A few weeks ago, Min Liang Tan teased in his Twitter account that he gets a lot of request for a Razer Store in the Philippines and it looks like our prayers and request have finally been answered because last weekend I noticed some changes in the location of the stores and one thing that catches my eye was the Razer Store at SM North EDSA Annex. Yes, the Razer Store isn’t opened yet and we still have no idea which products will be brought here but the doors are expected to be opened this June. It’s really nice to see that Razer will officially arrive in the Philippine because not only we’ll get to see Razer products, but we will also be getting a local support for Razer devices.
Cherry Mobile Ultra now on Flash sale at Lazada
Cherry Mobile is currently having a flash sale of the Cherry Mobile Ultra at Lazada. The smartphone is originally at P8,999 but it will be available for P3,999 at Lazada for a limited time and it is one of the most affordable smartphone with LTE. The Cherry Mobile Ultra is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor along with a 1GB of RAM. This smartphone was announced last year and in my review, I was very satisfied with my experience and its performance. If you want to buy the Cherry Mobile Ultra, head over to Lazada.
Get the Xiaomi Mi Pad at Sun Broadband Gadget Plan 250!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The Xiaomi Mi Pad is one of the best Android tablet in the market. This Android tablet is very powerful thanks to the Nvidia Tegra K1 processor inside it. Not only that, the Xiaomi Mi Pad also have a 7.9-inch 2048×1536 IPS display which is on par with the current iPad Mini. The UI is enticing too because this one is using the latest MIUI skin on Android which is very responsive and it barely crash. The most interesting about the tablet is probably its price, because the Xiaomi MiPad is too awesome for its price and yes, this tablet is now available at Sun Broadband Gadget Plan 250!
At Plan 250, you’ll get 700MB of data in where you could use it for browsing the internet. While at Plan 350, you’ll get Non Stop Surf in where you can use this one for checking out facebook, chat apps, emails and other light internet activities. Plan 450 gives you 500MB of mobile data and also Non Stop surf while Plan 699. The cash-out? Not so big, it’s only P449/month!
If you want to know more about this, head over to http://suncellular.com.ph/mipad.
Cherry Mobile One now available in White
We reviewed the Cherry Mobile One a few months ago and I discovered that the Cherry Mobile One is really enjoyable to use because this is an Android One device and the experience and performance is really awesome thanks to the stock Android inside it and since the operating system is controlled by Google, the experience is very near to a Nexus device. The Cherry Mobile One has been available for a while but it is only available in black but now, you can now get the Cherry Mobile One in white for the same price and it comes with a free 8GB MicroSD card. If you’re looking for a Cherry Mobile One, go to the nearest Cherry Mobile Stores, Kiosks and authorized resellers
Source: Cherry Mobile
Where to buy an ASUS ZenFone 2 in the Philippines
ASUS ZenFone 2 is definitely one of the hottest smartphone this year and at the launch alone, the ASUS ZenFone 2 4GB RAM/64GB storage was sold out in just an hour! The ASUS ZenFone 2 comes in different variants — ZE500CL & ZE551ML. The ASUS ZenFone 2 starts at P7,995 and the flagship version that has a 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage will cost you P14,995. So the question now is, where can we buy this smartphone? Thankfully, ASUS has release a list of stores that’ll be selling the ASUS ZenFone 2 nationwide. Check out the list from ASUS Philippines below.
The ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE500CL has an SRP of P7,995 while the other will cost you P9,995, P13,995 & P14,995 for the 2GB/16GB, 4GB/32GB, & 4GB/64GB respectively. Now, the only problem that you might encounter right now is the availability of the variant that you want.
Heroes of the Storm Open Beta starts today
Heroes of the Storm, one of the newest MOBA game to arrive in the country will begin its open beta starting today. 2 weeks ago, the first ever Heroes of the Storm in the Philippines was held at Mineski Infinity Taft and the event was filled with pro-gamers and of course, pizzas! So what’s difference between other MOBAs such as DOTA 2 and LOL with Heroes of the Storm? Well, this game is easier to learn and in-game, your character doesn’t rely on confusing build items but instead, it will rely on the mission on the map and the skills of the character to have an advantage in the game
And if you’re already playing Heroes of the Storm on closed beta already, you won’t have a problem with server wipe because all the accounts during close beta won’t be wiped out as long as you redeem your account at http://goo.gl/eaxnqW. This redemption is only open to users in Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore only. If you want to know more about the Heroes of the Storm head over to www.heroessea.com.
