ROG Phone 5 now official in the Philippines

The wait is finally over. ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) Philippines tonight announced the official pricing for the ROG Phone 5 Classic, ROG Phone 5 Pro, and ROG Phone 5 Ultimate. Starting April 10, the latest and most powerful incarnation of the world’s most advanced line of gaming smartphones will be up for grabs. Together with these renowned devices are the announcements of availability for the supporting ROG Phone accessories.

The ROG Phone 5 series is powered to win by the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G Mobile Platform featuring advanced 5G communications and premium Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gaming features. The upgraded GameCool 5 cooling system along with the all-new performance manager in Armoury Crate ensure maximum performance is available for any gaming scenario. 

The ROG Phone 5 series harnesses the massive power of the latest flagship Snapdragon 888, which packs industry-leading innovations in 5G, AI, gaming, and camera technologies. With up to a stunning 35% increase in GPU performance and 25% in CPU performance, even the most demanding 3D mobile games run smoothly with maxed-out settings. 

To enable maximum sustained performance, the GameCool 5 cooling system in the ROG Phone 5 series now has an optimum thermal structure featuring a centered CPU with the battery split into two parts, one located on each side of the CPU. This ensures that the heat generated by the CPU is transferred to all the edges and corners of the chassis simultaneously for higher thermal efficiency. The reshaped 3D vapor chamber and extensive graphite sheets also help to spread the heat evenly across the device to reduce heat build-up in the middle. 

The completely revamped AeroActive Cooler 5 now intakes and expels an incredible amount of air directly onto the center of the phone — right where the CPU is — to deliver an amazing 10°C drop in the CPU temperature. The all-new performance manager in Armoury Crate now includes X Mode, with multiple system profiles to give gamers even more performance settings and performance tuning tools, so they can instantly adapt the phone to the task at hand.

Additionally, ROG Phone 5 Ultimate is the world’s first smartphone to use 18 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, which dramatically increases the overall gaming performance and takes the user experience to the next level.

Long-lasting power

To extend both screen-on time and the lifespan of the monster 6000 mAh battery, ROG Phone 5 series is optimized using new software optimizations and power-saving mechanisms, including a charging upper limit, steady charging, and enhanced scheduled charging. There are also passive power-saving mechanisms to limit inactive apps and deliver up to 67% more power savings. The ROG Phone 5 series always optimizes itself for the best power efficiency, however it’s being used.

Rapid charging is assured by the bundled 65-watt HyperCharge adapter, which gets gamers up and running again in the fastest possible time.

Immersive mobile gaming experience

Total control is the name of the game for the ROG Phone 5 series, and the massively upgraded AirTrigger 5 control system now gives gamers up to four distinct ways to interact with their ROG Phone 5, delivering an unrivaled level of game control. The AeroActive Cooler 5 now also features two extra physical buttons to allow a genuine console-like gaming experience. 

The ROG Phone 5 series supports an unprecedented total of 10 different motion controls, so gamers can easily pick the moves to fit their game. In a racing game, for example, they can swivel the phone to steer or pull it towards them to brake. Game control has never been so easy.

The GameFX audio system in the ROG Phone 5 series now incorporates symmetrical seven-magnet dual speakers for truly balanced stereo sound effects. Optimized in collaboration with audio specialist Dirac, the projected sound quality will grab the user’s aural senses and take them to a different world. There’s also a 3.5 mm headphone jack, and a hi-fi-grade ESS DAC for lossless audio processing worthy of audio enthusiasts.

For the ROG Phone 5 series, we’ve teamed up with some of the most popular game titles to give owners a series of different theme packs for customizing their device with their favorite characters and screens. Gamers can also share, discuss, and interact via ROG Connect, an online community that is built into the ROG Phone 5 series. 

ROG Phone 5 Pro and Ultimate

The ROG Phone 5 Ultimate and ROG Phone 5 Pro let gamers make their presence known to the world with the exclusive ROG Vision, a pioneering rear matrix display that has never been seen on any phone until now. ROG Phone 5 Pro features a colored ROG Vision display, while ROG Phone 5 Ultimate has a monochrome version.

ROG Vision can display a variety of cool animations that show whether the phone is charging, if there’s an incoming call, whether X Mode is enabled, and more. Owners can even create custom animations to make their phone even more personal. 

ROG Phone 5 Pro and ROG Phone 5 Ultimate additionally features innovative hidden rear touch sensors on the back cover, which provide L2/R2 trigger functions just like a game console controller. 

