Pocket projectors are expensive but in case you need something more affordable, CD-R King has one for under Php12K – the PJ04 Pocket LED Projector.
CD-R King PJ04 Pocket Projector specs:
3M Chipset
25 ANSI LUMENS
Max 50 inch / Min 6 inch (13~130cm
4:3 aspect ratio
640 x 480 Resolution
300:1 contrast
Projection Distance: Max 180 cm / Min 21 cm
The CD-R King PJ04 Pocket Projector is priced at Php11,800 and is available at Lazada. See listing here.
If you’re looking for other projectors, you may check out our guide here.
We put a phone of an up and coming smartphone brand in the cross-hairs of a crowd favorite. Infinix Mobility entered the Philippine market back in 2015 with their Hot Note since then we’ve seen a steady push from the brand. Xiaomi, on the other hand, has been a crowd favorite since they entered the market back in 2014 and is known to release competitively specced and aggressively priced phones. Let’s see how the newly released Infinix Note 4 fare against Xiaomi’s highly regarded RedmiNote 4X.
You can check out the Infinix Note 4’s full review here while the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X’s full review is here.
Display and Multimedia
The Note 4 has a 5.7-inch Display while the Note 4X has a 5.5-inch display. Both phones have Full HD IPS screens with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. They both have good viewing angles, color reproduction, and color accuracy.
The screens are bright enough to be operated under direct sunlight. As for protection, none of them have Gorilla Glass but the two companies claim that it’s scratch resistant. While both have mono speakers that go loud, the Note 4X’s speaker produces clearer sounds and more bass than that of the Note 4. There is little noticeable distortion at max volume for both phones.
Camera
The Infinix Note 4 has a 13MP Autofocus rear camera with dual-LED flash and an 8MP fixed focus front camera with soft-LED flash. It also offers a variety of camera modes for its user’s such Professional, HDR, Beauty, Night, Panorama, PIP (Picture in Picture), Wide Selfie, and its own set of filters. The notable camera features are PIP and Wide Selfie. PIP or Picture in Picture lets you use both the rear and front cam simultaneously, with the front cam having some frame options, sadly there is no option to have no frame. Wide Selfie is essentially Panorama shot for the front cam. You can also set the settings of both the rear and front cam to have grid lines, a leveling guide, touch to capture, smile capture, and delay capture. While a unique option for the front camera is gesture control where when the camera detects a gesture it takes the shot.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X, on the other hand, has a 13MP rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, dual-LED flash, and a 5MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture. It offers a variety of modes for its rear camera such as Manual, Panorama, Timer, Audio, Straighten, Beautify, HHT, HDR, Scene and a selection of filters. The notable camera features are Audio and Straighten. Audio lets you control the camera by sound, once the mic detects a loud enough sound the camera will take a shot the downside of this, however, is that it registers any loud enough sound it detects. Straighten lets you take angled shots by using a guiding rectangle. The front camera, on the other hand, has the Timer and Audio modes plus a selection of filters.
Both phones take decent to good daylight photos. Night shots, however, are not that great and noise on both phone’s shots are evident. Shots from the Note 4’s cameras are warmer in color while shots from the Note 4X’ are cooler in color. Even though their night shots are sub par the Note 4X shots are a little brighter than those of the Note 4 Pro but neither could produce clear images. Low-light shots on both phones though are decent. Selfies on the Note 4 although great tends to have high contrast and slightly overblown highlights while selfies on the Note 4X have great detail and look natural. The Note 4 takes wider angle shots than the Note 4X.
Here are some sample shots from the Note 4:
And here are some sample shots from the Note 4X:
For Video, both phones max out at 1080p, 30fps. Video quality is average at best for both. Colors on the Note 4, however, are a bit washed out. The Note 4X records clearer audio than the Note 4. But still audio recording in videos for both phones is not that great.
Here is a sample video from the Note 4:
And here is a sample video from the Note 4X:
OS, UI, Apps
The Note 4 runs on Infinix’ own XOS Chameleon V2.3 on top of Android 7.0 while the Note 4X, during our review, runs on Xiaomi’s own MIUI 8.2 on top of Android 6.0 but can be upgraded to Android 7.0 with MIUI 8.5. Xiaomi installed little bloatware on the Note 4X most of which you can uninstall. Infinix, although also installing little bloatware that can be uninstalled, has included quite a few customized apps on the Note 4.
Storage wise, the Note 4 has 32GB of internal storage of which 23.65GB is available to the user while the Note 4X has 64GB of internal storage of which 57.06GB is available to the user. Both have microSD support should you wish to expand your storage.
As for the features, The Note 4 has split screen functionality, infinite scroll, one-handed mode, freezer, gesture controls, and wave-to-unlock. The most interesting feature here is the freezer. It, as the name implies, freezes other apps. It’s a nifty feature to have, especially if you want to keep those pesky system apps in check.
The Note 4X, on the other hand, can double as a remote through the MI remote app provided your device supports it. It has what Xiaomi calls Second Space which creates a second profile in your device with a different password and settings. It also supports one-handed mode and Dual Apps.
Performance and Benchmarks
Now, this is where it becomes interesting. The Note 4X is powered by MediaTek’s flagship chip the Helio X20 clocked at 2.1Ghz while the Note 4 is powered by the aging MediaTek MT6753 clocked at 1.5GHz. In AnTuTu, the Note 4X scored 82,956 while the Note 4 scored only 36,344. For Geekbench, the Note 4X scored 1513 on Single-Core and 4541 on Multi-Core while the Note 4 scored 617 on Single-Core and 2523 on Multi-Core.
While you will feel no difference in the performance between the two at mundane tasks like browsing the web or texting once you move on to heavier tasks like gaming the gap is noticeable with the Note 4X leading the charge. While multitasking wouldn’t be an issue for both phones, the Note 4X has an advantage with its 4GB RAM over the Note 4’s 3GB.
Here are the other benchmark scores of the Note 4X and Note 4 side by side:
Infinix Note 4
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X
Vellamo
2,247 (Chrome)
5,676 (Chrome)
990 (Metal)
2,192 (Metal)
1,571 (Multi-core)
3,373 (Multi-core)
Androbench
237.01 MB/s (Read)
247.74 MB/s (Read)
120.48 MB/s (Write)
71.58 MB/s (Write)
Connectivity and Call Quality
Call quality and signal reception on both phones are good. Basic connectivity is present as both phones have LTE, WiFi, and Bluetooth. Navigation via GPS won’t be a problem, but the Note 4X has better accuracy than the Note 4.
Here are the sensor box and GPS test results of the Note 4:
And here are the sensor box and GPS results of the Note 4X:
Battery
The Note 4X has a 4,100mAh battery while the Note 4 Pro has a 4,500mAh battery. Both phones have fast charging capabilities. The Note 4X takes about an hour to an hour and a half to charge from 0-100% while the Note 4 takes a little over an hour to charge from 0%-100%. For the PC Mark battery test, the Note 4 lasted 9 Hours and 39 Minutes while the Note 4X lasted 11 Hours and 6 Minutes. These phones would comfortably last you the day without the need of plugging it in.
Conclusion
The only real difference in these phones lie in their performance and features as other aspects like the Camera, Display, and Connectivity is almost similar. In pricing, Infinix’ offering costs Php8,999 while Xiaomi’s offering costs Php 8,799(See listing here). It is certainly a question about performance or features, while the Note 4X outshines the Note 4 in specs the Note 4 makes up for it in features.
Infinix Note 4 specs:
5.7-inch Full HD IPS display, 386ppi
1.3GHz MediaTek MT6753 octa-core CPU
Mali-T720 MP3 450MHz
3GB RAM
32GB ROM
Up to 128GB via microSD (dedicated slot)
13MP rear camera w/ dual LED flash
8MP front camera w/ LED flash
Dual-SIM (Micro)
4G/3G/2G
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Hotspot
Bluetooth 4.2
A-GPS
Fingerprint recognition
USB-OTG
Android 7.0 Nougat
4,300mAh battery w/ xCharge
159 x 78.8 x 8.4 mm
198 g
Champagne Gold, Milan Black, Ice Blue
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X specs:
5.5-inch Full HD display @ 1920 x 1080 resolution
2.5D curved glass on a metal unibody
MediaTek Helio X20 Deca-core Processor
Mali T880MP4
4GB RAM
64GB internal storage
Expandable via microSD, up to 256GB (uses SIM 2)
13MP rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, dual-LED flash
5MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture
Dual SIM
4G LTE
Wi-Fi 802.11ac
Bluetooth 4.2
GPS w/ A-GPS
Infrared
Fingerprint scanner
4100mAh battery with fast-charging
Android 6.0 Marshmallow w/ MIUI Global 8.1
151 x 76 x 8.4 mm
175 g
CD-R King, over the years, has really had a penchant for surprising us with the cool, and sometimes unexpected products they put out. We’ve done this list before– twice, in fact. We showed you ten cool things in 2014, and five last year.
It’s 2017 now, and seeing home appliances, electric vehicles, and even mobile devices is now commonplace when you pay a quick visit to the ol’ neighborhood CD-R King. Here are six items that stand out.
Author’s Notes: Items are listed in no particular order. Also, items are subject to branch availability. This is not a sponsored post.
Ever wanted to just let go and have your selfies taken for you? Well, you can literally do just that with this foldable selfie drone. It only has a maximum resolution of 640 x 480, but imagine the types of shots you’d be able to get with this, along with the low price of Php2,380.
CD-R King XBee drone specs:
Max Flight Altitude: 3000m
Control distance: 40-50m
WiFi Frequency: 2.4GHz
Max Photo Resolution: 640 x 480
Rated Capacity: 500mAh
Voltage: 3.7V
Real Time Transmission: 640 x 480 @30fps
File Format: JPG/MP4 (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264)
Mobile OS: Android 4.3 or above/iOS 8.0 or above
Smartphone stabilizers are used to make your videos smoother by using motors to “cancel out” the natural shake that emanates from your hands. If stabilizers on the market such as the DJI Osmo Mobile are too pricey for you, then you may want to consider this budget solution from CD-R King. The Wenpod SP1+ costs Php4,880.
This one goes out to the titos and titas out there, whether by age or by heart. CD-R King’s USB turntable has been out for a few years now, but it’s still amazing to think that you can play your LP’s for a low price of Php1,280. At that price, it’s miles cheaper than most turntables on the market.
In the past two guides, we featured hand-crank dynamo based chargers that convert your muscle power to electricity that is then used to charge your device. Well, at a certain point, you will eventually tire out from using those chargers. Why not harness the power of our solar system’s ultimate energy source instead? It does have a steeper price than its hand-crank cousins at Php880, though.
Mechanical keyboards are really popular nowadays, and are in many ways superior to their membrane-based counterparts. This board from WESDAR features a full 104-key layout, per-row LED lighting with different effects, and clicky Blue switches, all for only Php1,680.
Pocket projectors are not just expensive, but are surely somewhat novelty gadgets. They are, however, really handy when you need them. Whether its delivering a quick guerilla presentation, or watching content with family or friends, a pocket projector may just save your day. This is, by far, the most expensive item on this list at Php11,800.
CD-R King PJ04 Pocket Projector specs:
3M Chipset
25 ANSI LUMENS
Max 50 inch / Min 6 inch (13~130cm
4:3 aspect ratio
640 x 480 Resolution
300:1 contrast
Projection Distance: Max 180 cm / Min 21 cm
That wraps it up for this list of cool tech you can get at CD-R King. If there are any other cool things you’ve spotted online or in their stores, be sure to share it in the comments section.
We all know that there are a bunch of good stuff that you can find at CDR-King but what we didn’t expect to spot is a cheaper version of the expensive Apple AirPods, the Miruso Bluetooth Earphone.
Miruso Bluetooth Earphone specs:
Wireless Version: V4.2+EDR
Speaker Impedance: 32 Z
Microphones Sensitivity: 42Db
Frequency: 2.40 GHz
Battery Capacity: 65mAh/950mAh
Working temperature: -10-55°C
Transmission Distance: 12M
Playing time: 5-6hours
Charging Time: 1-2 hours
Standby time: 100 hours
The Miruso Bluetooth Earphone is priced at Php880 and can be purchased at any CD-R King stores, as well as CD-R King’s online store (click here).
Does CDR-King have _____? Nowadays, that question is outdated. A more appropriate query would be “what don’t they have?” We’ve covered this topic a few times already, but the yellow-painted retail chain always has new surprises in store for us. Here are six items that stand out so far.
Author’s Notes: Items are listed in no particular order. Also, items are subject to branch availability. This is not a sponsored post.
Playing mobile games is sure a lot of fun, but it isn’t necessarily the most tactile experience, especially if the game uses a ton of on-screen controls. This OTG gamepad might be able to solve that issue. It supports at least Android 3.0, and uses a MicroUSB connector. (some will be happy about this, others won’t) If you can get this working with a battle royale style game, well, chicken dinner.
You can literally bring the music in your heart anywhere you go with this Bluetooth karaoke microphone. It acts as a Bluetooth speaker and microphone at the same time, so it will actually play the minus one you provide via your phone, as well as amplify your voice. It’s got a 5W speaker for sound output, and a 2,600mAh battery to power it up.
Price: Php880
3.) Bluetooth Fitness Tracker Wristbands
Sports and fitness technology has been in the mainstream for a long time now, mainly thanks to fitness trackers that go on your wrist. If a Fitbit, or anything else for that matter, is way too expensive for you, CDR-King has you covered with two options, both under Php500.
If the Php8,990 price tag of Apple’s AirPods is way too much cash for you to shell out, you can spend just a tenth of that for these “AirPods”. This cheap knock-off definitely won’t sound as good as the real deal, but it’s worth considering if you’re a fan of the AirPods’ look.
Here we have another blatant knock-off a well-known product, namely the Google Chromecast. It works in a similar fashion, allowing you to wirelessly cast or mirror your device onto an external display that has an HDMI port. It can output up to Full HD resolution and supports Windows, Android, and even Apple devices via AirPlay.
There might be a chance, especially if you’re an older individual, that you have some old negatives lying around. Perhaps you’re even a film photography enthusiast. In any case, having your film traditionally developed is a lengthy process by the standards of the digital age. This is where this CDR-King film scanner comes in. It simply plugs into your computer via USB and provides you with instant scans of your negatives, up to 1800dpi, or 3600dpi via software interpolation.
Price: Php,1800
That wraps it up for this list of some pretty interesting items you can get at CDR-King. If you happen to spot any more cool things in their stores, be sure to share it with us in the comments section down below.
