A new photo tweeted by ASUS has confirmed a lot of new features that are expected on the ASUS Zenfone 6 and these are the Snapdragon 855 processor inside, audio jack, triple card tray, notification LED, and a smart key.
The Snapdragon 855 is already expected on the smartphone as it is the most powerful chipset from Qualcomm. The addition of audio jack and the notification LED is a big plus for most people as a lot of flagship smartphones are ditching these features in favor of a full screen no notch display and lastly, there’s the smart key which can be a shortcut to Google assistant or other features.
The ASUS Zenfone 6 is expected to be unveiled this May 16, 2019 at Valencia, Spain so if you want to know more about it, stay tuned for their announcements.
Realme 3 Pro will be available in the Philippines soon and it’s a great midrange smartphone as this one will sport a Snapdragon 710 processor and up to 6GB RAM with 128GB storage. There’s an Adreno 616 GPU inside too which promises a good gaming experience on the smartphone. Aside from that, there’s the 16MP+5MP rear camera too with nightscape mode which is supported by a Sony IMX 519 image sensor.
Not only that, but the smartphone also features a 4045mAh battery with VOOC 3.0 Flash Charge I know, the Realme 3 Pro does have interesting midrange hardware inside.
The redemption of the Realme 3 Pro units will be from May 25 to 26 while the official price of the smartphone will be revealed on May 17. If you are interested to join the pre-order promo, just visit a Realme store or kiosk nationwide.
Just to give you a tip, the Realme 3 Pro 4GB/64GB, and 6GB/128GB are priced at Rs 13,999 (Php10,489) and Rs 15,999 (Php11,987) respectively in India. So yeah, the smartphones are expected to shake the mid-range segment.
The iPhone XI or the iPhone 11 series is expected to be unveiled this year and just like last year, we can expect a cheaper “R” variant for the series. The iPhone 11R will get a minor update as the renders based on CAD files shows that the smartphone will have a dual lens camera.
Basically, the smartphone’s front design remains unchanged as we still got a notch on the smartphone but the back just added an additional camera lens. So yeah, no major difference aside from the dual lens camera.
The iPhone 11 series is expected to be unveiled later this year.
A tweet by PLDT’s chairman Manny Pangilinan stirred the web as he announced that he is using a Huawei smartphone to test out the 5G network of the company but the question is, how fast is the 5G speed of Smart and what is the Huawei phone that MVP is using? Well, the latest tweet from PLDT has revealed this 5G phone.
This is the tweet by Manny Pangilinan that has stirred the internet:
Got my 5G phone. Huawei. Using it now, on Smart 5G network in central parts of Makati. Wow. Super speed. Exciting.
The tweet was followed by a demo of the Smart 5G Speed using a Huawei phone and by the looks of it, it’s a big Huawei smartphone with a tiny waterdrop notch at the top.
And then a photo tweeted by the PLDT account showed MVP using his iPhone to take a video of the Huawei smartphone. The photo also showed that he was using a Huawei smartphone with the iconic square design with the Leica triple camera lens.
PLDT Chairman and CEO Manny V. Pangilinan tests Smart’s 5G network using his new 5G phone. pic.twitter.com/47wfHei2Tz
The smartphone used by MVP is probably the Huawei Mate 20 X 5G, one of the first few smartphones to sport 5G but unfortunately, this smartphone isn’t out yet in the market. According to Techradar, the smartphone features a 7.2-inch display with a 4200mAh of battery.
Well, we’re excited with 5G arriving here in the Philippines soon and we’re really excited with smartphones that will come with 5G.
Google I/O has unveiled a lot of new things for the future of the company and Android. Google has also announced a lot of things about Android Q including the smartphone that will be able to run the latest Android Q Beta.
Android 10 Q will introduce a lot of new features including Dark mode, screen continuity for foldable smartphones, live caption, and more security features. If you’re excited to try this one out, be sure to check if your smartphone is included in the list.
Google I/O starts today and the company has introduced the Google Pixel 3A and the Pixel 3A XL and it’s aimed to make an impact on the Android market as both smartphones will be more affordable compared to their current flagship smartphones and I mean half the price of the Pixel 3. The catch? They pack mid-range specifications.
