News

Xiaomi Mi Note 2 has curved display, high-end specs

Published

October 26, 2016

Marvin Velasco

Just as you thought Xiaomi couldn’t do any better than the Mi 5s and 5s Plus, the Chinese manufacturer decided to outdo itself and launch its Mi Note 2 flagship phablet before the holidays. We may have our Galaxy Note 7 replacement.

We can’t call the Mi Note 2 a perfect clone of Sammy’s discontinued engineering marvel, but it comes close in several ways. The most obvious similarity is the 5.7-inch dual-curved OLED display; it’s so comparable to the Note 7’s, we wonder if Samsung provided the panel itself.

[irp posts=”4798″ name=”Xiaomi Mi 5s and 5s Plus set to challenge iPhone 7 and 7 Plus”]

The downside is the limited Full HD 1080p resolution, lower than the Quad HD 1440p normally found on handsets sized 5.5 inches and up. While it isn’t something you’d normally fuss over, the lack of pixels is noticeable if you’re thinking of hooking it up to a virtual reality headset.

Contrary to the leaks we witnessed last week, the Mi Note 2 does not have a dual-camera setup. It’s a surprising omission, considering this being Xiaomi’s supposed best, but the unique imaging capabilities are probably best left on the recently launched Mi 5s to keep it relevant.

Instead, there’s a single 22.5-megapixel camera at the back with a basic set of autofocusing and LED flash features, and no optical image stabilization. The front-facing shooter isn’t anything exciting either, only having an 8-megapixel sensor and autofocusing to its credit.

Xiaomi Mi Note 2 in glacier silver and piano black

Aside from the sexy display, nothing really shouts “buy me” when looking at the Mi Note 2. You do get a collection of the finest chipset specifications, although they aren’t anything we haven’t seen before.

For one, there’s Qualcomm’s top-performing Snapdragon 821 processor, along with a choice of either 4GB of memory and 64GB of internal storage, or 6GB of memory and 128GB of storage. Picking the latter configuration nets you a future-proofed smartphone for at least the next six months… hopefully.

Go a little bit deeper, and you’ll a find high-quality audio chip capable of 24-bit/192kHz music playback, as well as a satisfactory 4070mAh battery with the ability to charge at a rapid pace thanks to Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology.

Xiaomi Mi Note 2’s highlighted specs and pricing

To be honest, we were expecting a lot more from the Mi Note 2. Yes, the hardware is all there, yet we can’t help but feel underwhelmed after all we’ve seen from recent competitors and the leaks themselves. Call us spoiled, or hungry for some innovation — or just wanting the simultaneously unveiled Mi Mix more.

Spending CNY 3,299 ($487) rewards you with the top variant in Xiaomi’s home country, while CNY 3,499 ($517) is needed if you purchase one outside of China. Make sure to get the latter, global model for the additional 4G LTE frequency bands and English settings out of the box. You also have the option of going for the cheaper CNY 2,799 ($412) version that has 4GB of RAM with 64GB of storage.

The only colors available are piano black and glacier silver, and shipping of units will begin in early November.

[irp posts=”4119″ name=”Xiaomi Mi Max unboxing and hands-on review”]

Computers

Colorful launches 1st ever Mini PC

Compact and space-saving

Published

April 26, 2024

GadgetMatch

Colorful has announced its first ever Mini PC: The Colorful CMNH01-12450. This new offering gives users a solution for their daily productivity and entertainment needs, all in a compact and small PC chassis.

Space-saving computing

The Colorful Mini PC is a space saver. It is basically just five inches by five inches large, with a thickness of above two inches, conveniently fitting setups with limited spaces. It has a fast 2.5 GbE LAN port and an assortment of connectivity ports for other peripherals and devices.

It also has two USB2.0, two USB 3.2 Gen2, and one USB Type-C ports, as well as one DisplayPort and one 3.5mm audio jack. Furthermore, it supports PCIe Gen 4 SSDs, up to 64GB of DDR4 memory, and an M.2 slot for Wi-Fi modules.

Powerful, efficient

Performance wise, Colorful’s compact PC houses a 12th Gen Intel Core i5 12450H processor with eight cores and 16 threads. The PC can deliver a maximum boost clock of 4.4GHz. The chassis also has a silent turbo fan underneath for cooling. As for its GPU, the mini PC has Intel Iris Xe graphics. Moreover, it will run on Windows 11 Home.