The 2019 Mobile World Congress (MWC) is just around the corner and we expect to see a lot of new smartphones from companies like Samsung, LG, Huawei, and Nokia. If you’re wondering what they are, then read on.
Samsung has a lot of smartphones in its arsenal waiting to be unveiled, the Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10E. Based on the leaks, the series sports a 19:9 QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED HDR+ display with 3040x 1440px, Gorilla Glass 6, Ultrasonic Fingerprint scanner, 12MP f/2.4 telephoto 45-degree zoom + 12MP f/1.5 wide (77-degree) dual aperture dual pixel OIS, 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (123-degree) triple rear cameras, 10MP f/1.9 + 8MP f/2.2 live focus (for S10+ only) front cameras, and 4,100mAh (S10+). If you want to know more about their upcoming flagship devices, read here.
Next up are the foldable smartphones that the company previously showcased in Samsung Developers Showcase 2018. There are three devices namely Galaxy F, Galaxy X, Galaxy Fold. It is said that it can run three apps simultaneously which is great. Read more here.
Huawei went full throttle last year as they launched a LOT of smartphones from flagship to budget-friendly level. However, at MWC 2019, they will be showing a new foldable smartphone, just like Samsung. There’s not much info on this new device but it should have a built-in 5G technology which enhances your mobile data speed further as compared with 4G.
Aside from that, the latest flagship smartphone of the company, the Huawei P30 series will probably show up as a recent leak from a case-maker already showed a rendered model of the devices.
Nokia is cooking up something very interesting as their upcoming flagship smartphone will sport five ZEISS rear cameras with a very unique design placement. Unlike with most smartphones that were launched since last year, this device will not have a notch display which is good for people who are not much into that kind of design. Its rumored specs include a 5.99-inch screen with 2K resolution, Snapdragon 845, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and USB Type-C.
OnePlus
While there is an unlikely chance that OnePlus will release the OnePlus 7 this soon, the company announced last year that they are developing a 5G smartphone. They will most likely showcase a prototype of this device at MWC 2019 which would be powered with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset so stay tuned for that!
There are no leaks yet if OPPO will be releasing a smartphone at MWC 2019. However, based on their launch invitation, I can safely say that they will be introducing their own 5G technology for their upcoming devices since they already have announced last year that they successfully tapped the 5G signal. They could also be working on a new zoom technology which could be better than the already existing zooms today.
LG hasn’t given up yet on its smartphone manufacturing sector as they recently announced that their upcoming flagship smartphone, the LG G8 ThinQ, will sport a Time-of-Flight (ToF) camera technology for the front camera which is said to see 3D objects that can deliver an improved recognition rate, support for augmented reality, and virtual reality. Based on the most recent leak, the device comes with a notch design with the front camera located on it. The back shows us a fingerprint scanner and dual cameras. We also get a good look at all the sides of the smartphone; located on the left are volume rockers and another button, while on the right side is the SIM tray and perhaps the power button. On the bottom, we have the charging port, the speakers, and the headphone jack.
A case-maker recently revealed the image renders of Sony’s newest flagship devices, the Xperia XZ4, and XZ4 Compact. The former comes with triple rear cameras while the latter sports a single rear camera. With the leak, these smartphones would most likely show up at the MWC 2019. You can read more here.
Along with their flagship line, they will most likely reveal the next iteration of the XA series, the Xperia XA3. It has a 5.9-inch 21:9 display with 2560 x 1080 pixels. There’s also a possibility that it could be the “Plus” or “Ultra” model, or something in between. Other specs include dual-rear cameras (rumored to be 23MP + 8MP), side-mounted fingerprint scanner, and USB Type-C. It is expected to run a Snapdragon 660 chipset, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and 3,500mAh battery.
Motorola has recently announced their newest mid-range smartphones, the Moto G7 series, in Brazil so it’s highly likely that it will show up at MWC 2019 along with an alleged revival of their iconic Razr flip phone.
We might be seeing VIVO’s newest fullscreen smartphone based on the VIVO Apex concept which was showcased last year at MWC 2018. We’ve yet to know its specs as information is scarce as of writing.
Xiaomi
Xiaomi doesn’t fall behind when it comes to advancement in technology as they showed off a foldable smartphone a few days ago. The Xiaomi Mi 9 could also be launching at MWC 2019 but we don’t have any detailed info yet on both devices.
Excited to share this video of a special Xiaomi smartphone from our President and Co-founder Bin Lin. It is the world’s first ever double folding phone — that’s pretty cool, isn’t it? #Xiaomi #foldingphone #technology
And that’s it! We do hope that these devices and technologies will really show up at the MWC 2019. What do you guys think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Realme has launched the new big brother of the Realme 3, the Realme 3 Pro. So if the Realme 3 is one of the leading options in the PHP 7,000 to PHP 10,000 price point, where does the Realme 3 Pro stand at the PHP 13,000 to PHP 15,000 range? Well, let’s get into it.
Design and Construction
For the design, at a glance, not much as changed. We still get a unibody design with a polycarbonate back panel that has this glossy gradient finish and this Lightning Purple color we have here is reminiscent of the OPPO F11 Pro’s Thunder Black color.
Just like the vanilla Realme 3, we have a fingerprint scanner, dual rear cameras and LED flash complete with that yellow ring accent on the top camera.
The power button is on the right, while the volume controls and the SIM tray are on the left. The micro USB port, headphone jack, and loudspeaker are at the bottom.
The only major difference here in terms of the build is a slightly bigger 6.3-inch screen for the Realme 3 Pro — whereas the Realme 3 has a 6.22-inch one. We also get a dewdrop notch above the screen, but unfortunately, no notification LED. The screen-to-body ratio is pretty good, as we get nice thin bezels on the sides and top, with a slightly bigger chin.
Overall build quality doesn’t leave much to be desired. We know it’s tough due to the inclusion of Gorilla Glass, the back and sides curve nicely and make the phone rest easier in the hands.
Display and Multimedia
Display quality is really good. We get an IPS LCD panel with a resolution of 2340 x 1080. Text and images are crispy, contrast and colors look pretty nice, viewing angles are good as well, and brightness is adequate even for direct sunlight. It’s also great that we get Gorilla Glass 5 for some extra protection.
So while display quality is good, audio quality… not so much. While the down-firing speaker can get fairly loud, lows are not present at all, and we get an overall tinny quality. Honestly, I’m kinda sick of down-firing speakers. I hope front-facing speakers become mainstream in mid-range phones soon.
Camera
Looking over to the cameras, we get a dual setup at the back – a 16MP main sensor with dual pixel PDAF, and a 5MP secondary depth sensor. Up front, it’s a 25MP selfie camera. Now with the standard Realme 3, we were already impressed with camera quality. But with the Realme 3 Pro, it’s stepped up by a notch. The improvement isn’t drastic, but it’s there.
Again, the Snapdragon 710 allows for better post-processing and even AI scene detection, and in daylight shots with even exposure, you can really see it. There’s a pleasing degree of sharpness and colors look nice and natural. You can even get really close to your subject since there’s a built-in automatic macro function — and portrait mode is great at separating the subject from the background.
Low light though, is where this phone really shines. Even without Nightscape mode turned on, we actually get some clean images. With Nightscape turned on, shots get brighter and slightly cleaner. It even allows the camera to see in the dark to a certain extent.
The front camera as well can get you some pretty nice shots, as long as you have adequate lighting. The AI Beauty effect isn’t so aggressive at default settings, and if you want to, you can customize the adjustments it makes. Portrait selfies also look pretty nice, with effective subject-background separation.
We can shoot videos up to 4K at 30fps, thanks to the better processor. Quality is decent, but at 4K, there’s no stabilization. You need to bump down to 1080p for a shot that isn’t shaky as all hell.
Overall, the Realme 3 Pro’s cameras do not disappoint. Just like last time around, we’re impressed again with the low-light performance, not just thanks to the Nightscape mode, simply because the images are that clean. Aside from the performance, the cameras are a big point to consider buying this phone.
OS, UI, and Apps
For software, we get Color OS 6 on top of Android 9 Pie. I’ll be honest, Color OS has grown on me. As the name suggests, it’s a colorful and clean UI with a few extra features like the quick settings menu that you get on the side, and GameSpace, which frees up your RAM and blocks notifications while you’re gaming.
For the apps, we have the usual Google apps. From Realme, there’s a recorder, compass, clone phone, one-tap lock screen, FM radio, phone manager, ORoaming, and GameSpace. Third-party apps include Durian Man, Facebook, Lazada, Opera, and Webnovel. These can be uninstalled if you don’t need any of it.
Storage-wise, the unit we have for review has a 128GB capacity with 106.14GB as usable space which is still sizeable. Expandability is not an issue as it has a dedicated microSD card slot.
Performance and Benchmarks
What makes the Realme 3 Pro really exciting is its internal hardware. We get a Snapdragon 710 chipset with an Adreno 616 GPU, 4GB or 6GB of RAM, and 64GB or 128GB of internal storage.
Our review unit has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage and can I tell you the performance is super smooth for anything you throw at it. The face unlock and the fingerprint scanner is fast, the 6GB of RAM can handle any multitasking, and heavy graphics games are no issue. You get great frame-rates. If you want a more in-depth look into this phone’s gaming capability, watch our episode of Can it Game right below.
And in our benchmarks, we get some pretty good results for a phone at this price point:
• AnTuTu – 154,400
• 3D Mark Slingshot Extreme – 1,810 (OpenGL), 1,735 (Vulkan)
• PC Mark – 6,618 (Work 2.0)
• Geekbench 4 – 1,475 (Single-Core), 5,816 (Multi-Core), 6,685 (RenderScript)
• AndroBench – 284.86 MB/s (Read), 190.2 MB/s (Write)
Connectivity and Battery
Connectivity is not a problem as it has full dual-SIM support with 4G LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS. Calls are loud and clear while mobile data connects quickly. Data speeds vary though depending on your network and location. GPS works well as it can quickly locate our position using apps like Google Maps and Waze.
We get a 4,045mAh battery, which is quite a bit smaller than the Realme 3’s 4,230mAh. But there IS a tradeoff. The Realme 3 gets VOOC 3.0 fast charging, which I must say, is pretty fast. From 10% to 100%, it only took me a little over an hour, and this was while the phone was in use.
But for battery life, it lasts about a day on regular use. In our video loop test, it lasted 12 hours and 44 minutes, which is just average, especially for a 4,045mAh cell. Then again, you get VOOC charging, which is a big deal!
Conclusion
I’m pretty impressed with what Realme has been doing. They’ve managed to provide products that other brands would have priced more expensively, at lower prices. From last year’s Realme C1 to the Realme 3 and Realme 3 Pro, they’re all great deals.
And for this one specifically. You get amazing raw performance, solid design, a decent big display, a headphone jack, and cameras that don’t just perform well in the daytime, low light performance is good too. You do get some caveats like poor speaker quality and the fact that it uses a micro USB port, I think for a starting price of PHP12,990, this can be forgiven.
So yeah, for PHP12,990, you get 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, and for PHP14,990, you get 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, like the unit we have here.
And at this price point, the Realme 3 Pro is definitely a, if not THE leading option.
Realme 3 Pro specs:
6.3-inch FHD+ (2340 x 1080) 19.5:9 IPS display, 409ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 10nm 2.2GHz AIE octa-core
Adreno 616 GPU
4GB RAM + 64GB storage
6GB RAM + 128GB storage
microSD up to 256GB (dedicated slot)
16MP F1.7 Sony IMX 519 + 5MP f/2.4 dual rear cameras
25MP F2.0 front camera
Dual-SIM
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS,
FM Radio
microUSB 2.0
Fingerprint scanner (rear-mounted)
Face Unlock
ColorOS 6.0 (Android 9 Pie)
4,045mAh battery w/ 20W VOOC 3.0 flash charge
156.8 x 74.2 x 8.3 mm
172 g
Lightning Purple, Nitro Blue, Carbon Grey
What we liked:
* Good build quality
* Nice design and colors
* Sharp display
* Good performance
* Good cameras w/ 4K video recording
* Large battery w/ VOOC 3.0
* Competitive price
What we didn’t:
* Poor speaker quality
* Micro USB port
Just in time for Cherry Mobile’s 10th anniversary, the homegrown brand has taken the wraps off their latest device, the Flare X3. It comes as a successor to the Flare X2, released a couple of years ago. Here’s our hands-on with the device.
The Flare X3 comes with a 6.18-inch FHD+ TrueView display, with a bar notch at the top. Slim bezels surround the sides of the screen, and while the chin may look thicker than the rest, it isn’t much of a distraction. The bar notch houses dual cameras, composed of 20MP + 2MP shooters.
Turning it over the rear, we’re greeted by a gradient colorway that Cherry Mobile calls “Twilight Violet”. The smartphone feels pretty premium in the hands, with its glass back construction and metal frame. Due to the glass back, it’s also smooth but a little slippery to hold. Another familiar aspect when it comes to glass-body smartphones is that they’re fingerprint and smudge magnets, and the Flare X3 isn’t an exception to that. Fit the device with a case if you’re not up to wiping the Flare X3’s rear from time to time.
At the top left of the rear, we get a triple camera setup, comprised of 12MP + 5MP + 2MP shooters. Two of the cameras are stacked together, while the third one is separate from the two. Situated a space below the cameras is the LED flash.
On the right side, we get the volume rocker, power button, and the fingerprint scanner. We adore the placement of the side fingerprint scanner; the right thumb sits nicely on it whenever we hold the smartphone. The circular power button and the volume rocker are both clicky, tactile, and easy to reach.
On the left sits the hybrid dual SIM tray and the micro SD card slot.
Up top, it’s pretty bare apart from the 3.5mm headphone jack.
At the bottom, we have the downward-firing speaker and a USB-C port.
A MediaTek Helio P60 powers the Flare X3, paired up with 6GB of RAM. We ran the Flare X3 through a few of our standard benchmarks, and here are the results:
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to run 3D Mark nor play games on the device. When it comes to loading apps and browsing through the phone, it’s all smooth sailing. We’ll let you know about its more about its performance and its gaming capabilities once we do our full review of the device.
We were also able to take a few sample shots with the Flare X3’s cameras. The pictures produced look pretty good, so far. Sharpness and details are present, and color reproduction appears to be accurate as well.
For the front-facing cameras, the Flare X3 produced decent enough selfies to post on social media, especially under natural lighting. There’s a dedicated beauty mode in the Flare X3 as well; maximizing the beauty settings did smoothen out our features although, it might’ve been a little too much as it resulted in the skin looking flat and too processed.
