Entry-Level smartphones these days are getting really competitive. Recently, we different companies such as Huawei, Samsung, and OPPO have released their own entry-level Android smartphone. But how does it fare to each other? Check it on our specs comparison below.
Specs Comparison
Huawei Y6 2018
OPPO A71 (2018)
Samsung Galaxy J2 Pro (2018)
Display
5.7-inch HD+ (1440×720) IPS 18:9 Display
5.2-inch HD IPS Display (1280×720)
5.0-inch Super AMOLED Display (960×540)
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 Processor
GPU
Adreno 308
Adreno 506
Adreno 308
RAM
2GB RAM
2GB
1.5GB
Storage
16GB Expandable via MicroSD
16GB Expandable via MicroSD
16GB Expandable via MicroSD
Rear Camera
13-megapixel
LED Flash
13-megapixel
LED Flash
8-megapixel
LED Flash
Front Camera
5-megapixel
LED Flash
5-megapixel
5-megapixel
LED Flash
Connectivity
LTE
Bluetooth
GPS
A-GPS
Wi-Fi
LTE
Bluetooth
GPS
A-GPS
Wi-Fi
LTE
Bluetooth
GPS
A-GPS
Wi-Fi
Security
Face Unlock
Battery
3000mAh Battery
3000mAh Battery
2600mAh Battery
Operating System
Android 8.0 Oreo
Android 7.1 Nougat
Android 7.1 Nougat
Others
Price
Php5,990
Php6,990
Php7,490
By just looking at the specs sheet, the Huawei Y6 2018 has an advantage when it comes to display and also its security as the smartphone however when it comes to performance, the OPPO A71 2018 has a better Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 Processor. But don’t worry, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 still fares well in our review of smartphones with this processor.
But despite having a larger 5.7-inch display and also an 18:9 display aspect ratio, the Huawei Y6 2018 still manage to have the most affordable price of the three but again, the OPPO A71. Personally, I would choose Huawei Y6 2018 as this one is the best value for money as long as you don’t worry too much about performance.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar GL504 and the ROG Strix Hero GL504 are here in Computex and it’s even better as the notebooks pack a better design and more RGB! The notebooks are also more powerful as both of them packs at least a Nvidia GTX 1060 GPUs and up to GTX 1070 GPU inside. The notebooks will be also powered by up to Intel Core i7 processor. Check out what we think of the notebook below.
Just like before, the ASUS ROG Strix Hero II and ROG Strix Scar II or simply the ROG Strix Hero GL504 and ROG Strix Scar GL504 are still made for gaming. The Hero is made for MOBA gamers while the SCAR is made for FPS gamers and of course, both notebooks will have a different design.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar GL504 will have a 144Hz display with 3ms response which is perfect for FPS gamers while the ROG Strix Hero GL504 will have a 144 display with 7ms response time but with 130% sRGB so you can have better colors and you can easily see the elements and enemies when you’re playing MOBA games. Oh and yes, we do have a narrower bezel now which looks sexy.
Both notebooks will still have a half sliced design with two contrasting brushed finishes with the ROG Logo on the side. The keyboard will still have a 4-zone RGB backlit keyboard but this time, we now have an RGB lighting bar that has the same colors of the backlit keyboard. Which is really cool
The ASUS ROG Strix Hero II has a focus on MOBA games that’s why the keys that are highlighted on this notebook are QWER which are transparent while the ASUS ROG Strix Scar II has a highlighted transparent WASD keys that are essential for FPS games and battle royale games. The notebook also comes with ROG Overstroke technology that enables earlier key actuation and has a longer overstroke distance for fast, accurate, and effortless keystrokes.
The Strix gaming notebooks will come with the latest 8th Generation Intel Core i7 Processor, up to 32GB DDR4 2666MHz memory, and Nvidia GTX 1060 and GTX1070 GPU. IT will also come with up to 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4 and a 1TB Seagate FireCuda solid-state hybrid drive.
As expected, the ASUS ROG Strix Hero II and Scar II comes with HyperCool Pro thermal system with 12V fans and also an Anti-Dust Cooling System that can expel the dust particles inside the notebook. This is really important if you want to prolong a good cooling on the notebook.
