News

Apple, OPPO most popular brands in Singapore, Philippines – study

Huawei hovers in the top 3 for both countries

Published

April 28, 2020

Kenrick Buduan

A recent study by online shopping aggregator site iPrice reveals that OPPO is the most searched brand in the Philippines while Apple leads the way in Singapore making the two the most popular brands in the mentioned countries. The study used two factors that determine a brand’s popularity — the retail price of a smartphone and the annual household income.

OPPO leads the way in the Philippines

OPPO, which is currently launched the Find X2 Pro and has been marketing its Reno series, leads the way as the most popular brand in the Philippines. Its most expensive smartphone — OPPO Find X2 Pro — retails for PhP 65,990. Meanwhile, its cheapest is OPPO A5s which retails for PhP 6,990. The brand had been known to cater to the budget and midrange segment more but has recently been trying to make waves in the more premium pricing segment.

In a country with an annual income of PhP 460,000, brands that offer plenty of midrange smartphones appear to be really popular. This is the case for Vivo which ranks third in popularity.

Photo by iPrice

Apple dominates Singapore

This one’s not so surprising. Singapore has a much higher annual household income than the Philippines. Thus, Singaporeans are much inclined to search for expensive brands like Apple and Samsung. Apple came out on top, followed closely by Samsung. These brands offer expensive flagships that anyone with a higher income can afford.

Interestingly, a Google Trends search on the terms Apple, iPhone, and OPPO both in Singapore and the Philippines over the last 12 months reveal that the iPhone dominates the search by a wide margin. This could mean that while people consider the price when it comes to actual purchase, they still religiously follow news about Apple’s iPhone.

Huawei ranks consistently among the top 3

Huawei fared consistently on both countries’ most popular smartphone brands. It ranked second in the Philippines, while it ranked third in Singapore. There are many factors to Huawei ranking among the top 3 for both countries. Huawei has offerings across all price ranges and has been a consistent force in the premium segment in recent years.

Huawei offers flagship with prices comparable to Apple and Samsung. However, it remains competitive in the budget segment by offering budget-friendly and reliable smartphones. The Huawei Y5 Lite sells for PhP 3,990 in the Philippines, while Y6s retails for SG$ 178 in Singapore.

Huawei also churns out many midrange smartphones that can compete with offerings from midrange brands too. Combined with an established presence in both countries, it’s no wonder the company is popular in both the Philippines and Singapore.

Photo by iPrice

Xiaomi makes significant progress

Xiaomi’s push in the Southeast Asian market is paying off, and the study supports that. In Singapore, where Xiaomi has long established its presence, the company snagged the fourth place, edging out the likes of OPPO and Vivo. The company has been aggressive in pushing out smartphones at an affordable and competitive price, and it shows.

In the Philippines, however, Xiaomi lands at the fifth spot still behind Apple. The company continues to gain popularity as it expands its stores beyond major urban areas in the country.

The study shows how brands with compelling midrange phones have become successful by offering near flagship smartphones at an affordable price. However, flagship smartphones still occupy a place in society. People with deep pockets will sway towards buying a flagship. After all, they just want the best smartphone their money can buy.

Related Topics:Apple Huawei Huawei Mate X iPrice OPPO OPPO Find X2 Pro Samsung Vivo

News

vivo V70 FE pre-orders now open, starts at PhP 25,999

Offers, perks available throughout pre-order period

Published

April 13, 2026

GadgetMatch

vivo has officially opened pre-orders for the vivo V70 FE, the more affordable follow-up to the vivo V70 launched last February.

The pre-order period is until April 24 and the midrange smartphone is available in two memory configurations:

8GB+256GB: PhP 25,999
12GB+256GB: PhP 29,999

Customers who place pre-orders at vivo stores nationwide will receive:

limited-time vivo VIP Card with a 6-month extended warranty and 6-month broken screen insurance
limited edition vivo Buds Air3
PhP 1,000 discount

Customers can also bring home the vivo V70 FE for as low as PhP 37/day with 0% interest installment plans up to 18 months via Home Credit.

