Features

GadgetMatch’s most popular reviews of 2017

Published

December 27, 2017

Marvin Velasco

With a bigger team, GadgetMatch was able to produce tons of reviews in 2017. This made us curious: Which reviews got our readers’ attention the most?

We’ve compiled the top ten reviews in terms of total page views since the start of this year. There are some interesting entries that surprised even us. Take a look:

10. Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

Samsung’s pair of early-2017 flagships had a consistent flow of page views throughout the year, and for good reason. Even when the Galaxy Note 8 came out, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ continued to lure in potential buyers with their incredible performance and Infinity Display.

9. Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)

The Galaxy A5 (2917) was one of the very first midrange smartphones to come out this year, and what a handset it has been. It made waterproofing and balanced specs on a midranger a thing, plus we enjoyed its class-leading AMOLED display.

8. Huawei Nova 2i

We were so impressed by the Nova 2i’s list of features that we expected a higher price tag than what it actually has. With a total of four cameras and a highly capable chipset, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better deal at this price point.

READ MORE: Huawei Nova 2i review

7. Vivo Y53

Vivo’s Y53 was such a popular handset among readers because of its affordable price. In order to keep it low, the fingerprint scanner was omitted, but everything else — from the Snapdragon processor to the decent cameras — remained intact.

READ MORE: Vivo Y53 review

6. Honor 6X

The Honor 6X will be remembered as the first truly bang-for-buck smartphone of 2017. It goes by different names — Huawei GR5 2017 or Mate 9 Lite, depending on the region — but the solid package is the same wherever you buy it.

5. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X

Few budget-friendly phones have received as much acclaim as the Redmi Note 4X across the globe. You simply can’t go wrong with a sub-US$ 200 phone equipped with a midrange Snapdragon processor and Xiaomi’s well-optimized MIUI skin.

4. Huawei GR3 2017

This is now the third Huawei phone on this list, and it rightfully deserves its spot. We were getting requests to review this handset through all our channels, and once we did, we realized how great of a deal it is at this price segment.

READ MORE: Huawei GR3 2017 review

3. ASUS ZenFone 4 Max

Here’s yet another affordable smartphone that both critics and consumers loved. The ZenFone 4 Max is easily ASUS’ most value-packed device this year, thanks to its massive battery, handy dual cameras, and efficient Snapdragon processor.

2. Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro

No one can deny the immense popularity of Samsung’s Galaxy J series. With consistently strong marketing as a handset for everyone and all the features you need, the Galaxy J7 Pro is not just this year’s most popular Samsung device, but also 2017’s most-read smartphone review on our website.

1. Globe Prepaid Home WiFi

With internet speeds as slow as they are in the Philippines, it’s only natural for Filipinos to constantly find alternatives in all forms and sizes. Globe introduced the Prepaid Home WiFi in early 2017, and with its immense popularity came droves of readers who wanted to learn more about the package through our website — ultimately making this gadget our most-read review of the year.

[irp posts=”9513″ name=”Globe Prepaid Home WiFi review”]

Related Topics:ASUS Globe Honor Huawei Samsung Vivo Xiaomi

Apps

How to get NBA League Pass with your telco provider

There are two package options

Published

September 23, 2020

Rodneil Quiteles

NBA action is in full swing. In fact, it has been since August when the season restarted following a shut down that was caused by the dreaded Coronavirus pandemic. As of writing, we’re in the thick of the Conference Finals series. If you want to catch all the action, here’s how you can get NBA League Pass through different telecomm providers in the Philippines.

It’s now easier than ever to get access to the games legally. All of Smart, PLDT, and Globe are offering the same price packages.

PhP 85 — Watch any three games of your choice
PhP 485 — 30-day pass for all games including live and on-demand

Here’s how to get the subscription for each provider.

Smart Postpaid and Prepaid
(Also works with TNT and SUN Postpaid)

Download the NBA app (iOS / Android /APKPure)
On the app, click on the icon at the top-right corner
Click sign-in
A banner on top of the page will appear for Smart, Sun and TNT subscribers
Click ‘Get Started’
Enter mobile number for verification and a one-time PIN which will be sent to your mobile number
Choose your provider: Smart, TNT or Sun.
Choose your NBA League Pass Package (3-game or 30-days) and enter mobile number
Confirm your payment by entering the one-time PIN sent to your mobile number
Click NBA logo and start watching

PLDT Home

Go to pldthome.com/nbaleaguepass
Select your preferred package
The amount will be added to your next bill
PLDT will give a voucher
Download and sign-in to the NBA app
Enter the voucher in the promotion code field
Click NBA logo and start watching

Globe

Open the GCash app
Go to Buy Load
Look for the PayTV tab
Choose your preferred package. (Note: The chosen package is valid for 90 days).
Confirm payment
Open the NBA app and enjoy!

As mentioned earlier, we’re no in the Conference Finals with four teams remaining. Dueling in the West are the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets. Meanwhile in the East, it’s a battle between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics.

A new NBA champion will likely be crowned in the next 30 days so now is the best time to subscribe!

Accessories

Apple Watch Series 6 vs Watch SE: Unboxing and Buyer’s Guide

Published

September 21, 2020

GadgetMatch

There’s a new Apple Watch iteration every year — although this year, we have two new models to unbox. Other than that, we also have the newest one-piece bands called ‘Solo Loop’ — both in silicon and braided.

Although Apple completely removed the charging brick out from the usual packaging, they packed several new features on the Watch Series 6 including the new blood oxygen sensor and Always-On Altimeter. Meanwhile, the Watch SE is meant for people who’d want to experience Apple’s wearable without having to spend too much.

Between these two, which of them is your GadgetMatch? Or are you struggling to choose one?

You can head over to our latest Apple Watch Series 6 vs Apple Watch SE Unboxing and Buyer’s Guide right here to find out more.

Camera Shootouts

Pixel 4a vs iPhone SE (2020): Camera shootout

Battle of the small phones

Published

September 16, 2020

MJ Jucutan

Now that we have the Pixel 4a in our hands, it’s time for another smackdown! Priced at US$ 349, we tested it against Apple’s US$ 399 iPhone SE that packs the powerful A13 Bionic Chip. With two compact phones sporting single rear cameras, which one will shoot better?

Make sure to jot down your answers, as the results of this blind test will be at the end of this article. As usual, photos were labeled, resized, and collaged (this time) for you to load the images faster. No post-processing nor any color adjustments were done in any of the photos. So, let’s begin!

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Results

Pixel 4a: 1A, 2A, 3B, 4B, 5A, 6B, 7B, 8B, 9A, 10A, 11A, 12B, 13A, 14A, 15B, 16B, 17A, 18B

iPhone SE: 1B, 2B, 3A, 4A, 5B, 6A, 7A, 8A, 9B, 10B, 11B, 12A, 13B, 14B, 15A, 16A, 17B, 18A

If you observe closely, the iPhone SE produced warmer yet vibrant photos and well-lit, wider portraits. During daylight, it provides more details while it gets pretty noisy in lowlight.

Meanwhile, the Pixel 4a captured cooler photos. Portrait-wise, it has better focus compared to the iPhone SE despite the cropping. But this affordable phone shines better with its HDR and Night Sight, doing a great job in lowlight!

At the end of the day, both phones took photos that are rich in colors and manageable highlights. They also have decent backlit shots and creamy depth-of-field which might appease smartphone photography enthusiasts. For US$ 399, we already have an impressive camera performance. There are no losers here.