Availability and pricing

The ROG Phone 5 Classic at 8GB/128GB will be available starting April 10, 2021 in Phantom Black at PhP 39,995. The Storm White version will follow within May 2021. The ROG Phone 5 Classic at 16GB/256GB will be available in the Philippines in Phantom Black starting April 10, 2021 at the price of PhP 49,995. First owners will also get a special set bundle, which includes the ROG Kunai Gamepad as well as the ROG Akira Oversized Tee. Its Storm White variant will be arriving within May 2021.

The ROG Phone 5 Ultimate in Storm White and ROG Phone 5 Pro in Phantom Black will arrive in May 2021. The ROG Phone 5 Ultimate edition at 18GB/512GB is priced at PhP 59,995 and will be complete with a Special Gift Box, while the ROG Phone 5 Pro edition at 16GB/512GB will hit the market at PhP 54,995. Both will feature the highly customizable ROG Vision and additional rear trigger buttons.

The ROG Kunai Gamepad will arrive in April 2021 at PhP 6,995 and the ROG Lighting Armor Case 5 in May 2021 at PhP 2,495. 

All ROG Phone 5 phones will be complete with the AeroActive Cooler 5 and will also sport 1-year Global Warranty. The warranty will be available for the ROG Phone accessories as well. Complete details can also be checked through this link.

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Huawei MatePad T 10s review: Your reliable everyday tablet

11/08/2020

This year, Huawei’s MatePad series saw a number of new additions across different price points, but it seems the company isn’t done yet. The MatePad T 10s is the company’s budget offering that fills the gap between the MatePad T 10 and the MatePad. The T 10s offers improved features over its even more affordable T 10 sibling and also has a SIM card slot for those looking for data connection on-the-go.

With connectivity being more important now than ever, the MatePad T 10s is an appealing choice for a pretty powerful device offered at a modest price point. But how exactly did it fare as a work companion in our daily routine? Read on to find out.

Design

The Huawei Matepad T 10s blends seamlessly into the company’s family of tablets. It comes in a single color, Deep Sea Blue, which we’ve seen on other models in the series. There’s no doubt that the design was created to look and feel professional – a goal that was definitely accomplished.

And while it is elegant and beautiful, I do wish Huawei offered more fun color choices like the colors of the Huawei Watch Fit.

The tablet does come in a matte finish but it still does catch fingerprints quite easily so you’ll have to give it a wipe down every so often to keep it looking neat.

It’s relatively thin at just 7.5mm and weighs just 450g. Bringing the tablet around when we had to work or shoot on location wasn’t at all a problem and it fits comfortably into most of the bags we used. It was even pretty easy to use with just one hand because it wasn’t that heavy and the rounded edges provided a more natural grip.

Holding the tablet upright, we can find the two microphones, the volume rocker, and the power button on the right while the charging port, 3.5mm audio jack, dual SIM card, and microSD card tray can be found on the bottom. Around the back is a single rear camera while the front camera is hidden in the right bezel. When flipped to landscape mode, the front camera’s position is perfect for video calls.

One thing we found when using the tablet was that we often ended up turning it off when we were reaching for the volume buttons. It seems the placement is just a tad bit high and while this doesn’t affect performance in any way at all, it can be a little bit frustrating. Especially if you’re in the middle of watching a good show.

But overall, the device carries just enough heft to make it feel premium but still remain light enough to be portable. The design is simple and colors are subtle, definitely something that can please most.

Display and multimedia

Housing a 10.1-inch Full HD IPS screen, the device provides a good amount of screen real estate. There’s nothing truly exceptional about the display but it’s good enough for day-to-day activities and watching all kinds of content. In fact, its IPS display produces rich colors, dark blacks, and sharp images and text. There’s no indication if the device is Widevine L1 certified, though, so this means you have won’t have access to HD content on Netflix.

Bezels aren’t the thinnest on the MatePad T 10s which is pretty standard on Huawei tablets. We actually found that having a bit of bezel allowed us to get a better grip on the tablet without accidentally activating anything on the screen.

There are two speakers on the device that are found on the left and right when holding it in landscape orientation. The speakers have been tuned by audio specialists Harman Kardon which means it should produce better-than-average audio.

True enough, the device does produce rich, high-quality audio that can make watching or listening really enjoyable. In addition to that, the speakers are loud. We rarely maxed out the volume since setting it at just 50% was suitable enough for most situations.

What we found to be our favorite use for the device was for reading or for working. Because of its portability and screen size, it was convenient to use when we needed to check on documents or presentations on the fly. Whether we were working at home or out and about, we would default to using the tablet to check on our tasks, emails, or to write articles. We even used it as a second monitor when shooting our videos.

