 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
WATCHING 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
THE 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
ANOTHER 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
IT’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
THE 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.
LG V20: How much it will cost, when it will be released in PH
LG Philippines has announced the price and date of availability of its other signature phone, the LG V20. This Korean manufacturer’s counter to arch-rival Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7, which is now discontinued after a botched recall and multiple fire reports, is the first non-Google handset to ship with the new Android 7.0 Nougat operating system. We’ve listed it as a good alternative to the Note phone.
Huawei Mate 9 is a Samsung Galaxy Edge, Note 7 clone?
WHAT’S this we hear that the Huawei Mate 9 will have a curved-screen variant, just like Samsung’s Edge smartphones and the already dead Galaxy Note 7?
ASUS ZenFone 3 Laser now available in PH
WE were wrapped up in the stream of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 updates that we almost missed an announcement that may excite mobile-photography enthusiasts: The ASUS ZenFone 3 Laser is already available in the Philippines.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is dead. Here are 9 alternatives
AS we had hoped, Samsung finally halted sales and exchanges of Galaxy Note 7 units after replacement phones are still overheating and catching fire. With the device practically done, what are your options this time? Which smartphone should you consider buying? We listed nine alternatives for you.
Samsung outs P13,990 Galaxy J7 Prime in PH
SAMSUNG will be happy to put the second half of 2016 behind it, but that’s not to say it’s done for the year as far as releasing smartphones is concerned. The troubled Korean manufacturer today announced the Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime in the Philippines, which joins Vietnam and India as the only countries to have the lower-midrange phone on offer.
Samsung should stop selling Galaxy Note 7 after new round of explosions
A week ago, we laid out some reasons many Filipino Samsung Galaxy Note 7 users might still prefer to get the “safe” Note 7 to another phone — barring a “new round of explosions.” Today, whether that’s still true or not, we believe Samsung should stop selling the device altogether.
Already affordable Vivo V3 Max gets a price cut in PH
WE don’t usually write about markdowns for consumer electronics (because street prices fluctuate like gas prices) — but today, we’re making an exception for a deal that we think is too good to pass up. That is, if you’re in the market for a capable smartphone and expensive flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Apple iPhone 7 are out of the question.
Coming to PH soon: Motorola Moto Z modular phone, G4, or G4 Plus?
MOTOROLA Philippines has been dropping hints that it will bring new Moto phones to the country soon. Since October 4, the Lenovo-owned company has already posted three teasers on its Facebook page. Which models could they be? We’re willing to be they’re the Motorola Moto Z and Moto G4 or G4 Plus.
PH has second-worst internet speed in Asia Pacific in Q2 2016 — report
GOOD news: The Philippines did not have the worst broadband-internet connection speed in Asia Pacific in the second quarter of 2016. Bad news: It was second to the last in the ranking.
Google Pixel follows in iPhone’s footsteps, but not in way you expect
IF you look at Google’s new Pixel phones long enough, you’ll notice a bit of resemblance to the iPhone, the newer ones, to be sure. Maybe it’s only right that they do. Apple’s handsets have always been about leveraging its own hardware and software to deliver the smartest user experience possible; Google now aims to do the same with the Pixel.
How NBA 2K17 for Android is different from the iOS version
WE love NBA 2K17 for mobile; we think it’s one of the best and most graphically impressive mobile games out there. We said it in our review, and we’ll say it again here: NBA 2K17 is worthy of the franchise it belongs to.