Colorful looks to have different configurations for the product depending on the region. Pricing and availability will be announced later.

News

realme 12 5G Philippine price, availability

realme’s 3rd offering under the 12 series

Published

April 25, 2024

GadgetMatch

The realme 12 5G is now official in the Philippines. Months after launching the the 12+ and 12 Pro+ models under its latest number series line, realme is back with the release of the series’ base model. The realme 12 5G is priced at PhP 14,999 and is available through realme’s ecommerce platforms and offline stores.

As part of its launch, realme is offering customers exclusive deals starting April 25th:

Lazada Flagship (May 5 to 10)

Free realme Buds T100
Free TechLife Hair Dryer

Shopee Official Store (May 5 to 10)

Free TechLife Power Bank 2 20,000mAh
Free TechLife 4.5L See-Through Air Fryer

TikTok Shop (April 25, 7:30 PM to 30)

Free realme Pocket Bluetooth Speaker
Free TechLife Cooling Fan

James Afante TikTok Shop (April 25, 7:30 PM)

Freebie package 1: TechLife Cooling Fan and Free TechLife 4.5L See-Through Air Fryer
Freebie package 2: realme Buds T100 and Free TechLife 4.5L See-Through Air Fryer
Freebie package 3: TechLife Portable Steam Iron, TechLife Electric Kettle, and TechLife Portable Electric Pot

ALSO READ: realme 12+ 5G review: One month later

For offline purchases, customers also stand a chance to win freebies worth up to PhP 24,999 with the Mystery Box promo. Furthermore, they may join the Lucky 12 Challenge for additional freebies when they purchase the realme 12 5G from any of the 100 selected concept stores, kiosks, and exclusive stores.

realme 12 5G

The realme 12 5G is just as capable as its 12+ and Pro+ counterparts. The model boasts of a 108MP 3X zoom portrait camera, taking off from the series’ Portrait Master positioning.

The phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ 5G chipset, has 8GB of base RAM with 8GB RAM expansion, and a 5,000mAh battery with 45W SUPERVOOC Charge. In front is a 6.72-inch FHD+ 120Hz Sunlight Display that has a maximum brightness of 950nits. There is also an 8MP AI selfie camera.

Lastly, the handset also has a similar watch face design at the back. It is available in Twilight Purple and Woodland Green.

ALSO READ: realme 12 Pro+ 5G review: A midrange marvel

News

ZTE nubia Neo 2 5G now in the Philippines: Pricing, details

ZTE’s budget gaming phone gets an upgrade

Published

April 25, 2024

GadgetMatch

ZTE has announced the availability of the nubia Neo 2 5G in the Philippines. The successor to the nubia Neo budget gaming smartphone, the second iteration is armed with an upgraded gaming control experience for Filipino gamers to enjoy.

The nubia Neo 2 5G retains the distinct Bionic Mecha with “Hero Eye” design from its predecessor. It is available in Storm Gray, Sunfire Yellow, and Frost Silver for PhP 9,999.

The phone is powered by a Unisoc T820 processor (6nm). It supports even more Dynamic RAM at 12GB to complement its 8GB base RAM, and also offers 5G dual-card intelligent switching. Additionally, the nubia Neo 2 5G carries an even larger 6,000mAh battery, which supports 33W fast charging.

ALSO READ: ZTE nubia Neo 5G: Decent for gaming

In front, the device sports a 6.72-inch FHD+ display with a 2,400 x 1,800 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate for seamless viewing and scrolling. At the back is a 50MP main camera.

Upgraded Game Space

The nubia Neo 2 5G features Game Space 2.0, an assistance tool that is reminiscent of a professional gaming layout. Here, users may tinker with game optimization functions, including Game Performance Enhancement. This adjusts the device’s CPU and GPU resources to help it manage power and battery usage.

The phone also supports ByPass Charging for uninterrupted gaming. Users may activate this charging feature while the charging cable is connected to the device. When under ByPass Charging, the phone gets powered up but without the battery charging so it can reduce heat.

Upgraded experience

Furthermore, one of the highlights of the nubia Neo 2 5G is its gaming shoulder triggers. This gives users more freedom and control while navigating and playing. Users may also customize the shoulder buttons based on their personal preferences.

Meanwhile, the phone’s Dual Stereo Speakers with DTS:X Ultra provide impressive sound quality. This is further enhanced with four built-in sound effects.