Despite the usage of midrange specifications, the Google Pixel 3A and 3A XL are still a great smartphone as Google promises a great camera on this one. The Pixel 3A and Pixel 3A XL come with a Snapdragon 670 processor and there are the 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Unfortunately, there’s no microSD card slot on this one.
The Pixel 3A comes with a 5.6-inch OLED panel with Full HD+ display with Dragon trail glass while the Pixel 3A XL comes with 6.0-inch OLED with Full HD+ display.
The smartphone also comes with a 12.2MP Sony IMX363 sensor on the rear camera and there’s the f/1.8 aperture too and OIS and the smartphone are expected to match the performance of the Pixel 3 smartphone’s camera. Of course, there’s the 8MP front camera too with f2.0 aperture. We still have the features called Night Sight, Top Shot, and Super Res Zoom and HDR+ which are all loved on the Pixel devices.
The Pixel 3A also comes with 3000mAh battery while the Pixel 3A XL comes with a 3700mAh battery and both of them supports 18W fast charging. Both smartphones will also have a plastic build to make it more affordable but hey, the smartphones come with headphone jacks.
The Pixel 3A starts at $399 (Php20,760) while the Pixel 3A XL starts at $479 (Php24,922)
The telecom and digital services provider, PLDT, Inc. boosted revenues of its Home Business Group by 10% to its highest level of Php36.4 billion in 2018, powered by the rising customer demand for its fiber-powered broadband services. PLDT was able to sign up 245,000 new Home customers for its fiber-powered internet services that resulted to the increase in their broadband subscriber base to over 1.9 million.
“2018 has been a stellar year for PLDT Home,” PLDT-Smart SVP and Consumer Business Market Development Head Oscar A. Reyes, Jr. said. “With our aggressive network expansion, we were able to provide Filipinos everywhere in the country with the most powerful network, world-class products and diverse content that allow them to fully embrace and enjoy their digital lifestyles.”
“Several recent studies have shown that Filipinos are among the most enthusiastic users of online video in the world. We are now watching more video online than through broadcast TV,” Reyes explained.
For 2019, PLDT and its wireless subsidiary Smart Communications are further raising the bar by allocating a new historic-high capex program of P78.4 billion, P20 billion higher than 2018. This includes a substantial allocation for “Customer Capex” which covers the cost of last-mile and customer premises equipment like modems and acquisition of vehicles, equipment and office space for the new corps of technicians that will fast-track and improve the quality of installation and repair of fixed broadband connections.
“As we look to 2019, we will continue to blaze the trail for data and digital services in the Philippines and raise the bar in delivering unparalleled customer experiences,” Reyes said.
The next generation flagship smartphone from OnePlus will arrive soon and yes, it is expected that there will be two variants of the OnePlus 7 but the more affordable one is this one as this one comes with a notch and a design similar to the previous generation.
The OnePlus 7 is expected to sport a 6.41-inch display with Full HD+ resolution on its AMOLED panel and then there’s the 16MP selfie camera and it is expected that the smartphone will sport a 48-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel depth sensor.
The OnePlus 7 is also expected to sport a Snapdragon 855 chipset and also a 128GB/256GB storage.
The OnePlus 7 is expected to be unveiled this May 14.
The OPPO A3s has been a success in the Philippines due to its affordable price tag and also the hardware you can get from it and now, we can now get the OPPO A5s with upgraded specifications. We got a 6.2-inch waterdrop display here with 19:9 display aspect ratio and then there’s the MT6765 processor which is the Helio P35 processor and then there’s the 3GB RAM.
There’s a large 4230mAh battery too and 3GB of RAM which promises to bring you long battery life and also better multitasking. There’s a 13MP dual rear camera too and an 8MP front camera for selfies.
Huawei has a lot of smartphones in the Y series segments and one of them is the gigantic Huawei Y Max that features a large 7.12-inch display. I know, it’s really gigantic and having a more than 7-inch display means that you’re having a display that is the size of a tablet. But of course, the large display isn’t just its main feature as the smartphone also got an SD660 chipset and a dual rear camera with AI.
Huawei Y Max Review: Design and hardware
The Huawei Y Max opted to have a design going back to four years ago similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 as we have a faux leather back. It’s not leather and it doesn’t feel like one but it’s something that is really pretty to the eyes especially this year in where we mostly see smartphones that are using gradient colors at the back with polycarbonate material.
