Largan Precision, a company specializing in providing camera lens modules for smartphones, just revealed its April 2020 financial report. Alongside the report are the company’s expectations for the next quarter. According to the data, there’s a 14% monthly decline in orders for smartphone cameras with a year percentage of 6%.
Largan Precision’s prediction for April to June of 2020 are not good at all. Samsung reduced its camera lens orders by 30 percent for the quarter. Oppo also reduced its orders by the same amount while Xiaomi is sticking to a 10 to 20% reduction. Huawei, on the other hand, increased its orders by about 5 to 10% which is due to dominance in the domestic market.
Largan revealed the decrease in orders will lead to revenues slipping as early as May for about $600 million, or about 20% more than its last year’s four-month period.
It’s interesting to see smartphone manufacturers reducing their camera lens orders in an industry where even budget phones sport 3 to 4 cameras. Either these manufacturers are reducing the orders due to the Covid-19 pandemic or they are going for a “quality than quantity”, “less is more” camera approach for their upcoming smartphone.
A brand new smartphone from Samsung is imminent as the Samsung Galaxy A21s has leaked out in the web, The smartphone does have a very similar look from the previous generation but unfortunately, the render only shows the front panel of the smartphone that shows the Infinity-O display with a punch hole cut out for the selfie camera.
According to the leaks, the Samsung Galaxy A21s will sport a 6.5-inch display with an HD+ resolution. There’s 3GB of RAM too along with 32GB or 64GB of internal storage, NFC, and rear fingerprint scanner. We can also expect that the smartphone will sport a 5000mAh battery, 48MP main camera, 8MP ultra wide-angle and 2MP macro lens and for selfies, there’s the 13MP selfie camera. The smartphone will also pack an Exynos 850 chipset which is fairly new.
Expect the Samsung Galaxy A21s to come out in the market soon.
With the ECQ still implemented in Metro Manila and selected areas in the Philippines, PLDT has extended its free Speedboost for PLDT Home Fibr subscribers and they’ve also included free NDD calls for all postpaid subscribers until May 31, 2020.
The free speedboost will be extended to May 31 not just in highly affected areas of Luzon but also to the Fibr customers of Visayas and Mindanao regions. The free Speedboost will provide Fibr customers a minimum speed of 25 Mbps which is really essential now since a lot of people are working at home.
PLDT Home WiFi and PLDT Home Volume-based plans subscribers will also get to enjoy free access to DOG, NDRRMC, PIA, News 5, Philippine Star Global, Business World, CNN Philippines, ABS-CBN News, and GMA News Online.
MediaTek has unveiled a new version of their flagship chipset and it’s the MediaTek 1000+. Yes, we haven’t seen a smartphone yet here in the country with Dimensity 1000 but we’re getting soon the better one, the Dimensity 1000+ so what can we expect on this one?
The MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ now supports 144Hz with up to 1080p resolution. Not only that, but the new chipset will also feature a 5G UltraSave so the chipset can reduce the power usage of the smartphone’s modem. Aside from that, there’s support for the HyperEngine 2.0 that manages the CPU and GPU and also the RAM to give you the best performance on the smartphone.
MediaTek has also announced the iQOO is already building a smartphone with MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ with a 144Hz display and 5G connectivity. The Dimensity 1000+ is built on a 7nm chip with 4x Cortex-A77 cores along with 4x Cortex-A55 cores. For the GPU there’s Mali G77 MP9 GPU while for the memory, the controller supports LPDDR4X in quad-channel mode.
The first Realme 6 series smartphone has finally arrived in the Philippines and it’s the Realme 6i. The smartphone is affordable in the bunch just like the Realme 5i in the previous series but this time, we’re getting here a more powerful MediaTek G80 Octa-Core processor and also a sub-Php10,000 price tag.
