Author: Chris Eilers

Attention, Price Pony readers! Earlier this year, Asus released their flagship Asus Zenfone 2 (ZE551ML), which captures your heart (yes, we know.) Recently, Asus Zenfone 2E was launch at AT&T as well, indicating that the Zenfone 2 series is indeed a big name right now. Moreover, Asus is famous for their devices: good, look nice, and affordable price.

Asus Zenfone 2 is a big boom in the technology market this year

Asus Zenfone 2E is a toned down version in the more affordable brand

As we all know Asus Zenfone 2 series is making a lot of money, so does Asus. It seems Asus is planning to launch two new Zenfone 2! Good news! What do they look like?

Asus Zenfone 2 new handsets

The new devices are Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe and Zefone 2 Laser. Even the name tell us that they look, and will be, awesome.

The back cover of Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe has a 3D-cut design. Moreover, it sports 128GB internal storage on a 4GB RAM. Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe battery is 3,000mAh. The phone has the same specs as the original Asus Zenfone 2 specs with 64 bit processor.  Therefore, it can be considered a flagships as well. Asus fans, prepare your wallet!

Asus Zenfone 2 Laser, on the other hand, has some differences. Asus Zenfone Laser display is a 5 inch screen with Corning Gorilla Glass 4. Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chipset and 2GB RAM are the power.

Asus Zenfone 2 Laser battery is 2600mAh, which is good enough considering its hardware. However, Zenfone 2 Laser camera is good with 13MP resolution for the main one, and 5MP for the front one.

Moreover, these phones will be launched with Asus Zenfone Selfie on August 6, promising a big boom in the market that day.

We do not know if Asus will launch these phones in Philippines or not, but let’s wait since they know that Asus Zenfone 2 is already winning our hearts. And so are the others in the series.

Sony has announced its financial report. Trending on the internet are many games for the PS4, which is its game console and one of the main money source. Therefore, a big part of Sony’s profit comes from this market. Moreover, as their camera technology is always the top, Sony earns much from camera sensors as well.  Their music department also contributed a lot. What’s more interesting to know is that their smart phones aren’t making much.

This could be predicted since Sony Xperia Z3+ / Sony Xperia Z4 could not sell as much as Sony expected them to. Until the end of June 30, Sony claimed that they have earned $14.5 billion. While game consoles are making more money in the future as China 14-year ban on consoles will soon be lifted, other departments still cannot keep up.

Sony Xperia Z3+ specs, though awesome, still cannot make much money for Sony

Mobile sales face a loss of $184 million, which is 16% even worse than last year. It seems Sony is making a new turn in the smart phone market too. They stated that they won’t follow the competition anymore, but focus on their sales instead. This means only their flagship Z series will continue its way. We don’t know if this works, but if it doesn’t then Sony will keep losing in the market world.

Will Sony make its sales go up with their next phone, Sony Xperia Z5?

Whatever it is, Sony is still making money with their camera sensors. A lot of flagships nowadays sport Sony’s camera sensors. Therefore, they stated that they will invest more on this department. Maybe then, their smart phones sales can be better and better as well.

As Q3, 2015 is approaching, Samsung just announced their sales reports from Q2 2015. Figures generated on June 30 is quite similar to what to what they expected earlier. According to that, Q2 2015 only, the Korean smartphone company gained USD 41,7 billion gross sales and USD 5,9 billion for profits, which is 4% less than the same period of last year.

Talking about smartphones in particular, though the number of devices shipped internationally ranked 1st, Samsung’s profits still went down fron USD 3,8 billion from Q2 2014 to USD 2,4 billion from Q2 2015.

Q2 2015 is the time when Samsung focused on 2 of their most premium flagship smartphones: the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. Such results is the proof that despite being the center of attention on technology forums as well as the feature devices of the whole company, the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are not working as well as expected. In order to save the situation, Samsung is having a plan to adjust these S6 and S6 Edge pricing. This means we can totally wait for a price cut from these 2 devices.