The Cherry Mobile Flare X3 has Android 9 Pie as its operating system and comes with 64GB of storage, expandable up to 256GB via micro SD, and a 4,000mAh battery capacity.
For our initial impressions, the Flare X3 seems to be a decent successor to the Flare X2, despite arriving a couple of years after. It’s improved the Flare lineup overall, with its up-to-date design, sizeable screen, bigger RAM, larger internal storage, and five AI cameras (three on the rear, two up front), and not to mention that sweet USB-C port. We’ll be taking the Flare X3 for a full review in the coming days, so stay tuned for that.
Cherry Mobile Flare X3
6.18″ FHD+ TrueView 19:9 display
MediaTek Helio P60
Android 9 Pie
6GB RAM
64GB storage
Expandable up to 256GB via micro SD
12MP + 5MP + 2MP triple rear cameras
20MP + 2MP dual front cameras
Side Fingerprint scanner
4,000mAh battery capacity
Twilight Purple
Local pricing and availability of the Cherry Mobile Flare X3 will be unveiled by Friday, June 28.
Productivity has always been the name of the game for the Samsung Galaxy Note series. From the beefy internals to the great cameras, to the large screen and equally large battery, and of course, the S-Pen.
The Galaxy S-series is meant to be what defines the Samsung Galaxy flagship experience and is usually precisely what most users are looking for. But for those who want that much more, the Note has historically been the answer. That hasn’t changed at all with this year’s release — at least for the Galaxy Note 10+.
Left: Note 10+, Right: Note 10
To me, the standard Note 10, while it will be enough for bringing in new Note users, it just feels like an S10 with an S-Pen. The Note 10+ however, is what long-time Note fans have been waiting for since the last iteration. After spending almost a month with this hunk of a smartphone, boy do I have a lot to say.
Design and Construction
At 6.8-inches, it’s Samsung’s biggest phone to date. You can call it a phablet, in the most real sense of the word. Though slightly more subtle than in previous years, the screen still curves towards the edges, resulting in slim bezels on the sides. But even the top and bottom bezels remain very thin — with the top one, in particular, being able to achieve this thanks to the updated Infinity-O design, commonly known as the punch-hole.
On the subject of the punch-hole, two things are strange to me. One being the center placement, and the second — for the Note 10+, why isn’t it a dual-lens setup like in the S10+? For the former point, I liked the S10 series’ corner placement of the punch-hole because you can ignore it more easily. However, for this center-positioned one, you can still remedy this by using a clever wallpaper, and over time you get used to it anyway. I will discuss the latter point in the camera section of this review.
Moving things over to the back, the tough Corning Gorilla Glass 6 panel curves towards the edges, making it look and feel very fluid. I’m not a big fan of the Aura Glow colorway though, as the literal mirror-finish lends itself to even the smallest form of dirt, smudge, or fingerprint.
The quad rear camera setup on the top left corner of the back is a departure from Samsung’s typical design language of putting the rear camera/s at the upper center. It makes the Note 10 series look similar to almost all other phones on the market, so that’s one signature design point Samsung has decided to give up.
The one that’s been bugging everybody since launch is, of course, the absence of the beloved headphone jack. While the Note 10+ does come with some pretty good AKG USB-C earphones, we believe this is the industry sign wired audio lovers have been dreading. If Samsung says the headphone jack is canceled (in the mainstream), then it might as well be.
At the bottom though, instead of a headphone jack, we get the USB Type-C port, downward-firing speaker, noise-canceling microphone, and the slot for the S-Pen. Physically, this year’s stylus remains the same as last year’s. Though internally, it now has motion sensors that enable a lot of things software-wise.
Heading to the opposite side, the top, we have the hybrid card tray that can accommodate either two nano-sized SIM cards or one of those plus a microSD card up to 1TB. This small feature is another reason the Note 10+ makes a stronger case for Note-dom compared to the standard one.
Beside the tray is another noise-canceling microphone, and a small cavity that leads to the speakerphone. I appreciate this subtle design choice because it makes all the difference for audio. Since the top bezel is slim, the speakerphone/earpiece has to be just as thin. It is fine for regular calls, but remember that Samsung flagships have stereo audio. The hole on top allows another pathway for the sound to escape from, making the audio sound louder and clearer.
Due to the flatness of the top and bottom, the device takes on a boxy look which reminds us of older Sony Xperia smartphones. The corners are rounded out just enough such that the phone feels great in hand or your pocket — that is if you have a big enough pocket for this guy!
Rounding off the design, on the left side are the volume rocker and power button. Left-handed users will enjoy the placement the most, but I think most of us can agree that the removal of the Bixby button was a welcome change. I also like having the power and volume on one side. But this boils down to a matter of personal preference.
The Note 10+, aside from being the biggest, is also one of Samsung’s prettiest-looking phones to date. The industrial design lends itself a lot to the productivity-focused nature of the line-up, and it has some clever functionality tucked away. I’m also quite impressed that it’s just as thin as the S10+ at just 7.9mm.
Display and Multimedia
The Note 10+ sports a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display with a maximum resolution of 3040 x 1440, which equates to 498ppi. Out of the box, the resolution is set to 2280 x 1080, but you also have the option of going down to 1520 x 720 if you want to maximize battery life.
Even at FHD+, the screen looks fantastic, thanks to the deep blacks, vibrant colors, and a wide range of brightness. With all these factors at play, you don’t notice that the image isn’t as sharp as WQHD+, but bumping up the resolution makes it all the more pleasant to the eyes.
Just like the S10 series, it has other features that can enhance the experience such as HDR10+, advanced blue light filtering, customizable color temperature, and touch sensitivity control, to name a few.
You need not worry about the punch-hole when viewing wide content either. The 19:9 aspect ratio is usually more than enough to handle anamorphic (2.35:1) format titles on Netflix and other platforms, while still hiding the punch-hole in a little black bar.
As for the audio experience, it does not disappoint. I still prefer front-facing speakers like some device, but this year’s Samsung flagships have convinced me that the downward-firing and earpiece combo can be just as good. The Note 10+’s pair makes for an excellent listening duo to provide an immersive experience. They get loud, such that when you’re in a quiet room, the maximum volume is almost unnecessary. Highs and mids are crystal clear, with a hint of bass from the bottom speaker, and there is decent separation. Turning on the Dolby Atmos mode puts all these aspects into overdrive.
The Note 10+ is the ultimate multimedia device; the best one there is right now. I don’t expect that to change until next year.
Quickly on the included AKG Type-C earphones — they’re one of the best-sounding included earphones I’ve tried. Most of the cable is braided, there are in-line controls, and a variety of different-sized tips are included. Sound quality is also decent but inferior to the Galaxy Buds. The mids are clear, but bass and highs are a little bit lacking. The highs get a little bit more accentuated when you activate Dolby Atmos mode, though.
Camera
The Note 10+ provides a wide array of photography options. The rear module consists of a 12MP main wide-angle, a 12MP telephoto, a 16MP ultrawide, and a TOF 3D camera. The primary rear camera has the variable aperture that’s been around since the Galaxy S9. All of them except the TOF camera are equipped with image stabilization, although only the main and telephoto have Dual Pixel PDAF.
For selfies, it has a single 10MP shooter with Dual Pixel PDAF. As with the S10+, I do think it would have been entirely appropriate if the Note 10+ had a secondary front camera. It would have been perfect if it had a wide-angle lens for group selfies, but a depth-sensing camera would have also made for a more feature-packed phone.
Shots from both the front and rear cameras come out great, especially in bright outdoor settings. It’s a joy to shoot with a selection of focal lengths, shots from all the lenses come out looking sharp with a high dynamic range, and colors pop. It seems to me that over the years, Samsung’s post-processing has gotten more aggressive in how it boosts colors, though it does this effectively, especially for skin tones.
Live Focus mode still works as good as ever, providing good subject-background separation, and I always enjoy being able to adjust the blur after the fact. In sub-optimal lighting conditions though, the Note 10+, or any Samsung flagship for that matter, would not be my weapon of choice. Details end up appearing muddy, previously vibrant colors get washed out, and shadows are peppered with noise.
The dedicated Night Mode, however, works great for shots around the city and such, with a right balance of bright and dark spots. The noise gets cleaned up a little bit, highlights don’t get blown out as much, and the shot looks more dynamic.
For video, the Note 10+ can shoot up to UHD 4K (3480 x 2160) for both the front and rear cameras. Since the display has HDR10+ support and there isn’t a lot of content available yet, it’s good that you can at least shoot video in HDR10+.
Just like with the photos, video quality is excellent as long as you’re shooting in well-lit conditions. At 4K, shots come out looking very sharp with beautiful colors, and stabilization is on point. The camera app now also has a built-in video editor where you can do basic things like splice together clips, add text, and add music.
The S-Pen receives new functionality as mentioned earlier. It now has Air Actions that lets you control the camera app through gestures. You can flick up to switch between the front and rear cameras or make a circular motion to zoom in and out.
Aside from the usual set of features like Pro Mode, Panorama, Portrait (Live Focus), Slow Motion, etc., there is a slew of brand new features. Most of the new things we get in terms of the camera in the software.
There’s AR Doodle, which allows you to draw on top of videos, which will then track the motion and match the position in 3D space. It works on faces, but I think the Everywhere mode is even cooler because, with the right conditions, the motion tracking is superb.
For the TOF camera, there’s the 3D Scanner that gives you a full 360-degree 3D model of the object of your choice. The software isn’t perfect yet and takes a combination of practice, the right subject, and good lighting conditions, but it does work. If your 3D model is anthropomorphic enough, like a stuffed animal, for example, the phone can even rig the joints and match the movement to that of a real person.
For videos, there are two significant new features. The first being Super Steady Mode, which utilizes the ultra-wide camera to be able to crop and artificially make the optically-stabilized image even more steady. The experience is comparable to using a motorized gimbal, but I recommend only using this with right shooting conditions. The second new video feature is Live Focus Video. It’s Portrait Mode for video with different modes, which granted, has been done before by Huawei, but is an excellent feature for creative expression.
Great camera hardware and software make an excellent combination in any phone, and the Note 10+ has that. Aside from being the ultimate media consumption device, it also makes the right candidate for the ultimate media creation device.
OS, UI, and Apps
Running the software show is OneUI 1.5 on top of Android 9 Pie. It’s Samsung’s best interface to date with a clean and user-friendly experience. It has features such as Focus Blocks that cleanly presents information, segregated viewing and interaction areas, and our favorite, native Dark/Night Mode. You can navigate via the traditional back-home-recent buttons, but you may opt for gestures instead.
The physical Bixby button may be dead, but software Bixby is alive and well as the default virtual assistant of choice. Other smart features include Device Care for optimizing your device, Game Launcher for a more controlled gaming experience, Samsung Health for fitness tracking, among others.
DeX is also back stronger than ever. Previously, you had to connect your phone to a display and pair a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. The new DeX allows you to plug your Note 10/Note 10+ into a Windows or Mac computer, which then brings up a window with the DeX virtual desktop, complete with all your apps. It allows you to control your phone with your computer, but also seamlessly drag and drop files between the two.
Samsung’s new partnership with Microsoft also brings the Your Phone app, which lets you send messages from your PC, and wirelessly transfer images between the two. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that those two things sound almost precisely like iMessage and AirDrop.
Almost all of the S-Pen’s new features have to do with the camera. Though the SDK is available to developers, so the motion sensors can be expected to gain more functionality as time goes on. However, on the side of note-taking, we still have the staples like Screen Write, Smart Select, Live Message, Translate, and writing on the Always On Display. What’s new, is you can now have your handwritten notes converted to text and exported directly to Microsoft Word. Convert-to-text is hardly new, but exporting directly to Word is a feature that honestly, should have been here since the beginning. It’s my favorite new S-Pen feature.
Aside from the proprietary apps, pre-installed apps include the standard Google Suite and a few from Microsoft. We don’t mind this, as these are for productivity anyway.
The 256GB variant we have leaves us with 229.12GB of usable storage, which should be plenty enough for all your apps, media, and files. But if it isn’t don’t forget that there’s a microSD slot, and there’s a 1TB storage variant if you’re that space-hungry.
I want to take a moment to highlight another thing before we move on — the Samsung Global Goals app. It’s a new app that allows you to help 17 goals/initiatives set by world leaders, for a better world by the year 2030. You can either donate directly to the goal of your choice or allow the app to show you ads. The ad revenue can then be donated directly to a goal. If you end up buying a Note 10/Note 10+ after reading this review, we highly encourage you to check out this app. Even if you don’t, the app is also available for download for other Android devices, as well as iOS.
Performance and Benchmarks
Since we get the EMEA variant, the Note 10+ is powered by the new Samsung Exynos 9825, a refresh of the Exynos 9820 present in the S10 series. It was designed to address a few problems found in the Exynos 9820, namely power efficiency and thermals. The SoC is now manufactured using the 7nm EUV process, moving on from the 8nm FinFET process.
It uses two 4th-gen custom cores, two Cortex-A75 cores, four Cortex-A55 cores, plus a Mali G76 MP12 GPU and a dedicated NPU though the clock speed of the Cortex-A75 cores has been bumped up from 2.31GHz to 2.4GHz.
The performance increase in the raw benchmark scores does show a little bit of improvement. However, it’s not that much. But that’s not to say it’s a bad thing — there’s still no doubt that the Exynos 9825 is now Samsung’s most powerful chip to date.
• AnTuTu – 348,080
• 3D Mark SSE – 4,846 (OpenGL ES 3.1), 4,642 (Vulkan)
• PC Mark – 7,881 (Work 2.0)
• Geekbench – 4,371 (Single-Core), 9,999 (Multi-Core), 11,991 (RenderScript)
• AndroBench – 1,476.34 MB/s (Seq. Read), 586.85 MB/s (Seq. Write)
The Note 10+ is truly a workhorse of a device, breezing through any task you throw at it. It’s smooth, fast, and highly responsive. With the hefty 12GB of RAM, multitasking is seamless, and at the highest settings, any game is buttery smooth.
Even the internal storage is faster now, looking at the rear and write speeds of the Note 10+ compared to the S10+. The improved chipset, large RAM capacity, and fast storage truly make it the fastest Samsung flagship.
Connectivity and Battery Life
While the Note 10+ does lack a headphone jack, it still features the other connectivity options you expect a flagship phone to have. It’s got dual nano-SIM support, microSD support up to 1TB, Wi-Fi 6, LTE Cat.20, dual-frequency GNSS, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, and USB 3.1 Type-C.
