Samsung’s Noteworthy Affair with the Galaxy Note 7

Samsung Electronics Philippines (SEPCO) officially launched the arrival of its newest flagship smartphone: the Samsung Galaxy Note7. Pegged as the smartphone that thinks big, guests at the Noteworthy Affair were treated to an out-of-this-world experience when they finally got to meet the Korean tech giant’s newest flagship phone

O+ Venti LTE Review

I made sure that I will have the chance to review one of the country's first smartphones powered by a relatively new Speadtrum SoC with LTE connecitivity. Here's my O+ Venti LTE Review.

Redfox Aurea E10 first look, specs, more info on their upcoming handsets

If you checked our post last night at the recent Redfox Transformation media event, they teased that they will gonna release 7 smartphones. Lucky that I took some pics of their only available device at that night.

Oppo F1s possible PH price revealed, now available by a local retailer

A few more days to go before the official Philippine unveiling of Oppo's next selfie expert but one Visayas-based retailer just posted the SRP which might be near or really the exact price.

Sony Xperia XA Ultra now official in the Philippines

Up until last Friday, Sony Philippines Twitter page (and not their Facebook page) was the only social media account that was used to officially announce the price of Sony Xperia XA Ultra.

Smart offers Samsung Galaxy Note 7 at Surf Plus Plan 999, also for Smart Infinity

Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) revealed their enticing offers for the much-anticipated Samsung Galaxy Note 7. Beginning August 6, pre-registration links are up for both Smart Postpaid and Smart Infinity.
 
For Postpaid, Smart offers the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 at Surf Plus Plan 999, with a monthly cash-out of P1,200 for 24 months, for a total of just P2,199 a month. With Surf Plus Plan 999, subscribers can enjoy the new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 with 5GB data for all their surfing needs, 30 call minutes and 100 texts to all networks, plus free data access for the app of their choice every month—be it Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, among many others.
 


Approved postpaid pre-orders from August 6 to 19 will also receive a free Samsung battery pack and clear case. This is for the following Smart Wireless and Business Centers: SM Megamall, Rockwell Powerplant Mall, SM Aura, SM North EDSA, SM Baguio, SM Clark, Festival Mall, Molito, SM Cebu, SM Davao, and the Smart Online Store. Those who pre-order and get their applications approved via the Smart Online Store can get their Note 7 units as early as August 17.
 
For Smart Infinity, two Galaxy Note 7 devices may be enjoyed with the Roaming Plan 8000 (24 months) or a Galaxy Note 7 and a Galaxy S7 for the Roaming Plan 5000 (30 months). Members may experience their new devices with discounted outbound roaming rates, 15GB data allocation and a hefty monthly consumable allocation. New Plan 5000 and Plan 8000 members from August 6 to Aug 19 will also receive a complimentary Level Box Pro speaker.
 


To know more about Smart Infinity’s exclusive offers, existing members may contact their Infinity Relationship Officer or the Infinity dedicated hotline *800. For new membership, call 848 8806.
 
“Smart Infinity ensures our members enjoy the latest gadgets and fast mobile data that they deserve. The Galaxy Note 7 coupled with Smart's ultra-fast LTE technology is definitely a worthy addition to our line-up,” said Julie C. Carceller, Head of Smart Infinity.
 
“Like Smart’s thrust towards breaking barriers, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 shatters the limits of smartphone technology with its newest features. We are very excited to welcome the Samsung’s latest flagship to our portfolio and offer it to subscribers with our supersized data plans,” said Kathy C. Carag, Smart Mobile Business Head.
 
“Time and again, Samsung has surprised us with stylish innovations in its Galaxy Note series, which allows users to be more creative and productive with an easy swipe of a finger or a slide of the S-Pen. We can’t wait to see and experience the groundbreaking features in this latest device, which subscribers can surely optimize especially now that we are beefing up our LTE network across the country,” she added.
 
Galaxy Note 7 carries the latest innovation—the first ever Iris scanner for added security, alongside the enhanced S-Pen with higher precision and responsiveness. Note 7 is also the world’s first mobile HDR video that can take footage in sharper colors and with high dynamic range. It also carries superior DSLR like Real Pixel Camera with the first ever dual photodiode sensor (2PD) in mobile, providing superfast autofocus and brighter and clearer images with f/1.7 lens that is excellent for low light. It is water and dust resistant, has an expandable memory up to 256GB and runs on an Octa-core processor for smoother graphics.
 
Be among the first to own Note 7, visit smart.com.ph/note7 or smart.com.ph/infinity/samsungnote7 to register.

Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL hands-on, camera samples, benchmarks

Nine days before the official announcement, I was able to check in the 5.5 inch variant of the (regular) Asus Zenfone 3

Oppo F1s Official Specs Already Out, Same on Leaks Plus More

After a number of numerous leaks from a number of their Asian counterparts, Oppo India has finally released the official specs of Oppo F1s.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 hands-on, camera samples, more information

Samsung Mobile Philippines invited us for the Philippine launch of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 just a few number of hours after the New York launch.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 now official, specs

Samsung Galaxy Note was just introduced in their newest Unpacked event earlier at New York City.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 comes with either Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 or Exynos 8890 processor, 5.7 inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display, 12 MP dual pixel camera, 5 MP selfie camera, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB ROM, single nano SIM iris scanner, IP68 certification, water resistantand 3,500 mAh battery.

