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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G Review: The king of foldable smartphones

Jam Ancheta
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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G Review: The king of foldable smartphones

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G is the latest flagship smartphone of Samsung and it’s replaced the popular Note series which was introduced back in 2011. Samsung might have replaced the Galaxy Note series with their new foldable smartphones but they’ve brought the popular features of the Galaxy Note series to the Fold including the S Pen

It’s tougher and better

One of the things that they’ve improved on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G is the build quality of the smartphone. They’re now using armor aluminum for its body so you know it’s tough and also solid and compared to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G, this one is a lot better and more premium to hold.

Having armor aluminum for its body doesn’t mean that the smartphone would have a bulkier and heavier body. Actually, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G is even lighter and even slimmer which makes it less bulky than the predecessor but if you’re used to using the normal monobloc phones then you might find the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G a little bulky when using in one hand.

As for the hinge, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G’s hinge looks the same as before but the gap between the two displays when folded is narrower compared to the previous generation which makes the smartphone look better when folded and of course, less bulky.

On the right side, we still got here the fingerprint scanner of the smartphone which is pretty much the same as the previous generation of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and below, there’s the USB-C port of the smartphone and unfortunately, the smartphone can only support up to 25W of charging versus most smartphones in the market that has a faster charging now.

A better display

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G comes with a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display which is the same size as before and then there’s the 7.6-inch display inside. These might be the same sizes from the previous generation but these displays are an upgrade from the previous generation. First, there’s the 6.2-inch cover display that now features a smoother 120Hz refresh rate and inside, we now have a better foldable AMOLED Flex display with an under-display camera that hides the selfie camera of the smartphone.

But here’s the thing, I really appreciate the 120Hz display on the cover display of the smartphone but I barely use it for gaming so I still use the foldable display for that one but you can really appreciate the 120Hz cover display when you’re browsing the web or when you’re navigating thru the apps on your smartphone.

Thankfully, the cover display still packs a punch-hole selfie camera so we have a choice of using the under-display camera on the flex display of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G or the punch hole camera on the cover display but we’re gonna talk about the quality of the cameras of the smartphone later on. As for the quality of the cover display of the smartphone well, I do like it and it’s very usable outside and again, the colors are vivid and nice since this one is an AMOLED display.

For the flex display of the Galaxy Fold3 5G, as expected, it’s nice and it’s way better than the previous generation when it comes to quality as I can have brighter and more accurate colors on this one. But for first time foldable smartphone users, you would still appreciate the beauty and the saturation of the AMOLED display from Samsung and yes, the creases are still here which isn’t a surprise for me as the crease is not new to me, and if you’re curious if it does affect my usage, well, no. I’m not so sure yet when it comes to using S Pen on the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G but overall, it’s still a good and accurate display when I’m using it.

As for the under-display camera, yes, the under-display camera of the smartphone is very noticeable as it tends to have slightly different colors. Despite not being a perfect under-display camera on the smartphone, I still love to have this feature because when I’m playing games like Genshin Impact on the smartphone, I tend to not notice the UDC of the smartphone but instead appreciate the full screen goodness of the foldable display of the smartphone that I’ve been using for gaming.

Overall, the foldable display and the cover display of the smartphone are an upgrade from the previous generation despite the same size. The 120Hz refresh rate is a nice addition to the cover display and whether I’m looking at photos or playing games, both displays are excellent in that matter.

Decent Battery Life

For the battery of this foldable smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G comes with a 4400mAH battery which is a little bit smaller than the previous generation but that doesn’t mean that the smartphone doesn’t have a long battery life because I actually got the same battery life that I’m getting on my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G.

For this smartphone, I’m getting around 14-15 hours of battery life on normal usage and that’s a combination of using the cover display and also the foldable display of the smartphone. Basically, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G will give you a whole day of battery life without problems on the smartphone.

A better software optimization

For the software, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G comes with OneUI 3.1.1 based on Android 11 and yes, it was flawless for the smartphone and it’s an improvement over the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G. Most of the features that are now available on this smartphone are now available for the Galaxy Z Fold2 5G including better multi-tasking on the smartphone and pinning of the apps on the homescreen so you can have better multitasking on the smartphone.

