XTREME Appliances launched its ‘Summer is XTREME Cool’ promo, offering Buy 1 Get 1 deals.
Now that the summer season is just around the corner, XTREME Appliances wants Filipino households to beat the heat with its cooling products. With this, consumers can score select XTREME products with amazing, bundled items, letting them save up to Php3,995.
The Redmi Note 11 series is definitely one of the hottest smartphone series in the market right now as they offer powerful hardware along with an affordable price tag and the one that you can get right now is the Redmi Note 11. The smartphone features a 90hz AMOLED display which is great for gaming, a Snapdragon 680 processor, and also a 33W Pro Fast Charging. But what are the reasons why the Redmi Note 11 is a good smartphone for gamers who are on a budget? Well, here are some reasons why:
The smooth 90Hz AMOLED Display
Unlike other smartphones with a 90hz and a 120Hz display in its price range, the Redmi Note 11 has a bigger advantage as the smartphone features a 90Hz AMOLED display. Basically with this display of the smartphone, you can play games at up to 90 fps as long as the game or the app supports it. It also comes with 180Hz touch sampling rate which is why the touch response on the smartphone is great.
Not just that, because the AMOLED display of the smartphone does produce great colors that can be used for watching movies and checking photos on the smartphone. It’s a Full HD+ resolution as well that’s why the display is crisper and better.
Powerful processor for apps and games
Inside the smartphone is a Snapdragon 680 processor and in our usage, we are definitely happy with the performance that we got on the smartphone as it can run all the games that we want including Genshin Impact that can run really well and the League of Legends: Wild Rift which is one of the best MOBA games on mobile devices.
With League of Legends Wild Rift, we were able to play the game at the highest settings possible and we were able to play the game at a consistent 60fps
Long battery life and fast charging
One of its best features is the long battery life of the smartphone. There’s the 5000mAh battery on the smartphone and paired with that is a 33W Pro Fast Charging. For the battery of the smartphone, we were able to get up to 16 hours 54 minutes in PC Mark Work 2.0 Battery Test which is one of the longest battery life that we’ve reviewed and in our normal usage of the smartphones, we were able to get a whole day of battery life despite playing a lot of games on a single day. The power consumption and optimization of the smartphone is insane.
More immersive gaming
Playing on the smartphone is immersive thanks to the combined features of the Redmi Note 11. First, the design of the smartphone is light and ergonomic so holding it whether in portrait or in landscape mode is a breeze. Next is the dual speakers of the smartphone. The loud speakers gives you a more immersive feel when playing games and it’s very essential for FPS games as I can easily hear the footsteps and gunshots of the enemies. Lastly, the display of the smartphone is really advantageous because of its smoother and better refresh rate, I do have an advantage when it comes to FPS games and the 180Hz touch sampling rate gives me a better response when playing on the smartphone.
Overall, the Redmi Note 11 offers features that gamers love. Despite being an affordable smartphone, the performance on the smartphone is great, the display gives you an advantage on some games, there an all-day battery life and design of the smartphone is really ergonomic.
But of course, those aren’t just the features that we love on the smartphone. The Redmi Note 11 also offers a decent camera and using it for media consumption and social media was great.
The Redmi Note 11 is now available and it starts at 4+64GB variant for Php8,999 and the 6+128GB variant for Php9,999 on Shopee and Lazada.
Apple focused on the creators and power users with their latest product unveil as the Cupertino-based company has unveiled the Mac Studio and the Studio Display. The Mac Studio looks like a larger Mac Mini but inside is a powerful processor as this one features the brand new M1 Ultra Processor inside, the most powerful CPU in the M1 family.
The Mac Studio comes in M1 Max and M1 Ultra processors and Apple has dubbed the M1 Ultra as the world’s most powerful chip for a personal computer. Unlike the Mac Mini, this one has a bigger footprint with better thermals inside. According to Apple, the M1 Ultra is 90% faster vs. 16-core Xeon processor of the Mac Pro and it’s up to 5.6x faster than the 28-core Mac Pro when transcoding video. This makes the Mac Studio a powerhouse for creators.
For the ports, it comes with 4x thunderbolt 4 ports at the back, 10GB ethernet port, 2x USB-A ports, HDMI port, and an audio jack. WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 are also built in to the Mac Studio. On the front, there’s 2x USB-C ports and also an SD card slot for photos and videos.