Realme 6i specs
MediaTek Helio G80 CPU
6.52-inch Full HD+ IPS Display
3GB/4GB
64GB/128GB Internal storage expandable via MicroSD
48MP main + 8MP ultrawide camera + 2MP macro lens + 2MP portrait lens rear camera
16MP selfie camera
Dual SIM, LTE
WiFi, bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, BD, GLONASS, NaviC
Side-mounted fingerprint scanner
USB-C
5000mAh battery
18W Fast Charge
realme UI based on Android 10
Inside the box, we can get here the charger, USB-C cable, and the jelly case. Thankfully, the smartphone does support 18W charging as we got here a pretty large 5000mAh battery inside.
Since this is a budget smartphone, the Realme 6i is still sporting a plastic body which is already expected since it was unveiled. But this time, we’re getting here some cool reflective finish at the back of the smartphone.
The grip and ergonomics is actually pretty good too on the smartphone. Thankfully, the Realme 6i features a USB-C port which is a big departure from micro USB on the lower-end variants, and of course, the camera design at the back of the smartphone still features an almost similar design to Realme smartphones. There’s a fingerprint scanner at the back too which works quite fine and along with the USB-C port below the smartphone is a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The display is quite large too at 6.5-inches but unfortunately, it’s still at HD+ but for a smartphone at this price range, I wouldn’t really complain about it. There’s a notch at the top too that houses the 16MP selfie camera.
The smartphone comes with MediaTek Helio G80 Octa-core processor and it will come in different variants: 3GB/64GB, 4GB/64GB, and 4GB/128GB and the internal storage is expandable via MicroSD. The smartphone also runs on Realme UI based on Android 10 and this one is quite smooth, fast, and responsive
The camera is a big upgrade from the Realme 5i as this one features a 48MP main camera paired with 8MP ultra wide-angle, 2MP portrait lens, and a 2MP macro lens.
The Realme 6i’s official pricing will be announced this May 13 but do expect that the smartphone will start below Php10,000.
Yep, Realme Philippines will be bringing the Realme 6i in the Philippines soon based on their latest teaser at their Facebook page. The Realme 6i is one of the variants in the Realme 6 series and it will pack a MediaTek Helio G80 SoC and it’s the world’s first smartphone to pack that SoC inside.
Of course, we’re still getting here a large 6.52-inch display along with the quad-camera setup at the back with a main 48MP rear camera paired with 8MP ultra-wide camera, 2MP macro camera, and a 2MP portrait lens.
Realme 6i specs
MediaTek Helio G80 CPU
6.52-inch HD+ IPS Display
3GB/4GB
64GB/128GB Internal storage expandable via MicroSD
48MP main + 8MP ultrawide camera + 2MP macro lens + 2MP portrait lens rear camera
16MP selfie camera
Dual SIM, LTE
WiFi, bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, BD, GLONASS, NaviC
Side-mounted fingerprint scanner
USB-C
5000mAh battery
18W Fast Charge
realme UI based on Android 10
We don’t know yet the price of the smartphone here in the country but expect it to arrive this May 13.
Xiaomi Philippines has finally launched their one of the most exciting smartphone in the market right now, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9s. The smartphone features a pretty powerful Snapdragon 720G processor along with a 6.67-inch display. There’s a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera too which makes the smartphone pretty to look at.
Redmi Note 9s Specs
6.67-inch Full HD+ IPS Display, Gorilla Glass 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G
4GB/6GB RAM
64GB/128GB UFS 2.1 internal storage
48MP f/1.8 camera + 8MP ultra wide-angle camera + 2MP depth sensor + 5MP macro camera
16MP front camera
Dual SIM, LTE
WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, BD, GLONASS
USB-C
Side-mounted fingerprint scanner
18W Wired Charging
5020mAh battery
Android 10 with MIUI 11
The Redmi Note 9s will be available in the Philippines this May 8 at Lazada and Shopee and it will be available in Interstellar Gray, Aurora Blue, and Glacier White.
The Redmi Note 9s will be available for Php10,490 for the 4GB+64GB variant and Php11,990 for the 6GB/128GB variant
Apple has updated its Macbook Pro lineup today by doubling the storage of its entry-level Macbook Pros and of course, by updating the processors and some of the hardware inside on the other variants. Aside from that, there’s a brand new Magic Keyboard that fixes the problems that we encountered on the earlier Macbooks with butterfly switches.
