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 …
Samsung Galaxy Note 5: two steps forward, one step back
Image via Forbes A mere hours after their worldwide launch, the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ made their official debut in the Philippines today, with pricing and availability in tow. “Isn’t it a little too early for a Galaxy Note reboot?” you may ask. “What about the Galaxy S6 Edge? The paint hasn’t even dried on Samsung’s co-flagship yet following its release a few months ago.” I get your point, but Samsung had to pull the trigger to give its latest devices a lengthy head start in the retail race against Apple. Samsung’s profits are still falling, …
OPPO Mirror 5 review: style and substance for less
We’ve seen a flood of low-cost but high-spec’d phones emerge on the Philippine market this year, but you have to admit: only a handful of them get the aesthetics and build right. Too often a phone’s look and feel take a backseat when companies cut corners to meet a certain price point; at worst, they are the first casualties of the design process — and it’s totally understandable.
OPPO Mirror 5 now official in PH, will retail for P9,990
OPPO is no stranger to making quality phones with few, if any, compromises on design and build quality, and its latest offering doesn’t seem too different from what we’re used to seeing from the company, despite a lower-than-expected price tag. The OPPO Mirror 5, which, in essence, is the more affordable brother of the R1x that preceded it. You could argue that the Mirror 5 is OPPO’s answer to the higher-end version of Motorola’s Moto G (and, to a lesser extent, the recently announced Cherry Mobile One G1), what with an IPS display that spans 5 inches across and a …
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 leaks in full ahead of PH launch
Image via iNoob We’re only a few days away removed from Samsung’s 2015 Unpacked event in New York (and its Philippine version on August 14), and at this point, as is the case every year, we know almost everything about the company’s next flagbearer — or should I say “flagbearers”? Under the bright lights of the Big Apple, Samsung is all but sure to announce the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus — the name implies it’s supposed to be the bigger brother of the Galaxy S6 Edge. [frame src=”https://www.revu.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-51.jpg” target=”_self” width=”620″ height=”412″ alt=”Premium WordPress Themes” align=”center” prettyphoto=”false”] Samsung …
Cherry Mobile One G1 is a Moto G rival for P5,999
One year into the venture, it seems Google remains bullish about the future of Android One, a line of low-cost devices running the latest version of the search giant’s mobile operating system (think Nexus for emerging markets). And why wouldn’t it be? Budget releases continue to drive the business of many Android manufacturers forward, something local companies can attest to, and they represent Google’s best bet of getting as many people as possible online in the hope that they will end up using Gmail, YouTube, and other Google properties. In the Philippines, no other product represents Google’s continued push to …
Lenovo Vibe Shot review: good camera, better phone
Android has improved tremendously since its commercial launch in 2008 — its latest — and sweetest — iteration yet, Android Lollipop, is easily among the best in the business.
OnePlus 2 now available on Lazada PH but…
The OnePlus 2, arguably the most anticipated smartphone of 2015, has been listed on Lazada’s Philippine website for a reasonable price of P21,799 (for the higher-end 4GB RAM version), which isn’t too far off from its official price of $389 (around P17,800). When you factor in shipping, import duties, and taxes, not to mention the fact that you don’t have to jump through hoops to secure an invite, the deal sounds almost too good to be true. The OnePlus 2 for P21,799 sounds almost too good to be true. And it is; because as compelling as the phone is on paper, it …
ASUS ZenFone Max fits a 5,000mAh battery
ASUS, as you may have gathered from the countless versions of the ZenFone on offer today, has been trying out different configurations on its wildly successful smartphone line, and the latest result of its “try and see if it would sell” approach to making mobiles promises hours upon hours — upon hours — of usage time. Meet the ASUS ZenFone Max, or as I’d like to put it, the Android-phone equivalent of a Judd Apatow movie with a runtime that flirts beyond two hours. Meet the ASUS ZenFone Max, or as I’d like to put it, the Android-phone equivalent of a …
Cherry Mobile teases second Android One phone
Cherry Mobile updated its Facebook cover photo Monday to a front-and-back image of what may very well be the company’s second-generation Android One smartphone. The photo suggests a release sometime in August. For the uninitiated, Android One represents Google’s plan to bring the latest Android software to emerging markets like the Philippines through low-cost devices, though it hasn’t worked out well for the American search giant. [frame src=”https://www.revu.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Cherry-Mobile-Android-One-phone.jpg” target=”_self” width=”620″ height=”412″ alt=”Premium WordPress Themes” align=”center” prettyphoto=”false”] Cherry Mobile’s new cover photo That’s not to say the Cherry Mobile One, and the MyPhone Uno, for that matter, aren’t good options for cash-strapped …
Lenovo Vibe Shot announced in PH, costs P16,999
Back in March, Lenovo introduced the Vibe Shot at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. As the name suggests, it’s a camera phone designed to replace your old point-and-shoot, because, among other things, you can’t count on that brick of a camera to post your good eats on Instagram. Now it’s heading to local shores, and it will be available first through Lazada Philippines’ website and mobile app starting July 31. From the back the Vibe Shot looks deceivingly like a camera, too — and an attractive one at that — with its lightweight aluminum frame, 16-megapixel sensor, six-piece modular lens, and …
Review: Meizu M2 Note
As expected, the Meizu M2 Note went on sale on Lazada Philippines four days ago. (It’s still available, as of this posting, for P6,990.) Out of curiosity, I decided to purchase one on the first day of sale, and Lazada delivered the unit in a bubble-wrapped cocoon to my address Thursday morning, probably because I happen to live just an hour away from the company’s warehouse in Metro Manila.