The Mac Studio can go up to 128GB of unified memory on M1 Ultra and up to 8TB of storage so you can work massive projects with the Mac Studio.
While Studio Display is the great partner of the Mac Studio. It comes with a 27-inch 5K Retina Display unfortunately, there’s no mini LED on this one. It also comes with 600 nits of brightness, P3 wide color and support for over 1 billion colors.
The Studio Display also comes with A13 Bionic chip inside that operates the 12MP ultra wide camera with center stage and the studio quality three-microphone array and a six-speaker sound system. The Studio display also comes with 3x USB-C ports with speeds up to 10GB/s and you can also charge your Macbook if you plugged it in.
The Studio Display starts at Php94,990 while the Mac Studio starts at Php117,990 for the M1 Max and Php237,990 for the M1 Ultra.
The iPhone SE has also been refreshed today and this time, the smartphone now packs a brand new A15 chipset. It’s the same processor that was used on the iPhone 13 series and of course, this smartphone will come with 5G.
The iPhone SE 2022 will still feature the same design. The smartphone still features Touch ID and the home button on the front with a thick bezel at the top. It will also have a 4.7-inch display which is the smallest display on the iPhone series lineup today.
The A15 Bionic Chip brings a lot of benefits on the smartphone aside from the faster performance compared to the previous generation of iPhone SE. This time, the smartphone will come with a better image processing and neural engine for apps and games. There’s a single 12MP camera at the back which is now capable of Smart HDR 4 and also, it will also support portrait mode. So do expect amazing shots on the smartphone.
The iPhone SE 2022 comes in Midnight, Starlight, and Product RED and it starts at 64GB with a starting price of Php28,990.
Apple has also unveiled the refresh of the iPad Air that now comes with M1 processor but of course, this brings a lot of new features as well including Center Stage with its front-facing camera and also a faster USB-C port with faster transfer speeds. This will also come with 5G on cellular models and of course, faster and better performance just like the current Macbooks and iPad Pro.
The M1 processor in the iPad Air delivers 8-core CPU and also an 8-core GPU that is 2x faster compared to the predecessor. This will give you a better performance on both apps and games on the tablet.
There’s 12MP ultra wide camera with center stage on the front camera as well for better video calls. Of course, the tablet will still come with 10.9-inch liquid retina display with up to 500 nits of brightness.
The new iPad Air will be available in the Philippines soon and it starts at Php35,990.
Apple has just announced in their event that the iPhone 13 series will now come in a new color and this time both the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 will get a brand new color. The iPhone 13 Pro will now come in Alpine Green while the iPhone 13 will come in Green.
Both smartphones will still come with the A15 Bionic Chipset that will come and of course, there’s 5G inside. The iPhone 13 Pro will still come with 120Hz display while the iPhone 13 stilll comes with an up to 60Hz display.
The Apple iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 in Alpine Green and Green will arrive in the Philippines soon.
realme teased the arrival of the realme 9 Pro series in the Philippines on March 15, 2022. The new smartphone line consists of the realme 9 Pro+ and realme 9 Pro.
Designed to #CaptureTheLight like a Pro, realme packed its two newest smartphones with flagship-level features hard to find in the midrange segment.
For instance, the realme 9 Pro+ comes with a flagship Sony IMX766 sensor, along with the MediaTek Dimensity 920 5G processor, a 90Hz Super AMOLED screen, and a 4,500mAh battery with 60W SuperDart Charge.
Meanwhile, the realme 9 Pro sports a Snapdragon 695 5G chipset, a 64MP nightscape camera, and a 120Hz Ultra Smooth Display.
The realme 9 Pro+ and realme 9 Pro also bag the Street Photography 2.0 offering, a Smart Long Exposure feature.
Want to learn more about the upcoming smartphones?
Catch the official launch of the realme 9 Pro series in the Philippines via livestream on the brand’s official Facebook page, or you can also visit its website.
So, who’s excited?
Let us know what you think in the comment section below!
Samsung has finally unveiled their latest flagship smartphone to the market, the Samsung Galaxy S22 series and the best of them all is the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and today, we’re going to review the smartphone as it features a groundbreaking camera and a brand new Snapdragon processor inside for the Philippine market.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Review: Design and Construction
As expected from Samsung, it’s a solid and premium just like the previous Ultra smartphones from Samsung, they’re blocky and thicker than their other brothers but of course, that thickness comes with more features for the smartphone.