Together with the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, Samsung is going to out new devices as well. The Galaxy Note 5 – one of hottest flagships over the internet these days is very potential of improving the situation. Besides that, Samsung will also have another Plus variant of S6 Edge. All of these high-end devices are to prepare for an intense competition against Apple at the time they launch the updates for  iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

Samsung is such a name in the smartphone market whose devices appeared in many lists of best performance and trendy smartphones. Will this decrease in sale of Q2 2015 really affect the company’s business at all? Well, the best is yet to come. We are excited for the Galaxy Note 5 and future KILLERS from Samsung as well as for next quater’s sales report from such giant!

Some of our favorite devices from Samsung include but are not limited to:

GALAXY GRAND PRIME     GALAXY NOTE 5

GALAXY A8 GALAXY S6 and S6 Edge

GALAXY S6 Edge Plus

Motorola has made a big boom lately with the announcement of three new product – Moto X Style, Moto X Play and Moto G (3^rd gen). Even with just one search on google, thousands of results come up, complimenting how beautiful the Moto X Style is. It seems Motorola gets a lot of praises and attention for this flagship. It cannot be denied that the device is beautiful, plus a lot of amazing specs. One of the most outstanding feature may be the Moto X Style camera, which can rival almost all of Sony Xperia series camera. What’s more? We list all the things you need to know below

Moto X Style Design

Moto X Style display is a 5.7 inch Quad HD screen with the pixel density of 520ppi. This giant beast has a relatively big screen size, yes, but with the dimensions of 153.9 x 76.2 x 11.1 mm, Moto X Style still fits in your hands. Moreover, you will feel like you are holding a premium phone. Want more? It is splash resistant with an IP52.

Moto X Style’s beautiful body and customizable covers

The device will have customizable back covers for users to swap between, much like the case on Oneplus Two. The covers are soft and lovely, hard to scratch and receive no fingerprint. Moreover, the more you use it, the more polished the leather covers get.

Moto X Style hardware

Moto X Style comes equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 SoC with 1.8GHz processor. Together with a 3GB RAM, it can handle many large apps and execute things smoothly. 32GB internal storage is available from the start, but if you want more, there’s a 64GB variant. Of course, microSD can always be used.

Moto X Style battery is 3150mAh, which is large and an impressive amount.

Moto X Style camera

Now it’s the game. Moto X Style camera has an impressively high resolution of 21MP, which right now only Sony Xperia Z series can reach. Moreover, it has Dual Led flash and dual tone integrated into the camera. Which make things more interesting is that it has 4k video recording and slow motion video. What do you think? Can Moto X Style camera wins over Sony Xperia Z series’?

Moto X Style specs

• Dimensions: 9 x 76.2 x 11.1 mm
• Display: 5.7″ 16M-color 1440 x 2560 pixels capacitive touchscreen LCD display with Gorilla Glass 3 and ~520 ppi
• CPU: Dual-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A57 and Dual-core 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53
• GPU: Adreno 418
• Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8992 Snapdragon 808
• RAM: 3GB
• OS: Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
• Memory: 32/64GB storage
• Cameras: Primary 21 megapixel phase detection auto-focus camera, auto-HDR mode, panorama, geo-tagging, dual-LED dual-tone flash; 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps;
• Secondary: 5MP front-facing camera with FullHD video capture and front–facing flash;
• Other: Water repellant nano-coating (IP52 certified); Fast battery charging; Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
• Battery capacity: 3000 mAh.

Asus, the Taiwanese company, has been famous for making portable devices such as laptops and tablets before they venture into the smart phone world. Recently, we just wrote an article about Asus Nexus 7 getting 50% sale off and some more interesting deals. As we all know, Nexus 7 tablet is one of the most popular and favorite tablet in the world. Today, Asus announced three more tablets, promising more sales from this market. They are the Zenpad series, namely Asus Zenpad S 8.0, Asus Zenpad 7.0 and Asus Zenpad C 7.0.

Asus Nexus 7 is the world’s favorite tablet

Apart from Asus Zenpad S 8.0 display with a 8 inch screen, the other two Zenpad 7.0 and Zenpad C 7.0 display is a 7 inch screen.