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar II and Strix Hero II will be available in the Philippines this Q2 2018
The ROG Phone is expected to be coming. Really. I mean there are a lot of companies that are making a gaming-centric smartphone now and with the ASUS ROG Phone, we’re getting best of the ASUS Zenfone and the ASUS ROG brand in a single device.
Design of the ASUS ROG smartphone is genuine. It really brings the gaming feel to the smartphone. First, the ASUS ROG Phone packs a design that is unmistakably a ROG-branded device. We have a glossy black back with shiny metallic rims and of course, a ROG design and a dual-lens camera with augmented reality.
The ASUS ROG smartphone also comes with a USB Type-C and thankfully, a headphone jack. Another thing, the smartphone also packs a special port that is made for accessories and charging on the side so you can play on the smartphone on landscape mode.
One of the best things about this smartphone is the ROG logo at the back. The ROG logo at the back of the smartphone lights up like the ROG notebooks but this time, you can adjust the color of the logo and of course, activate it whether you want it to fade or not.
There are gaming specific features of the ASUS ROG smartphone too including the Air Trigger that lets you have customizable buttons for gaming. However, you have to press hard the Air trigger to activate it but it’s really a helpful feature if you love playing games like Asphalt or any Battle Royale games.
The smartphone comes with a 90Hz refresh rate 1ms AMOLED display. It’s the best AMOLED display in the market and yes, it does support HDR. Having a display like this is really essential especially if you’re playing online games and FPS games.
The ASUS ROG smartphone also comes with accessories which are the Twinview dock, retroactive controller, a mobile desktop dock, and a GameVice controller with the ASUS WiGig Dock.
The ASUS Twinview Dock is a really cool dock for the smartphone in where it offers you an additional display for the smartphone that can be used for an additional window on the smartphone in where you can open one application on one display and another application on another one. Not just that, it also comes with a shoulder triggers for gaming. This is really an essential accessory if you love streaming on the smartphone.
Another accessory is the retroactive cooler that gives you a cooling for your smartphone as long as you dock it on the smartphone. It also gives you a charging port and a headphone jack so you can still charge the smartphone and use a headset even if you’re charging it.
For FPS gamers, they would surely love the mobile desktop dock that lets you dock your smartphone and plug in an external display. Not just that, you can also use a keyboard and mouse on the product so you can play FPS games or battle royale games with an advantage.
And lastly, the ASUS ROG phone will also have an accessory called the ASUS WiGig Dock and a gamevice controller specifically made for the ASUS ROG smartphone. The gamevice controller lets you have a controller that has a similar feel to the Nintendo Switch while the ASUS WiGig Dock lets you have a wireless display connected to a monitor or a TV. This basically makes the ASUS ROG Phone in competition with the Nintendo Switch.
According to ASUS, the smartphone has the highest benchmarks of all gaming smartphones thanks to its Snapdragon 845 Processor that is specifically made for the ASUS ROG Phone. It’s faster and it’s better compared to the competition.
In our hands-on, we also noticed that the smartphone will come with an augmented reality camera which is probably essential for some games. We’ll probably see more games with augmented reality features thanks to Google ARcore.
So basically, the ASUS ROG Phone competes against not just smartphones but also to consoles. Thanks to its accessories, the ASUS ROG Phone can do a lot of things and it’s basically a smartphone with a console heart. Unfortunately, the games that you can play on the smartphone are just Android applications that can be run on other smartphones too but hey, at least you get an advantage in hardware and design on the ASUS ROG Phone.
The Republic of Gamers has finally unveiled the company’s first gaming and the world’s first smartphone with 3D vapor-chamber cooling system, the ASUS ROG Phone. As expected, the smartphone will have the best hardware that is meant for gaming.
The ASUS ROG Phone packs a 6-inch display with Full HD AMOLED display with HDR visuals and a 90Hz refresh rate and a 1ms response time so you can have an advantage when playing FPS games and also battle royale games.