For biometric security, the ultrasonic under-display fingerprint scanner and facial recognition make a comeback, and both options are as fast, accurate, and secure as they were on the S10 series.
For the battery, the Note 10+ has a 4,300mAh capacity, which is appropriate for a phone of this size and capability. I’ve mostly been using the phone with the FHD+ resolution option, only bumping up to WQHD+ when watching Netflix. Even then, I can usually get a good day and a half without looking for a charge.
In our standard video loop test (1080p MP4 video played on a loop, 50% brightness & volume, airplane mode turned on, headphones plugged in), we got 19 hours and 53 minutes of playback.
For charging, the Note 10+ supports Fast Charging up to 45W, Qi fast wireless charging 15W, and reverse wireless charging from the S10 family makes a comeback. There’s a 25W charger in the box and getting to a full 100% from an empty battery only takes about an hour. That’s very fast considering the huge 4,300mAh capacity.
Conclusion
With its starting price tag of PHP60,990, it can get easy to dismiss this phone as way too overpriced. But, think about it this way — The S10+ starts at PHP55,990. For just PHP5,000, you may be losing an additional front camera and a headphone jack. But almost everything else gets a boost, like the bigger screen, better chipset, more RAM, more storage, better cameras, a bigger battery, and an S-Pen that’s there if you need it.
It would be unfair to the Note 10+ though if we base it on how it compares to the S10+. On its own, it does a better job of carrying the “Galaxy Note” name and lineage than its little brother. The Note 10+ is the real Note 10 — and the Note 10 is more like the Note 10 Lite.
Until further notice, this is the ultimate device for productivity, multimedia consumption, content creation, and raw performance — and mind you, all of that is in a very sleek, sexy package.
See local pricing for the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 series below:
Samsung Galaxy Note10 8GB + 256GB – PHP 53,990
Samsung Galaxy Note10+ 12GB + 256GB – PHP 60,990
Samsung Galaxy Note10+ 12GB + 512GB – PHP 72,990
Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ specs:
6.8-inch QHD+ (3040 x 1080) Infinity Display (Dynamic AMOLED), 498ppi
HDR 10+
Corning Gorilla Glass 6
Samsung Exynos 9825 7nm 2.7GHz octa-core
Mali-G76 MP12 GPU
12GB LPDDR4X RAM
256GB, 512GB UFS 3.0 storage
12MP F 1.5-F1.8-F2.4 +16MP F2.2 wide-angle + 12MP F2.1 Telephoto + DepthVision Camera
OIS, Hyperlapse, Special Night, 4K 60fps video recording, Ultra Slow-Mo
10MP F2.2 front camera (Dual-Pixel Autofocus, 4K 30fps video recording)
Dual-SIM card slot (nano)
Expandable via microSD card slot
WiFi 6 (2.4GHz + 5GHz)
VHT80
1024QAM
4G LTE
Bluetooth 5.0, ANT+
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo
NFC
USB Type-C
IP68 dust and water-resistant
Ultrasonic fingerprint scanner
Face Unlock
S-Pen w/ IP68 water and dust resistance, 4096 pressure levels, gesture navigation, animated messaging, smart selection, translation function
AKG Stereo Speakers w/ Dolby Atmos
Samsung One UI (Android 9 Pie)
4,300mAh battery w/ 45W fast charging and 20W wireless charging
162.3 x 77.1 x 7.9 mm
196 g
What I liked:
• Beautiful design
• Premium build
• Great display
• Great cameras
• Great performance
• Better S-Pen
• Long battery lif
• Fast Wireless Charging
The Realme XT has officially launched in the Philippines. It’s a mid-range smartphone with a 6.4-inch screen, Snapdragon 712 chipset, quad-rear cameras, and a 4,000mAh battery. It has plenty of similarities to the Realme 5 Pro, but with some upgrades and higher price tag. The question now is, should you get this one or just settle with the Realme 5 Pro? Find out in our review.
Design and Construction
As mentioned earlier, the Realme XT has plenty of similarities to the Realme 5 Pro. It also has a notched screen with a 6.4-inch screen size, which is 0.1-inch larger than the 5 Pro. It is protected with Gorilla Glass 5 instead of Gorilla Glass 3 and already has a screen protector pre-installed.
It has the triple card tray on the left, along with the volume buttons. The power/lock button is on the right.
The buttons are firm, clicky, and easy to each since they’re placed at the center of the frame.
Down below is the loudspeaker, the USB Type-C port, the primary microphone, and the 3.5mm audio port. Up top is the secondary microphone.
At the back, we still have the protruding quad-camera setup. What’s missing here is the fingerprint scanner as the Realme XT now uses the in-display type. It’s responsive and accurate and works just like other phones with the same kind of scanner.
The design is also different on the XT and has an effect that resembles light flowing, instead of the diamond pattern on the 5 Pro. It also comes in two colors: Pearl White and Pearl Blue.
Quality is excellent and easy to grip, thanks to the curved sides. It has a plastic frame with a metallic finish but with a glass back, which, as expected, attracts a lot of fingerprints and smudges. Good thing it comes with a clear jelly case in the package.
Display and Multimedia
The Realme XT has a 6.4-inch screen with Full HD+ resolution or equal to 403ppi. This time, instead of an IPS screen, it now uses Super AMOLED. We like the quality better as blacks are deep, and colors are punchy. Viewing angles are also great and can handle sunlight.
One feature we noticed on the XT is the OSIE (Object & Semantic Images & Eye-tracking) Vision Effect. It’s an AI-powered feature that enhances viewing experience when viewing content from select apps like TikTok.
The speaker’s audio quality is decent. Lows are weak, but the mids and highs are crisp. It can also get really loud, which is enough for watching videos on YouTube and Netflix.
Camera
The Realme XT has a quad-camera setup similar to the Realme 5 Pro, but with a 64MP Samsung GW1 primary sensor instead of the 48MP Sony IMX 586. The rest were retained, including the 8MP ultrawide, 2MP portrait, and 2MP macro. It has AI scene recognition, HDR, portrait mode, Beautify, Ultra 64MP mode, Panorama, manual, time-lapse, slow-motion, and Nightscape.
Camera quality is good, especially in bright conditions. Images have plenty of details, good dynamic range, and accurate colors. Portrait mode looks nice as it can produce creamy backgrounds that almost looks natural. The same quality can be observed with the selfie camera.
In low-light, the images produced start to get noisy and muddy. The only way to improve quality is by using Nightscape mode. There’s no OIS here, so EIS is used to stabilize the photos. Some shakes can’t be eliminated, though, as observed in the light trails. Details also appear too soft, but the overall image is brighter. As for the ultrawide and macro cameras, they’re best used in bright conditions as images become muddy and peppered with noise in low-light.
When it comes to video recording, the Realme XT can shoot at up to 4K resolution at 30fps. There’s no option to switch to wide-angle while recording, which is a bit of a downer. There’s EIS, but shakes are still visible. Quality is good, though, as it is sharp with accurate colors. Watch the sample below:
OS, UI, and Apps
Running the software-side is ColorOS 6.0.1 (version RMX1921EX_11_A.10) based on Android 9 Pie. If you have handled an OPPO or Realme smartphone before, the experience is similar. You’ll get a simple and easy-to-navigate UI — swipe up to launch the app drawer, swipe to the left to bring up Smart Assistant, and swipe down to reveal the shortcut keys and notifications center.
Realme’s apps, like the App Market, Phone Manager, Game Center, Theme Store, ORoaming, Game Space, and Theme Store, are here. Inside Settings, you’ll see Smart Services, Digital Well-being & Parental Controls, App Cloner, and App Split-screen. Dark Mode is available but make sure you update to the RMX1921EX_11.A.11 version to get it.
When it comes to pre-installed apps, we have Lazada, Opera browser, and Webnovel, in addition to the usual Google apps. Storage-wise, we’re getting 128GB with 114GB as usable. It’s great that Realme decided to keep the dedicated microSD card slot for extra storage.
Performance and Benchmarks
The Realme XT is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 chipset, Adreno 616 GPU, and 8GB of RAM. That’s the same hardware configuration as the top-of-the-line Realme 5 Pro, meaning we can expect the same level of performance. Games like CoD: Mobile, PUGB: Mobile, and Mobile Legends are playable in high settings. Warming can be felt at the back near the cameras, but not to the point it’s uncomfortable.
We have the same connectivity features we got from the Realme 5 Pro — dual-nano SIM, 4G LTE, WiFi ac, Bluetooth 5.0, and a slew of SatNavs. Mobile data and WiFi connectivity are good, while calls are loud and clear.
There’s a slight change when it comes to battery capacity, as the Realme XT has 4,000mAh, which is 35mAh shy compared to the Realme 5 Pro. However, we’re getting better mileage as our video loop test got us 23 hours and 40 minutes playback. It also gets us a day and a half with light to moderate use. Charging is handled by the 20W VOOC 3.0 charger and takes a little over an hour to get it from 0 to 100%.
Conclusion
After spending some time with the Realme XT, we’re starting to see it as the upgraded version of the Realme 5 Pro. If you’re wondering which one to get, well, that depends on your budget. The XT is priced at PHP 16,990 (8GB + 128GB), which is PHP 3K higher than the Realme 5 Pro (8GB + 128GB). And for that price, you’re getting a nice Super AMOLED screen, Gorilla Glass 5, an in-display fingerprint scanner, a 64MP main rear camera, and a longer battery life.
If you don’t need those features, the Realme 5 Pro will suit you just fine. But if you can stretch the budget, go for the Realme XT. It’s the best Realme smartphone you can buy right now.
Realme XT specs:
6.4-inch FHD+ (2340 x 1080) Super AMOLED display, 403ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 5 (front and back)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 (10nm) 2.3GHz octa-core CPU
Adreno 616 GPU
4GB, 6GB, 8GB RAM
64GB, 128GB UFS 2.1
microSD up to 256GB (dedicated slot)
64MP Samsung GW1 F1.8 (main) + 8MP F2.2 (ultrawide) + 2MP (macro) + 2MP (depth) rear cameras, EIS
16MP Sony IMX471 F2.0 front camera, EIS
Dual-SIM
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS, A-GPS, BDS, Galileo
3.5mm audio port
Dolby Atmos
USB Type-C
Fingerprint scanner (in-display)
ColorOS 6 (Android 9 Pie) w/ HyperBoost 2.0
4,000mAh battery w/ VOOC 3.0 Flash Charge
Pearl White, Pearl Blue
What we liked:
• Good design
• Solid build
• Nice display
• Good cameras
• Long battery life
• VOOC 3.0 fast charge
What we didn’t:
• No OIS
• Nightscape performance needs improvement
Local smartphone brand Cherry Mobile strengthened its Flare lineup of smartphones with its launch of the Flare S8 series. Several devices belong to this lineup, including the smartphone we’re setting the spotlight on today – the Flare S8 Pro. A couple of months backs, we took this device for a quick hands-on; this time, we had the chance to take it in for a full review. Check it out!
Design and Construction
A member of Cherry Mobile’s Flare S8 family, the Flare S8 Pro comes with a pretty sizeable screen. Slim bezels surround the display, with a drop notch and a broad chin. The smartphone sits comfortably against the palm, thanks to its rounded corners.
On the rear, one can see the Flare S8 Pro’s glossy polycarbonate plastic construction. It’s prone to fingerprints and smudges; thankfully, Cherry Mobile included a clear case in the package. The upper left corner of the back is home to the dual-camera setup, with an LED flash placed below the module. There’s also a rounded square-shaped fingerprint scanner.
Sitting on the left is a hybrid dual SIM tray.
Located on the right are the volume and power buttons. If you have small hands, you’ll find the placement of the buttons a little higher than usual. They’re clicky and tactile, though.
Situated all alone at the top is the noise-canceling microphone.
The speaker grilles, microphone, and the USB-C port take up space at the bottom of the device. Unfortunately, the S8 Pro doesn’t have a 3.5mm audio port. Cherry Mobile did include a 3.5mm to USB-C adapter in the box.
Display and Multimedia
The Flare S8 Pro comes equipped with a sizeable 6.5-inch display, with an HD+ resolution. The panel has a pretty warm, yellowish hue to it. We surmise that Cherry Mobile tacked on a screen protector to the S8 Pro, albeit a low-cost one, hence the yellow tint. Due to that, color reproduction isn’t entirely accurate, and the colors seem to be somewhat muted as well. One good thing about the S8 Pro’s panel is that it’s usable at 70% under sunlight.
Audio-wise, the S8 Pro can get loud and fill a room at maximum. Although, lows are pretty much non-existent and the sound can get distorted at times. We recommend using earphones or a Bluetooth speaker instead.
OS, UI, and Apps
The Flare S8 Pro is running on Android 9 Pie with some tweaks on it. It’s not a full Cherry OS but has some Cherry OS features embedded in the camera software and Game Boost. The interface is pretty straightforward and simple. Icons are automatically arranged on the home screen, and swiping up from the middle of the screen will launch the drawer. Navigation can be done using either gestures or buttons, and if the user prefers buttons, Cherry Mobile included a selection of virtual key styles. There’s an option to change to a system-wide dark mode, and there’s also no selection to switch to a neutral, cool, or warm screen color temperature.
Google apps are pre-installed in the Flare S8 Pro, as well as third-party apps like Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram. Cherry Mobile also included a Game Box app that optimizes and enhances the smartphone’s capabilities for gaming. Internally, the Flare S8 Pro has 64GB of storage, with about 55GB of it usable. For users who want bigger storage, the S8 Pro can be expanded up to 512GB via microSD.
The device has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and face unlock as its security measures. Both modes take a while to kick in and unlock the device, but they still work.
Camera
When it comes to cameras, the S8 Pro has a 20MP + 5MP setup on the rear and a 20MP front camera inside the drop notch. Aside from the usual video and photo modes, there are several modes such as Beauty, FaceCute, which has AR stickers, Bokeh, and Portrait mode.
Selfie-wise, the S8 Pro produces images that are slightly washed out, and details aren’t too sharp either. A lot of times, the camera’s response rate can be rather slow, and so, the photos end up as a blurry mess due to subject movement. In portrait mode, the subject-background separation is somewhat weak, as parts of the subject end up getting blurred as well.
As for the rear cameras, color reproduction is somewhat saturated but good enough, while the sharpness of detail is pretty average. There’s also a delay between pressing the camera shutter and the app taking a photo, resulting in a blurry photo as well when the subject moves right after. Portrait-wise, similar to the selfie, the subject-background separation isn’t too good with parts of the subject end up getting blurred.