One of the new features that I love on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G is I can set an aspect ratio for individual apps which I find very useful as some of the applications that we’ve ran on the previous generation weren’t really that good because of the aspect ratio of the foldable display. And of course, since we got here a larger display on the smartphone, I could have more space for productivity as I can open apps side by side on the smartphone. With the labs in the settings, I can customize a lot more on the smartphone.

When it comes to gaming, I really appreciate that the smartphone doesn’t stretch out the apps anymore when I open games on the cover display then switch to the foldable display of the smartphone by unfolding it. So yeah, you don’t need to restart the app anymore in case you want to use the foldable display of the smartphone from the cover display.

 

As for the performance, we got here a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor inside which is powerful enough and Samsung has managed to tone down the temperatures of the smartphone when playing games for a longer time. Basically, the smartphone can decimate most games that are available on the Play store without a problem.

We tried Genshin Impact on 60fps at the highest settings and as expected, I was able to get of up to 60fps on the smartphone but it wasn’t consistent as the game gets even heavier. Nonetheless, the game was enjoyable to play on the large screen. Not just that because we were also able to play PS2 games using DamonPS2 on the smartphone and it was flawless. We were also able to play Nintendo Switch games on the smartphone which is really taxing on most smartphones and even the flagship ones.

Not the best, but still a flagship camera

For the camera, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G comes with triple-lens rear camera. There’s the 12MP wide-angle camera, 12MP ultra wide-angle camera, and then there’s the 12MP telephoto camera and it’s capable of up to 10x zoom on the smartphone. For the selfie camera, there’s the 10MP selfie camera on the cover display and then there’s the 4MP selfie camera on the foldable display of the smartphone.

And yes, they are on a flagship level and it’s way better than the one on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G. The ones that we got on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G are comparable to the ones on the Samsung Galaxy S21 series. In our shots, we got the nice colors on the camera and it was sharp at well-lit conditions but it’s a hit and miss for a flagship level on lowlight conditions.

For zooming, I felt that the 10x zoom on the smartphone isn’t enough but at least, the 10x shots that we got on the smartphone gives enough details for the smartphone.

As for the selfies, the 10MP selfie camera on the cover display of the smartphone was good and it’s a little bit better than the previous generation. Most of the time, we can shoot pretty good selfies on the smartphone in both well-lit conditions and at lowlight. Check out the shots that we took using the 10MP selfie camera of the smartphone.

As for the under-display camera of the smartphone, there’s the 4MP selfie camera on the foldable display and it does offer a far inferior quality compared to the 10MP selfie camera of the smartphone. Shooting at decent lighting conditions will still give you an inferior quality and at lowlight, the quality drops drastically as it produces soft selfies on the smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G Review: Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G is a more refined version of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G but it comes with a lot of new features including a stronger build, an under-display camera, S Pen support, better display, and IP6X water resistance but the best part about the smartphone is the price. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G’s starting price is Php87,990 which is way lower compared to the previous Galaxy Fold smartphones.

The hardware and features definitely mean that the smartphone is made for those people who want the best flagship smartphones in where they can be productive as we got here a large display and also powerful hardware and features inside.

You might not be a fan of the camera as this one is still far from the one on the ultra version but this one still got the chops to perform like a flagship smartphone. As for the build, well, the bulky and thick body of the smartphone might not be for everyone but I’m pretty sure that you’ll appreciate the foldable form factor of this one when you use the smartphone for browsing content and for work.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G is definitely for those people who are always on the go and wants to have a powerhouse in their pocket whether they want it for gaming or for work. I’m pretty sure that you’ll appreciate the S Pen support and the large foldable display of the smartphone. These things makes the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G the king of foldable smartphones.