Xiaomi Mi 4i vs. Meizu M2 Note: tale of the tape
Now that both the Meizu M2 Note and Xiaomi Mi 4i have been officially priced and confirmed to be heading to Philippine shores soon, pitting them against one another on paper to determine which Android smartphone offers more bang for your money should be a little easier. In one corner you have the M2 Note, a big-screen, octa-core phone with few compromises. In the other corner you have the Mi 4i, which despite being a slightly watered-down version of Xiaomi’s outgoing flagship phone, combines great hardware and software with an attractive price tag. [frame src=”https://www.revu.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Xiaomi-Mi-4i-vs-Meizu-M2-Note.jpg” target=”_self” width=”620″ height=”412″ alt=”Premium WordPress …
P6,999 Meizu M2 Note appears on Lazada PH
(UPDATE, July 21: It’s official. Novo7 Tech will sell the Meizu M2 Note for P6,999 on July 22 on Lazada Philippines.) Remember last month when reports emerged that the Meizu M2 Note is coming to the Philippines sometime in July? Well, it’s likely coming real soon, if the grapevine is to be believed and a recent listing of a P6,999 M2 Note on Lazada Philippines is anything to go by. Local tech blog Yugatech says a Lazada-exclusive sale on July 22 is all but guaranteed. [frame src=”https://www.revu.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Meizu-M2-Note-Lazada.jpg” target=”_self” width=”620″ height=”412″ alt=”Premium WordPress Themes” align=”center” prettyphoto=”false”] After the sale period, the M2 …
OPPO PH teases Mirror 5 smartphone
Judging from a recent Facebook post by OPPO Philippines, another Android smartphone is about to hit the market soon, and it could very well be the OPPO Mirror 5, which debuted this month. The press renders reveal a boxy exterior, with innards held together by a metallic frame and a reinforced internal structure. But perhaps the most attractive aspect of the phone’s design can be found around the back, where the reflective, diamond-like pattern we saw on the OPPO R1x makes a return. The most attractive aspect of the Mirror 5’s design can be found around the back, where the diamond-like pattern …
Motorola re-enters PH market, Moto X, Moto G, Moto E in tow
Hoping to bounce back from a lengthy period of dormancy, Motorola Mobility formally announced its re-entry into the Philippine market yesterday, which coincided with the local launch of 3 Motorola smartphones that are slated for release in the near future. I’m referring to the Moto X (2014), Moto G (2014), and Moto E (2015), which are expected to show up in stores by the end of July. (Sorry, Nexus fans. It looks like a local release is currently out of the question for the Nexus 6.) The Moto X (2014), Moto G (2014), and Moto E (2015), which are expected …
10 things you should know about DOST’s free WiFi project
There’s hope for a connected Philippines yet. The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) held a press conference today to discuss the upcoming rollout of its P1.4-billion public WiFi project and to clarify certain aspects of the landmark service that will connect millions of Filipinos to the Internet at no cost. The internet is now a vital component of every day, be it in public or at home. This has spawned a competitive industry of internet companies trying to provide the best deals for customers. Although there are those who prefer using an office cell signal booster to get the …
What does DOST’s 50MB of free Internet get you?
Image via The Verge Earlier this week, reports surfaced that the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has already begun installing Internet access points in the Quezon City Circle. This is in anticipation of a P1.4-billion project that plans to deploy 7,000 public WiFi hotspots across the Philippines before the end of 2015. Its initial rollout is slated on July 24, and according to DOST, it will offer free Internet access to anyone with a WiFi-capable device, albeit with certain restrictions — chief of which is a 50MB daily data cap. You can’t use it to download stuff from torrent sites, …
Xiaomi Mi 4i headed to the Philippines this July
(UPDATE: It’s happening, folks. I just received an invite to the Xiaomi Mi 4i launch event on July 20.) The days of teasing are essentially over: Xiaomi’s mid-tier variant of its current flagship phone, the Mi 4i, is headed to the Philippines this July. This has been confirmed by no less than the company’s local Facebook page. And if what’s happening in India is anything to go by, the phone may not even be the subject of a flash sale when it becomes available through online and offline stores. [frame src=”https://www.revu.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Mi-Philippines-Facebook.jpg” target=”_self” width=”620″ height=”412″ alt=”Premium WordPress Themes” align=”center” prettyphoto=”false”] Similar to …