News

Consumer Reports: Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ beat iPhone 7 Plus

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We all have our biases, but when you need product rankings, going to an unbiased source like Consumer Reports helps strengthen arguments on which devices deserve the most praise.

In the publication’s latest rankings, Samsung’s pair of Galaxy S8 flagship phones have taken the top two spots for their “stunning camera, long battery life, and gorgeous display in a water-resistant package.”

We see nothing wrong with that. Our own review and hands-on video back up these claims:

The only knocks we have against the pair — and Consumer Reports backs these up — are the awkwardly placed fingerprint scanner on the rear (I’m still not used to it after two months) and Samsung’s immature Bixby virtual assistant.

Otherwise, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ deserve their top spots. Coming in at fourth (we’ll talk about third place later) is the LG G6, which is currently the second most popular — or third if you count the two Galaxies separately — smartphone to have a near-borderless display.

Again, the G6 is a great choice — not just for its beautiful screen, but also because of its solid mix of glass and metal, as well as the surprisingly useful extra-wide camera lens. We have more on those in our own full review:

Fifth place on the Consumer Reports ranking is the aging iPhone 7 Plus. Now, before you think Apple has a disadvantage with the timing of this report and being the oldest of the group, consider that the Galaxy S7 Edge is currently third on the list.

Yes, the Samsung flagship which launched early last year (six months before the iPhone 7 pair) is still a top choice according to Consumer Reports. But this shouldn’t discount the level of quality the iPhone 7 Plus achieves.

If you’ve watched our recent shootout between the Galaxy S8+ and iPhone 7 Plus, you’d see how the latter manages to keep up with the smartphones of tomorrow:

SEE ALSO: Best Premium Smartphones above $600 (June 2017 Edition)

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News

Xiaomi introduces Redmi 12 to the Philippines

Starts at PhP 6,999

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Redmi 12

Xiaomi has officially unveiled the Redmi 12, its latest entry-level smartphone, to the Philippine market.

The sleek budget phone features a 6.79-inch FHD+ 90Hz DotDisplay as part of its 8.17mm thick body which also sports a premium glass back and an infinite camera design.

The screen has Adaptive Sync, and is able to display a 2460 x 1080 resolution — the largest in the Redmi series so far. Moreover, the display is SGS Low Blue Light certified and has a Reading mode 3.0 feature to avoid eye strains.

The device is powered by a MediaTek Helio G88 processor and has up to 8GB RAM and up to 256GB storage. It also houses a 5,000mAh battery that supports 18W of fast-charging.

For its camera package, the Redmi 12 has a 50MP main camera, joined by an 8MP ultra-wide lens and a 2MP macro lens. In front is an 8MP selfie camera.

Price and availability

The Redmi 12 can be snagged for the low early bird price of only PhP 6,999 for the 8GB+128GB model, PhP 1,000 off its original SRP, from September 20 to 29 via Xiaomi’s Lazada store.

The 8GB+256GB variant, on the other hand, is priced at PhP 8,999 and is available on both Lazada and Shopee, on and TikTok starting September 30th.

From September 29 onwards, customers may opt for a 0% interest, 6-month installment plan via Home Credit.

 

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Enterprise

China accuses the United States of hacking into Huawei

Since 2009

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For years, the American government hounded Chinese companies for allegedly giving China an easy backdoor into the United States. The allegations don’t normally happen from the other way around, though. Today is different. The Chinese government has accused the United States of hacking into Huawei servers since 2009.

It’s an uncommon turn of events. In a Weibo post (via Nikkei Asia), China’s Ministry of State Security claimed that it discovered evidence of American hackers breaking into Chinese servers.

According to the post, the U.S. government’s Office of Tailored Access Operations used spyware to access Huawei’s servers since 2009. The spyware involved was called Second Date, a piece of spyware that was, according to the Chinese post, “developed by the U.S. National Security Agency.”

The spyware was partially discovered by Qihoo 360, an agency investigating American-led hacking attacks against China. The mere discovery, however, does not include explicit references to Huawei as a target.

China’s retaliation against the United States is slowly ramping up. Recently, the Chinese government started banning its officials from using iPhones for work. A wider ban might even be in the works.

For the United States, the American government is also investigating Huawei once again. After the surprising launch of the Mate 60 series, the government is interested to see how the Chinese company can still make smartphones without American technology.

SEE ALSO: Analyst: Qualcomm will fall as Huawei rises again

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Gaming

Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord now available for pre-order

To release on October 26

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Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord will launch on October 26 with pre-orders now available on the PlayStation and Meta Quest stores, as revealed during the PlayStation State of Play.

Players may get a first look at the title’s PlayStation VR2 gameplay and features through its newly-released trailer:

The game lets players team up with up to three more allies as they take on a variety of missions, solving puzzles and trapping ghosts to stop the March of the Malevolent.

Under solo mode, players can also take on the Ghost Lord with the help of a ghostly companion.

Thanks to PlayStation VR2’s capabilities, fans can step into the role of a ghostbuster while enjoying 4K HDR graphics, eye tracking for accurate navigation and interaction, both headset and haptic feedback, and adaptive triggers.

Price, availability

Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord is available for pre-order via the PlayStation Store with a limited-time 10% discount at just US$ 31.49 for the base game and US$ 49.49 for the Full Containment Edition.

The Full Containment Edition is also available for pre-order on the Meta Quest Store for a limited time at US$ 49.99.

 

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