OPPO’s Reno13 Series 5G is proven to be successful in terms of numbers as OPPO Philippines has shared impressive sales growth even compared to the previous generation, the Reno12 Series 5G.
The OPPO Reno13 F 5G has saw an increase of 112% increase in sales compared to the predecessor while the Reno13 5G and Reno13 Pro 5G experienced a 59% sales boost. The online sales for the entire Reno13 5G lineup has also increased by 98% increase e-commerce channels.
To give you a recap, the OPPO Reno13 Series 5G’s biggest highlights is its camera, software improvements and of course, there’s AI as well. The OPPO Reno13 Series 5G is now available in the Philippines.
One of the best smartphones in my list this year is definitely the Google Pixel 9. It’s a complete balance of a good experience and also a price that is pretty reasonable for a flagship smartphone.
Google Pixel 9 Review: Design and hardware
The Google Pixel series always has an iconic camera design and it isn’t gone on the Google Pixel 9. We still have the visor camera module at the back and on the sides, the Google Pixel 9 features flat metal sides along with the glass back that feels likes an iPhone. Nonetheless, it isn’t a bad thing as the Pixel 9 really exudes a premium and solid feel into it.
As expected, the visor camera of the Pixel 9 is protruding at the back and despite the flat sides, the smartphone is still comfortable to hold thanks to the small and portable body of the smartphone. This makes the Google Pixel 9 an excellent smartphone for those people who are looking for a smaller flagship smartphone. Oh and just to add, I do love the pink color of this device.
One thing that I really don’t like about the Google Pixel 9 is the placement of the power button of the smartphone. It is placed near to the volume button of the smartphone at the same side and half of the time, I have been pressing the volume buttons instead of the power button of the smartphone. Not really a deal breaker but it has become annoying for me as the power button of the smartphone should be placed in the middle and should not be close to the volume buttons.
If you love playing music or just using the speaker most of the time, the Google Pixel 9 has two speakers. It can be loud but it’s not perfect at all. I feel that it lacks a little bit of bass but other than that, it was quite well.
As for the battery, the Google Pixel 9 does an almost day and a half surprisingly in normal usage. Which is surprising. But for most people, the Google Pixel 9 would last up to a single work day without problems
Google Pixel 9 Review: Display
The Google Pixel 9 has a smaller display, which again, is perfect for those who wants a handy smartphone. It comes with a 6.3-inch OLED Display with a 120Hz refresh rate and sure, it’s comparable to an iPhone 16 and sure, it isn’t the best for gaming but the display of the Pixel 9 is excellent but definitely not the best one.
The colors and brightness of the display is more than enough for most usage and it would definitely be usable outside but compared to other flagship smartphones out there, the Google Pixel 9 is far from the best. The size isn’t ideal also for people who have large hands or to people who wants to have more content on their display.
Google Pixel 9 Review: Software & performance
The software is probably the best feat about this smartphone. It’s running on the latest Android OS and it’s the BEST mobile android operating system that you can experience. First, there are no bloatwares and the UI is really easy on the eyes and customizable. Honestly, I find the design of it really cute.
Gemini isn’t really fully baked-in to all of the features but Google does have one of the most usage for AI in their smartphones. They have also put in Pixel Studio on this one which does generative AI features on the smartphone. But honestly, I rarely use these features but it’s nice to have these things on a smartphone.
As for the performance, the Google Pixel 9 really lags when it comes to the competition. The Google Tensor G4 chipset inside it does wonders but it isn’t up as the other flagship smartphones out there. It can play the latest games out there and it certainly can play games like Genshin Impact and also Honkai Star: Rail at the highest settings BUT do not expect it to run at stable 60fps. It does fluctuate and the heating management of the smartphone is definitely not the best at all.
The Google Tensor G4 feels like it’s a processor from the previous generation. But in today’s smartphones especially with the market of Pixel smartphones, most consumers care about the experience and the smoothness when navigating on the smartphone rather than have the best numbers and the best performance in gaming. Nonetheless, I still wish Google could improve the Google Tensor line in the future. Here some of the benchmarks of the smartphone:
Google Pixel 9 Review: Camera
The camera of the Google Pixel 9 is one of the features that I really love in it. To be the most affordable and smallest in the Pixel 9 series, the Google Pixel 9 does a pretty good job. The colors that I have been getting were excellent and the combination of the post-processing and the hardware of Pixel 9.
The 50MP wide camera and the 48MP ultrawide camera does wonder but unfortunately, there’s no telephoto lens on this one. Nonetheless, the dual camera setup is more than enough for most people unless you want to shoot on concerts.
