written by Cathy Dellosa Lo , as originally posted at the Philippine Online Chronicles
Sure, everyone has an iPhone or a Samsung mobile in their hands these days, but why would you want to be just like the rest of them? If you’re buying a new phone for the holidays, here are the newest picks in the country right now—smartphone clichés aside.
1.Alcatel Flash 2
With a 5-inch HD IPS panel equipped with Miravision Display Technology for enhanced picture quality, the Alcatel Flash 2 is true to its name. Because the brilliant display allows you to choose viewing options, it lets you see the images you take the way they are meant to be seen—clean, crisp, and vibrant. On the side of the phone, there is a dedicated camera button so that you can snap away seamlessly whenever a moment in your life calls for it, and the 13-Megapixel camera gives you f/2.0 aperture for superior low-light performance. Samsung’s ISOCELL sensor is present, too, and the Dual RealTone LED flash plus 80° Wide Angle 5P Lens makes the Alcatel Flash 2 a reliable companion for basically any kind of photo-op. Cap those off with 4x Digital Zoom and a quick .3 seconds when focusing on the subject of your shots, and you’ve got a camera phone you simply can’t do without especially when you love taking pictures.
Let’s not forget the 5-megapixel front-facing camera for those epic selfies with soft LED and autofocus features (plus Beauty modes, too—because who needs Photoshop, right?). Of course, we should also take into consideration the Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system and Mali-T720 GPU based MediaTek MT6753 chipset. The 64-Bit Octa Core 1.3 GHz ARM Cortex A53 plus 2GB of RAM and 16GB of ROM is good enough for its price (the memory is expandable with the microSD card expansion slot as well), which is a stunning Php 6,190 in Lazada.
- Google’s Huawei Nexus 6P
Coupled with Google’s release of the Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system, the Huawei Nexus 6P boasts of a premium aluminum frame design and 12-megapixel camera featuring Dual Tone LED flash, f/2.0 aperture, 1.55µm pixel size, and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. Fortified by Gorilla Glass 4, the 5.7-inch Quad HD 1440 x 2560 pixels AMOLED display pretty much makes this phone a phablet. It flaunts a 64-Bit Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset as well as 3GB of RAM. You have the option to choose 32, 64, or 128GB ROM variants, and while the 3,450 mAh Li-Po battery is non-removable, the phone packs quite a punch as it is. The Nexus 6P is a tad pricey at approximately Php23,000 to Php30,000 depending on the memory capacity, but as one of Google’s flagship phones this year, it’s a price worth paying indeed.
- Google’s LG Nexus 5X
The second Android 6.0 Marshmallow-powered Google phone is a bit lighter on the wallet compared to the Nexus 6P. With the Nexus 5X by LG, you can get a 5.2-inch Full HD IPS panel with a polycarbonate build and a formidable 64-Bit Hexa-Core Snapdragon 808 chipset. There is a fingerprint scanner at the back for optimum security and a 13-megapixel cam with Dual Tone LED flash and 1.55µm pixel size (plus a 5 Megapixel front-facing camera for those inevitable selfies). You can choose from the color variants Ice, Quartz, and Carbon and from the memory options 16GB and 32GB, which cost about Php 17,000 and Php 20,000 respectively.
- Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.5-inch ZE550KL
Asus has never been one to disappoint with its ZenFone, and for a price point that’s less than Php 9,000, it’s a definite steal. With a 5.5-inch IPS+ display panel and an HD 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, the Asus ZenFone 2 Laser 5.5-inch ZE550KL has high-end imaging capabilities with Laser Autofocus technology. It features a 13 Megapixel rear cam with Dual Tone LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing selfie camera so you’re sure to capture the best-looking photos on such a budget-friendly phone. A big plus when comparing this gadget to others in the market is its removable battery which has a capacity of 3,000 mAh, and with its 64-Bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410, you won’t have to keep charging your phone at the end of each day. Trendy users can choose from black, white, red, silver, and gold to suit their individual personalities.
- Sony Xperia M5 Dual
No list is complete without throwing Sony into the mix. The Sony Xperia M5 Dual boasts of superior aesthetics with water resistant OmniBalance features and stainless steel corners. No other competitor comes close with the 21.5 Megapixel camera and 0.25-second Hybrid autofocus that comes bundled with Phase Detection AF and Contrast Detection AF. And true to being a Sony product, the phone has the impressive capabilities of capturing 4K Ultra HD videos—a powerhouse in itself. And as if that weren’t enough, the M5 Dual is powered by the Mobile Bravia Engine and an Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system, so multitasking comes easily for busy fingers out there. It’s priced at approximately Php22,000 and comes in white, black, and gold.
- OPPO R7 Lite and R7 Plus
OPPO has its own set of phones that are worthy of competing with the mobile giants as well. The unibody magnesium alloy shell of both the R7 Lite and the R7 Plus makes the phones look sleek and elegant, and with the 64-Bit Octa Core Qualcomm MSM8939 Snapdragon 615 chipset, these contenders are tough to beat. Boasting of a 2.5 D Arc-Edge Gorilla Glass 3 touchscreen and Schneider-Kreuznach ISOCELL optics in the 13-megapixel front camera, you can be sure to take stunning photos that you can view in all their splendor with the 6-inch Full HD 4128 x 3096 pixels AMOLED display for the OPPO R7 Plus. Add to that the Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system and you’ve got a good deal with Php22,000 for the Plus and Php14,000 for the Lite.
Mr. Marton Barcza, Global Communications Manager for OPPO, adds that “The R7 Series is not just about style. It’s also about flash: flash shot, flash operation, and flash charge. The two models feature a dual-drive hybrid camera focus system, translating to fast and accurate focus. You’ll never miss a second with the OPPO R7 Series’ Flash Shot tech. OPPO smartphones are known for their fantastic imaging platform: Pure Image.” With that said, how can any phone-phile resist?
*Images: Alcatel Flash 2, Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Asus Zenfone, Xperia M5, and OPPO R7 Plus taken from official websites. Some rights reserved.
