This summer, a lot of you will probably spend their time travelling or going to beaches and today, we already know that having a great music while camping or talking to friends while on vacation is one way to have a great bonding and recently, Tronsmart has released a new wireless speaker that is IP67 rated so you don’t have to worry about water splashes from the pool or sands from the beach.
Not only that, the Tronsmart Element Splash is also able to pair with another Element Splash speaker that lets you do true wireless stereo or TWS by producing a true stereo effect with two speakers via Bluetooth.
The Tronsmart Element Splash also has a battery that can last up to 10 hours of Playtime despite having a 7W speaker that can produce a deep bass.
The wireless speaker have an SRP of Php999. Tronsmart Element Splash is Available at Lazada and Shopee and also at SM Cyberzone at SM San Lazaro and SM Cyberzone at SM Southmall.
Cherry Mobile still reigns supreme in the Top 5 smartphone brands in the Philippines in the latest data gathered by IDC.
Cherry Mobile gathered 23% of the market share with Samsung at second with 17% market share, OPPO at 12%, Vivo at 8% and ASUS at 5%.
Cherry Mobile remains at the top thanks to their products that are competitively priced and are very popular in lower-tier cities and also rural areas. While Samsung remained at second thanks to their popularity and also the Galaxy J series which is very popular in the country.
OPPO invested in its selfie ideology and has recently tied up with AoV in Southeast Asia to continue to appeal to the youth and gamers while Vivo has been popular thanks to its direct involvement in Mobile Legends in ASEAN
While ASUS has a low popularity but still managed to get the Top 5 spot by having a competitively priced smartphones.
OPPO’s next flagship smartphone here in the Philippines is expected to be launch here in the Philippines this April 19.
The OPPO F7 was first launched in India last month and the smartphone now packs a bigger notched display, a better AI usage, a more powerful processor, a better 25-megapixel front camera.
We don’t know yet the pricing and when is the exact release of the smartphone in the market but expect the details to be revealed on April 19.
OPPO Philippines is currently having a promo in where you can get a Php1,000 for the OPPO F5 for a limited time. In case you didn’t know, the OPPO F5 is the company’s first smartphone with 6-inch Full Screen display withh 18:9 display aspect ratio and also an A.I. beauty technology.
The smartphone features a 20-megapixel selfie camera wih A.I. and also a 16-megapixel rear camera. It is also running on Helio P23 Octa-Core processor with 4GB of RAM.
The smartphone is currently available for Php15,990 but it will get a Php1,000 off from April 6-9 2018. The promo is available at all OPPO authorized stores and resellers nationwide.
The ASUS Zenfone 5 and Zenfone 5Q will be available on April 14 and in case you want to get the smartphone soon, you will be able to get it One Esplanade on April 14, 2018. Not only that, you’ll also be able to get some freebies worth Php10,293 when you get an ASUS Zenfone 5 and Php5,217 worth of freebies when you get an ASUS Zenfone 5Q.
The ASUS Zenfone 5Q will come with a JBL Clip 2, ZenPower slim 3000mAh, and a Zenfone Pullover Hoodie. All of those items are worth Php5,217.
While the ASUS Zenfone 5 will come with a JBL Flip 4 Speaker, JBL T450 Headset, and Zenfone Pullover hoodie worth Php10,293.
The prices of the ASUS Zenfone 5 and Zenfone 5Q prices are expected to be unveiled on the launch itself.
You can check out the ASUS Zenfone 5 Event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/681205575593278/?ti=icl
Huawei Nova 2 Lite is definitely one of the best smartphones in its price range. It has a decent hardware for its price of Php9,990. The smartphone features a 5.99-inch HD+ display and also a dual-lens camera that can really take good shots.
The one that we’ve reviewed was the black one but in case you didn’t know, the smartphone will also be available in Blue. The Huawei Nova 2 Lite Blue will be available starting tomorrow and you can actually get a free speaker when you avail the smartphone until April 30.
Black Shark is a Xiaomi-backed company that is set to release a gaming-focused smartphone really soon that is set to compete against other flagships smartphones specifically the Razer Phone that features some unique gaming-centric functions and features.
Recently, the company has sent an invite for an April 13 event and a new teaser of their upcoming smartphone has revealed the corner of the smartphone in where there’s a curved body with a power button on the side.
The smartphone is expected to pack a flagship Snapdragon 845 processor with 6GB or 8GB of RAM. The smartphone is also expected to have a large 256GB internal storage and also a display with HDR support and 120Hz refresh rate which are essential for gaming.
Right now, all we can do is wait and hope for the best that this gaming-centric smartphone will arrive outside China.
2018 is the year of the notch. Apple has introduced this feature on the iPhone X and different Android manufacturers are now following this suit and one of them is the Vivo V9. But unlike Apple’s flagship smartphone, the Vivo V9 won’t cost you an arm and leg and this one packs a bigger display. Interested? Check out our review of the Vivo V9 below.
