realme truly is shaking things up with the launch of two new devices to add to its ever expanding portfolio. The realme X3 SuperZoom and the realme Watch are now officially in the Philippines.

realme X3 SuperZoom: First flagship smartphone in PH

The company is referring to The realme X3 SuperZoom is the first flagship smartphone that they are bringing over to the Philippines.

Inside, it’s powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor with 12GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage. It has a 6.6-inch IPS LCD display with support for 120Hz screen refresh rate.

It has a quad-camera setup. The main 64MP ultra-high resolution wide angle camera is flanked by the 8MP ultra-wide angle lens, an 8MP periscope lens, and a 4MP macro lens.

The 64MP lens is the Samsung ISOCELL GW1 — the same sensor realme has used for their 64MP phones. The periscope lens is capable of up to 60X hybrid zoom which is great as long as you don’t do creepy things with it.

realme has also been proud of the work they have done on their phone’s Night Mode, taking it even a step further with Starry Mode. This is essentially an astrophotography feature that should come in handy when we’re finally allowed to actually stay outdoors.

In front it has a 32MP camera and it shares some video shooting features with the rear camera like UIS Video Stabilization, and in-software bokeh effect.

realme Watch

The realme Watch, meanwhile, is a fitness band that doesn’t look like most fitness bands. It foregoes the slimmer design and instead gives us a 3.5cm (1.4”) display.

It has 14 different workout and sports modes, has a camera shutter, water reminder, and meditation features. The watch can also track your heart rate, sleep, and monitor your blood-oxygen levels.

Price and availability

The realme X3 SuperZoom will retail for PhP 24,990 (US$506). Pre-order starts on July 9 to July 17 in realme concept stores, kiosks and select stores nationwide.

During the pre-order period, customers will also get to claim exclusive realme Buds Air Black worth PhP 3,990 (US$ 81).

The realme Watch will retail for PhP 3,990 (US$ 81) and will be available alongside the X3 SuperZoom. Customers may avail the device at PhP 1,000.00 off during Lazada’s 7.15 mid-year sale.

As another school year begins, students and educators need the best devices to keep up with their needs. The need for a good device is particularly important this year as most schools shift to online remote learning. A good device can be a reliable smartphone that has attractive specs at an affordable price tag.

Those looking for their next smartphone should take a look at OPPO’s offerings this July. OPPO Philippines is offering discounts for some models as part of its back-to-school sale. Discounted models include the A-series and the Reno series. Up to PhP 3,000 discount can be had on select models.

A-series discounts

• A5s (3GB / 32GB) — from PhP 6,990 to PhP 5,990
• A5s Smart — PhP 4,990
• A9 2020 (8GB / 128GB) — from PhP 13,990 to PhP 12,990 

Reno-series discounts

• Reno 2F — from PhP 17,990 to PhP 15,990
• Reno 2 — from PhP 28,990 to PhP 25,990

To avail of these discounted models, head over to any open OPPO concept stores or authorized resellers nationwide. Students may also buy OPPO smartphones on Lazada or Shopee. For more information about the promo, visit OPPO’s website. 

For almost a decade, Grab affixed itself as a staple in Filipinos’ lives. The ride-hailing app’s advent revolutionized mobility in the Philippines, making living in the metro relatively convenient.

In 2020, Grab takes things a step further, launching Small Business Booster Program. Moreover, the company partnered with the Department of Agriculture, Department of Tourism, and the Department of Trade and Industry.

Grab is aiming to support local businesses in their transition to a growing digital economy. It seeks to bridge the gap between MSMEs and consumers relying on digital-based services. Furthermore, it kickstarted initiatives that are accessible to small business owners — particularly mom-and-pops or independent, family-owned businesses.

Transitioning to digital services

“Small, independent businesses are the backbone of our economy,” according to Grab Philippines Brian Cu.

Believing that supporting government initiatives will help these businesses rejuvenate the economy amid the pandemic, the Small Business Booster Program strives to provide digital support to businesses, such as GrabMerchant.

This all-in-one platform helps business owners augment their customer base efficiently. Some features include Insights — providing analytics to a merchant’s sales, marketing campaigns, and its customers’ profile and buying behavior.

There’s also an ads creation tool, which allows merchant-partners to create their own advertisements and track performance in Grab’s platform.

GrabMerchant is available to existing Grab merchant-partners as an app. A web portal is already in the works, which will roll out by the end of August 2020. Currently, there are over 78,000 merchant-partners onboarded in the Grab app across Southeast Asia.

In the Philippines, Grab recorded almost 12,000 merchants between March and June 2020, with small businesses seeing at least 57 percent growth in their online revenues. Interested merchants can sign up through this link.

Photo by Grab Philippines

Free, personalized ads

Aside from GrabMerchant’s Ads creation tool, Grab is committed to supporting Filipino merchants with advertising solutions. Most merchant-partners saw up to 300 percent return on ad spend, after placing an ad on GrabFood’s homepage.

Through its “Homegrown Heroes” initiative, Grab will create personalized ads for over 1,000 merchant-partners, featuring their businesses for five weeks on the most prominent spaces within the app. Costs and resources required to produce materials will be covered by Grab.

An easy way to receive payments

If you’re a social seller, take advantage of Grab’s Offline to Online (O2O) Merchant Support Program. Businesses with no online presence can set up their online stores, and utilize an integrated GrabPay checkout for virtual payments through a landing page on Grab.com.

Since the lockdown, people turned to social selling for sustenance. However, online selling plies with tricky payment methods. Grab aims to ease purchasing and receiving payments through its Remote GrabPay link solution, where sellers can hand out URLs to their customers.

These links will allow customers to make direct payments from their GrabPay Wallet, which sellers receive easily. Access the service through this link.

Connecting rural entrepreneurs

Grab is also leveraging its leadership in technology and innovation to help expand livelihood opportunities to Filipino farmers across the country.

It has been actively working with local governments in helping traditional ecosystems maintain their presence in a growing digital economy. Together with the Department of Agriculture’s Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita program and the Department of Tourism’s Philippine Harvest Initiative, Grab seeks to create an avenue for Filipino farmers to earn through the Grab platform. More importantly, their fresh produce will be delivered to customers across Metro Manila.

To learn more about Grab’s response in the COVID-19 impact, check their social report, Grab for Good through this link.