Image via Android Authority Xiaomi just unveiled the Mi 4i — a discount Mi 4, if you will — in New Delhi, India, where the Chinese tech juggernaut has recently made its products available to leading electronics retailers in an effort to reach more consumers and drive sales. And what better way to announce to the rest of the world that it has embraced the traditional (read: offline) retail model than to launch a new phone to coincide with its backpedaling. A cheaper and watered-down version of the Mi 4, the Mi 4i will retail for 12,999 INR or about P9,000 …
Sony Xperia Z4 announced. So what’s new?
Image via The Verge Sony revealed its new flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z4, in its native Japan amid reports that the company is strongly considering abandoning its mobile and TV businesses to concentrate on other products that are making it money. Apparently, the Japanese outfit wants to streamline its portfolio and come out with more PlayStation-centric goods and services rather than continue making phones, tablets, and other screens that consume media and social content. But we digress. Back to the Sony Xperia Z4: It looks identical to its predecessor, runs the same version of Android that’s now available to download …
16,000mAh Xiaomi Power Bank goes on sale April 24
Via AskMeBazaar Xiaomi has been busy lately. Fresh off announcing two new devices for the Philippine market, the Chinese manufacturer is bringing its 16,000mAh Mi Power Bank to Lazada Philippines to be sold on the online retailer’s website at noon on April 24. And the price? Just P1,299, which is double the cost of the 10,400mAh Mi Power Bank, though it makes sense, as the convenience of carrying one battery pack instead of two is obviously going to come at a price. It will be available in one color only: silver with a brushed look. Neither Xiaomi nor Lazada Philippines …
Huawei P8 now official, priced around P23,500
Via TrustedReviews Earlier today, Huawei launched the P8 — notice the Ascend branding has been given the boot — an update to its top-billing P7 smartphone from last year. Also gone are the two layers of Gorilla Glass 3 held together by the previous model’s angular skeleton, replaced by an all-metal frame with a matte finish, chamfered edges, and rounded corners. The result is a product that looks nothing like its predecessor, especially when you tilt it sideways to showcase its ultra-thin 6.4mm profile that’s a smidge thinner than Huawei’s older flagship. What it does look like is a cross …
Xiaomi’s iPad mini challenger priced in PH
Via MyDrivers (UPDATE, April 28: Mi fans, mark your calendars. Xiaomi Philippines just confirmed the first sale date of the Mi Pad on the company’s Facebook page. The tablet will be available starting May 4, 2015.) It turns out the Redmi 2 isn’t the only Android KitKat device Xiaomi is planning to release in the Philippines soon. Last year’s Mi Pad, the company’s iPad mini challenger — which, coincidentally, also looks like a candy-coated Apple tablet — is on the cards for the local market, as hinted at by its official Philippine website. The Mi Pad features a slab of Corning …
Review: ASUS Zenfone 2
(UPDATE, April 21: We spoke to ASUS Philippines country manager George Su on the sidelines of the Zenfone 2 launch in Jakarta, Indonesia, and here’s what he said about the handset.) (UPDATE 2, May 16: The ASUS Zenfone 2 is now official in the Philippines. Even better, it’s available on Lazada Philippines’ mobile app. Pricing starts at P9,995 for the 2GB RAM variant, while the 5-inch model costs P7,995.) Weeks ago, we wrote about scoring a retail unit of the ASUS Zenfone 2 (ZE550ML) well ahead of its official release in the Philippines, chiming in with our initial impressions and doing …
Alleged models, prices of ASUS Zenfone 2 in PH
(UPDATE 1: According to Abe Olandres, the ZE500CL will retail for P7,995, while the ZE551ML will have three sub-variants in the Philippines, starting at P9,995 (1.8GHz Intel Z3560 with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage). The most expensive model in the ZE551ML series (2.3GHz Intel Z358 with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage) will reportedly sell for P14,995, and the middle-of-the-pack unit will be priced at P12,995.) (UPDATE 2: We’ve received word from ASUS Philippines about the prices of the Zenfone 2 variants, and we’re publishing it in full: “Prices that Abe posted are not yet final and are still subject to change. So, yes, Abe’s post is not …
Globe vs Smart: Which of them is number one in PH?
Unlikely as it may sound, Globe Telecom and Smart Communications laid strong claims to being the top mobile-service provider in the Philippines, both companies said in separate statements issued yesterday.
Deal alert: Cherry Mobile Nova 2.0 ‘buy 1, take 1’ promo
Heads-up, bargain hunters. Cherry Mobile announced on Facebook yesterday that it will be having a “buy one, take one” promotion for the Nova 2.0 this Wednesday, April 8. The dual-SIM Android Jelly Bean smartphone is currently priced at P3,999, meaning each unit will essentially run you P2,000, which is a very low price — even for an older model. Granted, the Nova 2.0 may never get a taste of sweet Android KitKat, much less Lollipop. Still, for the price of a pair of Nike sneakers, you’re looking at not one, but two well-specced handsets featuring a 4-inch IPS touchscreen and …
What’s special about MyPhone’s Rio 2, Rio 2 Lite
In addition to showing off a new logo, Philippine tech company MyPhone just unveiled the Rio 2 and Rio 2 Lite, two budget smartphones running Android Lollipop — the first ones in the country outside of Google’s Android One efforts. Both devices offer similar specs and are built around MediaTek’s quad-core MT6582 chipset, though the Rio 2 has more screen real estate — protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, mind you — to go along with a larger, 2,800mAh battery. The MyPhone Rio 2 also comes with software navigation buttons, just like the ones found in the company’s Uno, whereas …
This is ASUS’ answer to Apple’s 2015 MacBook
(UPDATED) Sure, Apple’s all-new MacBook dropped the bomb on us with its stunning design and typing-focused engineering, but Mac users aren’t the only ones getting an ultra-portable notebook this year. Meet the ASUS Transformer Book T300 Chi, one of the latest entries into the burgeoning category of convertible PCs that function as a laptop and tablet depending on how you use it. It is set to launch in the Philippines on April 7, with a nationwide release planned after that. It doesn’t come cheap, though, as you’ll have to pony up between P40,000 and P50,000 for the 4GB RAM and 8GB …
Cherry Mobile One vs. MyPhone Uno: Which one’s right for you?
By now, you’ve probably read about the 2 Android One phones that have been recently released in the Philippines. And for those of you who are looking forward to a Nexus-like experience for cheap without digging through the bargain bin of second-hand models, the big question is: Should you get the Cherry Mobile One or the MyPhone Uno?