ASUS Philippines has finally announced the price of their upcoming smartphone, the ASUS Zenfone Max Plus and it is fairly priced at Php11,995. That’s not bad considering that the smartphone has a large battery, dual lens camera, and a Full HD+ display. If you’re planning to get the smartphone, it will be available this January 14, 2018, at SM MOA Mall Atrium and if you’re one of the first to buy this smartphone, you’ll be able to get some freebies worth up to Php7,595.
The first 200 on-site buyers of the ASUS Zenfone Max Plus will get a free Zenny Doll, Zenfone Max Plus Jacket, JBL Bluetooth Headset, OTG Cable, and a clear case while the first 1000 will only get a JBL Bluetooth Headset, OTG Cable, and a clear case.
Aside from the world’s thinnest notebook that was unveiled by Acer recently, they’ve also announced a new gaming notebook and I believe that this notebook will be the gaming notebook for the masses as this one is powered by Ryzen Mobile APU partnered with RX560 and it’s the Acer Nitro 5.
AMD has gained momentum lately with their Ryzen chips but it’s the first time that we saw the Ryzen Mobile APUs on notebooks. The Acer Nitro 5 also comes with an up to 32GB of DDR4 memory, up to 512GB SSD Storage, and a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display.
The Acer Nitro 5 starts at $799 (Php39,796) which is nice considering that you’ll get a Ryzen APU inside along RX560 GPU which is a decent enough hardware that can let you run most Esports games at decent FPS.
Acer has just updated the Swift 7 Ultrabook which made the laptop the thinnest notebook in the world today. The Acer Swift 7 is only at 8.89mm thin which is thinner than last year’s model at 8.98mm. The notebook is running on the 7th Generation Intel Core i7 processor, has 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of PCIe SSD. The display is also bigger this time as this one packs a 14-inch display with 1080p resolution.
The Acer Swift 7 is also updated to have an integrated 4G LTE connectivity which we rarely see on notebooks at this thin. The Acer Swift 7 starts at $1,699 (Php84,622).
Acer Swift 7 (2018) Specs
14-inch Full HD Display with Corning Gorilla Glass
Energizer, the company famous for making batteries has another surprising product for us. This time, it’s an Android smartphone and as expected from a battery maker company, the smartphone will sport large 4500mAh battery inside that promises over 12 hours of use. But not just that, the smartphone will also sport a 5.99-inch FHD+ display and it has that look that reminds me of the Samsung Galaxy S8.
Energizer Power Max 600s
5.99-inch FHD+ 18:9 IPS Display
MediaTek Helio P25 Processor
32GB/64GB Internal Storage expandable via MicroSD
3GB/6GB RAM
13-megapixel + 5-megapixel rear camera
8-megapixel front camera
Dual SIM
LTE
WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS
Fingerprint Scanner
USB Type-C
Android 7.0
4500mAh Battery
The smartphone is a little bit thick 9.8mm but that’s understandable considering that the smartphone has a large battery.
The Energizer Power Max P600S doesn’t have a price yet but it will be available in the Philippines via PC Express.
HMD has finally made it official. The second generation of Nokia 6 has been made official by the HMD. The second generation Nokia 6 made a jump to Snapdragon 630 processor inside which is a surprise as last year’s Nokia 6 only sports a Snapdragon 430 processor.
The Nokia 6 (2018) sports a 5.5-inch IPS Display with Full HD resolution, Snapdragon 630 processor, 4GB of RAM & 16-megapixel rear camera. The fingerprint scanner of the smartphone has also been placed at the back and the smartphone now has on-screen buttons.
Nokia 6 (2018) Specs
5.5-inch Full HD IPS Display
Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 Octa-Core Processor
4GB RAM
32/64GB Internal Storage expandable via MicroSD
16-megapixel rear camera
8-megapixel front camera
LTE
Dual SIM
WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS
Android 7.1.1
USB Type-C
3000mAh Battery
The Nokia 6 (2018) is priced at CNY 1499 (Php11,500) for the 32GB variant while the 64GB is priced at CNY 1699 (Php13,031)
The notorious leaker Evan Blass has leaked another interesting smartphone and this time, it’s from Doogee. The smartphone is called Doogee V and it packs an iPhone X-like display as this one has a notch at the top, however, this one sports a feature that the iPhone X doesn’t have and it’s the in-display fingerprint scanner.
Actually, the design of the smartphone is a combination of the Galaxy S8 and the iPhone X. Unlike the iPhone X, this one will sport a 3.5mm audio jack and also a USB Type-C and of course, this one will run on Android.
The first 18:9 smartphone from ASUS to arrive here in the Philippines is coming very soon and it’s the ASUS Zenfone Max Plus! This smartphone not only packs a taller and more ergonomic display but the smartphone also comes with a large 4130mAh battery capacity, a feature that we are seeing on the ASUS Zenfone Max Series. This is also the first Zenfone Max here in the country that sports a Full HD display and yes, I really like the display of the Zenfone Max Plus because it is bright and really vivid. The ASUS Zenfone Max Plus is also the first smartphone from ASUS to have Face Unlock.
ASUS Zenfone Max Plus M1 Specs
5.7-inch Full HD+ IPS Display
1.5GHz MT6750T Octa-Core Processor
4GB RAM
32GB Internal Storage expandable via MicroSD card slot
16-megapixel + 8-megapixel wide angle lens rear camera
8-megapixel front camera
WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS
LTE
Dual SIM
Fingerprint Scanner
Face Unlock
4130mAh Battery
Android 7.0 with ZenUI 4.5
So what are we waiting for? Check out my unboxing and hands-on video of the ASUS Zenfone Max Plus below.