Unfortunately, the entry-level Macbook Pros still uses the 8th generation Intel Core processors but the storage now starts at 256GB. But the higher variants with four thunderbolt ports, the Macbook Pro now comes with a brand new 10th generation Intel Core processors and also a bigger RAM that starts at 16GB. Not only that, but this one is also LPDDR4X with 3733MHz clock speed compared to the LPDDR3 2133MHz of the two thunderbolt port variants.
Here are the price and variants of the Macbook Pro 13 Mid 2020 in the Philippines:
With the enhanced community quarantine in effect in select areas in the country, it’s important that we do our part to help our front liners by staying at home, in order to avoid the spread of COVID-19. If you’re planning to complete some important errands like paying your bills or sending money to loved ones, it will be best to do it online.
Luckily, if you’re planning to pay your government or utility bills, PayMaya has got you covered. All you have to do is download the app and register.
With PayMaya, you can pay your government bills and utility bills like SSS, BIR, DFA, Meralco, Maynilad, Manila Water and many more. In my case, I always use PayMaya to pay my Smart Postpaid bills and also my utility bills at home. Since I’m a blogger, I also use my PayMaya to receive payment from my clients from Western Union. Yep, all I need is the MTCN and I can receive my money Western Union instantly.
We all know that most of the due dates of our bills have been extended this ECQ but of course, it is still better to pay your bills on time to allow and keep track of your bills easily. But first, let me share with you with how I load up my PayMaya account. In my case, I use my debit card to directly transfer my money from my bank to PayMaya
How to add money your PayMaya account
Open and login to your PayMaya account
Tap Add Money and tap Using Debit or Credit Card. Then, select New Card
Tap the amount you want to cash in. Enter your card details and press continue
Input the your card’s OTP, if required, and press continue.
Your PayMaya should be loaded by now!
There are many utility and government bills that you can pay with PayMaya. In my case, I can pay my Smart Postpaid bill, Internet, and Meralco over at PayMaya. So how do I do it? It’s pretty easy
Open and login to your PayMaya account
Tap Pay Bills
Choose which utility or government bills that you need to pay
Input the exact amount and the other required details
Tap continue
Wait for the SMS confirmation
It’s pretty simple, right? This is also a great way to pay for your loved one’s bills especially your parents and grandparents, so they wouldn’t have to step out of their homes.
So pay your bills via PayMaya and do your part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in your community. To know more about PayMaya, head over to https://www.paymaya.com/quick-guide.
The newest foldable smartphone of Huawei has finally been announced and it’s the Huawei Mate Xs. The smartphone looks very familiar as this one has the same design as last year but of course, we’re getting better internals for the smartphone this time and the best part? It’s now available in the Philippines which is actually a surprise. Want to know more about the smartphone? Check it out in our review below.
The Foldable design
The design and also its build is one of the major selling points of the smartphone. A lot of people prefer this form factor as this one offers a single display and also an easier way to unfold and fold the phone. The foldable segment opens a lot of avenues when it comes to form factors and when it comes to the Huawei Mate Xs, we got here a large display that is made for both single and double-handed usage.
To unfold the Huawei Mate Xs, this one is pretty easy as you only need to press a button at the back of the smartphone that unsnaps the display of the smartphone so that you can unfold it. To fold it back, you can just fold it in and snap the display of the smartphone.
If you’re worried about the durability of the Huawei Mate Xs’ hinge, Huawei has promised that the company has improved and made it tougher than the previous generation. Well, unfolding and folding the smartphone doesn’t have a magnetic feel but you can easily feel the snap of the smartphone whenever you’re folding or unfolding it.
On one side of the Mate Xs is where the smartphone houses everything – the camera and the USB-C port but it is also where the thicker part of the smartphone’s body is and it’s perfect for a better grip on the smartphone whenever when I have the Huawei Mate Xs unfolded.
Speaking of the grip, the Huawei Mate Xs isn’t as ergonomic as you would think it be. Yes, you can unfold the display but for one-handed usage, it’s a little bit slippery as we got here a fullscreen display for the body of the smartphone. Not only that, but it’s also prone to screen breakage since both the front and the back of the smartphone is comprised of the display whenever it is unfolded.