If you want something more portable but still a foldable and a more affordable one, you can go for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G is now available in the Philippines and you can get it for Php87,990 for the 12GB+256GB variant.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G Specs

  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor
  • 12GB RAM
  • 256GB/512GB Internal Storage UFS 3.1
  • Main display: 7.6-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X (22.5:18) 2208×1768, 120Hz refresh rate
  • Cover Display: 6.2-inch HD+ Super AMOLED (24.5:9) 2268×832, 120Hz refresh rate
  • Cover camera: 10MP selfie camera, f2.2
  • Under display camera (foldable display): 4MP selfie camera, f1.8
  • Rear Triple Camera:
    • 12MP Ultra Wide Angle Camera, f2.2
    • 12MP Wide-angle camera, Dual Pixel AF, OIS, f1.8
    • 12MP Telephoto Camera, PDAF, OIS, f2.4, 2x optical zoom, up to 10x digital zoom
  • WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS
  • LTE, 5G
  • Armor Aluminum body
  • 4400mAh battery
    • Wired and Wireless Charging
  • Android 11 with One UI
  • Phantom Green, Phantom Black, and Phantom Green

 

Microsoft unveils the Surface Duo 2

Jam Ancheta
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0
Microsoft unveils the Surface Duo 2

Microsoft has finally announced the successor of the Surface Duo and this time, we now have a lot of improved features. The Surface Duo 2 comes with a dual 5.8-inch display with 1892×1344 resolution AMOLED displays. Not only that, the smartphone also comes with a triple-lens rear camera which is missing from the previous generation.

Compared to the previous generation, the Surface Duo 2 comes with a 90hz display and also a curved display on the sides so you can use one side of the smartphone for checking notifications when it’s closed.

For the processor, the Surface Duo 2 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor along with an up to 512GB internal storage and 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM. For the camera, the smartphone comes with a 12MP main camera, 12MP telephoto camera, and a 16MP ultra-wide camera.

The Surface Duo 2 will also support the Surface Slim Pen 2 so you can be more productive on the smartphone and you can magnetically connect it to the Surface Duo 2 to charge it. The smartphone comes with 4449mAh battery along with 23W fast charging.

The Surface Duo 2 starts at an expensive price of USD$1,500.

Smart partners with Eplayment Entertainment to support Liga Adarna Season 4

Ciara Alarcon
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Smart partners with Eplayment Entertainment to support Liga Adarna Season 4

Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) has once again teamed up with esports event organizer, Eplayment Entertainment, to power up Liga Adarna Season 4.

Known as the country’s biggest and only all-female esports league, the fourth installment of Liga Adarna is entitled Race to the Top. The tournament is graced by the country’s top female esports players, battling themselves out in four different games.

The players will fight over the prize pool of Php220,000 and will go head-to-head in:

  • Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
  • Valorant
  • Call of Duty: Mobile
  • League of Legends: Wild Rift

Mobile Legends and Call of Duty Mobile will be contested in three rounds, such as open qualifier, elimination rounds, and playoffs. Valorant will have two rounds (group stage and playoffs), while there will be a single tournament for WildRift.

The tournament will run from September 17 until December 19.

Fans can catch the livestream of the games on the Liga Adarna’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ligaadarna.

Lenovo outs new Legion X60 Intel lineup in PH

Ciara Alarcon
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Lenovo outs new Legion X60 Intel lineup in PH

Lenovo is bringing its gaming devices to a higher level with Intel, as it introduced its latest Legion X60 Intel gaming laptop lineup, including the IdeaPad Gaming 3i, Lenovo Legion 5i, Lenovo Legion 5i Pro, and Lenovo Legion 7i.

LENOVO IDEAPAD GAMING 3i

Powered by up to 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series graphics, the new IdeaPad Gaming 3i laptop provides users with ultra-smooth performance even when playing games with high graphics demand.

It comes with up to 165Hz FHD IPS display, too, complemented with a Nahimic surround sound audio for an improved gaming experience. Meanwhile, its keyboard is designed with a 1.5mm key travel, white backlit, and an optional four-zone RGB.

The IdeaPad Gaming 3i laptop is available in Shadow Black with a starting price of Php59,995.