As for the camera quality, we’re really happy with the lowlight quality of the smartphone’s camera and the colors that are produced in the shots are definitely on the iPhone 16 Pro level. Another thing, I have noticed that they keep on updating the smartphone and the quality has improved every update. Check out the camera samples of the smartphone below:
Main Camera
Main Camera
Main Camera
Ultrawide camera
Night mode
Main Camera
Ultrawide camera
Main Camera
Ultrawide camera
Main Camera
Main Camera
Main Camera
Main Camera
Selfie Camera
Selfie Camera
Google Pixel 9 Review: After 6 months
It’s not a surprise that the Google Pixel 9 has been getting amazing updates and it keeps on improving the device even more. While the Tensor G4 chipset still needs a lot of improvement, I have noticed that the camera’s performance has definitely improved. The software was still fun to use as it is swift and good.
While there are a lot of competition in the market now especially with the new wave of flagships are already here, the Google Pixel 9 still prove to be an interesting smartphone in this space. Yes, there’s the Samsung Galaxy S25 now and some other phones from the Chinese brands such as vivo X200 mini, the Pixel 9’s greatest strength and advantage would still be its software.
Google Pixel 9 Review: Verdict
The Google Pixel 9 is an almost perfect handy smartphone. The smartphone’s design is a beauty and it’s a very handy smartphone to hold, the camera is amazing, and the software that we got in here is top-notch. However, the Tensor G4 is the only thing that pulls it down.
Don’t get me wrong, the Google Pixel 9 can run all the things that I need but I wish it was better. I wish it had better numbers and better performance. Nonetheless, for casual users or normal users, the Pixel 9 would be more than enough for them.
Looks like the best book-style foldable it out and it’s the OPPO Find N5. This smartphone is competing against the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and also the likes of HUAWEI Mate X6. But the highlight of this tablet is not just AI as the OPPO Find N5 features a very thin body and also a stronger hinge.
OPPO uses a titanium alloy hinge which is stronger compared to the typical aluminum materials being used and not just that because the OPPO Find N5 also features an IPX9 water resistance.
For the specs, the OPPO Find N5 comes with a 6.62-inch 120Hz OLED display outside and then there’s the 8.12-inch LTPO foldable OLED display on the inside. As for the camera, it comes with a 50MP LYT-700 main camera, a 50MP periscope camera, and 8MP ultrawide camera.
While inside, the OPPO Find N5 features a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor along with 512GB of storage and 16GB RAM. As for the charging, it comes with 80W SUPERVOOC wired charging with 5600mAh battery inside. The OPPO Find N5 comes with ColorOS 15 with up to 5 years of security updates.
One of the highlights of the OPPO Find N5 is also the support for the O+ Connect App for Mac which lets you connect to your mac, share files, multimedia files, and even do remote access to your laptop so you can work anywhere.
HUAWEI has also unveiled their latest and affordable wearable device in Malaysia and it’s the HUAWEI Band 10. The smart wearable device got a few upgrades as this one now comes with a metallic design and it of course, it comes with AI-powered health monitoring.
The HUAWEI Band 10 now features a metallic design with a CNC cutting process which makes it look more premium. But despite that, it still comes in different colors with a fluoroelastomer straps.
For the display, it comes with a 1.47-inch AMOLED display with support for different watchfaces that can fit your OOTD. For the health monitoring, it comes with heart rate sensor, respiratory rate, SpO2 sensor, sleep sensor, and a lot more. In my experience, HUAWEI has been really good when it comes to health sensors. It also supports 100 workout modes. For the battery, the HUAWEI Band 10 supports up to 2 week battery life.
Expect the HUAWEI Band 10 to be available globally including the Philippines soon.
HUAWEI has also launched the MatePad Pro 13.2 2025 at Malaysia alongside the HUAWEI Mate XT. The new generation of MatePad Pro 13.2, it will be bringing a Flexible OLED PaperMatte Display with 1000 nits brightness, a PC-level office capabilities and support for keyboard for productivity.
Specs-wise, the HUAWEI Matepad Pro 13.2 2025 rocks a brand new Kirin T92 processor inside which we haven’t seen before and it also comes with a 12GB of RAM with an up to 512GB Internal Storage. As for the camera, the tablet comes with 8MP main camera and a 5MP ultra-wide rear cameras with a 16MP front-facing camera.
Just like the previous HUAWEI tablets that we have reviewed before, there’s a PC-Level WPS office inside which gives a desktop-level editing and also UI with support for the keyboard and touchpad of the tablet.
Of course, other apps such as HUAWEI Notes and GoPaint that takes advantages of the M-Pencil support and features are here as well. Speaking of accessories, the tablet also supports a smart magnetic keyboard that lets you use it even wirelessly.
