A Classy Looking Phone that Performs Well: OPPO A95

I spent a couple of weeks using this phone and by any standard, it's pretty sick. This is the OPPO A95, one of OPPO's newest phones in the market and with what I've heard, this does photos and videos quite well. That's something that I need especially for creating content these days because quality before I even edit things, is certainly something that I wanted to have.

Really Good Hardware

Specs wise, the OPPO A95 doesn't dissapoint because the battery life is quite phenomenal. With 5000mAh, you can last the whole day and even have more for music and media when your events call for it. With their 33W Flash Charge, it won't be problematic if you're charging the phone for a few minutes. Equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 and proprietary System Booster, you'll have performance happen on the most resource draining applications like games or editing software, which I'm pretty fond of using. I played Mobile Legends and CODM with it, heating was actually not an issue even though I've probably expected it to do so. Albeit having a plastic back panel, it didn't feel uncomfortable during the hours I've handled it. OPPO made the OPPO A95 also look classy, with that sheen you find in pearls, it has made the variant I handled (Glowing Rainbow Silver) look expensive yet stay very light.

The phone also has 8GB+128GB ROM plus its capability to expand storage. The screen is wide at 6.43 inch, so you kinda enjoy watching YouTube videos and movies when on landscape. Here's how I unboxed it a few days ago.

 

 The OS is good

With its ColorOS 11.1, the interface is very smooth when you switch apps. I tried memory hogging apps for video editing and games, but so far, I've never had it hang at all.

Pretty Good Cameras

This has got 3 cameras at the back that's got 48MP, 2MP for the depth of field and 2MP for the macro shots. The portrait mode was actually not too overly processed and got the blurry parts right. It also didn't make the image too warm which is something that I've noticed on other brands but that's another story. The AI mode for Beautification was just enough to cover little imperfections, you can even do without it tbh. If you're fond of going back to events, even if it's dark where you're at, the night mode on front and back should do you good. They too must have figured 4K videos is a little too heavy to be edited hence the 1080P on this handset. All your raw videos can be edited on their propreitary software called SoLoop, though I haven't used it yet it kinda does things automatically so it's not gonna be hard to learn how to use it. It's also a lot easy on the eyes as it's got AI Eye Care which automatically detects brightness and adjusts the screen to your liking, or manually, you can do it too.

Does it justify the price point? Certainly, it's got a lot of premium features but remained mid-range, I think that's good. If you want to know more about the OPPO A95, check out OPPO's social channels and official website. There's lots of things you will like about it. I'm practically sold on the photos.

SAMSUNG Outs Two Entry Level Phones Galaxy M02 and M12

The Samsung Galaxy M02 and the Samsung Galaxy M12

Looks like Samsung is going to be giving consumers a LOT of choices this year. Recently, they launched 2 new entry level phones in the market and we've gotten to test out one of them, the Samsung Galaxy M12. The other one they launched is the Samsung Galaxy M02. 

Here's our first impression of the new Samsung Galaxy M12 on video:

The Galaxy M12 comes in Black, Blue and Green. It's got a 6.5 inc HD+TFT display, an Octa Core 2GHz Exynos 850 Processor, comes in 4GB and 64GB storage. You can also expand it to 1TB on a separate micro SD card and enjoy hours of social media, streaming and gaming as its got a 5000 mAh battery. It also has Quad rear cameras featuring a 48MP main cam, 5MP ultra wide, 2MP Macro and 2MP for depth of field. The front camera is an 8MP, so you can still take awesome selfie shots with apt amount of details. The phone also has got 15W fast charging capability, a finger print scanner on the side and dolby atmos audio. I have had the privilege of editing photos, videos, recording them as well and it performed at par/even better than other entry level phones on this price range. It did run Mobile Legends and Call of Duty Mobile on it, I've enjoyed several minutes of games before I started browsing social media channels on it. 