Asus Zenpad S 8.0 display is bigger than the other two

All of them have Corning Gorilla Glass for protection. Moreover, Zenpad S 8.0 hardware is impressive with Intel Atom Z3580 chipset and 2.3GHz quad core processor. Zenpad S 8.0 RAM is 4GB, which is a huge amount on a tablet. 64GB internal storage is available, with microSD card is the choice for expansion (up to 128GB). Asus Zenpad S 8.0 camera is 5MP in resolution, and the front facing one is a 2MP one. The tablet runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop. Asus Zenpad S 8.0 battery is 3950mAh.

For Asus Zenpad 7.0 and C 7.0, Intel Atom X3-C3230 chipset and quad core processor powers up the device. Zenpad 7.0 has 2GB RAM while C 7.0 has 1GB RAM. Both have 16GB internal storage and support microSD card. Zenpad 7.0 camera is 2MP, which is the same on C 7.0. The two devices house 13WHr Lithium Polymer battery.

Asus Zenpad S 8.0 price in Philippines will be PHP 16,995, while Zenpad 7.0 price is Php 7,995 and Zenpad C 7.0 prce is Php 5,995. Asus Zenpad S 8.0 is now available, and the other two will be after next week. If you want to to buy a tablet, consider this Zenpad series.

Here at PricePony, we call August “the smartphone month”. Why? You may already have your answer. In the end of July, we started to see, read, hear and talk about many newly launched flagships with great and greater specs coming to both local and international markets.

As we are saying goodbye to July and welcoming August, it is the perfect time to have a look at all of our most beloved devices that got great attention. Let’s take a look at them to embrace the hottest flagships that launched in July and will do great business in August.

1. LENOVO VIBE SHOT

Lenovo Vibe Shot is the smartphone/camera hybrid that sports a very eye-catching design everyone loves. The device was available on Lazada earlier for PHP 16,999. However, Lenovo Philippines just brought this Vibe Shot to our offline retailers this July 29. Let see how much it will bring to Lenovo and whether it will be the hottest flagships in August.

Check out the Vibe Shot full specs

2. LG G4 6,200 mAH

LG G4 was introduced, launched and sold quite a long time ago. However, LG just provided a new accessory for the device, giving it double battery capacity and making it one of the hottest flagships in August to be expected.

LG G4 full specs

3. Samsung Galaxy Note 5

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is such a killer from what we know for now. After a long time of waiting, Samsung finally confirmed the specs Note 5 is going to feature and some potential design renders that can be chosen to work for  Note 5.

4. OnePlus Two

Talking about the Galaxy Note 5, how can we not mention its competitor OnePlus Two. Why so? Firstly, because they both are 4GB monsters that launched this July. Secondly, they both have been doing so well and getting so much attention. And third, we even made a specs comparison of the dual for you to easier compare. Definitely Hottest flagships in August !

5. Meizu M2 Note

Meizu M2 Note is definitely in the list. This long-awaited budget flagship, which people in Philippines showed lots of interests over, finally arrived locally on July 22 with a price tag of PHP 6,990. Good specs and even better money are what makes the M2 Note one of the hottest flagships in August

Meizu M2 Note specs

6. Meizu M2

As we mentioned about the M2 Note, this “Mini version” of the device: the Meizu M2 should not be forgotten. The nickname “Mini Meizu M2 Note” said it all. The flagship is smaller in size and more affordable in price. However, it still comes with very preferable specs for a humble PHP 4K price tag and was introduced to the market at the end of July. This is very potential to be one of the hottest flagships in August.

Partial specs we know about the Meizu M2

– 5.0” display and Android 5.1 Lollipop

– A unibody  polycarbonate unit ~> which means non removable battery

– Mediatek processor, quad-core MT6735

– 2GB of RAM

– Beautiful 13MP main camera and 5MP front shooter

– 2,5000 mAH battery

– 16GB ROM and 128GB SD card support

7. Asus Zenfone 2E

When the heat from world-famous flagship Zenfone 2 has not cooled down yet, Asus already launched another babe in July. This time, they aimed at the more affordable price group, the Asus Zenfone 2E. While many people say that this is a downgrade from Asus’s previous smartphones, many praised the Zenfone 2E for reaching the needs of many users for a cheap smartphone with acceptable specs. The public still got very excited with this news and is looking forward to see how good the new device will turn out.