Design and Hardware
The Vivo V9 still rocks the same construction and build quality of the Vivo V7 and V7+. It has a plastic curved body which is really handy to the hand. It may not be the best feel for a smartphone but the smartphone is really light.
Despite having a 6.3-inch display, the smartphone feels like it’s a 5.5-inch smartphone thanks to its 19:9 display aspect ratio which made the smartphone narrower and also handier to the hand. The Vivo V9 still uses a fingerprint scanner at the back instead of an In-display fingerprint scanner which we have seen on the Vivo APEX. Maybe in the future, we will be able to see that feature on a V series smartphone in Vivo.
Speaking of the fingerprint scanner, the smartphone does have a fast fingerprint scanner however, I was disappointed with its face unlock which is hit-and-miss. Sometimes, the smartphone fails to unlock with face unlock most of the time, especially when in a low-light condition.
The Vivo V9 still uses a micro USB port for charging and also data transfer which is placed below the smartphone and then there’s the headphone jack along with it. There’s the triple sim card tray on the smartphone too which lets you use two sim cards and also a MicroSD card without sacrificing one of them.
Since the smartphone packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 Octa-Core Processor, the smartphone does have a good signal quality and I didn’t any too many problems with it for connectivity, however, there’s no 4G+ on this smartphone.
Display
The display of the smartphone is probably the biggest reason why we are interested in the Vivo V9. It has a 6.3-inch Full HD+ notched display with a 19:9 display aspect ratio. The smartphone does have a really good display and the colors were good however if you’re annoyed with the notch, we can’t do anything about it.
The viewing angles are pretty good and the colors of the smartphone’s display were just fine. Unlike the iPhone X, the Vivo V9 has a small chin below but don’t worry, the bezel is just too thin. You don’t have to worry about the notch too much as watching videos and checking out photos will be just fine and the notch won’t block the content.
Software
Let’s talk about the implementation of the notch on the Vivo V9. At first, I was really hesitant about the notch as it blocks some content on the display however on the Vivo V9, despite running on Android 8.1 Oreo, the smartphone’s notched display doesn’t really annoy me when browsing or navigating on the smartphone as it only blocks a portion of the notification bar.
Most of the applications will just run well on the smartphone despite the notched, however, I noticed that there are still some apps that aren’t fully utilizing the display as there are some apps and games that won’t do full screen and will just have black bars on the side on landscape mode. However, some apps need to be updated to be faster on the Vivo V9 as some of them are still lagging.
The Vivo V9 runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with FunTouch OS. The UI on this smartphone is easy on the eye and the functions and features can be accessed by just swiping up from below. The home screen of the smartphone also serves as the app drawer of the Vivo V9 and navigating thru the smartphone is smooth and easy.
Performance
The Vivo V9 is running on Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 processor and 4GB of RAM. Well, the processor is more than a year old and we’ve seen that on previous Android smartphones before but until now, that processor is able to run most games and apps without hiccups.
I’ve played different games on the Vivo V9 including Asphalt 8 and it ran pretty well on the smartphone. I’ve also tried the hottest battle royale game on mobile today, PUBG Mobile, and yes, the game ran well and without problems. However, the games were not utilizing the full-screen display as it only appears with black bars on the sides. The games are also recommended to be set at low-medium settings in order to have playable frame rates.
The Vivo V9 got a high score at Antutu
Battery Life
The Vivo V9 got a 3260mAh of battery. Surprisingly, the battery life of the smartphone is quite well. If you’re a heavy user, there will be chances that you’ll be looking for a powerbank but for most of the time, I didn’t actually need a powerbank for a single work day. In PC Mark, I got work 2.0 battery life of 8 hours and 18 minutes. That’s pretty good if you ask me.
Camera
The Vivo V9 got a really good camera. There, I said it. The Vivo V9 has a 24-megapixel front camera and also a 16-megapixel + 5-megapixel rear camera that can do great portrait shots. The camera of the Vivo V9 is a big upgrade from the Vivo V7 and V7+ and I really got really great shots on this smartphone.
Most of the shots that I took were great and I was surprised that most of my selfies were really good whether there’s decent lighting or at lowlight. Check out the shots that I took using the Vivo V9.
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I was really happy with the output of the shots that I took. The portrait shots were really good and yes, you can even adjust the blurriness of the photo when you’re about to take a photo. Whether you’re using the selfie camera of the rear camera of the Vivo V9, you won’t have any problem with it as this one is really good.
Verdict
The Vivo V9 is the best smartphone in the market that I’ve seen in Vivo. It has a full-screen display with a good implementation for the notch, a really good selfie and dual lens rear camera, and the latest Android 8.1 Oreo.
However, some people might be turned off with its notched display and also the Snapdragon 626 processor that is already a year old. But despite that, I still believe that the Vivo V9 is a really good smartphone for those who are looking for an Android smartphone with a sexy design, and for taking photos.
Smart Communications has just announced that they’ll be offering the Huawei P20 and the Huawei P20 Pro. Both smartphones a co-engineered lens by Leica with the Huawei P20 Pro featuring a triple lens rear camera setup.