The more affordable Samsung Galaxy M02 on the other hand carries a Quad Core MT6739WW processor. It also got a 2GB RAM and 32GB storage for all your photos and videos. It comes in Black, Blue and Gray colorways and has dual back cameras that have 12MP main and 2MP for macro shots. It also has a 5MP front camera which is ample for selfies and taking videos for socials. Currently, the prices for these two land on Php 7,490 for the Samsung Galaxy M12 and Php 4,490 for the Samsung Galaxy M02.

Samsung also has an exclusive #MakeYourMove sale on Lazada so if you prefer the Galaxy M12, it would be best to get it from there. The Galaxy M02 on the other hand can be bought in Samsung partner stores like MX MemoXpress Online, Shopee, Abenson, Gizmo Central, Galleon and Samsung.com. There's lots of things Samsung is introducing soon, perhaps more AIOT devices? Smart homes? They're just starting!

Unboxing the new Vivo Y20s G

News of this particular model surfaced a few days ago, but hey, we've got first dibs on what is the new Vivo Y20s G, probably an entry to mid range level phone from vivo Philippines.

This is a review unit so we're going to find how it fares and its performance a couple days from now, but so far, aesthetic wise, this is actually a very remarkable one. The build is pretty sleek, you can feel how premium it is. They'll probably have this in different colors, but the Obsidian Black is super nice as it is shiny, and looks expensive.

This can carry a lot of games as its got a Mediatek Helio G80 chipset. This also has a 6GB + 128GB RAM and ROM which means it can do several jobs at a time and store tons of photos and videos in this thin phone. The main camera is at 13MP, with 2 2MP lenses for depth and and macro shots. The front cam is an 8MP teardrop design embedded on top. It's also dual sim, so you can fit two lines if you have different networks you need to be in whether data or calls. You can use this all day, even more as it carries a 5000mAh battery which means it can do hours and hours of games, calls, streams and entertainment.

I will be trying it out for a couple of days so stay tuned on how we check and fare its camera, how it churns out photos and also videos. If this proves to be affordable, this would be something Filipinos would love especially if you're on a budget.

Stay tuned!

Dare to Be Who You Are with the REALME C15

The REALME C15 is the newest smartphone model released by the fastest growing brand realme. In the eve of a pandemic, where every man, woman, teen or person is looking for a phone that would be sufficient for online classes, photography, video and a little gaming on the side, this delivers quite nicely on their promise, plus two wonderful things, the battery life of 6000 mAh and the wonderful price point it is in.

We talked to their Marketing Lead Eason De Guzman yesterday on a blogger online meetup and he says "Dare to Be is one of our campaigns, our realme Fan Fest this August is all about having representation of who you are and what you are, to introduce a smartphone that would fit your lifestyle. We are going to make this fit you and not just settle on technical stuff. I am grateful for all your support for the brand and we want to elevate with what you can do with a companion smartphone, this no longer just promotion, but definitely something that would fit you. Realme fan fest will be happening the whole month, and we have tons of partnerships with brands like Angkas, via MLBB allstars Tournament, Forever21 Real Fashion challenge, realme Mobile Legends Cup Season 3. RMC is a partnership with Mobile Legends, for Tiktok Treats, we have Wave 2. We have tons of prizes in store where people can win points if you follow instructions and use it to get gadgets and phones as well. Angkas also is having Spot the Angkas where you need to take a photo of riders with the special #RealmexAngkas outfits.

He adds "We also have the Realme C15 launching soon (yes TODAY), it has the Helio G35 processor same as the C11. The upgrades are the first quad camera in the C Series, 13MP cam, black and white lens, 8MP lens and a rethro lens. This has up to 57 days of standby power because of the 6000 mAh battery. You can play lots of games, do calls, use the 18W fast charge which you can have 25% of juice in just 30minutes. C15 will be available in 3GB+64GB and 4GB+64GB variant. Only 1000 pcs will be available in Lazada PH only. We have plans and contests in the future which will be only for those who have it. It will be a huge celebration for Realme, we are determined to launch a 5G phone soon which you probably have seen in Smart ads/materials.”