In addition, Globe has been tapped as the official network partner for a free prepaid SIM with 1-year unli 5G.

The vivo V70 FE has a POP MART Zsiga Exclusive Photo Border, thanks to its partnership with the IP. You may recall that the vivo V70 also released an exclusive Golden Hour colorway earlier.

The device is built for creators with a 200MP main camera, which can deliver portraits at different focal lengths, including an 85mm zoom.

In front is a 32MP camera and a 6.81-inch 120Hz 1.5K AMOLED display.

The phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7360-Turbo processor. It houses a 7,000mAh battery with support for 90W fast charging.

Customers can choose from three colorways: Muse Purple, Ocean Blue, and Urban Silver.

News

These space photos were taken with an iPhone 17 Pro Max

All three photos were taken with the selfie cam.

Published

April 13, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Image source: NASA

The iPhone 17 Pro Max has always been touted as the quintessential phone for creators. But what happens if that creator finds themselves on the far side of the Moon?

Last week, NASA concluded the Artemis II, the first manned mission around the far side of the Moon in this century. Naturally, the mission produced breathtaking views of both the Moon and the Earth. Though most of those photos were taken with dedicated cameras, a few of them were taken with an iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Before the mission launched into orbit, NASA confirmed that the premium iPhone model had been approved to be included in the spaceflight. Each of the four crew members were given the phones for their own photography.

Image source: NASA

All three of the photos posted here were reportedly taken with the phone’s selfie camera. That says a lot about the iPhone’s camera quality if they weren’t even taken with the powerful rear cameras.

When the mission ended last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook and marketing SVP Greg Joswiak congratulated the crew for finishing the mission and taking spectacular photos with the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Image source: NASA

Artemis II marks a special milestone for spaceflight. It’s the first time in almost 25 years that humans have gone to the Moon. NASA, as well as other agencies all over the world, are planning more manned spaceflights in the coming future.

Laptops

MacBook Neo pre-orders now open through Beyond the Box

Exclusive freebies, more perks available

Published

April 12, 2026

GadgetMatch

Customers in the Philippines can now pre-order the MacBook Neo through Beyond the Box.

Those who avail of the device during the pre-order period can get up to PhP 10,000 worth in freebies. This is a curated bundle of essential accessories.

The MacBook Neo will also appear at these two cafes, inviting those who plan on upgrading to experience Apple’s new offering first-hand:

April 16: Scout’s Honor, Uptown Mall
April 17: The Matcha Tokyo, Opus Mall

Attendees who pre-order on the spot will also enjoy complimentary beverage, live DJ performances, and the opportunity to engage with social media personalities.

And to ensure the MacBook Neo is more accessible, Beyond the Box is offering 0% interest installment plans. This is both through major credit cards, Home Credit, and GCash’s GGives.

Reservations can be made through all Beyond the Box, Digital Walker, and open_sources branches nationwide.

Alternatively, the MacBook Neo is available through beyondthebox.ph, Lazada, and Shopee. It is priced at PhP 33,990 (education) and PhP 39,990 (retail).

Apple MacBook Neo

The Apple MacBook Neo is the company’s latest laptop, which is also its most affordable. It retails at just about US$ 499 to US$ 599 in the United States and SG$ 729 to SG$ 849 in Singapore.

It runs on an A18 Pro chip for 50% faster everyday performance compared to Intel Core Ultra 5-level PCs. This chip also has a 16-core Neural Engine for Apple Intelligence and 5-core GPU for graphics workloads.

The portable and lightweight laptop has a 13-inch 2408 x 1506 display, two USB-C ports, a headphone jack, and Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6 connectivity.

The MacBook Neo ships with MacOS Tahoe, complete with apps like Safari, Photos, Messages, and FaceTime. Users are promised up to 16 hours of usage on a single charge.