The smartphone also features a side-mounted fingerprint scanner which is also the power button of the smartphone and on the top of it is the volume rocker. It’s very reachable and it’s fast enough but there’s no face unlock on the smartphone as expected since the rear camera of the smartphone is also its selfie cameras.
The foldable display
The Huawei Mate Xs features a 6.6-inch display when folded with a resolution of 2480×1148 and a pretty large 8-inch display with 2480×2200 resolution when unfolded. It’s like a smartphone and tablet in 1 so once you have it, you can use it as your tablet and also your smartphone which is pretty functional and useful.
Now, let’s talk about the thing that we always talk about on foldable displays — the crease. The smartphone features a better display in here as the crease is almost unnoticeable but whenever you touch the middle part of the display, you can easily feel the there’s the crease on the display of the Huawei Mate Xs but don’t worry, it isn’t annoying or too distracting when you’re playing games on the smartphones. Another thing, despite being a foldable smartphone, the touchscreen display of the Huawei Mate Xs is quite responsive and there might be a lack of 90Hz refresh rate in here but this one still works fine with me.
The colors are good and it’s bright enough. It’s not the best display quality that we’ve ever seen but considering that this is a foldable display, the Huawei Mate Xs is a pretty well smartphone.
Pretty reasonable battery life
One of the things that I really love on most Huawei smartphones is their long battery life? Well, thanks to the Kirin 990 processor which is optimized for power efficiency and performance, the Huawei Mate Xs can last long on a single day.
In our PCMark test, we achieve a score of 10 hours and 22 minutes using the smartphone unfolded which means that we’re taking advantage of the whole 8-inch display of the smartphone. For me, that’s pretty reasonable and since we’re using the smartphone sometimes in folded mode, we could save more battery with that usage.
In my normal usage of the smartphone, I can last a whole day of usage from 10AM-8PM on the Huawei Mate Xs and still have some battery left. But of course, some people might be a heavy user or gamer then you might want to use the fast charger included in the smartphone and yes, it does support 55W fast charging which is pretty fast despite having a large battery inside.
Optimized software experience
We’re still on the second wave of foldable smartphones and so far, most of them are pretty optimized for their form factors and with the Huawei Mate Xs, we could do some multi-tasking on the smartphone and since we’re getting here an 8-inch display, multi-window on the smartphone is pretty functional and I love using it on the smartphone whenever I need to cross-reference some of the things that I’m typing on the smartphone. And unlike most smartphones, the Huawei Mate Xs can run three windows simultaneously so you can maximize the screen size of the smartphone.
Since we’re having here a foldable display, the apps should be compatible with the foldable form factor of the Huawei Mate Xs. Most of the apps that we’ve tried ran pretty well and they’re pretty flexible but whenever I open Facebook on unfolded mode, the app displays its tablet mode but whenever I fold it, the app doesn’t show the optimized UI for the folded mode which gets annoying but don’t worry as closing the app and opening it again on folded mode will give you the optimized UI.
When opening games, it’s better to avoid folding and unfolding the smartphone a lot of times as it will mess up the resolution of the game. Nonetheless, our experience with the foldable display of the Huawei Mate Xs on games was amazing. With its larger display, I have the advantage of having a larger screen estate and view in some shooter games which gives me a little bit of advantage and since we got here a more responsive display, playing games like PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty: Mobile and others isn’t a problem anymore.
Bigger display = better for gaming
One of the advantages of having the Huawei Mate Xs is the display but before we talk about our gaming experience on the smartphone, let’s talk about benchmarks. Since we got here a powerful Kirin 990 5G chipset inside along with 8GB of RAM, most of the games that we ran on the smartphone ran well without problems. But first, let’s check out the benchmarks that we got on the smartphone:
In our gaming experience, we definitely enjoyed playing games on the smartphone because again, we can unfold the display and enjoy the large screen of the Huawei Mate Xs. All of the games that we’ve tried playing on the smartphone ran well and we didn’t have any problems with the Huawei Mate Xs. In case you’re worried about the lack of Google Play and Google Mobile Services on the smartphone, I’ve actually downloaded apps and games on the Huawei AppGallery and also at APKPure so I really didn’t have any problems on the smartphone.