We didn’t have to fear damaging our eyes either since the MatePad T 10s is equipped with special features for eye health. Being TÜV Rheinland certified, the device reduces blue light emitted from the screen that may be harmful for the eyes. It also offers an eye comfort mode and eBook mode to lessen the strain on your eyes when using the device for an extended period of time.

Camera

For its rear camera, the MatePad T 10s carries a single 5-megapixel shooter. It’s able to produce decent photos with enough detail and good color. There’s a lack of sharpness in the overall image and photos sometimes look a bit muddy especially when zoomed in or when taken in low light. The 2-megapixel front camera also produces average-looking photos but is clear and good enough for video calls or meetings.

The cameras are basically there just in case you need them and won’t really be your go-to shooter. We were able to use the front camera more often than the rear since we used the device more for video calls. Cameras on tablets aren’t known to be the best anyway so it’s most likely you won’t be buying this device just for its cameras.

Performance

The MatePad T 10s is powered by the Huawei Kirin 710A octa-core chipset matched with 3GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, expandable up to 512GB via a microSD card.

Despite having just 3GB of RAM, running daily tasks on the device was a breeze. We hardly experienced any noticeable lags or hiccups. Apps were also quick to open and taps were consistently responsive. The device runs on Huawei’s EMUI 10.1 which is something we’re familiar with having also reviewed the Huawei MatePad. But whether or not you’re familiar with this OS, it’s relatively easy to get used to.

In using the device, we found the split-screen feature to be especially useful for productivity. We could, for example, continue typing up a document while browsing the web at the same time. Huawei also has an App Multiplier feature that allows the same app to be used twice when in landscape mode. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find supported apps apart from Petal Search but should Huawei expand this to more apps like Facebook, we can see it being very useful.

While the MatePad T 10s did do a great job in handling tasks like checking emails or browsing social media, it does fall just a bit short when it comes to gaming. This is quite understandable since this device isn’t really designed for high-performance gaming. We were still able to play a couple of games, though, including Asphalt 9: Legends and Genshin Impact.

These, in particular, were able to run even on the highest game setting but you do get noticeable lag and frame drops. Downgrading the settings to medium or low showed significant improvement to gameplay.

Huawei also built extra features for younger users in case you would want to let your child use your tablet. Pre-installed on the tablet is Huawei’s Kids Corner. This app provides a colorful and fun kid-friendly UI where parents are given options to help monitor their kids’ screen time. Parental controls include eye protection settings, time management, app management, and more.

Battery

Powering the MatePad T 10s is a 5,100 mAh battery. Testing this out in the real world, we were able to get about two to three days before we had to charge. This included using the device for browsing, video calls, a bit of Netflix, very light gaming, and a lot of typing. In a more controlled environment, we let the device stream videos over WiFi at 50% brightness and volume. We also turned off all power-saving features. The device was able to last a total of 9 hours and 30 minutes before it shut itself down.

As for charging, using the included Huawei Quick Charge charger, we were able to get to 20% in just 30 minutes and up to 40% in one hour. The device was able to fully charge from zero in 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Creature Comfort

In our reviews, The Modern Creatures aims to find special features in a device that make it worth having. Something that gives the product a slight edge from its peers. For the Huawei MatePad T 10s, it would have to be its features for maintaining eye health.

In this day and age, being on a device is something that can hardly be avoided. If not for work, maybe for school. If not for school, maybe it’s just to catch up with friends and family you haven’t seen in a long time. Or maybe it’s just so you can relax and binge-watching a couple of shows.

Whatever the situation may be, our eyes are working really hard and we might not realize that we’re tiring them out. So being TÜV Rheinland certified as well as offering other features for eye health is a great thing to have on a device that will most likely be used for long periods of time.

Final thoughts

If you’re looking for a tablet that provides solid, reliable performance and straight-to-the-point features, then the Huawei MatePad T 10s should be on your list. It’s a great tablet that provides a good amount of features to provide a comfortable space for working or studying at home. With its child-friendly features, it’s also a good choice if you’re looking to find a suitable tablet for your kid.

The Huawei MatePad T 10s may not have a lot of bells and whistles but priced at PhP 12,999, you get a device that’s pretty fast, responsive, and performs more than average across the board. There’s even a SIM card slot so you can be connected any time without the need for WiFi or a mobile hotspot. It’s definitely a tablet worth considering if you’re looking for one that’s suited for everyone in the family.

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