The ROG Phone also features the world’s fastest 2.96GHz Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Processor with Adreno 630 GPU and thanks to its vapor-chamber cooling system, you’ll have cooler temperatures for the smartphone even when you’re playing games.
The smartphone will also have unique accessories such as the TwinView dock which basically lets you have a dual display and also shoulder buttons which are perfect for streamers, a WiGig Dock with GameVice controller for having a console-like experience for the ROG Phone, retroactive cooler for better cooling, and a mobile desktop dock so you can dock your smartphone and output it on an external display.
ROG has also partnered with the Garena to have a better experience to their latest game: Free Fire and of course, Arena of Valor to bring and have a better experience for the ROG Phone.
The smartphone will have an up to 8GB RAM and up to 512GB Internal storage. As expected, the smartphone will still have a dual lens camera and according to ASUS, the camera will be similar to the ASUS Zenfone 5 and 5Z.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen an OPPO Find series smartphone from the company. The Find series of OPPO is normally the flagship smartphone of OPPO and there have been no Find smartphone from OPPO for last 4 years.
Recently, OPPO has teased their future flagship smartphone, the Find X. Considering the previous Find smartphones, we expect that the Find X will have flagship specifications that can go against other flagship smartphones.
My guess is that the smartphone will have the top-of-the-line Snapdragon processor and probably the best hardware inside.
Xiaomi has just unveiled today their latest flagship smartphone in China, the Xiaomi Mi 8. The smartphone is their 8th Anniversary flagship smartphone and it packs a hardware that can really catch the attention of their fans. Inside the smartphone is a Snapdragon 845 Processor along with up to 8GB of RAM. The smartphone also sports a notched display which is a Super AMOLED display with 18.7:9 display aspect ratio.
Xiaomi Mi 8 Specs
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Processor
6.21-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED Display with 18.7:9 Display Aspect Ratio
6GB/8GB RAM
64GB/128GB/256GB Internal Storage
Dual 12-megapixel rear camera with AI
20-megapixel front camera
Dual Sim
LTE
Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, Wi-Fi
Fingerprint Scanner
Face Unlock
USB Type-C
3400mAh Battery with QC 4.0
Android Oreo with MIUI 10
The Xiaomi Mi 8 will also come in Explorer edition which offers a larger 8GB RAM, 3D Face Recognition similar to the iPhone X, an in-display fingerprint scanner, and also a transparent back panel which shows off the internals of the smartphone.
The Xiaomi Mi 8 will be priced as follows:
6GB RAM + 64GB – CNY 2,699 (Php22,111~)
6GB RAM + 128GB – CNY 2,999 (Php24,569~)
6GB RAM + 256GB – CNY 3,299 (Php27,027~)
8GB RAM + 128GB Explorer Edition – CNY 3,699 (Php30,304~)
Nissan Philippines has just launched their awaited mid-sized SUV and it’s the Nissan Terra. It is Nissan’s first mid-size SUV for the Philippine Market and the Nissan Terra is the descendant of the Nissan Patrol, a known SUV when it comes to the off-road and 4×4 segment.
Nissan is proud with the Terra as it offers a reinforced chassis, five-link coil spring rear suspension system and a rigid rear-wheel axle work together. In our test drive, we were actually pretty happy with it as the SUV is stable and fine even on off-road.
Not only that, the Nissan Terra offers Nissan Intelligent Mobility technologies including Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Warning, and Intelligent Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection. There’s also a Smart Rear View Mirror that lets you see the images from a camera at the back.
And of course, Nissan Terra will have a reinforced chassis, five-link coil spring rear suspension system, and rigid rear-wheel axle work together to ensure strength, durability, comfort. Unlike the Chinese Version, the Philippines will get a roomy seven-seater variant
The front of the Nissan Terra reminds me of the Nissan Navarra. It has a V-motion grille with a streamlined look. It looks cool but at the same tough, it gives the Nissan Terra a tough image. It also has a “boomerang” LED headlamps with a sharp appearance with tail lights that looks really sleek and sexy.
The Nissan Terra definitely gives the Filipino consumers more choices for the mid-sized SUV segment.