LENOVO LEGION 5i

Dressed in a clean minimalistic chassis, the Legion 5i is packed with the 11th Gen Intel Core processor, allowing users to enjoy 45W of dedicated power. It is also equipped with Legion AI Engine that supports Legion Coldfront 3.0 and Q control. This allows the device to shift power between the CPU and GPU. In addition, the machine is also geared with up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics.

The Legion 5i gaming laptop flashes a 15-inch QHD display with a 165Hz refresh rate, and sports Nahimic 3D audio and the new Legion TrueStrike keyboard.

The new Lenovo Legion 5is comes in Phantom Blue and Stingray White color variants and will be available starting at Php72,995.

LENOVO LEGION 5i PRO

Meanwhile, the Legion 5i Pro is loaded with the latest 11th Gen Intel Core H-series processor paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 graphics. It has a 16-inch QHD display that supports a 165Hz refresh rate, too. just like the 5i variant, it also comes with Nahimic 3D audio to provide an immersive gaming experience.

The Legion 5i Pro with Intel Core i7 and RTX 3070 is priced at Php124,995.

LENOVO LEGION 7i

The Lenovo Legion 7i, on the other hand, comes with the most powerful offerings.

It is powered by the latest-gen Intel Core processor and up to 165W NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 graphics. It is geared with the Legion AI Engine, supporting the next-gen Legion Coldfront 3.0 thermals and a high-performance vapor chamber.

Other notable features also include its WQXGA display, 165Hz refresh rate, and 3D Nahimic audio.

Consumers can get the Lenovo Legion 7i in Storm Grey variant for the price of Php169,995.

So, are you buying one?

Let us know what you think in the comment section below!

Cherry Cares donates medical supplies to 38 hospitals in NCR

Ciara Alarcon
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Cherry Cares donates medical supplies to 38 hospitals in NCR

Cherry Cares by MSN Foundation spearheaded a donation drive for 38 hospitals across the National Capital Region.

The donation includes medical supplies, such as HazMats, KN95 face masks, and thermal guns—which are all helpful for the health sector in fighting the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of the recipients include the following:

  • Ospital ng Maynila
  • Tondo Medical Center
  • Santa Ana Hospital
  • Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center
  • San Lazaro Hospital
  • Ospital ng Tondo
  • Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital
  • Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital
  • National Center for Mental Health
  • San Lorenzo Ruiz General Hospital
  • Ospital ng Malabon
  • Valenzuela Medical Center
  • Pasig City General Hospital
  • Quirino Memorial Medical Center
  • Pasay City General Hospital
  • Southern Tagalog Medical Regional Hospital
  • National Kidney and Transplant Institute
  • Navotas City Hospital

Meanwhile, it has to be noted that Cherry Cares has been donating medical supplies to hospitals and frontliners since the start of the pandemic last year.

Lenovo ThinkSmart Core now available globally

Ciara Alarcon
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0
Lenovo ThinkSmart Core now available globally

Lenovo has officially launched the new ThinkSmart Core, providing consumers with a collaborative solution for hybrid work.

Lenovo was thrilled to announce that the ThinkSmart Core could deliver high performance and comprehensive hardware-based security features. This makes the device a modular room kit for meeting spaces that can provide users with impressive flexibility, scalability, and security.

The ThinkSmart Core is powered by an 11th Gen Intel Core vPro processor, paired with a whopping 256GB SSD. With this, users can expect that it can support any meeting room. In addition, it is thoughtfully designed, allowing users to place it discreetly in a room with a cleverly integrated cable management and VESA mount compatibility.

Meanwhile, the ThinkSmart Controller is a 10.1-inch point-to-point touchscreen that features a USB-C and a 10-meter cable. It can detect whenever participants enter the room with its integrated infrared sensors.

On the other hand, its integrated stand provides users with both 30-degree or 60-degree viewing angles, while a 3.5mm headphone jack delivers a direct audio connection.