Read more about the Zenfone 2E here

8. Xiaomi Mi 4i

Another beast that can’t be missed is Xiaomi Mi 4i. Coming with beautiful design, great battery life and strong RAM, this Chinese smartphone easily beats many competitors in the PHP sub 10K market. And Xiaomi Philippines have brought it to our local market in this month. Xiaomi Mi 4i price is PHP 9,799.

Xiaomi Mi 4i full specs

As we all know, LG sales drop dramatically this year even with the release of its flagship LG G4. Moreover, its main rival, the other Korean manufacturer, Samsung, is making more and more high end products. Samsung smart phone shipments tops the world in Q2, and it seems Samsung will be making more with Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+. LG, however, is not making any significant profits, since it loses around $71.5 million. What can LG do to bring sales up?

released this year, LG G4 specs win many battle, but it is still not helping LG much

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 launch will probably keep Samsung on top

Therefore, LG seems to plan to release more smart phones to compete. The market is crowded, so LG needs to stand out with more flagship similar to LG G4. LG G5 can be the answer.

Recently, leaked photos of LG G5 circulate the internet. LG G5 concept was posted and it seems to gain more attention back to the brand. What is the most outstanding thing we can see right away is that LG G5 case is completely made from metal.

1. LG G5 design – Metal body

We guess LG finally realises that a metal case will protect the phone better and give it a more luxury touch. If LG G5 case is made from metal, then wireless charging with WiPower from Qualcomm can be enhanced too.

2. LG G5 display

Many sources stated that LG G5 display will have a fingerprint sensor, which is not very new on smart phone nowadays. Moreover, LG G5 display will be 4k HD display, a very generous upgrade from LG G4 display (a Quad HD). 5.5 inch is the LG G5 screen size.

3. LG G5 hardware specs

With the probable launch of Snapdragon 820 at the end of this year, LG G5 will likely run on this chipset. An octa core processor of 2.9Ghz and 4GB RAM sound awesome. And we all know how LG G4 works, so LG G5 will probably be another beast.

4. LG G5 camera

We all know camera is one of the most anticipated feature. LG G4 camera overpowers every phone in the same range, so LG G5 camera should as well. It is rumoured to be faster, and around 16MP.

5. LG G5 battery life

Of course, battery is always concerned. For LG G4 battery, we have 3000mAh. It seems LG G5 battery will sport a 3150mAh, not much more than its predecessor. However, as we all know wireless charging is going to be popular, it seems not to be the case for LG G5. Moreover, more than 3000mAh is large enough for a day of use.

Forgot your charger on a trip? You power bank is depleted? Oh and why does your smart phone only stay around 3 hours after your continuous gaming? The problem of smart phone battery life is always as hot as the battery and powers themselves. Moreover, always bringing a charger or power bank with you seems a hassle. Sometimes, you just wish you can charge your phone without them right? So recently, Qualcomm, the famous manufacturer of the Snapdragon chipsets, said that you could charge your phone wirelessly soon.

Qualcomm Technology, a subsidiary of Qualcomm Inc, announced that they have found their way to lack of power on your phones. Instead of having to plug in your phone every time the battery gets low, now you will just have to wirelessly charge it through the phone’s metal case. Qualcomm WiPower technology is the savior, and it seems many people will celebrate this new technology on their phone soon. Smart phone battery saver, here it is!

It supports wireless charging already, but your LG G4 battery can be fully charged faster!

The technology based on a wireless charging standard named Rezen, which many known smart phone manufacturers like Samsung, Microsoft, LG, Lenovo, … are members. The technology allows your smart phones, which have metal exteriors, to charge at full speed or faster than non-metal device or other wireless smart phone battery charging. Additionally, WiPower does not need your device to be in direct contact with the power source.

No more need for these chargers in the future

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 battery can be wirelessly charged too

It seems that WiPower allow allow multiple charging at the same time. For example, your Nexus 7, Sony Xperia Z3 or your friend’s Meizu M2 Note can be charge on the same power source. No more worry about battery life lacking or smart phone battery charger. Just enjoy your trip, and enjoy using your phone.