Starting June 1, 2018, you’ll now be able to reserve a Nissan Terra at any Nissan dealership nationwide. The Nissan Terra will be available in the market by August 20, 2018, starting at Php1.499 million
Check out the full specifications of the Nissan Terra here.
Here are the models and their respective prices
Nissan Terra 2.5L Mid 4×2 6MT – Php1,499,000
Nissan Terra 2.5L Mid 4×2 7AT – Php1,615,000
Nissan Terra 2.5L High 4×2 7AT – Php1,697,000
Nissan Terra 2.5L Premium 4×2 7AT – Php1,899,000
Nissan Terra 2.5L Premium 4×4 7AT – Php2,096,000
Watch out for our first drive article and video soon!
ASUS Philippines has made it official. The ASUS Zenfone Max Pro M1 will officially arrive in the Philippines this June and yes, the smartphone will still sport the same hardware that we all love about it. The smartphone will still sport a Snapdragon 636 Processor and also a dual lens rear camera. Not just that, the smartphone will also have a 5000mAh battery. The best part? The ASUS Zenfone Max M1 runs on Android Pure which means that the smartphone
The ASUS Zenfone Max Pro M1 was first introduced in India and it was directly aiming against the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 which has almost the similar specifications and affordable price.
ASUS Zenfone Max Pro M1 Specs
6.0-inch IPS display with FHD+ Resolution
Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 Processor
3GB/4GB/6GB RAM
32GB/64GB Internal Storage expandable via MicroSD
13-megapixel rear dual lens f/2.2 camera with LED Flash
8-megapixel front f/2.2 camera
Dual SIM
LTE
WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS
Face Unlock
Fingerprint Scanner
5000mAh Battery
Android Oreo
The price of the ASUS Zenfone Max Pro M1 was really aggressive as the smartphone starts at Rs. 10999 in India (Php8,668) for the 3GB/32GB variant.
If ASUS Philippines can price this smartphone at a similar or at least a price near to it then the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 will definitely have a good competition in the country.
ASUS has a lot of products here in the country and one of the most popular smartphone series that they have is the Zenfone Max Line. During the ASUS Zenfone 5 Launch, the company has also launched the ASUS Zenfone Max M1. As expected, the smartphone will have a large battery and of course, it will still have an 18:9 Display and also a dual lens rear camera.
Design and Hardware
The ASUS Zenfone Max M1 features a design that is comfortable to the hand. The smartphone is affordable so I didn’t actually expect too much from it but I like what I feel about the smartphone. Yes, it’s plastic but the smartphone feels light and handy to the hand. The curves of the smartphone feel just right too which makes it really ergonomic despite having a large battery capacity. I actually liked the premium metal finish of the smartphone.
The smartphone still rocks a Micro USB port which is placed below the smartphone while the 3.5mm audio jack is placed at the top of the smartphone. The volume rocker and the power button are nicely placed on the side of the smartphone which can be easily accessed despite using the smartphone in one hand.
The smartphone doesn’t sport any physical or capacitive buttons on the front which made the fingerprint scanner of the smartphone be placed in the pack. It’s very accessible and it can really unlock my smartphone really fast, however, the face unlock of this smartphone is still disappointing because most of the time, the smartphone cannot detect my face and it’s easier to just use the fingerprint scanner of the smartphone.
Display
One of best features of this smartphone is its display. The ASUS Zenfone Max M1 packs an 82% screen-to-body ratio which means that the bezel of the smartphone is thinner than other smartphones without a Full screen or Full View displays. The smartphone packs an 18:9 display aspect too and also a 2.5D glass which adds beauty to the smartphone.
Despite having an 18:9 display aspect ratio, the smartphone does have a smaller 5.5-inch display with HD+ resolution. This is the reason why the smartphone looks sharper than I expected. Also, this made the smartphone quite useful for gaming on landscape and browsing news feed on portrait mode.
The quality of the smartphone is better than I expected. It’s colourful and it’s quite good. Again, it looks sharper than I expected because of its display size.