Here are the two kit configurations of ThinkSmart Core:
  • ThinkSmart Core + Controller – designed for workspaces that are equipped with Teams-certified audio and visual devices
  • ThinkSmart Core Full Room Kit – comes with additional ThinkSmart Cam and ThinkSmart Bar to offer high-quality video and immersive audio. It supports huddle rooms, boardrooms, and home offices

ThinkSmart Core Kit comes with a year of Lenovo’s value-added software and services, including a license for ThinkSmart Manager Premium, Lenovo’s collaboration management software suite and ThinkSmart Professional Services: Deploy and Maintain.

The official date of availability and pricing of the Lenovo ThinkSmart Core in the Philippines is yet to be announced. You can also head to www.lenovo.com/ThinkSmart to contact your local representative for more details.

So, stay tuned!

realme is now the world’s #6 smartphone brand

Jam Ancheta
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0
realme is now the world’s #6 smartphone brand

realme Philippines has announced that they are now the top 6 smartphone brand worldwide. realme has become the Top 6 smartphone vendor in the global rankings according to Counterpoint research and they are looking at 15 million shipments with 135.1% YoY growth in Q2 2021.

realme has surpassed the expectations of both the industry and also the customers as they expand to over 61 markets nationwide and ranking as a top 5 brand in over 18 markets and in the Philippines, they’re currently the #1 smartphone brand for Q1 and Q2 2021.

The smartphone brand is also expected to launch the realme GT Master Edition and the realme Book this September 23, 6PM which will even boost their lineup in the country.

Pre-order the Fitbit Charge 5 and get a free Fitbit Aria Air!

Jam Ancheta
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0
Pre-order the Fitbit Charge 5 and get a free Fitbit Aria Air!

For those fitness buffs, the Fitbit Charge 5 is now available for pre-order at Digital walker nationwide and if you’re getting one, you can also get a free Fitbit Aria Air that is worth Php2,990 for free!

The Fitbit Charge 5 is the newest smartwatch from Fitbit and it comes with a brigher display comapred to the Charge 4 and it also comes with heart rate notifications, sleep tracking, active zone minutes, different exercise modes and a lot more. It also comes with features like on-wrist ECG app for heart health and built-in GPS for pace and distance. The Fitbit Charge 5 is also expected to last up to 7 days with its batteyr

If you want to get the Fitbit Charge 5, you can get it at the Digital Walker website and also at Digital Walker stores nationwide. If you want to pre-order one, you can head over to this website: https://bit.ly/UrbanTimeCharge5PreOrder

The Fitbit Charge 5 is priced at Php12,490 and you can get it in Black, Blue, Steel, or Lunar White

TECNO Camon 17P Review

Jam Ancheta
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0
TECNO Camon 17P Review

Tecno Mobile has been consistent with offering Android devices to the market that are affordable to the market and the CAMON series of the brand focuses on offering affordable devices with outstanding cameras and one of their latest products in the series is the TECNO Camon 17P, their latest device that packs a 64MP quad-camera setup and also Helio G85 processor inside. Wanna know more about it? Check it out in our review below

TECNO Camon 17P Review: Design and hardware

The TECNO Camon 17P features a plastic build overall. At the back, we got here a plastic back with the large CAMON logo at the back with the O resembles a shutter gives us a clue that the smartphone really focuses on the camera.

When you hold the smartphone, you can already feel that this one is made up of plastic so it doesn’t really feel premium at all but the color of it and it does look pretty cool from afar. The body of the smartphone is also thin and since this one is made up of plastic, the TECNO Camon 17P is really light. This also means that the smartphone is ergonomic and light to hold so using the smartphone from your pocket in one hand would be a breeze.

For the card tray, the TECNO Camon 17P comes with a triple card tray so you can use your dual sim cards and also your microSD card on the smartphone in case the 128GB Internal storage of the smartphone isn’t enough for you.

The back of the smartphone is definitely clean because there’s no fingerprint scanner at the back and the camera module design looks clean with its vertical quadruple lens on the smartphone. When it comes to the port, the TECNO Camon 17P comes with a USB-C port that supports 18W Flash Charge and also a USB-C port which is nicely placed and spaced before so you wouldn’t have problems with accessories plugging into the smartphone.

