For the past year, we had a great time of smartphone launches, demos, reviews & more. Before we enter 2014, the YugaTech team voted upon ourselves our very own top 5 smartphones for 2013 & we combined them with our readers’ very own best smartphones poll earlier this year. So without further ado, here are the top 5 smartphones for the year.
5. Apple iPhone 5S – five for five, Apple takes the award for refreshing last year’s iPhone 5 by adding an A7 CPU, a gold color option, dual tone LED flash, slow motion video, Touch ID & more. It ranked #4 in our readers’ choice poll and it would have ranked differently here too if only we didn’t favor better phones in this list.
4. Sony Xperia Z1 - up on number four, the waterproof Xperia Z1 tops with its premium build quality matched with high-end internals. The Snapdragon CPU will never cease to impress, plus Sony’s own camera is really one to marvel at. Apart from the display, there’s no reason why we can’t include the Z1 in our top smartphone list. After all, it ranked #3 in our reader poll.
2.5. DRAW: LG G2 & HTC One
Looks like we have a draw guys. Happening backstage, the HTC One was supposed to be our own choice for the top smartphone, but it didn’t rank so high on our readers’ choice poll. On the other hand, the LG G2 was supposed to be our readers’ top smartphone, but we preferred much more handsets than it. All of that made it result in a draw.
The HTC One is fast, sleek & is just drop dead gorgeous in all ways – the display is breathtaking, the BoomSound speakers are the best in the industry, the camera works well & Sense packs a very good UI paired with fast internals.
The LG G2 on the other hand is basically a champion all around the spec sheet, from the display & the camera to sheer performance. The buttons on the back may take some time to get used to, but nonetheless it offers that certain element of uniqueness to the device.
And our best smartphone of 2013 is…
It won’t come as a surprise to most people, but our best smartphone of 2013 is none other than the Galaxy Note 3! The device packs an amazing set of internals and is for the most part a no compromise phone from the 1080p display, the large battery, the camera that’s capable of 4K video to the 3GB RAM. Not to mention, stylus functionality works very well.
That’s it for our top smartphones this 2013. If you wanted to know, somewhere out there, the Lumia 1020, the Nexus 5 & the Galaxy S4 hanged before reaching the top 5. We can only wonder how different things will be next year; it’s a long wait for sure – but stay tuned for more to come this upcoming 2014!
Some of you may have seen or bought the next-gen consoles already locally, but for those who haven’t yet, DataBlitz has them priced. Better inquire & reserve though as unlike the Xbox One, the PlayStation 4 wasn’t in-stock.
The Xbox One is priced at Php37,500 while the PlayStation 4 is at Php32,500. Take note however that with the Php5k price difference, the Xbox One comes with Kinect while the PlayStation 4′s Eye is sold separately at P2,695.
As of the moment, the game selections for both consoles are still few, making it hard for most people to decide which one to get for Christmas between the two.
Sony’s RX line of cameras has always been known for featuring professional elements in compact sizes. Now joining the RX100, the RX100 II, the RX1 & the RX1R, the Sony Cyber-shot RX10 goes in the mix with a feature set of its own.
The RX10 packs a 1-inch 20.2 megapixel CMOS sensor & a 24-200mm optically stabilized zoom lens with a constant aperture of f/2.8. In addition, it’s highlighted that the auto-focus, even with the zoom capabilities, have been vastly improved. No need to worry for macro shots too as the working distance is at 3cm. While it isn’t entirely as compact as the rest of the RX family, it’s still significantly smaller than a DSLR.
Sony Cyber-shot RX10 specs:
1″ 20.2 megapixel CMOS sensor
80-25600 ISO
1/3200 – 30 shutter speed
3-inch articulating display w/ viewfinder
1080p HD video up to 60fps
24-200mm (in 35mm equivalent) Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T zoom lens
f/2.8 aperture
BIONZ X processing engine
Optical Image Stabilization
WiFi
NFC
SD card
NP-FW50 battery (1,080mAh)
811.9g (weight)
12.9 x 8.8 x 10.2 cm (dimensions)
The RX10 will set you off at $1,300 (around Php56,000+ converted), and it’s expected to be available sometime next month.
Sony’s next flagship phone is launching on September 4, and we’ll be there in Malaysia and Berlin to cover all the details. For the meantime, here’s a round-up of all the details, rumors and leaks surrounding the Sony Xperia Z1 as it has been taking the tech limelight for quite sometime now.
Now to start, we’d like to say that Sony had already teased the device several times, so we’re really sure everything mentioned here will be close to the real thing (although there might still be changes).
Same Design Formula
All the leaked images are showing off one consistent design, and it’s one looking a lot like the Xperia Z & the Z Ultra – probably because Sony is creating an identity for its devices. The phone will also be called the Xperia Z1.
“About to make a splash.”
The phone will have an aluminum chassis wrapped around the signature glass construction (don’t forget that power button too), and it will be available in white, black & purple colors. The Xperia Z1 will also be waterproof.
#BestOfSony
Under the hood, the Xperia Z1 is expected to become the first ‘One Sony’ device. What this means is that all the departments will be working together to put all the best elements in one device; audio will probably be from Walkman, BIONZ image processing & the improved sensor from their Cybershot section and the Trilumionous screen from their display department.
Now, we’re not expecting a big jump on specs here. The phone will still probably have the same display from the Xperia Z Ultra, only smaller at 5-inches. The CPU is also expected to be a Snapdragon 800 CPU too, partnered with an Adreno 330 & 2GB RAM.