I will have a chance to do a hands-on later at our own Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Philippine launch. We got some info that the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 here in the country will be priced at Php 39,990

*Image from Samsung Newsroom website

Xiaomi Redmi Pro announced, comes with Helio X20 and X25 processors

Xiaomi has came out with another new chapter for their Redmi series and it starts with the Xiaomi Redmi Pro.

Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro first look, benchmarks, camera samples

The night will not be complete for me as I had my test run earlier of Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro.

The front and back portions of the device looks elegant despite of it's size. I never had that much difficulty on handling it but you can really tell that it is a bit heavy.



The left part has volume buttons and OTG and reverse charging capable micro USB port, speaker and pin hole mic at the bottom. Not in the picture as on the top, there is a 3.5 mm. audio jack and micro SD tray and on the right, there goes the dual nano SIM tray



Glimpse of the pulldown menu and what to expect on app storage out of 32 GB ROM



The phone scored over 68,000 in Antutu. Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, sound and magnetic sensors are here. It has 10 point multi touch and internal storage was supplied by Toshiba.



Both cameras can shoot at 4:3 aspect ratio and can shoot full HD video.



I was in a place with artificial lighting which it is quite test to check the f/1.9 aperture of both shooters. The main and secondary cameras in that order.





Based on my assessment, the probable customers of this device will be those who are really into Samsung phones but needs a real dual SIM (compared to Galaxy S7 Edge) and those who is more into big displays and for heavy multimedia consumption.

Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro will be available this August 12 for Php 25,990

Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro now official in the country

More and more 6 inch phablet options this year as Samsung Mobile Philippines has just brought in the Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro.

Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro specs inclide Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 octa-core processor, Android 6.0 Marshmallow, dual nano SIM, 6 inch FHD Super AMOLED display, dual nano SIM, 16 MP rear cam with f/1.9, 8 MP front cam, 4 GB RAM, 32 GB ROM, micro SD slot up to 256 GB, fast charging, Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS and 5,000 mAh non-removable battery



Based on their presentation, the phone can fully charge in 160 minutes. Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro will be priced at Php 25,990

Cherry Mobile M1 first look, benchmarks, camera samples

We are not in the launch of this first deca-core powered local smartphone but I had a date of it in a few minutes, here's my post on Cherry Mobile M1

First, lets go to the specs:

Mediatek Helio X20 deca-core processor with Mali T880 GPU, Android 6.0 Marshmallow, dual micro SIM, 21 MP main cam with Sony IMX 230 sensor, 8 MP secondary cam, 5.5 inch IPS Full HD display, 4 GB RAM, 32 GB ROM, no micro SD slot quick charging, USB Type C, NFC, finger print reader and 3,600 mAh battery

The front and back portions of Cherry Mobile M1 which reminds me a bit of Cosmos One Plus. At first, you might think that it has dual front speakers but the bottom part that is working. Of course, the upper part is the one for accepting calls. Display is a-ok for the IPS display. I was not able to check out the finger print reader



Yup the phone has curves. The top has the 3.5 mm. audio jack and pin hole mic and USB Type C at the bottom.



Dual micro SIM in one tray at the left, volume rocker and power/unlock button at the right.



The normal navigation and switching apps are a-ok at the phone. I saw the camera and it was quite basic (as the same as the one at Cherry Mobile Infinix Pure) but the important thing is the output which you will gonna see later.

The benchmarks are expected at over 90,000 on Antutu and good amount of sensors plus 5 point multi touch.

I took the camera samples inside McDo Forbes Town Center. It is quite good on artificial with a mix of daylight. What concerned me, both cams have f/2.8 aperture which might struggle if you will bring this on low light. Both are also in 4:3 aspect ratio. The 21 MP rear camera and 8 MP front camera samples in that order





Cherry Mobile M1 will be out in stores in the next few days for Php 11,999. Credits to Peter of gizguide.com as he allowed me to play the Cherry Mobile M1 review unit.

Cloudfone Thrill Plus now official, comes with dual speakers

Cloudfone Thrill series is quite in a diversion as they released something new both from the said line-up as well as to the local smartphone brand.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 launch date confirmed, will happen in 3 key locations

I knew that this will come to my inbox from the PR company representing Samsung Mobile Philippines about the next Galaxy Note.

Cubix Cube 3 down to Php 3,999

Right now, this is the most affordable MT6753-powered smartphone in the country which you can find via Lazada Philippines.

Cherry Mobile Flare X V2 now at P4999

From it’s previous price of Php 6,999, Cherry Mobile just got a huge cut off from one of their most popular phablets so far.

Asus Zenfone Zoom Android Marshmallow update now available

After a bunch of Zenfones all powered with Qualcomm SoCs with the latest OS, it is time for their only smartphone so far with optical zoom.

Cloudfone Next smartphone coming soon. will be priced at under 10K

After their some of their offerings a few years ago under the Thrill series, Cloudfone is aiming to go back to a new device at near 10K.