For the fingerprint scanner, the smartphone comes with a side-mounted fingerprint scanner which feels more natural to use on the smartphone.

TECNO Camon 17P Review: Display

For the display, the TECNO Camon 17P comes with a large 6.8-inch Full HD+ Dot-in display which is large enough for watching videos on YouTube and of course, for playing games on the smartphone, the large display of the TECNO Camon 17P is perfect for that. The Full HD+ resolution also adds to the sharpness of the display of the smartphone. It’s bright enough and for normal usage on the smartphone, you would definitely appreciate it.

TECNO Camon 17P Review: Battery life

For the battery life of the TECNO Camon 17P, the smartphone comes with a 5000mAh battery inside which is pretty large enough, and for the PC Mark Work 3.0 Battery test, we got a score of 13 hours and 59 minutes which translates that the smartphone can last up to a whole day of normal usage.

TECNO Camon 17P Review: Software and performance

Inside the smartphone is a MediaTek Helio G85 processor which is enough for running most apps and games and along with that is either a variant of 6GB+128GB or 8GB+256GB. Whatever you get for the smartphone, the Helio G85 would do just fine for basic apps and of course, some games on the smartphone.

The smartphone is capable of running games like PUBG Mobile, League of Legends: Wild Rift, and also Call of Duty Mobile. You can even run Genshin Impact at lower settings. It might be able to run some heavier games on the smartphone but I highly suggest that you turn down the settings of the smartphone to make it playable.

As for the benchmarks, check out the benchmarks of the smartphone below:

As for the software, the TECNO Camon 17P comes with a HiOS based on Android 11 and it’s heavily skinned compared to most UI that are available in most smartphones in the market right now. First, there are a lot of apps that come preinstalled on the smartphone and some of them aren’t that useful.

For the UI, the TECNO Camon 17P comes with a lot of customizations including on the settings including shortcuts for photo compression so you can save more space, ultra power saving mode, and more. For the app drawer, the TECNO Camon 17P comes with a vertical app drawer where you can easily search for the app since it’s arranged alphabetically.

TECNO Camon 17P Review: Camera

For the camera, the smartphone comes with a 64MP quad-camera setup with a quad flash. There’s the 64MP camera for the main camera along with the AI Camera, 2MP macro camera, and 2MP bokeh camera. Unfortunately, there’s no ultrawide camera on this one.

And in our shots, the TECNO Camon 17P is a hit and miss for the main camera but I love the colors produced that I got in my shots. The skies are blue enough and the details are clear in my shots. As for the selfie camera, I’m not really a fan of it as it tends to be darker.  Check out the shots that we took using the TECNO Camon 17P:

TECNO Camon 17P Review: Verdict

The TECNO Camon 17P does offer some features that consumers would including a large display on the smartphone which is a Full HD+ resolution and then there’s the 5000mAh battery which is long enough to be used for a day. The processor of the smartphone is powerful enough for most games and if you want to install a lot of games on this one then that wouldn’t be a problem since we can get up to 256GB of storage on the smartphone depending on the variant that you’re getting.

As for the camera, the TECNO Camon 17P is a hit and miss as it offers pretty good colors but it sometimes offers some softer shots on the smartphone. As for the pricing, the 6GB+128GB variant is now available for Php8,490.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G Review: Samsung’s best foldable smartphone

Jam Ancheta
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0
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G Review: Samsung’s best foldable smartphone

The dawn of the foldable smartphones is here as Samsung has ditched their Galaxy Note series in favor of their new foldable series — the Samsung Galaxy Z series and if you’re looking for the most affordable flagship foldable smartphone in the market then you have to look no further, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is here for you

A very sleek and tough design

One of the things that they’ve improved on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is the design of the smartphone. First, the outer display of the smartphone is bigger and a lot better than before and then there’s the armor aluminum body on the smartphone which feels a lot better and it’s tougher than ever.

First, let’s talk about the hinge of the smartphone. Compared to our first experience with the original Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G’s hinge feels a lot sturdy and I really didn’t have any problems opening or unfolding the smartphone in just one hand which makes the smartphone really useful even in one hand. And of course, you can adjust the display of the smartphone at any angle that you want.

