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:
Huawei Y Max Gamebench 2
Huawei Y Max Gamebench 1
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.
When it comes to midrange smartphones, one of the most popular smartphones in the series is the Redmi Note 7 due to its powerful hardware inside and also an affordable price which is why the smartphone is one of the hottest in the market right now. The Redmi Note 7 comes in different variants but the most interesting feature here is that we got a Snapdragon 660 chipset inside and also a dual lens camera.
Redmi Note 7 Specs
Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 Octa-Core Chipset
6.3-inch Full HD+ Dot Drop Display, 2340×1080, 19.5:9 Display aspect ratio, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Looks like Huawei will be joining the pop-up selfie camera game now as a photo of the Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 has appeared in the wild. With this smartphone, Huawei has finally joined Vivo and OPPO in the pop-up selfie smartphones.
Not just that. The smartphone is also expected to sport a triple lens camera setup including the 16MP main camera + 2MP depth sensor + 8MP wide-angle lens.
Since this is a Y-series smartphone, I expect that the Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 will be affordable to mid-range segment.
Vivo has outed a new smartphone and it’s called the Vivo S1. The smartphone features a triple camera setup with a 48MP lens, 8MP wide-angle, and a 5MP depth-sensing camera and then there’s the 32MP pop-up camera too so you also have a full-screen display here with no notch.
The smartphone also features an in-display fingerprint scanner too however, the smartphone features a micro USB instead of USB-C which suggests that the smartphone will have a headphone jack.
Vivo S1 Pro Specs
6.39-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED full-screen display
Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 AIE Octa-Core Processor
6GB/128GB expandable via MicroSD
8GB/256GB expandable via MicroSD
48MP main camera + 8MP wide-angle camera + 5MP depth camera
32MP pop-up selfie camera
Dual Sim, LTE
WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
In-display fingerprint scanner
Micro USB
3700mAh battery
Android 9 Pie with FunTouch OS 9
Both the 6GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB are listed for CNY 2,698 (Php20,738). We’re not sure why but maybe it’s a typo.
Huawei Philippines has announced that there will be a price drop in three of their smartphones including the popular mid-range smartphone, the Huawei Nova 3i. There will be three Huawei smartphones that will get a discount and these are the Huawei Y7 Pro 2019, Huawei Y9 2019, and the Huawei Nova 3i.
The Huawei Y7 2019 is an affordable flagship smartphone and it features a dual lens camera and also a dewdrop display while the Huawei Y9 2019 might be even more expensive but it is now Php1,000 cheaper. We reviewed the smartphone before and we did like it: https://jamonline.ph/huawei-y9-2019-review-a-great-mid-range-smartphone/
And lastly, the Huawei Nova 3i which was released last year gets a price drop again and it is now priced at Php11,990.
OPPO F11 is now available in the country and it is one of the hottest mid-range smartphones right now but in case you want the smartphone but you want it to be more affordable with less RAM then you can check out the OPPO F11 Online edition which is now cheaper but still sports the same design and the best features of the OPPO F11.
The OPPO F11 Online Exclusive will still come with a 48MP f 1.8 + 5MP f2.4 rear camera and also a 16MP front camera. There’s the sleek design too and it will come with a 4020mAh battery with VOOC 3.0 Flash Charge. There’s the same processor too which is an Helio P70 Octa-Core processor with 4GB RAM and 64GB Storage.
The OPPO F11 Online also comes with a Marble Green color that does look really well. The OPPO F11 Online will be available exclusively on Shopee for only Php12,990 starting today.
The affordable Samsung Galaxy smartphones are now available in the Philippines and these are the Samsung Galaxy A10 and the Samsung Galaxy A20. We saw both of these smartphones during the launch of the Galaxy A70 and Galaxy A90 in Bangkok, Thailand. The Galaxy A10 and Galaxy A20 are really interesting not just because of the hardware inside but also because of the price of the smartphones.
Samsung Galaxy A10 Specs
6.2-inch HD+ IPS Infinity-V display
1.6GHz Exynos 7884 Processor
2GB RAM
32GB Internal storage expandable via MicroSD
13MP rear camera
5MP front camera
Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, A-GPS
Face Recognition
Android 9 Pie
3200mAh battery
Samsung Galaxy A20 Specs
6.4-inch HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-V display
1.6GHz Exynos 7884 Processor
3GB RAM
32GB Internal storage expandable via MicroSD
13MP+5MP wide-angle rear camera
8MP front camera
Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, A-GPS
Android 9 Pie
Face Recognition
Fingerprint unlock
15W Fast Charging
4000mAh battery
Both smartphones are really attractive for its price as the Samsung Galaxy A10 and Galaxy A20 are priced at Php6,990 and Php9,990 respectively.
