Philippines

Best Upper-Midrange Smartphones in the Philippines from P20,000 to P30,000

January 2021 Edition

Published

December 28, 2020

GadgetMatch

When premium phones are out of financial reach and entry-level handsets just don’t make your cut, something in between is the next best thing. This is our updated list of the best upper-midrange smartphones retailing from PhP 20,000 to PhP 30,000.

Formulating this category was tricky, since you can’t set an exact price and some of these devices are, in fact, the flagship phones of their respective brands. To simplify things, we chose a price range that simply sits between our other lists for best budget, midrange, and premium smartphones.

Here they are in no particular order:

OnePlus 8T (PhP 29,990)

Die-hard fans of OnePlus will find that there’s a lot to like with the OnePlus 8T. It’s still a relatively premium experience for less. There’s plenty of contention happening in the sub-flagship arena and the OnePlus 8T has a strong case to being your best option with its overall combination of optimized performance and improved cameras.

WATCH: OnePlus 8T Unboxing and Review

Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro (PhP 24,990)

This is our 2020 best value smartphone for simply because of its price-to-feature ratio. You’re getting so much flagship-level specs for about half the price of most flagships these days. The Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is the embodiment of Xiaomi’s commitment to bringing great value for money smartphones and is easily the best recommendation in this category.

WATCH: Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro Unboxing and Review

POCO F2 Pro (PhP 29,990)

The priciest in this bunch, the POCO F2 Pro easily also feels and arguably looks most premium. The POCO F2 Pro has the heft, look, and feel that’s typically reserved for the premium flagships. It’s powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 adding fuel to the flagship killer fire. It’s a noteworthy follow-up to the cult classic that was the POCO F1 Pro.

REVIEW: POCO F2 Pro

Huawei Nova 7 5G (PhP 23,990)

The marketing around this phone has been centered around it being 5G-capable. However, with 5G still at its infancy in terms of coverage, you should look beyond 5G when considering this phone. And when you do, what you’ll find is perhaps one of better built smartphones at this price. Of course, you’ll have to contend with the lack of Google Mobile Services. Is that a deal breaker? There are workarounds, so if you’re the type who can live with these, the Nova 7 is still solid choice.

REVIEW: Huawei Nova 7 5G

realme X3 SuperZoom (PhP 24,990)

The realme X3 SuperZoom is equipped with late 2019 flagship specs — Snapdragon 855+, 64MP main camera, 120Hz screen refresh rate — while being priced at just a little over half the price of phones with comparable specs. realme is playing in that flagship killer territory and certainly deserves more attention.

REVIEW: realme X3 SuperZoom

iPhone SE (PhP 26,990)

One of the world’s fastest processors, a fantastic camera, at a midranger’s price. If we told you, we’re talking about an iPhone you probably wouldn’t believe us but here we are. The iPhone SE’s design is dated, but everything about its performance is near-flagship or flagship 2020 levels.

REVIEW: iPhone SE

Samsung Galaxy A71 (PhP 22,990)

Awesome screen, awesome camera, long-lasting battery life — that’s the LSS-inducing theme of the Galaxy A71 as it was being teased. Lo and behold, Samsung wasn’t lying. The phone certainly lives up to the hype and while specs-wise there may be cheaper options out there, the package that Samsung has put together is quite enticing.

REVIEW: Samsung Galaxy A71

Related Topics:Apple iPhone OnePlus OPPO Realme Xiaomi

Apps

Maya summer deals: Cashbacks, discounts, instant credit

Make the most out of digital banking

Published

March 23, 2023

GadgetMatch

Maya is offering subscribers many ways to save this summer season by using the digital bank app.

Those who have not downloaded Maya yet will get a free Maya Card when they open an account and deposit PhP 1,000.

For cash ins and bank transfers, Maya helps people get rid of transaction fees and enjoy cashbacks.

Customers who cash in via InstaPay will get up to PhP 25 cashback. Those who use Maya Center, meanwhile, get a full cashback on their 1% cash in fee, capped at PhP 150.

There’s also no cash in fee for linked banks and over-the-counter transactions up to PhP 8,000.

Need to pay for something but do not have enough funds at the moment? Maya may also be used to get instant credit of up to PhP 18,000 for eligible users.

Throughout summer, users should also be on the lookout for these exclusive deals:

Zalora: 20% off discount for new users, 18% off for existing users on purchases using Maya; 15% off on Michaela Bags
Robinsons Malls: Up to PhP 200 cashback using Maya QR, minimum spend PhP 1,000
SM Store: Raffle entry for every cash in or Maya QR scan-to-pay; prizes are PhP 3,000 Maya credits, Apple Airpods Pro 2, Apple iPhone 14
Boozy: PhP 150 off sitewide using promo code MAYA150 upon checkout
Airpaz: 3% discount on flight and hotel bookings using Maya, minimum spend PhP 1,600

News

vivo V27 series 5G now available for preorder; price revealed

The Aura Portrait Master

Published

March 23, 2023

GadgetMatch

vivo’s highly-touted Aura Light — a ring light that effectively replaces the regular flash on the rear of smartphones — on its vivo V27 series 5G made quite the impression from the get-go.

The wait is over for those intrigued about it, as preorders for the latest devices are now available via vivo’s online store.

The series comes in two variants — the vivo V27e which retails for PhP 16,999, and the vivo V27 5G which is priced at PhP 24,999.

Simple, elegant design

Veering away from the matte finish that has become more common in midrange phones, vivo opted for a polished gem-like design for the vivo V27 series.

Both are equipped with 120Hz FHD+ AMOLED screens. The 7.36mm 3D curved screen on the V27 5G is the thinnest yet for a V series phone. Meanwhile, the V27e has a 7.7mm thickness.

There are three colorway choices:

Color-changing Emerald Green
Lavender Purple
Glory Black (specifically for the V27e, which is said to shimmer at night)

Innovative, powerful cameras

As previously mentioned, the vivo V27 series has a f/1.9 IMX766V 50MP ultra-sensing main camera.

This is supported by EIS+OIS dual ultra-stabilization for sharp and high-quality shots even when moving or at night.

The Aura Portrait Algorithm paves the way for impressive image and video-processing yet on a vivo smartphone for its category.

Philippines

realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola Edition: Price, availability in the Philippines

Get yours now

Published

March 20, 2023

GadgetMatch

For a limited time only, realme is launching the realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola® Edition, which retails starting at PhP 18,499 via Shopee.

Only 589 total units of this particular model are for sale in the Philippines, and the first 100 customers to avail via realme’s official store get a PhP 500 off its original price of PhP 18,999.

The phone comes with a 70/30 asymmetrical red and black collision design at the back and a fully-customized UI which showcases the following iconic elements from Coca-Cola®:

lock screen with dynamic soda fizz bubble charging effect
app icon palette with retro red and black theme
custom ringtones and notification sounds, featuring nostalgic Coca-Cola® jingles
camera shutter sound effect mimicking the popping sound of a freshly-opened bottle of Coke®
exclusive 80s cola filters for aesthetic

The box itself has Coca-Cola® plastered all over it, while a set of Coca-Cola® DIY stickers, a custom-made SIM ejector, and a limited number card all come with the package.