For video, the Flare S8 Pro can shoot up to 1080p. The S8 Pro doesn’t offer video stabilization, and focus lock is also somewhat tricky to pin down. We recommend using a tripod or a monopod when shooting videos.
Performance
Packed in the S8 Pro is a MediaTek Helio P22 chipset, coupled with a PowerVR GE8320 GPU and 4GB of RAM. Take a look at the benchmark scores:
The Flare S8 Pro can carry out tasks such as web and social media browsing, media viewing, and file transferring without issues. However, navigation is slightly sluggish even when there aren’t any apps running in the background. Gaming-wise, we tried out Call of Duty and Asphalt 9, and in both games, there are evident frame drops and lags. We also tried out playing using the Game Boost mode, and while there are still frame drops from time to time, the gameplay is much smoother.
Connectivity and Battery Life
Connectivity-wise, the S8 Pro offers the usual dual SIM capability, LTE readiness, WiFi, and Bluetooth. Location-based apps also aren’t a hassle to use.
Equipped in the S8 Pro is a 4,000mAh battery. Under PCMark’s battery test, the S8 Pro yielded 11 hours and 22 minutes. It took us about just under two hours to charge up to a full 100%.
Conclusion
Cherry Mobile’s Flare S8 Pro might have a few misses here and there, such as the yellowish screen tint, substandard selfie quality, and slightly sluggish navigation. Despite that, the S8 Pro makes up for it in other aspects, such as its fairly bright panel, moderate rear camera quality, and modest battery life.
For its price tag of PHP 5,999 (bundled with a HELO LX Wellness Band), the S8 Pro is a pretty decent smartphone. Additionally, there’s not a lot of smartphones out there that offer 4GB RAM and 64GB in the price range of under PHP 6K. If you’re under a tight budget and looking for a day to day smartphone, do include the S8 Pro among your choices.
Samsung recently launched its newest mid-ranger, the Galaxy A71, in the Philippines. We did a quick hands-on take of it a couple of days ago, and we spent some quality time with for a full spin. Is it a worthy enough upgrade from its predecessor, the Galaxy A70? Find out in our review.
Design and Construction
The rear of the Galaxy A71 is designed with what Samsung dubs as a “Prism” effect. There are diamond shapes on the back, layered with a subtle linear pattern. The unit we have here is in Prism Crush Silver; it’s pleasing to look at with the rainbow hue streaks that show up when it catches the light. Apart from this colorway, the A71 is also offered in Prism Crush Black and Prism Crush Blue. Despite the attractive rear, the finish is glossy plastic, and it endlessly attracts fingerprints.
Upfront, the A71 has a Super AMOLED Plus Infinity-O display that’s pretty sizable at 6.7-inches. Slim bezels surround the screen, and it employs a hole-punch module for its front camera.
For its rear cameras, the A71 has a quadruple setup, situated inside a rectangle-shaped module. It’s placed on the upper left corner of the back, and the module is slightly raised from the rear. The LED flash is also contained inside the rectangular module.
The volume rocker and the power button are located on the right side of the device. Individuals with smaller hands might find it a hassle to press one-handed.
On the left, one can find the dual SIM tray with a dedicated microSD card slot.
Placed at the top is a microphone.
Sitting at the bottom is a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB Type-C port, a noise-canceling microphone, and a single downward-firing speaker.
Overall, the A71 is thin and lightweight, despite its massive size. Also, even if it’s lightweight, the smartphone is solid and robust. The rounded corners also make it comfortable to hold.
Display and Multimedia
As mentioned, the A71 sports a massive 6.7-inches display. It’s immersive, given the thin bezels around the panel and the hole-punch front camera that isn’t quite as obstructive as notches. Thanks to its Super AMOLED Plus panel, the colors are vibrant and punchy, and blacks come out deep as well. Panel brightness is also excellent; we had it set around 40%, and we had no trouble using it under direct sunlight.
As for audio, it’s average at best. It can get loud and fill a room, but it can get distorted at times when the volume is set to maximum. Mids and highs are present, but the lows are pretty much absent.
Camera
The A71 possesses a 32MP hole-punch camera, while quad setup on the rear is composed of a 64MP primary shooter, a 12MP ultra-wide, 5MP depth, and a 5MP macro snappers. Let’s dive into them.
First up, the 32MP selfie camera. Photos produced by the front camera are quite impressive; they look natural under ample lighting, with good colors and decent details. With the beauty mode switched on, imperfections get blurred out, and the skin looks pretty smooth. However, going past beauty level 2 will result in overly-processed selfies. Portrait-wise, Samsung lets its users modify the blur strength. Subject-background separation is present, but it’s quite messy as the blurring around the edges appears harsh and glaring.
The rear cameras also take decent photos with good colors and ample details. The images produced are satisfying enough to be shared on social media. Using the ultra-wide lens, there’s a slight fish-eye effect to the photos, and the colors tend to appear a little darker than the primary camera. Similar to the portrait selfie images, the rear’s portrait mode also allows its users to control the blur strength. The subject-background separation on the rear cameras is quite better than the selfie mode as the edges don’t appear too harsh.
Video-wise, the Galaxy A71 can shoot up to 4K at 30fps. The device does note that if you prefer to shoot in 4K, the resolution won’t support video effects and video stabilization. Shooting videos in 1080p does have video stabilization, and it’s pretty good overall.
OS, UI, and Apps
Samsung One UI 2.0, based on Android 10, acts as the A71’s operating system. Users have the option of arranging the apps in a home screen style, or a home screen and apps screen (drawer) layout instead. For navigation, it can be changed from a three-button layout to a gesture-based one.
There’s also an Edge panel that users can pull up from the right side of the screen; it can contain apps for quick access, smart select tools for screenshots, and button tools such as the compass, flashlight, ruler, and the like.
Out of the box, the A71 comes pre-installed with the usual Google services, and Samsung apps such as the Galaxy Store, Samsung Global Goals, Samsung Max, Samsung 321, Game Launcher, Samsung Health, Galaxy Wearables, Bixby, and more. For third-party apps, Netflix, Spotify, and Lazada are pre-installed as well.
Storage-wise, the A71 comes with 128GB of space, expandable up to 512GB via a dedicated microSD slot. Out of the 128GB storage, 114GB of it is usable.
Performance and Benchmarks
Under the hood, the A71 is armed with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G chipset, paired with 8GB RAM. We ran the A71 through a couple of our standard benchmarks, and here are the results:
Basic tasks such as navigation, web and social media browsing, messaging, and such isn’t a problem with the A71. Multitasking wasn’t an issue as well; the A71 was able to handle pretty much any task we threw at it. Gaming-wise, we tested out Call of Duty, and we didn’t experience any noticeable lags or frame drops.
For biometrics, the A71 has an on-screen fingerprint scanner and face unlock. Face unlock works pretty well; on the other hand, there are a few hiccups with the fingerprint scanner. It takes a second for the device to open, and there are times when the sensor doesn’t recognize the fingerprint, resulting in needing to press down a little hard on the screen for it to unlock.
Connectivity and Battery Life
Usual connectivity features such as 4G LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS can be found on the A71. Using location-based apps weren’t a hassle as well as we were able to pin down locations pretty accurately on the map. The A71 also has NFC support.
Equipped inside the A71 is a 4,500mAh battery. We couldn’t run it through the usual PCMark battery test as the app kept crashing on us. Instead, we subjected it through our video loop test — 1080p video, 50% brightness, 50% audio, airplane mode, with earphones plugged in — and the A71 scored us a total of 21 hours and 22 minutes. The device has a USB Type-C port and also has 25W charging support. It took us an hour for the A71 to charge up to a full 100%.
Conclusion
So, do we think that the Galaxy A71 is a decent upgrade from its predecessor, the A70? Yes, absolutely. It retains the same screen size as the A70 but has leveled up in several aspects, such as its chipset, RAM, and overall look.
The panel is bright and offers vivid colors, performance is pretty smooth, the battery life is impressive, and it produces decent photos with both the rear and front cameras. With its price tag of PHP 22,990, you might want to consider this competent mid-range smartphone in your options.
Samsung Galaxy A71 specs:
6.7-inch Full HD+ (2400 x 1080) Super AMOLED Plus Infinity-O display
Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G 2.2GHz octa-core CPU
8GB RAM
128GB storage
microSD up to 512GB (dedicated slot)
64MP F1.8 (main) + 12MP F2.2 (ultrawide) + 5MP F2.2 (depth) + 5MP F2.4 (macro), quad-rear cameras
32MP F2.2 front camera
4G LTE
Dual-SIM
WiFi
Bluetooth
GPS, A-GPS
Fingerprint scanner (on-screen)
Face Recognition
4,500mAh battery w/ 25W Super-Fast Charging
163.6 x 76.0 x 7.7 mm
179 g
Prism Crush Black, Silver, Blue
What we liked:
Visually pleasing design
Immersive and large Super AMOLED Plus display
Good selfie camera
Long battery life
Decent performance
What we didn’t:
On-display fingerprint scanner sometimes doesn’t respond well
Average audio quality
Edge blurring in portrait mode photos for both selfie and rear cameras
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Enhanced Community Quarantine, going out to get groceries has become a dangerous and inconvenient task. To help ease the process, we’ve listed several online grocery delivery platforms that are still operational. We also included other platforms that offer select products such as meat and produce.
Unfortunately, due to the number of incoming orders that these platforms are handling, your order might not push through. Some have even implemented a block schedule for deliveries so customers can know when their deliveries will arrive. If you need groceries ASAP, we advise you to try out another grocery delivery platform on the list instead.
MetroMart
Metro Mart is an on-demand delivery service for groceries, bakeries, electronics, and even pet care. They have tie-ups with several supermarkets and drugstores, including Robinsons, S&R, Rustan’s, Shopwise, and more. Metro Mart uses a scheduled delivery system, so users know when their groceries will arrive. For payment, you have the option of cash on delivery, or through credit/debit cards. Do note that Metro Mart has a PHP 1,000 minimum purchase order.
You can place your orders through their Android and iOS app.
LazMart
While the rest of Lazada’s logistics are suspended due to the community quarantine, the Laz Mart is still operational. Laz Mart is Lazada’s supermarket. You can order the same way as you would with any Lazada purchase. For payment, users have the option of paying through their Lazada Wallet, Credit/Debit Card, Cash On Delivery, BDO Installment, and GCash.
You can place your orders on their website as well as their Android and iOS app.
WalterMart
Walter Mart is a supermarket chain that offers online deliveries straight to your door. Walter Mart selects the nearest branch and allows you to browse from the available products there. Additionally, users may also pick up their groceries at the selected Walter Mart branch. Do note that Walter Mart has a PHP 2,000 minimum order requirement. Users have the option to pay via Cash on Delivery, Swipe on Delivery, select Credit and Debit Cards, GCash, and Grab Pay.
You can order either through their website or official app for Android and iOS.
Landers
Landers is a membership-based supermarket with loads of unique items you won’t usually see in other local groceries. Last year, they started to offer a new online delivery service exclusively for Landers members through their website. Like WalterMart, Landers is also using a scheduled delivery system to ensure the customers will receive deliveries. Landers is also offering free delivery for orders above PHP 6,000. Customers have the option to pay via cash on delivery, Paymaya, Paynamics, and credit card.
You can become a member, check out their products, and order at their official website.
Session Groceries
Session groceries is a farm to table experience, where customers can buy fresh produce directly from different farms. As of the moment, they can deliver to NCR, areas of Laguna, Rizal, and Cavite. The minimum order is PHP 300, and users can pay via Cash on Delivery, Bank Transfer, and GCash.
While they primarily take orders through their Android and iOS apps, the overwhelming number of orders they have been receiving due to the community quarantine may delay your orders. Instead, they are encouraging their customers to call their staff or message their official Facebook page.
Fresh Produce PH
Fresh Produce PH is another farm-to-doorstep platform that promises to deliver fresh produce within 24 hours. They use refrigerated vans to ensure that the produce stays fresh and allows users to replace or reject goods that aren’t to their satisfaction. Users have the option to pay via Cash on Delivery, Online banking / OTC, credit card, or non-bank payment solutions like LBC, Bayad Center, and more.
Homegrown Organics is another direct-from-the-farm store that deliveries fresh produce to its customers. Replacements will be given to products with damage and spoilage. They have a 1-2 day delivery, no minimum order, and free delivery for orders above PHP 450. For payment, Homegrown Organics accepts Cash on Delivery and bank transfers. Customers will receive a call or SMS confirming the delivery time.
Sunbright Foods is a Facebook store that delivers fresh produce to its customers. You can find an updated product and price list on their pinned post. All orders are done through their Facebook page, and they accept orders from Monday to Thursday. They fulfill deliveries within the next two days upon ordering. Unfortunately, they do not offer Cash On Delivery; instead, you can pay via bank transfer or GCash. For more information on how to order, check out their how to order post.
Les Aunor’s
Les Aunor’s is a butcher shop located in Farmer’s Market, Cubao, that accepts delivery for meat products. Like Sunbright Foods, their available products, operating hours, and contact information are all on their Facebook page. As for payment options, they accept transfers from BPI, Security Bank, and PSBank during the quarantine, but have accepted Cash On Delivery in the past as well.
Pacific Bay
Pacific Bay, the same one you find in your local supermarkets, also offer deliveries within Metro Manila. They offer seafood, pork, beef, and poultry. For payment, Pacific Bay accepts Cash on Delivery, GCash, major credit cards, and Paypal.
You can check out the available items, the prices, and place your orders through Pacific Bay’s official website.
Boozy.ph
If you’re looking to turn up on the weekends at home, you can get alcoholic beverages delivered to your doorstep with Boozy. Owned and operated by BoozyLife Inc., Boozy delivers alcoholic drinks, sodas, syrups, snacks, and mixers. Unfortunately, due to the community quarantine, they are only operating in Makati, Taguig, Mandaluyong, Manila, Pasay, and Pateros.
They have a minimum order of PHP 500, and users can pay via PayMaya, credit cards (via PayMaya), and Cash on Delivery. You can place your order through their official website, Android, and iOS.
Due to the high number of incoming orders due to the community quarantine, expect that delivery times will be delayed. It might be worth it to try out different shops for different products so that you can get the goods you need when you need it. Stay safe, and stay home!
The Huawei P40 Pro 5G and the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G are the two most popular options in the market if you’re looking for a flagship device with 5G connectivity. Both feature beautiful displays, attractive designs, great cameras, and powerful performance. The question now is, which device should you get?