ASUS ZenFone 2 official price in the Philippines
Finally, the most awaited smartphone in this country is here. ASUS is set to compete and break the barriers of smartphone pricing again in the Philippines with the announcement of the ASUS ZenFone 2 here in the Philippines. The ASUS ZenFone 2 will be available in different variants starting with the ZE500CL that packs an almost similar successor to the ASUS ZenFone 5 but this time, it comes with LTE and it has a design similar to the ZenFone 2 but only at 5-inch. While the other one is the ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE551ML that comes in 3 variants. The first one comes in 2GB RAM/16GB Storage while the other two rocks a 4GB of RAM which are 4GB RAM/32 GB Storage & 4GB RAM/64 GB Storage and I was shocked to discover that the ASUS ZenFone 2 flagship variant will only cost you P14,995 and not P16,000. Check out the official prices of the ZenFone 2 variants that’ll be arriving in the Philippines:
- ASUS Zenfone 2 ZE500CL 1.8GHz Z2560/2GB RAM/16GB ROM – P7,995
- ASUS Zenfone 2 ZE551ML 1.8GHz Z3560/2GB RAM/16GB ROM – P9,995
- ASUS Zenfone 2 ZE551ML 2.3GHz Z3580/4GB RAM/32GB ROM – P13,995
- ASUS Zenfone 2 ZE551ML 2.3GHz Z3580/4GB RAM/64GB ROM – P14,995
ASUS ZenFone 2 Accessories Price in the Philippines
The ZenFone 2 has finally arrived in the country and yes, it is finally official! Not only that, ASUS Philippines has also announed new accessories for the ZenFone 2 and it’s not just a the typical accessories that you can see in the market but these are Flipcover, ZenPower, Lolliflash, and ZenFlash. The Lolliflash is an external Dual tone torch light that you can plug on your audio jack of the smartphone while the ZenFlash is an external xenon flash that you can plug in the MicroUSB of your ZenFone 2. These accessories are pegged at:
- ZenFone View Flip Cover Deluxe – P995
- ZenPower – P795
- Lolliflash – P495
- ZenFlash – P995
I’m really interested with the ZenFlash but unfortunately, this would only work if you have the ZenFlash app and if you’re using a ZenFone 2.
ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE551ML Review
The Asus Zenfone series smartphones are one of the hottest smartphone in the market and finally, the ASUS Zenfone 2 will be arriving in the country today and we got the red Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML with a 32GB storage before the local launch. So what do I think about this smartphone? Check out my review of the smartphone below.
Hardware and Design
The Zenfone 2 got a bigger screen but the dimensions is almost similar to the Asus Zenfone 5. The Zenfone 2 is curvier too than the predecessors that’s why the smartphone is much easier to hold. The Asus Zenfone 2 ZE550ML got a matte back cover while the Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML got a brushed metal finish that looks better and more premium. Actually, the Zenfone 2 reminds me of the LG G3 not only because of the brushed metal finish but also because of its curved body and the rear volume button.
The small power button of the Zenfone 2 is placed at the top of the phone which is a little bit hard to reach but thankfully, the Asus Zenfone 2 has a double tap to wake feature so you don’t have to press the power button anymore just to wake the smartphone from sleep. It’s an awesome feature that you can also find on other smartphones but on the Asus Zenfone 2, the double tap to wake feature works better than other smartphones. Why? Because there are no accidental wake ups when the smartphone is in your pocket.
At the front, the Asus Zenfone 2 looks very similar to the Zenfone 5 but this one has smaller bezels. There’s the 3 capacitive buttons below the display but unfortunately, these buttons aren’t backlit buttons. That’s why you’ll struggle figuring out where the buttons are when you’re at your bed, stalking your crush or just reading a story at Wattpad.
Inside the Zenfone 2 is a 3000mAh battery and a dual sim card slot but that battery is non-removable and you can’t replace that unfortunately but of course, having a non-removable on a smartphone can make the smartphone slimmer and more sexier. At the back, you could also see the two sim card slots but unfortunately, only the first sim card slot works with LTE.
There’s USB On-the-go on the ASUS Zenfone 2 ZE551ML if you need more space but I doubt that because most of you guys will already be satisfied with the 32GB/64GB internal storage of the Zenfone 2 along with the MicroSD card slot inside that supports up to 64GB.
The speaker grill of the ASUS Zenfone 2 is placed at the back and it’s very crisp and clear however it isn’t that loud but don’t worry, the speaker is still good. The battery? it has improved from its predecessor. The smartphone can now last up to a day or two on my use.
