Hands-On

realme 9i Hands-On

Solid as usual
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Published

May 20, 2022

GadgetMatch

The realme 9i is the “little brother” in the realme 9 series. And while it doesn’t pack the same punch as its pro siblings – the realme 9 Pro and realme 9 pro+ – there’s enough here for anyone who just needs a reliable daily smartphone.

Here’s a quick look at the specs before we dive in deeper:

Performance

6.6-inch IPS LCD display with 90Hz refresh rate
Qualcomm SM6225 Snapdragon 680 4G processor
6GB RAM with Dynamic RAM expansion feature up to 5GB
128GB Internal Storage
5,000mAh battery
33W Dart Charge tech

Cameras

50MP main camera
2MP macro lens
2MP depth lens
16MP selfie shooter

Here are some samples for your appreciation.

Neat, simple, and elegant

The realme 9i is pretty understated in the looks department. The variant we got comes in blue and depending on how the light hits, you’ll see some lines to accentuate its back.

As for button and port placements, at the bottom you’ll find the usuas: speaker grille, USB-C port, and 3.5mm jack.

On the right side is the power button/fingerprint scanner.

And on the left hand side are the two, tiny volume buttons.

Overall, the realme 9i looks neat. Simple yet elegant. The camera stands out, obviously. But you can say that for most phones these days. It’s light for its size and appearance. It’s already easy to hold as is, but it’s even easier if you’re the phone-case-and-pop-up socket type of person.

General usage

Switching from one app to the other, or going back to the home screen for that matter is seamless and fast. There’s no trouble opening or loading apps so far.

The apps load from where I last left it, provided I haven’t closed all apps, cleared RAM, or optimized phone usage.

Media consumption and gaming

We enjoyed more than our fair share of watching sports highlights on the realme 9i. It pays to have a great-performing phone to not miss any action. We didn’t have any problems watching on YouTube at the highest resolution settings and at 60 fps.

Same is true for other types of content. The viewing experience was likewise seamless.

The speaker is really loud and complements the video. You don’t have to put it on max volume although it’s still of the best quality when put to max. It doesn’t break.

Playing Mobile Legends with friends and relatives on this phone is perfect even if it’s “only” a mid-level phone. The game’s graphics settings were set on default when opening from the phone. I tinkered it to HD mode with a high refresh rate and “Ultra” graphics, and it didn’t have problems throughout the game like lagging when I played.

Battery life

On full standby in power saving mode without having to connect it to Wi-Fi or turn on mobile data, the phone consumes just about 5 to 10 percent of its battery power in one whole day.

When charging, it takes less than an hour to charge from 30 percent to full with its 33W fast charging.

Solid as usual

The “i” variants in realme’s numbered series phones have consistently been steady performers and the realme 9i is no different. It’s not gonna wow you with raw specs, but the overall package and performance makes it worthwhile.

The realme 9i retails for PhP 11,990. Buy it here.

Hands-On

Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro Series Hands-on

Which iPhone 15 is your GadgetMatch?

Published

September 18, 2023

GadgetMatch

It’s the time of the year again!

Wonderlust — it’s the theme for this year’s annual Apple Event held at the ever-popular Apple Park in Cupertino, California.

The shining and glimmering stars of the show are none other than the newest iPhone 15 and 15 Pro lineup.

Excited to see what’s new? How about the latest colorways?

Are you even convincing yourself to upgrade?

More of your questions might just be answered by heading over to our iPhone 15 and 15 Pro Series Hands-on video.

Hands-On

Answering your Infinix GT 10 Pro questions

Performance, pricing, and more

Published

August 30, 2023

GadgetMatch

The Infinix GT 10 Pro has been a lot more popular than we expected. Our unboxing video got over a million views on TikTok and over a hundred thousand views on Facebook (make sure to follow and like our page!).

In case you missed it, this is the unboxing video.

@gadgetmatch

Meet the new Infinix GT 10 Pro! ✨ #Infinix #InfinixGT10Pro #Unboxing #Smartphone #fyp

♬ original sound – GadgetMatch – GadgetMatch

Naturally, people had questions and we’re here to answer them.

Ads on UI?

This is likely a case-by-case basis depending on the region you’re in. For our review unit specifically, the UI did not have any ads, annoying or otherwise.

Price and Availability?

At launch, The Infinix GT 10 Pro retails for between US$ 240 to US$ 250, and will be available in Cyber Black and Mirage Silver colors.

As of writing we don’t have any other pricing and availability information. We’ll update this pace when we learn more.

Overheating issues?

The only time the Infinix GT 10 Pro overheated during our testing is when we cranked up all the graphics settings to very high while playing Honkai: Star Rail. In fact, it got so hot, the phone voluntarily restarted.