Here are the categories for this smartphone comparison:
Design and Build
Display
Camera
Processor
RAM
Storage
Battery Life
OS
Price
Design and Build
As flagship devices, the two devices will impress. Both have metal frames, so they’re sturdy and feel cold in the hands, and clad in glass in the front and back. Samsung, however, mentioned Gorilla Glass 6 on the Galaxy S20 Ultra, while Huawei did not specify the kind of glass protection. Both devices also provide good IP68 water and dust resistance, so you don’t have to worry about dropping it in the water, or dust getting inside.
When it comes to size, the P40 Pro is more compact. It is shorter by 3.4mm, narrower by 8.7mm, and lighter by 13g. However, the Galaxy S20 Ultra is 0.2mm thinner, although that is almost negligible. What this translates to is that the Huawei flagship is easier to hold and will be liked by users who prefer devices with big displays in a compact body.
Looking at other features, the P40 Pro has an IR Blaster, which is handy in controlling some appliances. The S20 Ultra, on the other hand, has dual-speakers for a more immersive listening experience. Both don’t have 3.5mm audio jacks but have in-display fingerprint scanners.
In this aspect, both devices will receive points. The two have great designs and builds and their advantages. But if you want a device that is more compact and has an IR blaster, then it’s the P40 Pro. But if you want something larger, with Gorilla Glass 6 and dual loudspeakers, it’s the Galaxy S20 Ultra.
Display
Need a smartphone with a large display? The Huawei P40 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra can certainly deliver in that aspect but offer different viewing experiences.
For the P40 Pro, it has a 6.58-inch Flex OLED display with an FHD+ 2640 x 1200 resolution or equal to 441ppi, and a 90Hz refresh rate. The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, on the other hand, has a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED with a WQHD+ 3200 x 1440 resolution or equal to 511ppi, and a 120Hz refresh rate at FHD+.
Given the specs, the Galaxy S20 Ultra has a larger screen, higher resolution, and smoother refresh rate, which translates to a greater viewing experience compared to the P40 Pro. Not to mention, it also has a smaller hole-punch, which is less distracting.
Camera
The P40 Pro and Galaxy S20 Ultra are some of the best camera smartphones in the market. Both have quad-rear camera setups but differ in implementation, as you can see below:
48MP F3.4, 10x Hybrid Optical, 100x Digital (telephoto)
ToF 3D camera
ToF 3D camera
Looking at the specs, the Galaxy S20 Ultra has a higher main camera and telephoto camera resolution. The P40 Pro, on the other hand, has a higher ultra-wide camera resolution. In terms of zoom capabilities, the P40 Pro starts at 5x optical up to 50x digital zoom, while the Galaxy S20 Ultra starts at 10x hybrid optical zoom, up to 100x digital zoom.
However, the higher the number of pixels and zoom range in a camera doesn’t guarantee that it’s the best. Let’s take a look at the samples below.
Huawei P40 Pro:
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra:
Looking at the samples, you can tell that the quality is different on both devices, depending on the scenario. In the skyline shot, the Galaxy S20 Ultra seems to have a better dynamic range and richer colors. For the night shot of the buildings and Spider-Man, the P40 Pro delivered greater quality as the scenes are more illuminated with lesser noise.
For the shots of the succulents in macro and close-up, the Galaxy S20 Ultra seems sharper at first glance, but it looks oversharpened and unnatural, unlike the ones on the P40 Pro.
For the second skyline shot with a building under construction, the shot on the P40 Pro looks clearer and cleaner, which can be observed when zooming in the photos.
As for the final shot of cooking utensils, the P40 Pro was able to handle white balance well and looks more natural than the Galaxy S20 Ultra.
When it comes to the front camera, the P40 Pro uses a 32MP AF F2.2 main camera with an IR Depth sensor for selfies with better-blurred backgrounds. The Galaxy S20 Ultra, on the other hand, uses a 40MP F2.2 camera.
Overall, the P40 Pro wins, but we’ll discuss more of the camera quality of both devices in our upcoming blind comparison, so stay tuned for that.
Processor
Powering the P40 Pro is Huawei’s HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G octa-core CPU with a Mali-G76 MP16 GPU. The Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G in the Philippines, on the other hand, uses a Samsung Exynos 990 with Mali-G77 MP11 GPU. Both devices perform great, especially when it comes to handling heavy tasks like photography and gaming. But if you want to see their difference in performance, you can check the benchmark scores below.
Huawei P40 Pro
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
AnTuTu v8
459978
497806
Geekbench 5
750 (Single core)
913 (Single-core)
2,936 (Multi-core)
2,746 (Multi-core)
PCMark
9,386 (Work 2.0)
10,380 (Work 2.0)
3D Mark SSE
5,598 (OpenGL ES 3.1)
6,555 (OpenGL ES 3.1)
5,416 (SSE Vulcan)
5,949 (Vulkan)
AndroBench
1,759 MB/s (Seq. Read)
1,527 MB/s (Seq. Read)
396 MB/s (Seq. Write)
655 MB/s (Seq. Write)
Looking at the results, the Galaxy S20 Ultra scored higher in most benchmarks but not by a mile and can be considered to be in the same range. Most users won’t notice such a difference in performance. Although, we can commend the S20 Ultra for having a faster write speed than the P40.
In this case, I’ll still give points on both.
RAM
In terms of RAM capacity, the P40 Pro in the Philippines is only offered with 8GB of RAM. The Galaxy S20 Ultra, on the other hand, is only offered in 12GB. The winner is the Galaxy S20 Ultra for having a higher capacity.
Storage
Like in the RAM, storage is also limited with the P40 Pro only offered in 256GB, which can be expanded up to 256GB using Huawei’s NM Card. The Galaxy S20 Ultra, on the other hand, is only offered in 128GB with support for up to 1TB microSD cards. The P40 Pro is the winner for having a larger capacity.
Battery Life
For the capacity, the P40 Pro has a 4,200mAh battery with 40W Fast Charging, 27W Wireless Charging, and Wireless Reverse Charge. The Galaxy S20 Ultra, on the other hand, has a 5,000mAh battery with 45W fast charging, Fast Wireless Charging 2.0, and Wireless PowerShare.
For the battery life, we can take a look at the PCMark battery benchmark results below:
Although the Galaxy S20 Ultra has a larger battery capacity, the P40 Pro provides the best battery life based on the results.
OS
The Huawei P40 Pro comes with EMUI 10.1 based on Android 10 with Huawei Mobile Services with App Gallery. No Google Mobile Services means you won’t see any Google apps pre-installed. For the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, it has One UI 2.0 based on Android 10 with Google Mobile Services with Google Play Store in addition to the Galaxy Store.
Both operating systems also have their unique features, including Samsung DeX and Samsung Knox for the Galaxy S20 Ultra, and the EMUI Desktop Mode for the P40 Pro.
While it’s easy to pick the Galaxy S20 right away due to the immediate availability of GMS, that doesn’t mean that the P40 Pro is hopeless as there’s a way to install GMS on it using this method. However, some might consider that as an inconvenience. In this case, the S20 Ultra wins.
Price
The Huawei P40 Pro 5G (8GB + 256GB) is priced at PHP 50,990, while the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (12GB + 128GB) is at PHP 69,990. That’s a PHP 19,000 difference!
Recap:
• Design and Build — P40 Pro, Galaxy S20 Ultra
• Display — Galaxy S20 Ultra
• Camera — P40 Pro
• Processor — P40 Pro, Galaxy S20 Ultra
• RAM — Galaxy S20 Ultra
• Storage — P40 Pro
• Battery Life — P40 Pro
• OS — Galaxy S20 Ultra
• Price — P40 Pro
Looking at the final scores, the P40 Pro scored 6 out of 9 categories, while the Galaxy S20 Ultra is not far behind with 5 out of 9. Although the Galaxy S20 Ultra is an impressive phone, the P40 Pro bested it in most categories, especially in the price part.
So, if you’re on a hunt for a 5G-enabled smartphone with amazing cameras and a competitive price tag, get the Huawei P40 Pro.
The Realme 6 series is officially upon us, and in the Philippines, it starts with the entry-level Realme 6i. Unlike the previous Realme 5i, which had little to set it apart from the standard Realme 5, the 6i is distinct enough from the Realme 6, giving consumers clear options. Now the question is, who is the Realme 6i for?
Design and Construction
This is a pretty sizable device coming in at 6.5-inches. It’s got some heft to it probably due to its massive battery but is still comfortable to hold thanks to the curved sides and matte finish on the back.
As mentioned in our previous hands-on, the back of the Realme 6i is the work of Japanese industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa, probably most known for his huge contributions to Muji items. The somewhat holographic vertical lines along the Green Tea colorway are nice to look at and may remind you of a Rimowa suitcase. Here at the back are the quad rear camera module, LED flash, and capacitive fingerprint scanner.
Checking out the front, we get pretty slim bezels on the sides with a thicker bottom bezel. It uses a waterdrop notch design to maximize the screen-to-body ratio. The notch houses the front-facing camera and call speaker. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a notification LED here.
On the left side, we have the volume controls and triple card tray with a dedicated microSD slot. And on the right, the lone power button. I prefer having all the buttons on one side, as this prevents accidental presses when resting the phone on its side on a table when watching videos. Nonetheless, it’s not that big of a deal — also, the buttons are quite clicky and nice to press.
Now moving to the bottom, we get the headphone jack, microphone, USB Type-C port, and loudspeaker. It’s nice to finally see that USB-C is now standard on most entry-level devices, as well as the fact that there’s a headphone jack.
Overall, the Realme 6i’s design is robust enough. It provides the basics in functionality while being aesthetically pleasing thanks to a unique design from Fukasawa-san.
Display and Multimedia
The Realme 6i has a 6.5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1600 x 720. This is quite low on paper. However, it’s not bothersome for regular daily use. It’s not winning any awards for displays, but it’s enough for text to appear crisp, colors are beautiful and vibrant, and viewing angles are wide. Overall brightness is also pretty good, being viable for outdoor use at around 90-100% brightness.
As for audio quality from the single downward-firing speaker, it’s unremarkable. At maximum volume, it’s not that loud and is lacking a lot of punch. However, mids and highs are quite clear. At best, it’s only going to be suitable for solo listening in a quiet environment or calls on the loudspeaker.
Camera
The Realme 6i comes with four rear cameras. These are a 48MP primary sensor, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor.
Quality from the primary rear camera is decent — not bad, but not inexplicably fantastic either. There is a sufficient amount of detail with the standard auto mode under good lighting — something that can be improved even further by using the 48MP mode.
With a dedicated depth sensor, portrait shots have good subject-background separation even with non-human models. The ultrawide lens has quite a large field-of-view and isn’t far off in terms of quality from the primary rear camera. The dedicated macro lens is cool to play with, as you can get right up in your subject’s surface while remaining in focus.
Checking out the 16MP front camera, by default, there’s a pretty strong beauty mode effect that I’m honestly not a fan of because it’s quite aggressive, so I’d rather keep it off. Nonetheless, selfies have the right amount of detail, and skin tones look quite natural.
If there’s one point where the 6i’s camera system is weak, it’s in low light situations. Shots are noisy and muddy, and the Night Mode does little to remedy this.
For videos, we can only shoot up to 1080p at 30FPS. Stabilization is present but is nothing gimbal-like. Quality is about the same as you’d expect from photos, with regards to detail, color, and dynamic range.
Overall, the Realme 6i has decent cameras to accompany the rest of the package, further making it an excellent bang-for-your-buck purchase.
OS, UI, and Apps
The Realme 6i runs on Realme UI based on Android 10. I’m a big fan of Realme’s implementation of Android, as it still has some design elements from ColorOS.
It does have an app drawer and comes with a lot of cool features like icon customization, system-wide Dark Mode, built-in screen recording, and a Quick Tools sidebar. The device comes pre-installed with some apps, including some proprietary and some from Google.
Out of the 128GB of our unit’s internal storage, 103.55GB is usable. The 6i has a dedicated microSD card slot in case you need extra room for your files.
Performance and Benchmarks
Powering the Realme 6i is a MediaTek Helio G80 chipset with a Mali-G52 MC2 GPU with 3GB/4GB of RAM and 64GB/128GB of storage. Our review unit has the 4GB + 64GB memory configuration.
Overall performance is great, especially for such an affordable phone. You will be able to run resource-intensive apps with ease, and the 4GB of RAM will allow a generous amount of multitasking. GPU performance is moderate, but you can play pretty much any graphics-heavy game with good framerates.
With an AnTuTu v8 score of over 200k and both 3DMark Slingshot Extreme tests coming in at over 1,000, it’s about as good as a top-tier flagship smartphone from 3-4 years ago. That might not sound very impressive, but consider that this is an entry-level phone, and 3-4 years is still fairly recent.
Battery Life
For power, the 6i comes with a 5,000mAh Li-Po battery with support for 18W fast charging. This is an excellent capacity that, with the low-resolution screen and power-efficient chipset, can provide more than a day of moderate usage. In our standard video loop test (1080p mp4 video on loop, 50% brightness, 0% volume, Airplane Mode on), the Realme 6i lasted for 21 hours and 11 minutes of playback.
Conclusion
The Realme 6i is a strong start to the lineup’s release here in the Philippines, providing a lot of features and reliable performance at an affordable price. For a starting price of PHP 7,990 for 3GB + 64GB, and PHP 9,990 for the 4GB + 128GB, it’s a tough deal to beat if you’re on a budget and looking for a very reliable phone that excels in almost everything it aims to be. It has some drawbacks like its subpar display and very average camera system. But that aside, Realme did a great job with the 6i.
Realme 6i specs:
6.5-inch HD+ (720 x 1600) IPS waterdrop notch display
MediaTek Helio G80 (12nm) 2.0GHz octa-core CPU
Mali-G52 MC2 GPU
3GB, 4GB RAM
64GB, 128GB eMMC 5.1 storage
Up to 256GB via MicroSD (dedicated slot)
Quad rear cameras:
• 48MP F1.8 main
• 8MP F2.3 ultra-wide
• 2MP F2.4 macro
• 2MP F2.4 portrait
16MP F2.0 front camera
Dual-SIM
4G LTE
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
USB Type-C
3.5mm audio jack
Fingerprint scanner (rear)
Realme UI (Android 10)
5,000mAh battery w/ 18W Fast Charge
164.4 x 75.4 x 9 mm
199 g
White Milk, Green Tea
The CDR-King has been one of the go-to places for affordable, tech-related stuff. Times have changed, and so this yellow and blue retail store. They’ve made their way to build an online presence in Lazada, making the shop more accessible to customers. Also, they’ve updated their product lineup too. We’ve found some very unusual items that caught our attention.