As for the design, the smartphone is really portable and pocketable when I’m using it in one hand with a rounded design that feels good and tough to the hands thanks again to the armor aluminum body of the smartphone. The feel and experience of the hardware of the smartphone is miles better compared to the predecessor.

At the back of the smartphone is where we can see the Gorilla Glass Victus protection all over it. This means that the glass body of the smartphone is tough and when the fold is unfolded, the hinge of the smartphone is hidden. With also got a little bit of protruding glass that houses the cameras and also the outer display of the smartphone. Thankfully, the smartphone’s camera doesn’t have a thick module compared to most smartphones these days so it does look good and feel good when holding it folded.

Of course, we still have here the USB-C port on the smartphone below and it only supports 15W which is a far cry from most smartphones that are now 25W and up. The smartphone also comes with wireless charging and you can wireless charge it even if the smartphone is folded.

The smartphone also comes with IPX8 water resistance which is a first on a foldable smartphone but there’s no word regarding dust resistance on this one. But having an IPX8 water resistance is already a big deal as you won’t have to worry about water damage on the smartphone in case you spilled some drinks on the smartphone or there’s a sudden splurge of rain when you’re using the smartphone outside.

Just like the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G, the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G comes with a fingerprint scanner at the top right of the smartphone and on top of it is the volume rocker. Honestly, I didn’t have a single problem with it but I’m not sure if people with smaller hands would appreciate that as the smartphone is too tall with its 22:9 aspect ratio.

Big upgrade on displays

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G comes with two displays, the inner foldable display comes with a 6.7-inch AMOLED Infinix Flex Display with 2640×1080 resolution and no, there’s no under display camera here unlike the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G but now have here a 120Hz refresh rate so the smartphone’s animation and transitions are way smoother than ever and of course, it has an effect on games that can support more than 60fps.

The display of the smartphone is vivid as expected and it’s bright and I really don’t have any problems with it. With its aspect ratio of 22:9, the smartphone’s display is narrow so even with smaller hands, you won’t have any problems with typing on the smartphone however, the smartphone’s display might be too tall for some people. But the quality of the smartphone’s flex display is great as the colors are useful and I can use it even under direct sunlight.

As for the outer display or the cover display of the smartphone, it’s way bigger now with a 1.9-inch AMOLED display with 512×260 resolution and of course, there’s the Gorilla Glass Victus protecting this one. It’s way better than before as it can display more content and sometimes, I prefer looking at the cover display of the smartphone instead of my smartwatch as this one’s cute and it can display the notifications that I want.

But of course, it’s not just notifications as the outer display can also display different functions including the control for music, voice recorder, timer, schedule, weather, health, and alarm. In the future, I would hope to see 3rd party taking advantage of this one as the outer display of the smartphone might be small but it’s definitely usable now.

My main usage for the outer display of the smartphone is using it for selfies. I just double press the power button of the smartphone and I can take photos with its volume rocker. This is a perfect feature for those people who love taking selfies with their friends as you don’t have to open the smartphone anymore and of course, you can take better shots as this one is using the rear cameras of the smartphone instead of the front-facing camera.

Short battery life

One of the things that I already expected on the smartphone is the short battery life. I already expected it because the smartphone comes with a 3300mAh battery. One of the reasons is because of its foldable form factor in where Samsung splits the battery of the smartphone into two and with its slim design, they’re limited with what they can do on this one.

With its 120Hz panel, of course, it would take some juice as this one is smoother than before. I’m a heavy smartphone user and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G was able to last up to 14 hours on me with a screen on time of 4 hours and 11 minutes. Most smartphones would last up to a day in my usage especially in the flagship ones.

Powerful performance and features

Inside the smartphone is a Snapdragon 888 processor along with 8GB RAM. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is finally using a processor that is not a generation older and that’s good news as the smartphone is powerful and I can play any games that I want on the smartphone. We tried different games including Genshin Impact and of course, it was able to play the game at the highest settings but I notice a few frame drops which is probably because of throttling on the CPU.