Expect the HUAWEI MatePad Pro 13.2 2025 to be available globally including the Philippines in the near future,
Apple has finally unveiled the successor to the iPhone SE and it’s the iPhone 16e. This smartphone will still be more affordable than the current iPhones in the market right now but the iPhone 16e will still pack some of the things that Apple is proud of including the A18 chip which is present on the iPhone 16, Apple Intelligence, and a single 48MP main camera.
Simple but durable design
On the front, the iPhone 16e features a display with a notch similar to the iPhone 14. It will also have a flat sides with an aluminum material. Apple is also proud that this smartphone would be tough even for drops and it also comes with a ceramic shield for the glass which protects the smartphone from damages and breakage. There’s IP68 Water and dust resistance as well.
Despite being the more affordable smartphone, the iPhone 16e comes with a USB-C port and also an action button. These features are also seen on the bigger brothers. And yes, there’s Face ID on this smartphone.
New Apple chip
The iPhone 16e will pack an A18 chip inside which we have seen on the iPhone 16 and the 16 Plus but this time, the iPhone 16e comes with the first Apple cellular modem called the Apple C1. And since this smartphone runs on A18 chip, this also means that the iPhone 16e will be capable of running the latest AAA games on the App Store and also Apple Intelligence.
Single camera
The simple but beautiful camera layout is back on the iPhone 16e as it comes with a single 48MP main camera. Unlike the previous cameras, the iPhone 16e comes with an integrated 2x telephoto lens which is interesting. As for video recording, the iPhone 16e can record videos at 4K at up to 60fps.
More expensive but still affordable
The iPhone 16e starts at a more expensive price compared to the previous generation. The iPhone 16e now starts at CA$899 in Canada (Php 39,990 in the Philippines)
HUAWEI has just launched their popular and innovative trifold smartphone, the HUAWEI Mate XT at Malaysia. This is the first trifold smartphone in the world for consumers and everybody is excited for it because of ingenuity and also on how marvelous the engineering that was done on this smartphone.
The HUAWEI Mate XT comes with a body at only 3.6mm thin and with a display of 10.2 inches when unfolded which makes it better for productivity and also for media consumption.
The HUAWEI Mate XT was first launched in China last September and it comes with a 6.4-inch display when folded and a 10.2-inch when unfolded. The smartphone also comes with a powerful 50MP Main Camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and a periscope camera. There’s a 5600mAh battery as well but just like the other HUAWEI smartphones, there’s no Google Play on this one as it runs on EMUI.
We can finally expect the HUAWEI Mate XT to arrive outside China in the near future.
HONOR Philippines has announced that their more affordable but still tough HONOR X9c Smart 5G is arriving to the Philippines soon with the exclusive sale starting this February 20, 2025.
HONOR X9c Smart 5G
The HONOR X9c Smart 5G is a more affordable brother of the tough and popular HONOR X9c 5G. The X9c Smart features a Dimensity 7025 Ultra processor inside, a 120Hz LCD but as for the camera, it comes with a 108MP main camera and 5MP utlrawide camera. For the selfie camera, it comes with a 16MP camera.
The HONOR X9c Smart 5G is expected to launch this February 20, 2025.
Xiaomi 15 Ultra is expected to come out pretty soon this MWC 2025 at Barcelona, Spain and thanks to Android Headlines, it looks like we got a first look at the renders of the smartphone thanks to a leak.
These renders of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra features a large camera module similar to the previous generation but this time it comes with a two-tone design which makes the smartphone looking like a camera.
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra leaked renders shows off a quad curve display with a punch hole at the top for selfie cameras. The smartphone is also expected to come with Snapdragon 8 Elite processor inside and as for the cameras which is the highlight of the smartphone, it comes with a 50MP main camera with 1-inch sensor, a 50MP ultrawide camera, a 50MP telephoto lens and another 200MP telephoto lens for longer range.
The Xiaomi 15 Ultra is expected to be unveiled soon.
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has just posted on Twitter/X that there will be a new member that will be joining the Apple family and rumours are already swirling that the new iPhone SE is expected to come out next week.
The rumoured iPhone SE 2025 is expected to come with a design similar to the iPhone 14 with a notch on the top instead of the dynamic island. It is also expected that it will now lose the home button and it will have a 6.1” display, which is again, similar to the iPhone 14. The iPhone SE 4 or iPhone SE 2025 is also expected to rock the A18 chip inside which is capable of Apple Intelligence and also AAA gaming.
The current iPhone SE in the market right now was launched last 2022 and it still comes with an A15 Bionic chipset, a 4.7” display and it’s the last smartphone that has a home button.