Display
The ASUS Zenfone 2 ZE551ML got a 5.5-inch Full HD display. It isn’t the best class but it does the job well. The screen to body to ratio has improved to 72% which makes the phone packs almost the same size of the ASUS Zenfone 5 but with a bigger and better display. Unlike most 2015 flagship smartphones that pack a Quad HD display, the ASUS Zenfone 2 got a 1920×1080 resolution and the display looks good. The colors are good and it doesn’t look oversaturated. Outside, the display performs really well. The outside visibility was good and I don’t have any complaints with it
Software
ASUS ZenFone 2 still packs the ZenUI but this time, the ASUS Zenfone 2 is now running on Android 5.0 Lollipop. Although there are some itsy bitsy bugs on Android 5.0 Lollipop, the ZenUI works pretty well and isn’t sluggish unlike other launchers. There are bloatwares on the ASUS ZenFone 2 like ZenCircle which is a social app for Zenfone users but some of them are really useful like Photocollage and PC Link in where you could duplicate the display of your smartphone to your PC.
Another thing that I really like on the ASUS Zenfone 2 is the customization. There’s no need to root your device or download an app to change the theme of your smartphone because the ZenFone 2 allows you to download and change not just your themes but also your fonts on the homescreen. So far, the ASUS Zenfone 2 is one of the most customizable smartphone that I’ve tried.
However, one thing I noticed in the ASUS Zenfone 2 is that the elements and icons are bigger in the Zenfone 2 but it’s not a really annoying and you can adjust these things on the Zenfone 2 but for those people who are too lazy to change the settings of their phones, the larger the elements, the bigger space they took on the screen and these spaces can be used for more features.
When it comes to games, the ASUS Zenfone 2 doesn’t disappoint. The ZenFone 2 that we’re reviewing right now packs a 64-bit 2.3GHz Intel Atom Quad-Core processor, 4GB Dual-Channel RAM, and 32GB Internal storage. We rarely see a smartphone using an Intel Atom processor especially using the Moorefield family but it is more rare to see a smartphone pack a 4GB of RAM.
Since we have a monstrous 4GB of RAM inside the ZenFone 2, you won’t have a problem when it comes to multi-tasking because the ASUS ZenFone 2 can handle all that. Yes, you can even run 3 heavy games simultaneously on the ASUS ZenFone 2 without lags. That’s how incredible the ASUS ZenFone 2 is.
Camera
One of the biggest features of the ASUS ZenFone 2 is the 13 Megapixel PixelMaster camera and base on my test, the ASUS ZenFone 2 can match most camera of the flagship smartphones today. When it comes to lowlight, I was really amazed with how the ASUS ZenFone 2 performed. The HDR performance of the ASUS ZenFone 2 is pretty good too. You know what? Just check out the photos that I took using the ASUS ZenFone 2 below.
Verdict
If you’re simply buying a smartphone and your budget can reach the ZenFone 2’s price range, then better check this one out. Why? Because the ZenFone 2 is expected to be below P17,000 and yes, that’s for the 2.3GHz/4GB/64GB variant already. The ASUS ZenFone 2 combines the best hardware and the best price. This may not be the best smartphone in the market when it comes to performance but I’m pretty sure the ASUS ZenFone 2 is the best value-for-money smartphone that you can buy. I highly recommend you to buy an Asus ZenFone 2 if you’re budget is below P17,000.
Smart offers a new way to watch videos for 5 pesos
Smart recently introduced their newest data bundles for those people who loves to watch and make videos. If you’re a Smart subscriber, you’ll now be able to enjoy video data plans in where you can now watch Youtube, Dailymotion, Vimeo, Viewsteam, Skype Qik and Dubsmash on your smartphone for as low as 5 pesos.
Yeah, with that 5 pesos, you could now have 65MB of data for which is 15 minutes of standard definition video streaming on mobile phones valid for one day. This is a good opportunity of pocket video entertainment especially on lunch breaks or while commuting.
Check out their other subscription offerings
- 160MB data / 35 minutes of video for Php25/day
- 400MB data / 90 minutes of video for Php50/ 3 days
- 1.2GB / 270 minutes of video for Php199/30days
Its good to know that this promo the dedicated for video junkies in mind, especially that the video industry in the Philippines is rapidly growing. Don’t worry about your load as its protected via a paywall service to notify that the subscription is fully consumed or already finished.
You can simply subscribe to all service via YOUTUBE5; YOUTUBE25; YOUTUBE50; or YOUTUBE199 to 9999.