For the generally smoothest gameplay experience, keep settings to medium. These games are optimized for that anyway.

Are ghost touches frequent?

As far as ghosting goes, other than our Managing Editor’s romantic prospects, the phone also did exhibit such tendencies. Not ideal for any phone marketing itself as for gamers. Granted, most of it happened not while playing but during general browsing.

Game crashes?

We already mentioned the phone crashing earlier. As far as games go, no such thing happened during our time with it. Do note that after the initial crashing incident, we mostly kept the games at medium settings.

Storage?

The unit we have has 256GB of internal storage. As of writing, that appears to be the only variant available.

Camera Zoom?

The zoom capabilities are all digital. You can toggle from 1X to 2X and if you pinch-to-zoom, it goes all the way up to 10X. But that isn’t advisable. The Zoom on this thing is pretty negligible. See photo below.

But the 108MP main camera takes decent photos ready for whatever social media platform you want to post them on.

Selfies are nice too. Here are some taken by our lovely Japanese Tech Journo friend.

Does the battery drain fast?

This ultimately depends on your usage. During days that we actively played games to see how the phone performs, the battery tends to lose somewhere between 40-50% after an hour or so of gameplay.

On standby mode, this thing is a beast. It knows when to stay active or not when receiving notifications. There was a time we left the phone on standby for a little over a day. It went from 77% to 50%. That’s pretty handy for days when you forget to juice up.

Unsolicited thoughts

You didn’t ask but we feel compelled to share anyway. Here are a few things of note that we noticed.

It might just be us being used to higher-end displays, but the Infinix GT 10 Pro doesn’t quite get to a level of crispness that we like. Compared to other phones in its price range, it’s fine. Not a standout but not being left behind either. This is surprising considering it’s supposed to be an AMOLED screen.

We absolutely love that the packaging offers some form of utility. If there’s one thing the Infinix GT 10 Pro isn’t lacking in is its absolute flair when it comes to presentation. The back design is an eye-catcher especially if it appeals to your sensibilities.

The phone is pretty light to hold. You won’t feel any strain playing games for an extended period.

Overall, the Infinix GT 10 Pro is a visually pleasing piece of gadget that delivers on the midrange gaming performance that it promises. It’s not perfect, but what phone is?

Infinix GT 10 Pro specs

Display — 6.67″ AMOLED
Processor — MediaTek Dimensity 8050 (6nm)
RAM — 8GB + 8GB Extended
Storage — 256GB Internal, Option for microSDXC slot
Battery and charging — 5,000mAh, 45W wired
OS — Android 13, XOS 13
Cameras:

Main — 108MP f/1.8
Macro — 2MP
Depth — 2MP
Front — 32MP, f/2.5

Hands-On

Galaxy Z Flip5: Samsung finally FIXED IT!

That Flex Window is everything

Published

July 27, 2023

GadgetMatch

Samsung just fixed the Flip phone! In our hands-on and first impressions video, we take a look at the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and if you should pull the trigger on those pre-order deals.

PRE-ORDER LINKS:

Galaxy Z Fold5: https://howl.me/ckeOzVqdyUn
Galaxy Z Flip5: https://howl.me/ckeOySKS8Gp
Tab S9: https://howl.me/ckeOAoras3b
Watch6: https://howl.me/ckeOBaaFajd

Samsung has turned the spotlight on the Galaxy Z Flip line over its Fold counterpart. Over the years since it first came out, the Galaxy Z Flip has garnered more mainstream interest. It also helped that this particular foldable line has prominently featured in K-Dramas which has only boosted its appeal.

Here are the Flip5’s specs:

Main screen — 6.7-inch FHD+, Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz Adaptive refresh rate (*Same as Flip4)
Cover screen — 3.4-inch Super AMOLED 60Hz Display
Rear dual camera: (*Same as Flip4)

12MP Ultra Wide Camera f/2.2, Pixel size: 1.12μm, FOV: 123˚
12MP Wide-angle Camera Dual Pixel AF, OIS, f/1.8, Pixel size: 1.8μm, FOV: 83˚

Front camera — 10MP Selfie Camera f/2.2, Pixel size: 1.22μm, FOV: 85˚ (*Same as Flip4)
Processor — Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
RAM and Storage — 8GB+256GB, 8GB+512GB
Battery — 3,700mAh, Wired Charging: Up to 50% charge in around 30mins (*Same as Flip4)
Water resistance — IPX8
OS — Android 13, One UI 5.1.1
Network and connectivity — 5G, LTE, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth v5.3
SIM card — One Nano SIM and One eSIM.