Author’s note: Items listed below are in no particular order. You can find all the items on CDR-King’s Lazada page.
Photographers with film cameras might be having a hard time scanning their rolls digitally, especially during this quarantine period. Still, this film scanner might be able to solve it. Users can preview negatives through its 2.4-inch display and transfer the digitally scanned images right on their laptops or desktops.
Price: PHP 3,999
Cars and even motorcycles need to be secured at all times. However, not all vehicles are equipped with GPS trackers. So the practical move is to install one on your sedans and SUVs. Apart from tracking the location, these wireless car trackers from CDR-King notifies the users through vibration when someone is driving the vehicle. This is made possible by the built-in sensors, which can transmit signals up to 500 meters.
Price: PHP 1,180
Plug and Play Consoles
These standalone, plug-and-play consoles allow users to turn their musician dreams into reality. Adapting the design of a DJ controller, the first one features turntable with buttons and sliders. It features 15 songs, all of which are playable in four modes and three difficulty levels. The guitar, however, comes with ten classic rock songs, three game modes, and a strum bar.
Price: PHP 1,999 – PHP 2,999
If you’re a mobile FPS player on Android, this one is for you. Level up your game with this fancy controller that simulates the experience of shooting your enemies by pointing the controller and pulling its trigger. You’ll need three AA battery to power the controller first and connect your smartphone via Bluetooth. Do note, though, that it doesn’t support all FPS games available in the market.
Price: PHP 1,099
If Xiaomi’s cordless vacuum cleaners are too expensive for you, here’s a more affordable and compact version. The wireless sweeper works on various surfaces and comes with an extendable pole for cleaning hard-to-reach areas. With a speed of 1100 RPM, this rechargeable sweeper can last up to 2 hours and has a dust box capacity of 0.25L.
Price: PHP 1,180
If you happen to be a cinephile who wants to experience old-school cinema in their room, this LCD projector might fit the bill. Compatible with gaming consoles and most smart TVs, this device includes built-in stereo speakers, projects games and digital content up to 90 inches, and can be tilt up to 90-degrees. It has control buttons for easy adjustment of screen size and brightness of the projector.
Price: PHP 4,499
Does your smartphone always run out of battery? Fret not. This 3,000 mAh power bank can easily power up your mobile devices through solar energy. Yes, you’ve read it right. This power bank, equipped with a solar panel, can be charged via an adaptor or sunlight up to 3.5 hours, respectively.
Price: PHP 1,180
If you’re working from home and always in front of the computer, you might want to purchase this very sleek air purifier. You can easily plug it into the USB port on your desktop and mobile device, eliminating airborne allergens and unwanted odor within your range.
Price: PHP 245
For DIY junkies, this device could help them accomplish their passion projects. Instead of the traditional rulers printed on a tape measurement, this one uses a laser to measure distances. Users may also calculate area and volume easily in just one touch of a button and see it on the screen. It has a built-in bubble meter, continuous measurement capability, and a beep signal for sensing the objects to be measured.
Price: PHP 2,880
And that wraps up our list for the coolest items you can buy online at CDR-King’s Lazada shop. Have you found anything else from our list? Share your experience in the comment section down below.
When you hear the phone Redmi Note, you already know it’s something. Redmi Note is one of Xiaomi’s most successful series and currently, there are a lot of expectations for the Redmi Note 9 Pro. It has to prove that it’s another awesome bang-for-your-buck smartphone that power users can definitely look forward to. So let’s take a quick look at it.
Just like the Redmi Note 9S and Note 9, the Pro version looks completely different from last year’s Note 8 Pro. It’s catching up with a more modern-looking design with a glass back and plastic frame.
It highlights that rectangular camera module at the back with a square bump to house its quadruple camera module. Below that is its LED flash and some Redmi branding.
The unit we have is in the Glacier White color, and there are also darker shades available—the Interstellar Grey and Tropical Green. For some reason, the Tropical Green variant doesn’t get that black bar underneath the camera module for its LED flash. You might want that.
On the right are its volume rocker and a power button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner.
Meanwhile, on the left, you’ll find its triple card slot for two nano-SIM cards and a microSD card that’s expandable up to 512GB.
Up top are a secondary microphone and an IR blaster. While at the bottom you’ll find its loudspeaker, main microphone, USB Type-C port, and a headphone jack. Thank you!
Let’s talk about the display. The Note 9 Pro gets a 6.67-inch FHD+ DotDisplay screen, with thin bezels and a small punch-hole on the upper center for its front camera. Above that, you can find a call speaker and a tiny notification indicator. As for protection, it’s covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and a pre-installed screen protector.
Now powering this device is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G paired with an Adreno 618 GPU, 6GB of RAM, 64/128GB of internal storage, MIUI 11 based on Android 10, and a whopping 5,020mAh battery with 30W fast charging.
Okay, let’s move to the cameras. At the back, the one on the top left is an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, next to the 64MP main shooter. And below them are the 5MP macro and 2MP depth sensors. As for that punch-hole is a 16MP front camera.
We tested its cameras for a quick spin and so far here’s how they look:
We get decent photo quality with good colors. However, I did notice that some photos can look saturated depending on the angles. But we’ll talk more about that in our full review.
As for price, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro is available in two options. The 6GB + 64GB is priced at PHP 12,490, while the 6GB + 128GB option is available for PHP 13,990.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro specs:
6.67-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080) DotDisplay
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G 2.3GHz octa-core CPU
Adreno 618 GPU
6GB LPDDR4x RAM
64GB, 128GB UFS 2.1
microSD up to 512GB (dedicated slot)
Quad-rear cameras:
• 64MP F1.89 4-in-1 Super-Pixel (main)
• 8MP F2.2 (ultra-wide)
• 5MP F2.4 (macro)
• 2MP F2.4 (depth)
16MP F2.48 front camera
Dual-SIM (nano)
4G+ LTE
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS, A-GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, Beidou
NFC
USB Type-C
IR Blaster
3.5mm audio jack
1216 X max0.5mm high amplitude ultra-linear speaker
Smart PA 10V
Fingerprint scanner (side-mounted)
MIUI 11 (Android 10)
Splash-proof nano-coating
5,020mAh battery w/ 30W fast charging, (33W charger included)
165.75 x 76.68 x 8.8 mm
209 g
Glacier White, Interstellar Grey, Tropical Green
Despite the limited infrastructure, smartphone manufacturers are starting to push 5G in their devices. That means we can expect the new connectivity standard trickle down to more affordable devices, like the mid-range category. This is where the Huawei Nova 7SE comes in, a sub PHP20K 5G capable smartphone. Is this your stepping stone to 5G without breaking the bank? Find out here:
Design and Construction
Compared to other Huawei midrange devices, the Nova 7SE is a premium device with a curved glass back topped with Corning Gorilla Glass 5. It has a thick metal frame that adds to its durability as well. Our unit came in a glossy Space Silver colorway, which blends to a pinkish hue towards the bottom of the device. While it does steal the attention of whoever sees it, it’s also a fingerprint magnet, so you better keep it in the included case.
The camera module is arranged vertically towards the upper left corner of the device. It is a rather tall module, which gives you even more reasons to use the included clear case.
Turning the device over reveals the large 6.5-inch IPS display, with slim bezels all around. A big bonus for us is the phone’s use of a punch-hole module for the selfie camera, located in the upper left corner of the device.
Located on the left is the dual nano-SIM tray, which supports Huawei’s NanoMemory cards up to 256GB.
Meanwhile, on the right are the volume rockers and power button, which doubles as the fingerprint scanner. The buttons are located in a comfortable spot, with the fingerprint scanner sitting exactly where my thumb naturally rests when gripping the device. The volume rocker, however, is short – which does take some time to get used to.
The speaker grille, USB Type-C Port, microphone, and 3.5mm audio jack are located underneath.
The top is bare save for the secondary microphone.
The Huawei Nova 7 SE is a very comfortable phone. It’s not as thick as other midrange Huawei devices, and the curved back helps the device feel even sleeker. It has an amazing aesthetic, with premium features such as Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection as well.
Display and Multimedia
The first thing you’ll notice when opening the device is its massive 6.5-inch LTPS IPS display. With a resolution of 2400 x 1080 and HDR 10 support, images appear sharp, with enough details and excellent viewing angles. The panel itself is of high-quality, with high color accuracy, and deep blacks for an IPS device.
There is no noticeable backlight bleeding, even around the punch-hole camera. It can also get bright enough to use under direct sunlight.
As for audio, it can outmatch most midrange devices, with its punchy bass and detailed sound. Its loudness, however, is typical for smartphones.
Camera
The Huawei Nova 7 SE comes with four rear cameras, consisting of a 64MP primary, 8MP ultra-wide, 2MP depth, and 2MP macro shooter. Meanwhile, a 16MP shooter sits in a punch-hole camera module on the top left corner of the display.
The rear photos produced by the Nova 7SE is incredibly detailed thanks to its large 64MP primary shooter. This translates well even when taking photos in unnatural light. Color reproduction was great, with a decent dynamic range as well.
Check out the rear sample photos below:
The color profile of the 8MP ultra-wide camera was similar to the primary shooter, although dark areas do lose some detail.
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Digitally zooming in by the maximum 10X also managed to produce decently detailed shots, although you do need excellent lighting.
Selfies taken with the 16MP front camera came out nice, even with less than ideal lighting. It does, however, introduce a lot of post-processing.
Check out the sample selfie shots below:
As for videos, the Huawei Nova 7 SE is capable of shooting up to 4K and at 30FPS. Check out the sample video below:
Stabilization was decent at 4K, with good exposure despite shooting under broad daylight. The camera was also able to focus well; however, turning quickly does lose clarity due to the limiting FPS.
OS, UI, and Apps
The Nova 7 SE runs on Huawei’s EMUI 10.1 out of the box, which is based on Android 10. Navigation is easy, and you get all the standard options, including choosing between gesture navigation and soft buttons.
Lacking Google’s Mobile Services, it comes pre-installed with a lot of Huawei’s own apps, such as the Optimizer, Health app, Tips, and other useful features such as Huawei Share. If you own a Huawei MateBook, this device will work well with Huawei OneHop.
While the Huawei App Gallery does not support all the apps on the Google Play Store yet, Huawei’s App Gallery has most of the apps that I use on a daily basis, and sideloading apps is an easy task. If, however, you want the best out of the box experience with minimal hassle, you may want to look elsewhere.
Performance and Benchmarks
The Huawei Nova 7 SE runs on a Kirin 820 octa-core CPU and Mali-G57 GPU. It also comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
The phone offered amazing performance, as the Kirin 820 was able to score just 20,000 points less than Huawei’s previous P30-series in AnTuTu. Check out the benchmark results below:
The phone was able to handle even the most demanding tasks such as gaming, without any frame dips and noticeable stuttering. Multitasking was also a breeze, thanks to its generous 8GB of RAM.
Connectivity and Battery Life
As mentioned, the Huawei Nova 7 SE comes with the 5G capable Kirin 820 chipset. However, do note that only the primary SIM can connect via 5G, while the secondary SIM is limited to 4G. Aside from that, other connectivity features include dual-band WiFi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 5.1, and GPS. Again, 5G connectivity is limited as of writing, but on the bright side, you won’t worry about connecting to it once it becomes widely available.
Moving over to the battery, it comes with a 4,000mAh capacity, with Huawei’s 40W SuperCharge support. In our standard video loop test, where we repeat a 1080p video with 50% brightness, 0% volume, with airplane mode on, the device managed to get 16 hours and 1 minute, which is great. Charging the device from 0 to full takes less than an hour and a half.
Conclusion
The Huawei Nova 7 SE is a well-rounded device that performs well in all aspects. It has an amazing IPS display, a solid mid-range chipset, capable cameras, respectable battery life, and of course, 5G connectivity. All of its upsides are magnified by its affordable price of just PHP 19,990.
The biggest thing that may turn people away is its lack of Google Mobile Support. While most Google applications (such as YouTube and Gmail) can be accessed via the browser, Huawei’s App Gallery doesn’t have all the apps that are available on the Google Play Store. For example, in order to use Facebook and Reddit, you’re going to need to download its APK elsewhere. You still need the help of third-party app stores. That being said, most important apps I use, such as the BPI Mobile app, GCash, and Viber, are already on the App Gallery, and the catalog is still growing.
If you’re already a fan of Huawei’s EMUI and don’t mind the extra hassle of sideloading a few apps, then the Huawei Nova 7 SE is an easy phone to recommend to people who are looking to get a 5G capable device today.
Huawei Nova 7SE 5G specs:
6.5-inch FHD+ (2400 x 1080) LTPS IPS display, HDR 10
Huawei Kirin 820 5G 2.36GHz octa-core CPU
Mali-G57 GPU
8GB RAM
128GB storage
Huawei NM card support
Quad-rear cameras:
• 64MP main
• 8MP ultra-wide
• 2MP depth
• 2MP macro
16MP front camera
Dual-SIM
5G, 4G LTE
WiFi
Bluetooth
GPS, A-GPS
USB Type-C
3.5mm audio jack
Fingerprint scanner (side-mounted)
EMUI 10.1 (Android 10)
4,000mAh battery w/ 40W SuperCharge
162.31 x 75 x 8.58 mm
189 g
Space Silver, Crush Green
The smartphone market is already saturated, especially in the budget segment. Entry-level devices have also received upgrades over the years that they’re hard to ignore. Some of them are now equipped with larger memory capacities and more cameras, just like the two devices we have right now — the Huawei Y7 and the Vivo Y11. If you’re eyeing these two devices, check our comparison review to find out which one will give you the best bang for your back.
Here are the categories for this smartphone comparison:
Design and Build
Display
Camera
Processor
RAM
Storage
Battery Life
OS
Price
Design and Build
Both devices have plastic builds but with different finish. The Huawei Y7 has a glossy back and matte paint on the side. It comes in two colors — Aurora Purple and Midnight Black, which is what we have now.
For the Vivo Y11, it has this glass-like back cover with a glossy frame. It comes in three colors — Skyline Blue, Agate Red, and Mineral Blue, which we have on hand. The Vivo Y11 has this attractive design at the back that produces a light effect depending on the angle. And when you look closely, you will notice these fine slanting lines that make it look like it has texture.
