Vivo is really serious with creating smartphones that are made for selfies and today, Vivo has just launched the Vivo Y69. It’s a mid-range smartphone running on a MediaTek MT6750 processor and then there’s the 16-megapixel front camera that is made for selfies. There’s also a 3GB of RAM which is enough for most apps and some multitasking and juicy 3000mAh of battery inside.
Vivo Y69 Specifications
5.5-inch HD IPS Display
1.5GHz MediaTek MT6750 Octa-Core Processor
3GB RAM
32GB Internal Storage expandable via MicroSD
13-megapixel rear camera w/ LED Flash, f/2.2
16-megapixel front camera, f/2.0
LTE
Bluetooth, Wifi, GPS, A-GPS
3000mAh Battery
Android 7.0 with Funtouch OS 3.2
The Vivo Y69 will be available for ₹14,990 or roughly Php11,989~ in. Champagne Gold and Matte Black. No word regarding local availability
Aside from the ASUS Zenfone 4 Series that was unveiled last week here in the Philippines, a new member of the ASUS Zenfone 4 family has been seen in Malaysia — the ASUS Zenfone 4 Selfie Lite. Well, it isn’t flagship smartphone but it is certainly alluring for the people who are into selfies at a more affordable price.
The ASUS Zenfone 4 Selfie is already available in the country with an SRP of P13,995 while the ASUS Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro which has a better specifications sports an SRP of P18,995 (You can check out the specs & prices of the smartphone at this link. While both of those selfie smartphones pack a dual lens front camera, the ASUS Zenfone 4 Selfie Lite only has a single 16-megapixel front camera. The display also smaller at 5.3-inch with an HD resolution and then there’s the 16-megapixel rear camera.
The ASUS Zenfone 4 Selfie Lite is priced at MYR899 which is roughly at Php10,751~. It will be available in Deepsea Black and Sunlight Gold.
Cherry Mobile has outed their pricelist recently for the month of August 2017. It seems that the smartphones are now fewer compared to previous price lists that they had before and as expected, they featured some new devices and also some devices that we’ve seen before. Aside from smartphones, Cherry Mobile is also offering the smart devices such as the Cherry Mobile Fit & G2 and also their action cameras, the Cherry Explorer 1 and the world’s first Android action camera, the Cherry Explorer 2.
Cherry Mobile has also outed another smartphone that packs an affordable price but of course, an entry-level specifications. It doesn’t have any special features but if you’re just looking for a smartphone that has an affordable price and of course, run Android apps then the Cherry Mobile Flare Lite 4 might be the one for you.
Cherry Mobile Flare Lite 4 Specifications
1.2GHz Quad-Core Processor
4.5-inch Capacitive Display
8GB Internal Storage expandable via MicroSD up to 32GB
5-megapixel rear camera
2-megapixel front camera
3G
Dual Sim
Android Marshmallow 6.0
The Cherry Mobile Flare Lite 4 is priced at P1,999.
Cherry Mobile is still the king of smartphones in the Philippines despite new brands and a stronger lineup of smartphones from other brands, especially from OPPO and Vivo. IDC has reported that Cherry Mobile is still the #1 smartphone company in the Philippines thanks to the $50 and below smartphones which are driving the volume sales of Cherry Mobile in the country.
Samsung came in at second while OPPO came in at third followed by Cloudfone and Vivo. One of the factors that drive the smartphone sales in the Philippines is the strong marketing efforts especially the Chinese brands, OPPO and Vivo. Samsung came in 2nd thanks to the affordable J series which is the highlight series of the brand in the Philippines while Cloudfone’s marketing efforts and promotions with NBA has definitely helped their USD25 and below smartphones.
Well, Cherry Mobile still is the king as they offer smartphones from the masses and they’re really way affordable compared to most brands. It’s really hard to topple Cherry Mobile at this point as their smartphones are really appealing to the masses.
Aside from checking out OPPO’s manufacturing facility in Shenzhen, China, we also had a mobile photography workshop at OPPO HQ which is still located in Shenzhen, China. The workshop was headed by Dr. King Bai, OPPO’s Hardware Director and he’s been leading the company’s R&D Team for innovations and new technology. And we learn some things about OPPO and how they improve their camera on both the front and rear cameras of the smartphone.
One of the things that Dr. Bai has said that OPPO is focusing on is the software and algorithm. Well, Dr. Bai is right because as you can see, there are a lot of smartphones that are using the same hardware but you can see different quality right? Well, because the beauty of those shots not only came from the hardware but also from the software and algorithm. You need to have an effective algorithm for the camera to produce and process a better shot.
Another one is the camera module of the smartphone. OPPO is working hard in perfecting their camera module and also customizing their sensor to bring a better camera experience for OPPO smartphones. And yes, their customization is so deep down that’s why they have more control in their camera and its hardware. They’re also developing sensors and modules along with Sony that’s why OPPO can bring camera a better camera experience than other smartphones with the same sensor. For example, the R9s’ imx398 sensor can receive 2x more light and faster 40% focusing speed compared to other smartphones with the same camera sensor.