Earlier in February, leaking rumors about 4 newest Lenovo smartphones also included the mysterious Vibe P1 with nothing more than a render picture. Almost 6 months have pasted since then, and once more, the internet spotted some more information about the device. With what you know this time, the Lenovo Vibe P1 may be coming with metal rears and huge battery capacity of up to 5,000 mAH and more.

Lenovo Vibe P1: huge battery and what’s more?

This massive battery reminds us of the Chinese smartphone company which produced Doogee S6000 that looks pretty much like a Mi Note Pro and carries a 6,000 mAH battery.  So the 5,000 mAH of this alleged Lenovo Vibe P1 is great but not too amazing. Does Lenovo have anything else to offer this flagship with beside a long life power?

According to reports, the device sports 5.0” display protected by Gorilla Glass 3 with a 720 x 1280 pixel resolution and 294ppi density.

The Lenovo Vibe P1 is powered by Snapdragon 410 chip set with 1.3GHz quad-core and 2GB of RAM. It seems that the device weighs 148g and is 9.35mm in thickness. From what we know, Lenovo focus this device as a battery monster, so other trendy specs like cameras and RAM are of good-quality but not so outstanding. For example, the Lenovo Vibe P1 cameras are 8MP for rear shooter and 5MP for the selfie snapper.

Lenovo Vibe P1 to introduce soon

But what makes the device interesting is that it is supported with 4G connectivity and will be available in black and white. Besides what we have provided you, it is also leaked that Lenovo will introduce the Vibe P1 to the world on August 15, which is only 2 more weeks to go.

With appealing huge battery capacity, latest 4G connectivity, good RAM and OK camera sensors, will the Vibe P1 become another flagship that helps make Lenovo more popular in the smartphone market?

Cameras on smart phones are more and more advanced, to the level that it could rival the best of those professional cameras. The resolution of a smart phone camera is always higher and higher as each year passes. Nokia 1020, for example, has the highest resolution for its camera – 41MP. The bar keeps getting raised for other smart phones as well. A few years ago, 13MP is some amazing thing, but right now 16MP could be considered a normal specs for smart phone camera.

Samsung Galaxy S5 camera can reduce the focus time on an animated object to 0.3 second

LG G Pro 2 can blur and sharpen an area on your photo with just a single tap

Not only that, many smart phones nowadays offer the option of 4k video recording, something even a professional camera has difficulties shooting. This also means that a range of professional DSLR cameras will not seem to be that much more amazing than the cameras built on high end smart phones.

4k video on a smart phone, for example taken by Sony Xperia Z3+ camera, can almost be as good as a DSLR

If we only look at video recording, a lot of smart phones are doing the job very well. The highest end one can even rival cheaper professional cameras. However, it is hard for smart phone camera to completely overpower professional ones, since the larger the sensor is, the better the image it produces. Professional cameras can be bigger,yes, but nobody would want a huge smart phone over them.

However, the situation is changing. Samsung announced a super thin smart phone camera module lately, and it means an even brighter future for smart phone camera. A super thin module means a smart phone does not have to be bigger to have higher quality cameras. It seems that the day when we choose a smart phone over a DSLR camera is very, very near. Who knows Samsung Galaxy Note 5 camera will be the first one to make you so?

After the OnePlus Two launch event two days ago, there are a lot of articles about its features, comparing it and other flagship smart phones of 2015, and many other topics. We even wrote two articles about Oneplus Two design and Oneplus Two top features. However, it seems the hot trend Oneplus Two created is not over yet. Having 4GB RAM, elegant body design, 13MP camera sure keep Oneplus Two on top of any websites’ hottest topics. Today, we bring you a closer look about how Oneplus Two will fare when it is placed next to another flagship, Samsung Galaxy Note 5.