[Paladins is a 5v5 team shooter F2P game that is available on Steam and it is notoriously accused as a copycat of Overwatch. But recently, Hi-Rez studios has decided to expand the Paladins Universe to a whole new genre. They’ll be adding Battle Royale to Paladinsand it called as Paladins: Battlegrounds. Yes, they just got their name to the most popular game on Steam – Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds.
So what’s with this game mode from Paladins? According to them, it’s the first-ever hero shooter battle royale. Basically, you’ll be able to use heroes from paladins in where 100 players will drop in a big map and then players will have to knock and kill their opponents with their weapons.
I’m not surprised that Hi-Rez Studios has joined the battle royale because of the popularity of this genre. The most popular battle royale game is PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and it has already beaten the concurrent players of DOTA 2 on Steam.
I feel like this game will be PUBG meets Overwatch.
Yes, Nokia 6 2018 will be launching tomorrow and it is the follow up of their solid Nokia 6 smartphone. The new Nokia 6 is expected to have a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor along with 4GB of RAM and also 32GB of Internal Storage
Unlike most smartphones, the Nokia 6 (2018) is expected to have a 16:9 display and it will not have hardware touch buttons. The fingerprint scanner of the smartphone has been moved to the back too.
The Nokia 6 (2018) is expected to be launched tomorrow.
Vivo’s best offering this year is the Vivo V7+. It’s their first foray into the All Screen display on a smartphone and also their first to sport an 18:9 display. But of course, they didn’t forget their DNA as the Vivo V7+ still performs well in different categories and they still have a focus on their biggest feature – selfie. So what do I think about the Vivo V7+? Check em’ out in our review below.
It’s a tall Vivo smartphone
The Fingerprint Scanner was fast
What I love about 2017 is the arrival of narrower but ergonomic displays on the smartphone. Again, this is Vivo’s first foray in the 18:9 display and the smartphone not only looks good but it also feels good to the hand as the Vivo V7+ has a narrower body. Which means that despite its large 5.99-inch display, the smartphone feels comfortable even in one hand.
The smartphone is still made up of plastic. It’s not bad though as the smartphone doesn’t have a hollow feeling whenever tap its body. However, I still wished that the smartphone opted for a better build than a polycarbonate plastic. Again, the smartphone is very comfortable to hold that’s why I’m always confident whenever I hold the smartphone and use it for browsing the web or texting.
The smartphone still uses Micro USB which isn’t surprising as the company still hasn’t adapted to it yet in their smartphone that is offered here in the country. That’s not surprising as their lineup is filled with smartphones that are still using this port. Also, it’s cheaper to find accessories for Micro USB products.
The HD+ 18:9 Display
One of the biggest features of the Vivo V7+ is its display. The smartphone packs a 5.99-inch HD+ display with an 18:9 display aspect ratio which means that the smartphone’s display is narrower but taller which makes the smartphone more ergonomic and comfortable to hold.
The taller display is a welcome feature on the smartphone however, the Vivo V7+ only sports an HD+ resolution which is a little bit disappointing compared to its competitors however, I noticed that the display of the smartphone outputs vibrant colors and it’s quite visible when I’m outside.
Having an 18:9 display aspect ratio means that apps that aren’t optimized for that aspect ratio will not run on full screen. There are some apps that will have some black bars on the sides whenever you’re running it.
Snapdragon 450 Chipset inside
The Vivo V7+ decided to use Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 inside. It’s one of the first smartphones to use this chipset and along with it is a 4GB of RAM. As expected, the smartphone fares better than we expected especially for a chipset that belongs in the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 series.
When it comes to normal usage such as browsing the web, checking out some light applications and also texting, the Vivo V7+ wouldn’t have any problem with that. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 and the 4GB RAM inside the smartphone is more than enough. I’m quite happy with how it performs.
However, when you want to play games, basic MOBA games such as Mobile Legends and Arena of Valor won’t be a problem on this smartphone but if we’re talking about heavier games such as NBA 2K17 and other demanding games, then you have to set the game at lower settings. But don’t worry because I was still able to play that game in lower settings.
Vivo’s own UI is FunTouch OS and well, yeah, it’s fun. Why? Because it’s easy to use and to understand. Using the smartphone was flawless. Everything is easy to find and nothing was confusing. There’s no app drawer on the smartphone which makes it easy for iOS users to switch to Vivo. The smartphone’s UI was pretty good and it may be an unpopular opinion but this is one of the things that I really like about Vivo.
Amazing Battery Life
One of the things that I really with the Vivo V7+ is its battery. The smartphone actually has a pretty good battery life. In my use of the smartphone in Singapore, I actually didn’t bring any power bank for a day while using the smartphone. The Vivo V7+ has a really long battery life and in my real life usage, I was even able to reach 15 hours of battery life which is pretty amazing.
The 24-megapixel front camera
One of the biggest features of the Vivo V7+ is its camera. The smartphone got a 24-megapixel front camera and also a 16-megapixel rear camera. As expected from a selfie smartphone, the front camera of the Vivo V7+ fares better than the one on the back. I noticed both the front and rear camera of the smartphone fares better if you’ll shoot in decent lighting conditions, however, if you’re planning to shoot at low light, then don’t expect too much from it. Check out the photos that I took using the smartphone.
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IMG 20171021 160508
IMG 20171022 164126
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The Vivo V7+ can surely take better selfies than other smartphones, however, it isn’t the best one in the market.
Verdict
The Vivo V7+ is the best smartphone that the company has to offer. I really love the fact that Vivo has embraced the 18:9 display aspect ratio in where most smartphones are going now, however, the display of the smartphone is still at HD+. The performance was not disappointing and I’m just fine with its camera except at low light. My most favorite feature of the smartphone is its battery as the smartphone can last a day without power bank.
The Vivo V7+ is now available and it is the best selfie smartphone from Vivo for selfie lovers.