OPPO is also the pioneer of different technologies including the world’s first beautify which can be found on the OPPO Y701 back in 2012. And their focus on selfie-centric smartphones has also helped the brand grow their market share in India in where there was a 9x growth selfie-centric smartphone sales volume.
Well, these are just some of the interesting things that we learned when we visited their HQ at Shenzhen, China. Now we know that OPPO is an innovator in some technologies that we are enjoying right now, expect that the company can offer more exciting innovations and new technologies for the market soon.
Samsung has just unveiled their newest flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Note8. It packs a lot of new features including a dual lens rear camera which is a first in Samsung’s flagship. It’s also their biggest flagship smartphone as the Galaxy Note 8 will pack a 6.3-inch QHD+ display.
The Samsung Galaxy Note8 still packs an Exynos processor for the Philippine variant and it will also have a 6GB of RAM inside and 64GB expandable storage. One of the biggest unique selling points of the Samsung Galaxy Note8 is its camera because it will pack a dual 12MP camera that is capable of 2x zooming and it is also the world’s first smartphone with dual OIS.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will also have Bixby and Bixby Voice which is voice assistant similar to Google Now and Siri. In Bixby Voice, you’ll be able to command your smartphone and eventually, Bixby will get better as you use it every time.
The S-Pen of the Samsung Galaxy Note8 will be even smarter with its new features. Oh and another thing, the Samsung Galaxy Note8 will also have a new feature called live messages which let you hate animated drawings that you can share with your friends.
Samsung Galaxy Note8’s camera is definitely one of the best in the market. It has a dual 12-Megapixel camera. The camera consists of a main 12-megapixel camera with f/1.7 aperture while the other one is the telephoto 12-megapixel camera and it lets you do 2x optical zoom.
The camera of the smartphone also features live focus in where you can have a background blur or bokeh shots. The bokeh shots that I got were pretty amazing and on point. Actually, the camera of the Samsung Galaxy Note8 is one of the best in the industry. Check out the shots that I took using the smartphone:
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The Samsung Galaxy Note8 will be available in Midnight Black and Maple gold and you can pre-order starting from September 8 up to September 17 and it will come with a free AKG Speaker. The price? Well, it’s a little bit steep at P49,990. You can pre-order the Samsung Galaxy Note8 at Smart, Lazada, Argomall, Abenson, and at Samsung Experience Stores.
The Samsung Galaxy Note8 will also come with some perks and exclusive privileges including Samsung Concierge, a 24/7 hotline pickup, and delivery service.
Samsung Galaxy Note8 & Galaxy S8
The Smart postpaid plan for the Samsung Galaxy Note8 will be available soon so watch out!
ASUS has just launched their newest laptop at the ROG Masters Philippine Finals 2017 at SM North EDSA Annex. We first saw the the ASUS ROG Strix GL503 at Computex last May and it’s a big design change from the previous ASUS ROG devices as this one now features a more minimal colors with a half slice and ROG logo on lid of the laptop. The laptop will also feature a RGB keyboard.
The ROG Strix GL503 will come with an Intel Core i7-7700HQ Processor, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB HDD, 128GB SSD, and a GTX 1050 4GB DDR5 GPU. It will retail for P69,995.
The ROG Strix GL503 will also come with a 120Hz IPS display which means that you can have a smoother and better framerates without tearing on the display.
Yesterday we saw the Final Fantasy XV for Windows and today, here’s another big surprise to all of us from Square Enix at Gamescon. Yes, Final Fantasy XV is coming to the palm of our hand in the form of Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition. No, this isn’t your crappy mobile game because Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition will feature the story of the original game in an episodic release.
But of course, since this is the mobile version of Final Fantasy XV, expect a tone down graphics compared to the console version. The game will feature chibi characters along with a new cartoonish design and graphics.
While we’re not sure how they’ll bring in the battle gameplay, features, and experience of the console version to the mobile version but expect that the Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition will have touch-optimized controls and yes, cooking with Ignis.
Final Fantasy XV will be available with one free episode while the remaining nine episodes will be sold at a price.
The Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition will be available for iOS, Android, & Windows 10 this Autumn 2017 (September-October).
Watch the trailer of the game below:
Well, Square Enix, I’m still waiting for the mobile version of Final Fantasy VIII.
Xiaomi has just launched a new smartphone today and it’s the affordable Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A. The smartphone will not have a very powerful hardware inside but it does have a capable processor and a 16-megapixel front camera that can really attract consumers who are into the selfie game.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A Specifications
5.5-inch HD IPS Display
Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 Processor
2GB/3GB/4GB RAM
16GB/32GB/64GB expandable storage
13-Megapixel Rear Camera with LED Flash
16-Megapixel Front Camera
Dual Sim
LTE
WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
Android 7.0 with MIUI 9
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A is now available in China and it comes with these variants and prices
2GB/16GB – CNY 699 (Php5,383~)
3GB/32GB – CNY 899 (Php6,923~)
4GB/64GB – CNY 1199 (Php9,233~)
There’s no word regarding local availability of these smartphones but expect that the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A will be available in local gray markets.