20 megapixel camera and 4K video
One of the real stories here is the camera really. A lot of speculations have been surrounding the sensor already, and various details have been confirmed by leaks that it will be 20 megapixels and will be packing Sony’s G lens. We’ll just wait for the images to speak for themselves, but one thing to note here is that the sensor size won’t be going near the Nokia Lumia 1020; it’s going to be at 1/2.3″.
Acer just outed the Liquid S2 with 4K UHD video, and that just makes this next detail more believable. The Xperia Z1 is expected to shoot 4K video too! That sounds crazy, but it’s entirely possible as a set of leaked slides indicate it.
Stay tuned on September 4!
We’ll be covering Sony’s event on the Xperia Z1 this week so stay tuned. By then, we’ll confirm and add all the details, from availability & pricing to other jewels like the rumored ‘mini’ version of the said phone. So far, so good eh?
For the past weeks, soft to heavy rains have been pouring, I had a lot of piled-up work that needed some video recording. Timing couldn’t have been better when this device arrived, and within those couple of weeks I had squeezed out the best and the worst of the Sony HDR-GP88V Handycam.
Design & Construction
As we already mentioned in our first impressions, the device doesn’t feel light nor too heavy. The buttons are where they should be, especially the zoom and capturing controls; they’re always near your thumb.
The plastic construction may look a little cheap sometimes, but that’s okay. The device has already proven itself through the long period that it had with me — it’s lifeproof; waterproof, shockproof, dustproof & freezeproof.
At the back, you’ll find a button for the projector, zoom controls, start/stop and a button for taking instant photos. Below that is a well sealed compartment where you’ll find the micro SD card slot, the micro USB port, the micro HDMI port and the battery. Up front, you’ll find the camera, the flash and a self-recording button. At the top and on the sides, you will find a load of labels and branding, while at the bottom you will see the stand, a lock for the battery door and the speakers.
While the zoom controls and the record button are conveniently located, the photo-capture button isn’t. It’s always accidentally pressed, and sadly, on times that you do want to press it, it’s hard to press (it’s uses a two-stage mechanism). The same can be said about the self-record button; selfies will be hard to pull-off because of its hard-to-press construction.
Dirt won’t stick too long on the Handycam, as we already exposed it to muddy/dirty places with no problem. Anyway, don’t worry; if dirt and debris gets stuck, you can always wash it with running water and soap.
Hardware & Software
The Handycam has a 3-inch touch-enabled display for all of the operations to be done. It’s responsive whether it’s dry or wet and, while not everyone will enjoy the small size, it’s enough for most people’s needs. There’s a projector at the back.
Ah, the projector; just make a long press on the projector button and you’re good to go showing off your content to anyone (provided there’s a white, flat surface and a dark lighting; any other conditions will produce sub-par results). With that mode on, you can only control the UI through the zoom and the record button, which works as navigation and enter controls.
As mentioned earlier, the touchscreen is responsive and the UI is intuitive. Sometimes, navigation and controls tend to lag a bit, mostly due to the animations and the file sizes of your video.
Basic settings and options can be found easily and is a breeze to learn. The bad news is getting there is slow like we’ve said, as it is quite laggy and you will need to be very patient at it.
Multimedia & Camera
Being a Handycam, of course the highlight here is the camera and its shooting capabilities. We took 1080p video in rainy conditions, in low-light and in slow motion. You can check them out below:
1080p
Low-light
Slow Motion
Judging from its performance, we can say that the Sony HDR-GWP88V does have more than enough to be a great video recorder. Optical Image Stabilization didn’t fail in any case, the zoom works amazingly well and captures good details and audio is clear and accurate. The only thing that we didn’t like so well is the color reproduction in daylight. Objects look washed out and undersaturated even for a Handycam of this price, and we can’t help but feel gray when watching some of the sample videos.
“My mid-range DSLR takes better videos in daylight.”
On slowmos, it does great. The sensor takes lesser light however, but that’s an okay compromise considering how smooth it works. Other than that, we can’t say anymore as we are able to bring the Handycam to any type of battle that we wished.
“Indoors? Storms? Rainy nights? Hiking trips? A visit to the North Pole? This one has you covered.”
If you have plans on taking photos with a dedicated video recorder, no need to worry. It does the job just as well. It will be great for the most part, and fortunately, also in daylight.
Battery Life & Conclusion
Shooting continuous video on a full charge brought us a good 1 hour and 40 minutes before finally draining the battery. That’s good enough for most users, and if it’s not, the battery is user replaceable anyway. Aside from taking videos, using the projector will also drain the battery faster.
The Sony HDR-GWP88V Handycam is great to have with you, as we’re pretty sure it can get the job done in most conditions. It has a great feature set, and it does very well in taking videos and photos. On top of that, you also have a very capable projector. The only complaints that we have are the slightly washed out colors in video, and the inconsistent responsiveness of a few physical buttons on the device and of the the UI. Other than that, we’re glad to say this cam will definitely come in handy even for a price of Php34,999.
Sony HDR-GWP88 Handycam specs:
1/3.91 type BSI Exmor R CMOS Sensor
20.4 megapixel still images, 29.8mm Wide Angle Lens G
Optical SteadyShot image stabilization
10x Optical Zoom
16GB internal memory
3.0 inch Clear Photo LCD display
Slow Motion Recording 1/250 – 1/10,000
Waterproof up to 10m
Shockproof up to 1.5m
Dustproof
Freezeproof up to -10 Celsius
Projector
1240mAH NP-BX1 Sony battery
40mm × 108.5mm × 70mm (dimensions)
210g (weight)