But thanks to this, the smartphone’s temperatures were good compared to most smartphones with Snapdragon 888. We notice that the smartphone gets warm when playing games but it doesn’t get really hot at demanding times. If you want to know more about the performance, you can check out the benchmarks of the smartphone below:

Thanks to the Snapdragon 888 inside it, we were able to get 5G, WiFi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.2 but having a good processor must be combined with good software to have a really good experience on the smartphone. Thankfully, the One UI 3.1.1 based on Android 11 did really fine. We got here really smooth transitions and of course, apps load fast as expected and the included apps on the smartphone were useful.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G also comes with flex mode in where supported apps are taking advantage of the foldable display of the smartphone. This lets you open the apps like YouTube, Gallery, and camera take advantage of the foldable display of the Flip3. With this feature in YouTube, you can use half of the display for the video and the other half for the comments and other information. This is perfect if you place the smartphone in a flat surface and you just want to watch videos on the smartphone. Having a tall display means that multi-tasking on this smartphone would be nice as we can open two apps — one in the upper and another one in the lower half.

Not so powerful camera

Samsung didn’t really focus on the camera segment of the smartphone. Just like the previous generation, we got here a dual-lens rear camera with two 12MP shooters. One is a wide-angle for the main camera and the other one is the ultra-wide angle camera. They’ve also used Gorilla Glass DX for the glass of the cameras of the smartphone to capture more light and to avoid reflections so you can have better photos on the smartphone and for the selfies, we got here a 10MP selfie camera that does the job.

First, let’s talk about the rear camera of the smartphone. The main camera can really do its job but the quality isn’t on the level of most flagship smartphones in the market. I’ve noticed that the dynamic range in some of my shots doesn’t have the best colors. The ultrawide angle camera of the smartphone might do the job but it’s definitely not on the level of most flagships smartphones in the market. Check out the shots that we took using the rear smartphone.

Rear cameras:

Selfie camera:

For selfies, I highly suggest using the rear camera instead as the selfie camera of the smartphone isn’t as good as the rear camera but it’s definitely usable for video calls. Overall, the smartphone’s camera might not be the best but it’s definitely workable for most of your needs for selfies and for posting on social media. The cameras of the smartphone might not be on a flagship level of 2021 but it’s definitely good for posting.

Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is a big improvement over the previous generation ranging from the performance up to the build quality of the smartphone. It’s smarter, better, and tougher than ever but the smartphone fell short on the camera and also the battery. Nonetheless, it’s still stylish but the best part about the smartphone is the price. The starting price of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is now Php52,990 which is a huge drop from the previous generation. This means that the smartphone is changing the game and we are now welcoming foldable smartphones to more markets as the smartphone is even more affordable.

There might be some compromises but it’s definitely hard to find a smartphone like this — a stylish, pocketable, and awesome device that will just cost you Php52,990. So if you’re looking for a stylish smartphone or you really want nostalgia then the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is definitely the one for you.

As for me, I’m loving it despite the shortcomings in the battery and camera as the smartphone is really portable to the hands and it’s very easy to use. With its added and improved features, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is now for everyone and you’ll definitely love its design and new features. For its price, it’s definitely the best foldable smartphone from Samsung to date.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is now available for Php52,990.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G Specs

  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor
  • 8GB RAM
  • 128GB/256GB Internal Storage UFS 3.1
  • Main display: 6.7-inch  Dynamic AMOLED 2X 2640×1080, 120Hz refresh rate
  • Cover Display: 1.9-inch 260×512 Super AMOLED
  • Selfie camera: 10MP selfie camera, f2.4
  • Dual Rear Camera:
    • 12MP Ultra Wide Angle Camera, f2.2
    • 12MP Wide-angle camera, Dual Pixel AF, OIS, f1.8
  • WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS
  • LTE, 5G
  • Armor Aluminum body
  • 3300mAh battery
    • Wired and Wireless Charging
  • Android 11 with One UI
  • Phantom Green, Phantom Black, and Phantom Green
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