The Huawei P20 and the P20 Pro will officially launch in the Philippines on April 28, 2018 and these smartphones will be available under the GigaX Postpaid Plans which will give you a bigger data allocation for video streaming and surfing.
Stay tuned to our website for the pre-registration and pricing details of one of the hottest smartphone series this year, the Huawei P20 and P20 Pro.
If you want to know more about the Huawei P20 and P20 Pro, check out our hands-on and first impressions of the smartphone here:
OPPO has recently unveiled the OPPO A71 2018. The smartphone has a similar design from the previous generation but this time we got a serious firepower inside as the OPPO A71 2018 got a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450. Interested in this affordable smartphone with some gaming prowess? Check it out in our review below.
Design and Hardware
The design of the OPPO A71 2018 is very similar to the previous OPPO smartphones that we’ve reviewed before. It has almost the similar design of other OPPO smartphones however, this one doesn’t sport a Full-screen display with an 18:9 display aspect ratio. But still, the OPPO A71 2018 still does look good and handy thanks to its small construction.
The smartphone is still made up of plastic and then there are three capacitive buttons just below the display of the smartphone. Unfortunately, the smartphone doesn’t have a fingerprint scanner and also face unlock which is disappointing.
The OPPO A71 2018 still uses a Micro USB port which is just fine as this smartphone is an affordable one and then there’s the headphone jack at the top. The smartphone doesn’t have a removable back and thankfully, the OPPO A71 2018 still uses a triple card tray which means that you don’t have to sacrifice your sim card for your MicroSD card.
Display
The OPPO A71 2018 uses a 5.2-inch HD IPS display with a resolution of 1280×720. It’s a little bit disappointing but OPPO had to make some compromises to make this smartphone affordable. It’s also a little bit too small for some as most smartphones these days opted for a 5.5-inch display or higher.
Nonetheless, the viewing angles and the colors are just fine. I wished it had a higher resolution but again, it’s a budget smartphone. Overall, I was still satisfied with its display.
Software
The OPPO A71 2018 runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat with ColorOS 3.2. It’s very similar to other OPPO devices the UI is very easy to understand. The colors are pleasing to the eye and all of the apps and settings are easy to access.
In order to access the different features and functionalities of the smartphone, all you have to do is to swipe up from the bottom. There’s no app drawer here as the home screen of the smartphone is where you can find the widgets and also the applications of the smartphone
Again, it’s very similar to other OPPO smartphones, we do have the Phone manager here that lets you optimize the memory of the smartphone and also boost its performance.
Battery Life
The smartphone has 3000mAh battery capacity which is a little big for its size and hardware. And on PC Mark, we got a work battery life of 13 hours 48 mins which aren’t surprising. I’ve been pretty happy with the battery life of previous OPPO smartphones that we’ve reviewed before that’s why I’m not surprised with this one.
On normal usage, the smartphone will be able to last up to two days of use or probably a day of heavy usage.
Performance
One of the features that I love on the smartphone is that the OPPO A71 2018 is running on Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor which is powerful for its price range. The smartphone, however, has a smaller 2GB RAM which may be a letdown for some people who really care about multi-tasking.
Talking about performance, I was able to play different games such as Asphalt 8 and also PUBG Mobile. I was able to play both games without problems. But of course, it is highly suggested to tone down the graphic settings for better frame rates and to avoid frame drops. Oh and speaking of games, you might have problems with its storage as this one is only rocking a 16GB storage. A MicroSD card is recommended on this smartphone.
Camera
The smartphone doesn’t belong in the F series but the camera of the smartphone is surprisingly still good. The smartphone packs a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and also a 5-megapixel front camera. This smartphone also comes with A.I. Beauty technology which is a feature that we’ve recently seen on new OPPO smartphones.
Most of the shots that I got were good and I was happy with the output shots that I got. The A.I. Beauty technology of the smartphone works fine and I love most of the shots that I got using the smartphone. Check out the shots that I took using the OPPO A71 2018.
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Verdict
The OPPO A71 2018 is a really great smartphone for its price range. You got a long battery life, a powerful Snapdragon 450 processor, and a good camera. There’s A.I. Beauty Technology on this one too for better selfies, however, the OPPO A71 2018 lacks a fingerprint scanner or face unlock and it has a smaller 2GB of RAM.
If you want an affordable gaming smartphone and you don’t care too much about its small display, small memory, and also a fingerprint scanner then you would probably want to check out the OPPO A71 2018. The gaming prowess of this smartphone is really fine for its price range.
OPPO has recently unveiled the OPPO A71 2018. The smartphone has a similar design from the previous generation but this time we got a serious firepower inside as the OPPO A71 2018 got a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450. Interested in this affordable smartphone with some gaming prowess? Check it out in our review below.
The smartphone is still made up of plastic and then there are three capacitive buttons just below the display of the smartphone. Unfortunately, the smartphone doesn’t have a fingerprint scanner and also face unlock which is disappointing.