The Huawei Y Max is big and gigantic and you would immediately feel that you would have a hard time holding this smartphone and yes, the Huawei Y Max does feel awkward to hold with one hand of an average person. It’s hard to hold that’s why I recommend using the jelly case which is included in the box.
The sides of the smartphone are plastic and despite its size, the smartphone’s weight feels just right for its size so I really don’t have any problems with its weight and besides, I’m always holding the smartphone with my two hands because the Huawei Y Max does really feel like a titan.
Unfortunately, the Huawei Y Max is still utilizing a micro USB port for this one and then there’s the headphone jack and also the speaker grill below while the volume rocker and the power button of the smartphone can be found at the upper right part of the smartphone and the buttons and the fingerprint scanner of the smartphone is accessible depending on how you hold the smartphone.
The fingerprint scanner of the smartphone is placed at the back and again, it’s accessible depending on how big your hand is but for me, it wasn’t really a problem but don’t worry because the smartphone does come with face unlock and it was as fast as I expect it to be.
Huawei Y Max Review: Display
One thing is for sure, the Huawei Y Max’s display is massive and it’s really immersive if you’re planning on watching Netflix on this one or any videos, I think this is perfect for you. There’s a 7.12-inch Full HD+ display on this one and yes, the display was just fine and there’s a small notch on this one and a chin with the Huawei logo below. Not really a dealbreaker for me.
Watching on the Huawei Y Max is definitely a breeze especially if you like watching movies on big screens. The screen is also perfect for gaming as you can have a bigger and wider view of the game that you’re playing.
Battery life
The Huawei Y Max comes with large battery life too and it comes with 5000mAh battery. Since we’re getting a large 7.12-inch display over here, I already expected that this one would have a more than 4000mAh battery. In my usage, the Huawei Y Max does last really long and in PC Mark, we weren’t able to finish the tests but the logs show us that the smartphone can last up to 11 hours and 53 minutes which is really great.
Huawei Y Max Review: OS and software
The Huawei Y Max doesn’t sport the latest EMUI but the Huawei Y Max is still capable and still as good when it comes to speed and fluidity in its software. Since we’re getting a large display over here, I recommend adjusting the display settings so you can, even more, maximize the display of the smartphone. With these adjustments, the smartphone actually feels more like a tablet rather than a phone. Too bad though, there’s no EMUI desktop on this device. It would be cool if I have that UI on this large display of the smartphone.
Huawei Y Max Review: Gaming & performance
When it comes to performance, it’s actually surprising that Huawei has used a Snapdragon 660 inside for this smartphone. It’s powerful enough to run most games and it is almost on par with Kirin 710 which is used by a lot of mid-range Huawei smartphones. In our previous tests of both processors, while the Kirin 710 got a higher score in Antutu, the Snapdragon 660 always wins in the GPU scores which is Why the smartphone can get better gaming experience. Check out the benchmark scores that we got using different applications.
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In gaming, the Huawei Y Max doesn’t disappoint. While the smartphone might not be able to have the best experience in the highest settings, the Huawei Y Max’s Snapdragon 660 did its job well as a midrange smartphone. We tried different games on the smartphone like PUBG Mobile and NBA 2k19. Check out the Gamebench scores that we got below:
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We played PUBG Mobile at HD settings with high framerates while NBA is played at Medium settings.
The smartphone might be big in display but when it comes to camera, the Huawei Y Max fell short. The smartphone features am 8MP f2.0 front camera and also a 16MP f2.0 + 2MP f2.4 camera and unfortunately, most of the shots that I took were a disappoint especially at lowlight. Check out the shots that I took using the Huawei Y Max:
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Most of the shots that I took were overexposed and sometimes, it doesn’t get the right hues and colors on the smartphones. Even for the selfies, it wasn’t that really sharp and it doesn’t get the right skin tones.
Huawei Y Max Review: Verdict
The Huawei Y Max is a smartphone made for media consumption. If you love watching movies and videos then this one might be the right choice for you. There’s good battery life to so you’ll be sure that the smartphone can last really long if you’re binge-watching on Netflix. The Huawei Y Max performs just right for a mid-range smartphone thanks to the Snapdragon 660 inside it.
However, the camera of the smartphone is utterly disappointing whether you use it on low light or not. Again, the Huawei Y Max is for the people who are into watching videos and who wants to have a smartphone with a really big display but if you’re into the camera then better stay away with this one.