On the front, we can see large screens on both devices with a notch on the top for the selfie camera. Both have thick bezels, especially on the chin.
At the back, we have dual-rear cameras, LED flash, and fingerprint scanners.
The button placement is the same on both devices with the volume and power/lock button on the right side, and the triple card slot on the left. The usual ports are also available, including the 3.5mm headphone jack and micro USB port.
In the hands, the Vivo Y11 feels larger and heftier. It’s 0.8mm thicker and 22.5g heavier than the Huawei Y7. The edges on the front and back also feel sharp, which is a bit uncomfortable.
Huawei Y7, on the other hand, feels more seamless and more comfortable to grip thanks to its thinner and lighter body. The curved sides also make it more comfortable to hold.
In this aspect, I’m going for the Huawei Y7.
Display
As mentioned earlier, both have large displays. The Huawei Y7 has a 6.26-inch IPS screen with an HD+ (1520 x 720) resolution of 269ppi. The Vivo Y11, on the other hand, has a 6.35-inch IPS screen with HD+ (1544 x 720) resolution or 268ppi.
Huawei Y7 (left), Vivo Y11 (right)
Although smartphones right now have higher screen resolutions, the HD+ resolution is till fine for these devices for casual use. The display quality from both devices is good as they have good colors and vibrant screens. However, we noticed that the Huawei Y7 produces cooler colors, while the Vivo Y11 is warmer. The difference is negligible, though, as we can still enjoy our content without any significant downsides.
In this case, I’m putting points on both the Huawei Y7 and Vivo Y11.
Camera
The Huawei Y7 and the Vivo Y11 sport dual-rear cameras consisting of the 13MP primary shooter and a 2MP secondary for depth-sensing. For selfies, they both have 8MP shooters. However, the image quality is different on both devices.
When it comes to outdoor shots, we can immediately tell that the shots on the Huawei Y7 have better colors and contrast. The images are sharper, which you can notice by the details. Colors are also more vibrant, which can be observed in the greens, reds, and blues.
Huawei Y7 samples:
When it comes to low-light, both devices suffer a lot in quality has colors and details degrade and look muddy. However, the Huawei Y7 was better in focusing compared to the Vivo Y11. However, the latter was able to maintain colors well.
Vivo Y11 samples:
As for bokeh shots, both phones were able to produce nice photos with creamy backgrounds. But that is not without any challenges as you have to position your camera at a reasonable distance so it can separate the background from the subject.
Performance is also different as the Huawei Y7 focuses faster compared to the Vivo Y11 that has to readjust a couple of times, especially for subjects up close.
When it comes to selfies, we get a different story. The Vivo Y11 performs better than the Huawei Y7 as the resulting selfies have a more natural color and were able to preserve details, like facial hairs, well. On the Huawei Y7, selfies look muddy and washed out.
The same can be observed with its Beautify feature. At maximum settings, my face on the Huawei Y7 looks artificial and washed out. While on the Vivo Y11, my skin tone was retained, facial hair and some wrinkles are still observable, and my eyes look lively. In other words, selfies on the Vivo Y11 is just more natural-looking.
In this case, I’m giving points on both devices. For the rear camera, the Huawei Y7 wins. For selfies, its the Vivo Y11.
Processor
The Huawei Y7 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chipset with Adreno 506 GPU, while the Vivo Y11 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 with Adreno 505 GPU. It’s worth noting that the SD439 is newer as it was announced in 2018, while the SD450 was announced in 2017. The SD450 was manufactured using the 14nm process, while the SD439 was made on a 12nm. What this means is that the SD439 will perform better while being more power-efficient.
As for the GPU, the Adreno 506 has a higher clock speed compared to the Adreno 505. Theoretically, that would mean that it would perform better when it comes to gaming. Still, the Vivo Y11 performed better in the 3DMark benchmarks, but not by a mile.
Huawei Y7
Vivo Y11
AnTuTu v8
92508
98499
3DMark (SSE)
438 (OpenGL ES 3.1)
444 (OpenGL ES 3.1)
484 (Vulkan)
496 (Vulkan)
PCMark (Work 2.0)
4537
4596
GeekBench
150 (Single-Core)
172 (Single-Core)
934 (Multi-Core)
781 (Multi-Core)
AndroBench
298.19 MB/s (Seq. Read)
301.36 MB/s (Seq. Read)
178.19 MB/s (Seq. Write)
122.43 MB/s (Seq. Write)
Based on the numbers, I’m giving the point to the Vivo Y11 on the choice of chipset. However, users won’t notice the performance difference in daily use.
RAM
RAM capacity plays a vital role when it comes to a smartphone’s performance. In this aspect, the Huawei Y7 wins for having 4GB of RAM, compared to the Vivo Y11’s 3GB. This means that the former can handle more background applications, and users will experience smoother multitasking.
Storage
The Huawei Y7 wins this part as it has 64GB of storage, compared to the Vivo Y11 with 32GB. Both have the same storage speeds, as you can see in the benchmark scores below. When it comes to expandability, both have dedicated microSD card slots.
Battery Life
When it comes to capacity, the Vivo Y11 wins at 5,000mAh, which is 1,000mAh more than the 4,000mAh on the Huawei Y7. We subjected both devices to our video loop test, and the Vivo Y11 got a little over 23 hours of playback. However, the Huawei Y7 is not far behind at 22 hours. As for their charging capacity, both units support 10W charging.
OS
The Huawei Y7 runs on EMUI 8.2 with AppGallery, while the Vivo Y11 has Funtouch 9.1 Both operating systems support Google Mobile Services and have their distinct features to make the User Interface functional and more exciting.
However, we’re going to give credits to the Vivo Y11 as its UI is based on the newer Android 9.0 Pie version, compared to the Huawei Y11’s Android 8.1 Oreo.
Price
The Huawei Y7 is priced at PHP 6,990 (4GB + 64GB), while the Vivo Y11 is at PHP 6,499 (3GB + 32GB). The latter is more affordable by just PHP 500, but you’re also getting a lower memory configuration. This is an important factor to consider if you’re looking for value.
Recap:
• Design and Build — Huawei Y7
• Display — Huawei Y7, Vivo Y11
• Camera — Huawei Y7 (for rear cameras), Vivo Y11 (for selfies)
• Processor — Vivo Y11
• RAM — Huawei Y7
• Storage — Huawei Y7
• Battery Life — Vivo Y11
• OS — Vivo Y11
• Price — Huawei Y7
Conclusion
Based on the tally, the Huawei Y7 got 6 out of the 9 categories, while the Vivo Y11 got 5 out of 9 — a close fight. The Vivo Y11 is a commendable budget device for having a nice display, a good selfie camera, and a big battery. However, the Huawei Y7 won in the end for having better rear cameras and larger memory configuration. The battery may be smaller, but 4,000mAh is still large in today’s standards. So, in terms of value, we recommend getting the Huawei Y7.
The smartphone market is already saturated, especially in the budget segment. Entry-level devices have also received upgrades over the years that they’re hard to ignore. Some of them are now equipped with larger memory capacities and more cameras, just like the two devices we have right now — the Huawei Y7 and the Vivo Y11. If you’re eyeing these two devices, check our comparison review to find out which one will give you the best bang for your back.
Here are the categories for this smartphone comparison:
Design and Build
Display
Camera
Processor
RAM
Storage
Battery Life
OS
Price
Design and Build
Both devices have plastic builds but with different finish. The Huawei Y7 has a glossy back and matte paint on the side. It comes in two colors — Aurora Purple and Midnight Black, which is what we have now.
For the Vivo Y11, it has this glass-like back cover with a glossy frame. It comes in three colors — Skyline Blue, Agate Red, and Mineral Blue, which we have on hand. The Vivo Y11 has this attractive design at the back that produces a light effect depending on the angle. And when you look closely, you will notice these fine slanting lines that make it look like it has texture.
On the front, we can see large screens on both devices with a notch on the top for the selfie camera. Both have thick bezels, especially on the chin.
At the back, we have dual-rear cameras, LED flash, and fingerprint scanners.
The button placement is the same on both devices with the volume and power/lock button on the right side, and the triple card slot on the left. The usual ports are also available, including the 3.5mm headphone jack and micro USB port.
In the hands, the Vivo Y11 feels larger and heftier. It’s 0.8mm thicker and 22.5g heavier than the Huawei Y7. The edges on the front and back also feel sharp, which is a bit uncomfortable.
Huawei Y7, on the other hand, feels more seamless and more comfortable to grip thanks to its thinner and lighter body. The curved sides also make it more comfortable to hold.
In this aspect, I’m going for the Huawei Y7.
Display
As mentioned earlier, both have large displays. The Huawei Y7 has a 6.26-inch IPS screen with an HD+ (1520 x 720) resolution of 269ppi. The Vivo Y11, on the other hand, has a 6.35-inch IPS screen with HD+ (1544 x 720) resolution or 268ppi.
Huawei Y7 (left), Vivo Y11 (right)
Although smartphones right now have higher screen resolutions, the HD+ resolution is till fine for these devices for casual use. The display quality from both devices is good as they have good colors and vibrant screens. However, we noticed that the Huawei Y7 produces cooler colors, while the Vivo Y11 is warmer. The difference is negligible, though, as we can still enjoy our content without any significant downsides.
In this case, I’m putting points on both the Huawei Y7 and Vivo Y11.
Camera
The Huawei Y7 and the Vivo Y11 sport dual-rear cameras consisting of the 13MP primary shooter and a 2MP secondary for depth-sensing. For selfies, they both have 8MP shooters. However, the image quality is different on both devices.
When it comes to outdoor shots, we can immediately tell that the shots on the Huawei Y7 have better colors and contrast. The images are sharper, which you can notice by the details. Colors are also more vibrant, which can be observed in the greens, reds, and blues.
Huawei Y7 samples:
When it comes to low-light, both devices suffer a lot in quality has colors and details degrade and look muddy. However, the Huawei Y7 was better in focusing compared to the Vivo Y11. However, the latter was able to maintain colors well.
Vivo Y11 samples:
As for bokeh shots, both phones were able to produce nice photos with creamy backgrounds. But that is not without any challenges as you have to position your camera at a reasonable distance so it can separate the background from the subject.
Performance is also different as the Huawei Y7 focuses faster compared to the Vivo Y11 that has to readjust a couple of times, especially for subjects up close.
When it comes to selfies, we get a different story. The Vivo Y11 performs better than the Huawei Y7 as the resulting selfies have a more natural color and were able to preserve details, like facial hairs, well. On the Huawei Y7, selfies look muddy and washed out.
The same can be observed with its Beautify feature. At maximum settings, my face on the Huawei Y7 looks artificial and washed out. While on the Vivo Y11, my skin tone was retained, facial hair and some wrinkles are still observable, and my eyes look lively. In other words, selfies on the Vivo Y11 is just more natural-looking.
In this case, I’m giving points on both devices. For the rear camera, the Huawei Y7 wins. For selfies, its the Vivo Y11.
Processor
The Huawei Y7 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chipset with Adreno 506 GPU, while the Vivo Y11 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 with Adreno 505 GPU. It’s worth noting that the SD439 is newer as it was announced in 2018, while the SD450 was announced in 2017. The SD450 was manufactured using the 14nm process, while the SD439 was made on a 12nm. What this means is that the SD439 will perform better while being more power-efficient.
As for the GPU, the Adreno 506 has a higher clock speed compared to the Adreno 505. Theoretically, that would mean that it would perform better when it comes to gaming. Still, the Vivo Y11 performed better in the 3DMark benchmarks, but not by a mile.
Huawei Y7
Vivo Y11
AnTuTu v8
92508
98499
3DMark (SSE)
438 (OpenGL ES 3.1)
444 (OpenGL ES 3.1)
484 (Vulkan)
496 (Vulkan)
PCMark (Work 2.0)
4537
4596
GeekBench
150 (Single-Core)
172 (Single-Core)
934 (Multi-Core)
781 (Multi-Core)
AndroBench
298.19 MB/s (Seq. Read)
301.36 MB/s (Seq. Read)
178.19 MB/s (Seq. Write)
122.43 MB/s (Seq. Write)
Based on the numbers, I’m giving the point to the Vivo Y11 on the choice of chipset. However, users won’t notice the performance difference in daily use.
RAM
RAM capacity plays a vital role when it comes to a smartphone’s performance. In this aspect, the Huawei Y7 wins for having 4GB of RAM, compared to the Vivo Y11’s 3GB. This means that the former can handle more background applications, and users will experience smoother multitasking.
Storage
The Huawei Y7 wins this part as it has 64GB of storage, compared to the Vivo Y11 with 32GB. Both have the same storage speeds, as you can see in the benchmark scores below. When it comes to expandability, both have dedicated microSD card slots.
Battery Life
When it comes to capacity, the Vivo Y11 wins at 5,000mAh, which is 1,000mAh more than the 4,000mAh on the Huawei Y7. We subjected both devices to our video loop test, and the Vivo Y11 got a little over 23 hours of playback. However, the Huawei Y7 is not far behind at 22 hours. As for their charging capacity, both units support 10W charging.
OS
The Huawei Y7 runs on EMUI 8.2 with AppGallery, while the Vivo Y11 has Funtouch 9.1 Both operating systems support Google Mobile Services and have their distinct features to make the User Interface functional and more exciting.
However, we’re going to give credits to the Vivo Y11 as its UI is based on the newer Android 9.0 Pie version, compared to the Huawei Y7’s Android 8.1 Oreo.
Price
The Huawei Y7 is priced at PHP 6,990 (4GB + 64GB), while the Vivo Y11 is at PHP 6,499 (3GB + 32GB). The latter is more affordable by just PHP 500, but you’re also getting a lower memory configuration. This is an important factor to consider if you’re looking for value.
Recap:
• Design and Build — Huawei Y7
• Display — Huawei Y7, Vivo Y11
• Camera — Huawei Y7 (for rear cameras), Vivo Y11 (for selfies)
• Processor — Vivo Y11
• RAM — Huawei Y7
• Storage — Huawei Y7
• Battery Life — Vivo Y11
• OS — Vivo Y11
• Price — Huawei Y7
Conclusion
Based on the tally, the Huawei Y7 got 6 out of the 9 categories, while the Vivo Y11 got 5 out of 9 — a close fight. The Vivo Y11 is a commendable budget device for having a nice display, a good selfie camera, and a big battery. However, the Huawei Y7 won in the end for having better rear cameras and larger memory configuration. The battery may be smaller, but 4,000mAh is still large in today’s standards. So, in terms of value, we recommend getting the Huawei Y7.