We got a flat top and bottom on the smartphone and they’re more squarish that before but it still got some curves at the sides of the smartphone and at the back, there’s the matte glass as well which is a little bit slippery but it feels really premium and for the camera module, the smartphone does have a minimalist look now as the lenses are now the protruding one at the back and yes, I do suggest that you get a case for this smartphone to protect it from cracks and damages.
Below, there’s the USB-C port on the smartphone and beside it is the card tray and the S-Pen slot. As for the S-Pen, it was useful and most of the S-Pen features that we love are here. Of course, we got the Notes app which is especially useful for taking notes and the other features such as Screen Write, Live messages, AR Doodle, and more. It might not be as big and thick as the S Pen that we have for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 but I really didn’t had problems writing with it as I only sign documents and only annotate
Since this is a large phone, holding it might be a little tough for people who have small hands so a case would help on this smartphone. However, reaching the power button and also the volume rocker of the smartphone won’t be a problem as my hands can easily reach that.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Review: Display
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra packs a display that is superior compared to its competitors. The smartphone features a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 120Hz refresh rate and unlike the Samsung Galaxy S21, this smartphone features a slightly curved display on the sides. This adds to the beauty of the smartphone, but it gets problematic when you use the S Pen of the smartphone to the sides.
The smartphone also features a 120Hz refresh rate which is why the smartphone does have a smooth motion even on games and since we have a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 on the smartphone, everything was silky smooth on the smartphone.
Nonetheless, it’s bright with its 1750 nits of brightness so using the smartphone outside won’t be a problem for the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. The colors of the display were popping too, and it was very vivid. The bezels on the smartphone are even thinner as well and the punch-hole at the top isn’t annoying and it’s small to notice. The display of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is the best that we’ve ever seen.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Review: Battery
When it comes to the battery, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra comes with a 5000mAh battery which is decent enough for its large size. This time, Samsung has reintroduced the 45W fast charging on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G but unfortunately, you’ll have to use selected chargers in order for this to work. The normal GaN quick chargers that are available in the market won’t work automatically with the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
As for the battery life, we tested the smartphone in PC Mark Work 2.0 Battery test and we got a battery life of 10 hours and 1 minute. A decent score compared to the Exynos smartphones that we’ve reviewed before. The standby time of the smartphone has improved as well as I’m getting smaller battery drains whenever I’m leaving the smartphone overnight.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Review: Software and performance
The smartphone comes with One UI 4.1 that is based on Android 12 and overall, I did love the experience that we’re getting from the smartphone. It is smooth and I haven’t encountered any bugs at all. The S Pen does bode well with its software and it was a breeze using the smartphone for anything.
As for the apps included, it’s pretty much the same as we got here the Microsoft apps as expected and there are Samsung apps as well in which some of them are pretty useful but what I like about the Samsung ecosystem is the accessories. I didn’t had any problems with my Samsung Galaxy Watch4 and also the Galaxy Buds2 with the smartphone and connection was seamless as well.
As for the performance, the variant that we got in the Philippines is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 along with 256GB of internal storage and 12GB of RAM. That’s a decent amount of memory but it was a surprise that the Philippine market now packs a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor instead of Exynos processor with AMD GPU. Is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 bad? No. It’s the processor that a lot of Filipino power users have been hoping for and finally it’s here.
So what can we get from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Processor? Basically, the smartphone will have better compatibility with most games as a lot of developers are optimizing their games and apps for Qualcomm processors as they’re used by a lot of manufacturers. Basically in games and emulators, you won’t have any problems with the Snapdragno 8 Gen 1 whether that’s a AetherSX2 or EggNS.
When it comes to benchmarks, it’s a slight upgrade when it comes to numbers but there’s a noticeable difference compared to the predecessor. Check out the benchmarks below:
Screenshot 20220212 051812 AnTuTu Benchmark
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As expected, the numbers are great and it’s currently the most powerful smartphone that we’ve ever reviewed. Too bad we didn’t breached 1 million in Antutu but the 3DMark Wild Life score proves that the smartphone is definitely good in gaming.