Oneplus Two unveiled 2 days ago

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is expected to launch on August 13

Oneplus Two vs Samsung Galaxy Note 5 specs

Oneplus Two vs Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Design

As we stated in the article here, Oneplus Two has a beautiful design. The metal frame around its body and stainless steel gives a more luxury touch and feeling to Oneplus Two design. On the other hand, Samsung Galaxy Note 5 also sports aluminum edges.
Oneplus Two display is a 5.5 inch screen with the resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels (~401 ppi pixel density), which is a bit smaller than that of Samsung Galaxy Note 5. On Note 5 screen, the resolution is a Quad HD :1440 x 2560 pixels (~515 ppi pixel density). It seems that Note 5 wins this display battle.

Moreover, Corning Gorilla Glass 4 is on both devices. Android Lollipop is the base OS, with the TouchWiz UI on Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Oxygen UI on Oneplus Two.

Oneplus Two vs Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Hardware

This is rather an amusing battle. If you look at the table above, Oneplus 2 specs shows that it sports a Snapdragon 810 octa core 1.8Ghz processor and 4GB, while Samsung Galaxy Note 5 shows that it will be equipped with Exynos 7422 and 4GB RAM. Both devices have large 4GB RAM, however, it seems that the new Exynos from Samsung will help the phone execute high speed performance. Therefore, this battle is almost a tie right now.

Talking about OnePlus 2 internal storage, it comes in 16GB and 64Gb variants. Meanwhile, Samsung Galaxy Note 5, in a tested version, seems to have a 32GB variant and another 64GB one. There is no microSD slot on Oneplus 2 though, while rumors say that Note 5 will support one.

Oneplus Two vs Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Camera

As cameras on smart phones get updated time after time, 13MP seems not very amazing for Oneplus Two camera. With Samsung Galaxy Note 5, the camera is 16MP main. However, with dual led flash, it seems Oneplus two camera still gets some attention. Both devices sports a 5MP front camera.

For Oneplus Two vs Samsung Galaxy Note 5 battery life, the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 battery is 4100mAh. Oneplus Two battery is a bit smaller, 3300mAh. With this specs, Note 5 beats Oneplus Two in terms of endurance.

Oneplus Two Price is $329 for the 16Gb version and $389 for the 64Gb version. We still do not know Samsung Galaxy Note 5 price yet, but we should know soon since August 13 is coming.

OnePlus Two is like the heart of the spotlight everywhere over the internet lately. People write, talk and discuss aboout the device invariably. Are you also wondering what it has to receive so much attention? Well, actually, everything has its own reason. Here are top 5 outstanding features of this new killer

1. 4GB RAM

This OnePlus 2 flagship isn’t the first device to have the 4GB RAM. However, it doesn’t only have 4GB RAM. OnePlus Two is one of the most affordable 4GB RAM beast that comes along with Snapdragon 810 processor.

This processor is one of the fastest smartphone CPUs in the market. This new device runs the company’s own Oxygen OS system, and also has lightweight operating systems. These combination make this device worthy (and special) to possess.

2. Fingerprint Sensor

One feature that puts handset far apart from other flagships is its fingerprint sensor. This sensor that is similar to Apple’s TouchID system is faster than Apple’s.

3. Laser Autofocus

When it comes to camera, the handset comes with extremely impressive snappers. Laser auto-focus allows the phone’s camera to find focus super fast via means of a beam of laser.

13MP rear mounted laser technology sharpens and focuses the camera in just .33 milliseconds and the wide-angle 5MP front-facing camera ensures every angle is covered

4. USB Type-C

The OnePlus 2 flagship supports USB-C connector, which currently features on Apple’s latest MacBook and Google’s latest Pixel chromebook. Such function is expected to take off as the new connection standard in the next year or so. USB-C is reversible, which means that you can insert it into the phone in any way you want.

5. Physical Mute Switch

The physical mute switch from Apple’s iPhone seems to have become quite a favourite among Chinese manufacturers. The interesting thing about this OnePlus 2 flagship is that it works in three steps, giving better control over sounds/notifications, or profiles in general.

Now what do you think after knowing them all? 4GB RAM used to be the best selling point a smartphone can have. But is 4GB RAM really enough? Especially when new devices like this OnePlus Two can have more than just a powerful RAM and is still affordable!