Software
The ASUS Zenfone Max M1 runs on the latest Android Oreo 8.0 with the latest ZenUI. Since this is a Zenfone Max smartphone, it packs a PowerMaster app that let’s check out the status of the battery of the smartphone and also battery features that are exclusive to ASUS Zenfone Max users. This is a pretty useful app especially if you’re always worried about the battery of the smartphone
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Of course, the smartphone does come with some bloatware but it is minimal compared to the previous Zen UI. This is faster, better, and snappier compared to previous Zen UI generations. I actually liked the speed of the smartphone despite having only a Snapdragon 430 processor.
Performance
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor inside the smartphone is quite old. We’ve seen that chipset before on smartphone that are already more than a year old but despite that, the smartphone is still quite able when it comes to basic apps and games and if you’re planning to play the latest games on this smartphone, well, it can still run most of them but don’t expect a high graphics settings for these games.
We’ve tried playing NBA 2k18 on the ASUS Zenfone Max M1 and it was able to run the game just fine as long as you set the graphics settings of the game to the lowest settings. Same with PUBG Mobile, you can run the game but I highly suggest that you set the graphics settings of the smartphone to the lowest settings.
If you want to know more how the ASUS Zenfone Max M1 performs, check out the Antutu score that we got on this smartphone.
Battery Life
The most exciting feature of the ASUS Zenfone Max M1 is its battery life. The smartphone packs an HD+ display which helps the smartphone to conserve more battery life and then there’s the 4000mAh battery which is pretty big. Despite not having a 4100mAh or 5000mAh battery, I was really happy with the battery life of the smartphone.
I managed to get two days or a day and half of the use at moderate usage and a little bit of gaming. In our PC Mark test, we got a score of 11 hours and 34 minutes which is impressive.
Camera
Despite being a Zenfone Max smartphone that is focused on battery life, ASUS still managed to place a dual rear lens camera on the smartphone. Surprisingly, I actually liked the camera quality of the smartphone compared to the ASUS Zenfone Max Plus M1 that we’ve reviewed before. Some of the selfie shots that I got were pale but most of them were good and the portrait shots on the selfie camera really works on this one.
The rear camera of the smartphone is composed of a 13-megapixel rear main camera along with the 120-degree wide angle lens camera. As expected, the main camera performs just fine but unfortunately, sometimes, the details weren’t that sharp. But overall, I’m still satisfied with the camera performance that I got with the ASUS Zenfone Max M1. Check out the shots that I took using the smartphone:
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Verdict
The ASUS Zenfone Max M1 is a solid smartphone from the Taiwanese company. It has a long battery life and the Snapdragon 430 Processor inside it might already be old but it is enough for some games and basic tasks. The power efficiency of the smartphone is really good too as I get a really long battery life with good thermals on this smartphone.
At its price range, there are many choices but if you’re looking for a smartphone with a priority on battery life then the ASUS Zenfone Max M1 should be at the top of your list.
The ASUS Zenfone Max M1 is now available for Php8,995.
The Huawei P20 and the P20 Pro are known to have an impressive lowlight capability. In our review of the Huawei P20, I was shocked with its night mode as the smartphone can do 4-second handheld mode. Yep. No tripod needed for 4-second night mode shots.
If you’re not familiar with the Huawei P20 Pro’s camera setup, it has the world’s first triple camera rear lens setup which has a different function. The three lenses of the smartphone are composed of a 20MP Mono Lens, 40MP Main RGB Lens, and an 8-megapixel Telephoto Lens. Not only that the smartphone uses these lenses to capture shots with better contrasts, the smartphone also packs an AI Image Stabilisation that helps you in night mode.
Speaking of night mode, the Huawei P20 Pro’s camera is impressive. But of course, showing you some of my sample shots using the night mode of the smartphone will give you more justice of what I’m talking about.
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If you’ve been following the P series of Huawei for a while now, you probably know that the smartphone has the best monochrome shots and damn, check out the monochrome shots that I took using the Huawei P20 Pro.
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Damn. Just damn. The night mode and the monochrome shots of the Huawei P20 Pro are just amazing. Every time I took a shot, I’m just speechless. Both modes of the Huawei P20 Series is really a game-changing feature.