When it comes to gaming performance, the Huawei Mate Xs was really fine. We got here a large display and also a powerful processor inside which is perfect for gaming. With PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile, I can have more space for the buttons which means that I have more screen estate in where I can see my enemies along with Black Desert Mobile that shows more of the character and also the elements in the game rather than the buttons. The foldable display of the smartphone is perfect not just for productivity but also for gaming.
We weren’t able to benchmark the smartphone in Gamebench due to some errors but in PUBG Mobile, we definitely enjoyed the game at Ultra FPS at HDR graphics without any noticeable frame drops. Weirdly, the smartphone doesn’t have the performance mode unlike the Huawei P40 and the numbers that we got on the benchmarks don’t add up as the smartphone can handle the highest settings on all games.
Quad-camera goodness
The Huawei Mate Xs features a Leica quad-camera setup and it’s actually the only cameras on the smartphone as these cameras serve as the rear camera and also the front camera of the smartphone. But first, let’s discuss the cameras that we’re getting here on the Huawei Mate Xs.
First, there’s the 40MP wide-angle lens paired with 16MP ultra wide-angle lens along with the 8MP telephoto lens and also the Huawei ToF Camera for depth sensing and better bokeh. This setup is actually different from the one on the Huawei P40 series and also the Huawei Mate 30 Pro and in my test, yes, our selfies are definitely better but it gets a little annoying that I have to fold the display of the smartphone whenever I need to take a selfie or if I need to a video call on the smartphone.
In our shots using the Huawei Mate Xs, I noticed that the smartphone’s camera was good but it’s not as superior as the one on the Huawei P40 that we’ve reviewed a few weeks ago. I noticed that lack of saturation on some of our shots compared to the Huawei P40 but nonetheless, the shots we got here are still good. The portrait mode shots that we got on the Huawei Mate Xs are perfect as the smartphone can detect the edges pretty well. Check out the shots that we took using the camera of the smartphone.
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The smartphone can also record at up to 4K if you’re into video recording. As you can see in the shots, the Huawei Mate Xs might not be as good as the Huawei P40 series but you can still get some flagship-level quality shots on the smartphone and again, the portrait mode on the smartphone is really good and also, the ones that we’re getting here are pretty sharp.
Verdict
The Huawei Mate Xs irons out the problems that we’ve experienced on the first-generation foldable smartphone – the Mate X. The Huawei Mate Xs is still not for everyone though as we got here an expensive price and a form factor that is not fitted for everyone’s lifestyle. But for those people who wants to see and experience innovation and productivity, the Huawei Mate Xs might be the perfect smartphone for you.
The display of the smartphone has greatly improved over the previous generation and the processing power and 5G inside the smartphone is something that you should really look at. Yes, it’s a foldable smartphone but the problem is that it’s still a little bit heavy and I’m still worried about the drops and the moving parts on the smartphone.
Nonetheless, the Huawei Mate Xs is an exciting smartphone. The smartphone displays the technical prowess and innovation of the Chinese company. Its form factor is one of its advantages as some people prefer having a single display and a simple foldable display like this one. Again, the Huawei Mate Xs is for the people who want more productivity on their smartphone and of course, for those people who wants to experience the innovative foldable displays.
For me? It’s perfect for my usage as I love working and typing reviews on my smartphone and some PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile sessions are just perfect on the bigger display.
The Huawei Mate Xs is now available for Php139,999
Huawei Mate Xs Specs
6.6-inches display for the front panel 2480×1148, 6.38-inches for the back panel, 2480×892, OLED
8-inches unfolded display, 2480×2200
Huawei Kirin 990 with 5G SoC
8GB RAM
512GB Internal storage expandable via NM card with support up to 256GB
40MP wide-angle main camera + 16MP Ultra Wide Angle Lens + 8MP Telephoto lens + Huawei ToF Camera