When playing Genshin Impact, the smartphone can easily run the game at the highest settings possible at 60fps but I noticed that the smartphone does heat up which is why throttling is noticeable on the smartphone. In PUBG Mobile, the smartphone wouldn’t have a problem running it at HDR graphics settings at Extreme (60fps) frame rates. While in Wild Rift, we were able to play it at highest settings at 60 fps. Playing games on AetherSX2 was a breeze as well.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 of the smartphone proves that it’s definitely the most powerful chip out there and you can get to play it now on the Samsung Galaxy S22 series.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Review: Camera
The camera is one of the biggest reasons why you should buy the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. Whether you’re planning to use the smartphone for taking a video or taking photos well, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is an amazing smartphone for that function. The smartphone features a 108MP main camera, 2x 10MP telephoto camera, and a 12MP ultrawide camera. And of course, the smartphone still comes with an up to 100x zoom which you’ll rarely use. For selfies, the smartphone features a 40MP selfie camera on the punch-hole display of the smartphone.
Compared to the predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra’s camera is a big upgrade. The shots that we got are sharper, accurate and a whole lot better. One of the reasons why the camera of the smartphone is great is because of the AI and post-processing on the smartphone. Every shot that we got on the smartphone were great, whether that’s a selfie, night shot, ultrawide or a normal shot. Everything about the smartphone’s camera was great. The portrait shot of the smartphone is a lot better than before but it is still not 100% perfect.
Check out the shots that we took using the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra:
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Zoom:
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For the video, the smartphone can record up to 8K videos at up to 24 frames per second but come on, who uses 8K on their smartphones? 4K is enough and the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is doing a damn good job at that. The colors of the shots that we got are vivid and they’re wonderful. Even the night shots does produce a brighter image and they are still sharper than expected. The dynamic range of all the shots that we got was also amazing thanks to the camera an AI of the smartphone.
Another cool addition to the smartphone is the Samsung Galaxy S22 ultra features a background eraser. Basically, if you have a lot of people in your background, you can just highlight them and the smartphone can delete that for you. It’s a pretty cool feature and I love that it comes with the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Review: Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is an excellent smartphone. It might have the same design language as the Galaxy Note series smartphones, but it does offer the features that we need on a smartphone – a solid design, a powerful hardware, and functional features.
First, the camera of the smartphone is amazing and now, we now have a Snapdragon processor inside which a lot of Filipino consumers have been craving for. The display of the smartphone is top-notch and I’m really happy that we finally got a built-in S Pen for the Galaxy S series – a feature that a lot of power users would love to have.
The smartphone finally got a 45W charger, but you’ll have to use a Samsung charger to use it nonetheless, everything about the smartphone was amazing. It ticks all the boxes that we want on a flagship smartphone and it should be one of your choices if you’re looking for the best smartphone out there.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is now available, and it starts at Php68,990
A lot of people bought a tablet due to the pandemic so they can use it for education and for work and according to the latest report from IDC, the Philippine tablet market has seen a slower shipment last year compared to 2020.
There’s a 44.9% year-on-year decrease on shipments last 2021 compared to 2020. This makes sense as a lot of people are still using their tablets today that they acquired from 2020. According to the report, Apple still managed to get the fifth spot with 5.7% market share while Lenovo got the 4th spot at 11.7% while Huawei has a positive YoY growth got 13.1% market share.
Unsurprisingly, Cherry Mobile, who is supplying a lot of LGUs with affordable tablets, got 20% of tablet market share while Samsung is dominating the scene with 30.3% market share. The only company that has a higher shipment this year is Huawei as they posted a 10% growth in 2021 compared to 2020.
IDC is also predicted that there will be slower tablet shipments this year compared to the past two years.
Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) officially introduced GIGA Arena — the first all-in-one esports platform in the Philippines.
Intending to upgrade the esports experience for Filipino mobile gamers, GIGA Arena lets users match up with fellow players to compete in daily, weekly, and monthly tournaments on gigaarena.smart. Interested gamers can register starting March 9 to join tournaments.
GIGA Arena also features the four most popular mobile games in the country, such as Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, League of Legends: Wild Rift, Call of Duty Mobile (CODM), and PlayerUnkown’s Battlegrounds Mobile (PUBGM).
In addition, GIGA Arena comes with innovative features, allowing mobile gamers to set up tournaments, stream live competitions, play arcade games, purchase e-load, and link their e-waller to secure their prizes via GigaPay with PayMaya, among others.
Smart also teamed up with global esports company LEET Entertainment and mobile game developer Moonton to boost their platform.