I asked about why they are doing it in August which is known as the ghost month, he replied "We want to keep peoples morale up, this is more on giving back to the community, hence our partnerships with other brands. The clamor of our fans/community is being active still, so we are doing this even if it is ghost month. We are a brand that started hearing the needs of users who want more power and style. It is already worldwide, our global expansion is happening, we adhere to local culture and adaptation. This is why we are the fastest growing smartphone brand in just a small amount of time."

"The C15 has a polycarbonate plastic but is fingerprint resistant because of the pattern, it is textured and we heard that from users, then considered it. This is something that people are looking forward to now, people want to explore business, homeschooling, a battery that lasts longer than needed is what we gave this phone now."

Now here's a little unboxing video I made of the Realme C15, enjoy!

Also, here are some sample photos I shot yesterday while on my usual GCQ shopping/market trip for essentials.

Note: These are unedited and are compressed for web. These are in different sizes as the phone has got different frames and modes.

Food shots in regular frame

Now you know what I had for breakfast

Can't sleep so took a selfie

1x1 with a model street cat named Hurley (I made that up)

Nightmode inside my room (pitch black) but it still got a shot of my curtains

Full Frame shot after an afternoon monsoon rain

You can feel the emotions of the shot, because it was gloomy when I did this and it is gloomy on the output.

I have also taken videos using the time lapse and slow mo options of this phone and it did an excellent job despite my shaky hands. I bet I can use them for B rolls if ever I had a vlog for that too. It is available in two colors, Seagull Silver and Marine Blue. Imagine the countless hours of gaming and entertainment you can spend on one charge, that alone is AMAZING!

As for the price, they just released it just a few minutes ago and yes, it is under 7K. This doodle box exclusive phone is going to be available in Lazada as an Online Exclusive: Php6,490 3+64 starting August 20, 6:30PM. Also on 8.28 realme Super Brand Day.

The realme C15 will be available both online and offline (realme stores and official dealers) at Php6,990 for tue 4+64GB version starting August 21. You've got options if you've got cash, this was a good buy though.

Dare to be part of the Realme community! 

VIVO V9 Launched in the Philippines

VIVO V9, the new flagship phone of VIVO

It’s an exciting addition to their arsenal and true enough, they just launched the VIVO V9 in the Philippines and we’ve been raring to get our hands on it.

It’s got a FullView Display, 24MP Front Camera (in a notch),Dual Rear Cameras, 4GB RAM, 64 GB ROM and 2.2GHz Snapdragon 626 Octacore processor. I love it’s selfie capability so far and how it’s AI handles it. It also has AR Stickers for more fun if you love playing with it. I just installed games like Hello Hero and ROS and it has pretty much made my experience smooth, no lags at all.

Here’s my unboxing video, please enjoy!

What’s new about the V9? It’s got a 6.3 inch display, 5.5 size handset, 90% screen to body ratio, 19:9 aspect ratio so you see more of your movies each time. Dual rear camera with 16 and 5 megapixels on it. The front camera has 24 Megapixels. You can also adjust the bokeh with the shot refocus if you want more of that on your photos. It’s also got AI Photography, it adjusts proper face beauty level anytime anywhere. The AR stickers is also fun! It takes your photos to another level. The AI attention sensing also lowers the phones settings if you’re in a meeting, the AI Game Mode also is built in so you won’t get interrupted if you’re playing a game. It also has picture in picture so replying to messages and email is easy, yes it can be all done on the Vivo V9. Price is set at Php 17,990 and can be pre ordered starting March 26.

For more information about the phone, please like their social media channels because they’ll be talking about it more in the coming weeks. I’ll update this post with the price!

KUMAGCOW

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The Nokia Lumia 720 Unboxing and Review

Hi guys! This is my first attempt at making a video review for a gadget and I think I did a pretty good job at it (hey be nice! LOL). Thanks to the great people at Nokia Headquarters, Nokia Philippines and Fuentes Manila for this unit.

Sorry about the audio in the beginning of the video, I'll probably do a better thing with that soon! :)

The Nokia Lumia 720 rocks! It's cheaper than other Windows OS phones too. If you are looking for bang for the buck quality in a handset, this is the one that you should get! Thanks and watch out for more reviews soon!

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