News

ASUS ZenFone 3 Max 5.5 gets official price

Published

November 11, 2016

Marvin Velasco

About that 5.5-inch ASUS ZenFone 3 Max that got us all excited last month: It now has an official price, which was revealed during the phone’s recent launch in India.

That and the release date were the only pieces of information missing, so there’s no more guessing this time around. Although there’s no mention of availability beyond India, we do know the 5.5-inch ZenFone 3 Max variant will cost INR 17,999, which is close to $270.

[irp posts=”6741″ name=”5 reasons to get excited about the 5.5-inch ASUS ZenFone 3 Max”]

This version fits right in between the ZenFone 3 Laser and original ZenFone 3

While it may seem a little expensive, you have to consider its feature set first. As mentioned in our previous article, this smartphone is a mashup of the smaller 5.2-inch ZenFone 3 Max and 5.5-inch ZenFone 3 Laser, mixing the battery of the former with the camera capabilities of the latter.

This naturally places the larger Max above the two lower-end handsets, but still below the original ZenFone 3. For comparison, the 5.2-inch Max costs PhP 8,995 ($183), the Laser is PhP 11,995 ($244), and the plain 5.2-inch ZenFone 3 retails for PhP 16,995 ($346). The 5.5-inch Max would cost around PhP 13,250 ($270) if it lands in the Philippines.

So, what do you get out of it? A Full HD display, Qualcomm’s lower-end Snapdragon 430 processor, 32GB of native storage (expandable via microSD), and 3GB of RAM, but the amount of memory might increase or decrease depending on where you purchase the handset.

You have four colors to choose from

The bigger story lies in the battery capacity and cameras: a generous 4100mAh capacity for the former, and a pair of 16- and 8-megapixel cameras for the back and front, respectively. The primary shooter is assisted by both laser and phase detection autofocus.

Does the pricing announcement taper our fondness for the 5.5-inch ZenFone 3 Max? Not really. It just happens to be the most expensive ZenFone Max to date, and it’s priced as much as last year’s powerful ZenFone 2; hence, we can’t get that false sense of “empowering luxury” out of our heads.

We still hope more countries will receive the larger ZenFone 3 Max. It would help broaden the number of quality choices at this price point; the OPPO F1s, Vivo V3 Max, Moto G4 Plus, and Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime are all waiting.

[irp posts=”3915″ name=”ASUS ZenFone 3 PH prices are expensive compared to a year ago”]

Source: GSMArena

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.

News

Samsung brings back the Galaxy Z Trifold

The brand’s first trifold phone comes back after being pulled from stores.

Published

April 10, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Rumors of the Galaxy Z Trifold’s death have been greatly exaggerated. Recently, Samsung pulled its first trifold phone from its stores, heavily hinting that their three-screen experiment has ended. However, if you didn’t manage to grab one of these beasts during its first release, the Galaxy Z Trifold is back in stores.

At the start of this year, Samsung officially launched the Galaxy Z Trifold, ushering in its entry into the relatively infantile market. Naturally, the unique smartphone was a looker; however, with its eye-watering price tag, the demand is still low. Reflecting that, the brand reportedly pulled the device from the market last month.

Now, the phone is back once again. Interested users can grab the phone from Samsung’s website for the same US$ 2,899 price tag.

As with the other trifold phones (scant as they are), Samsung’s entry features three screens packed into one phone. Users can then fold the main screen in a variety of ways, introducing a lot of configurations to enjoy content. With how popular foldable phones are today, there’s certainly a market for flexible screens.

If you’re still in the market for Samsung’s first trifold phone, Samsung has not announced how long this latest batch will last, so get one while you still can.

Entertainment

Metal Gear Solid is getting a film adaptation

It will be directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein.

Published

April 10, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Videogame adaptations are so hot right now. After the mainstream success of The Super Mario Bros. duology, several other franchises have committed to seeing their favorite characters on the big screen. Now, Metal Gear Solid is the latest to make the jump. Sony has confirmed that a film adaptation about the stealth franchise is in the works.

Though the game’s movie announcement is a big deal on its own right, it’s attached to an even bigger announcement: Sony has signed the up-and-coming directing duo Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein to direct a number of its upcoming projects.

The deal’s first confirmed project, via Hollywood Reporter, is an adaptation of Metal Gear Solid, produced by Avi and Ari Arad.

Spanning multiple decades, the Metal Gear series is a stealth-based franchise that often goes off the rails with its supernatural elements. Naturally, it’s all thanks to series creator Hideo Kojima, notoriously known for his unconventional storytelling. When Kojima left Konami, the franchise has since been shelved but still enjoys a lot of hype, thanks to the occasional remake.

Right now, it’s unknown how much of the film will lean into the craziness of the franchise. It should still be a crazy ride to see, though.