ASUS, ROG Summer Kick-off month-long promo offer big savings with bundles

ASUS Philippines and the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Philippines are officially inviting you to celebrate summer in the best way possible, with the ASUS/ROG Summer Kick-off promo. From April 29 to May 30, 2021, you can enjoy your latest ASUS and ROG laptops and desktops with an exclusive and limited-time summer giveaway that can be worth up to PhP 18,000+! With items that may range from the newest ASUS apparel to a new TUF Gaming router, you will surely enjoy every minute with your newest setup.

Asus Zenbook series

Premium and exclusive packages await everyone with every purchase of eligible ASUS ZenBook laptops this summer, headlined by the innovative ASUS ZenBook Duo 14 (UX482), which is crowned as the Laptop of Tomorrow. This laptop features the latest Tilting ScreenPad Plus and is engineered with the latest Active Aerodynamic System Plus. This increases overall cooling airflow by 49%. There is also an upgraded Control Panel App, which makes multitasking easier. Whether for work or light content creation, this laptop can match the performance you need with its 11th generation Intel Core CPU. As a bonus, the UX482 is made even better with up to 40% better CPU performance through the ASUS Intelligent Performance Technology (AIPT). You can also choose between the 11th generation Intel i7 with NVIDIA GeForce MX450 GPU or the Intel i5 variant with Intel Iris Xᵉ Graphics.

The ASUS ZenBook Duo 14 (UX482) together with its’ predecessors, ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo (UX581), and ASUS ZenBook Duo (UX481), will come in with exclusive summer packages including ASUS RT-AC68U Dual Band Gigabit Router worth PhP 6,990.00, ROG Strix Arion Lite with Team Group 512GB M.2 SSD worth PhP 6,998.00, and an ASUS Exclusive Jacket worth PhP 2,995.00!

Participating as well in this promo are the ASUS ZenBook OLED laptops, ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED (UX325/UM325), ASUS ZenBook Flip 13 OLED (UX363), and ASUS ZenBook Flip S13 OLED (UX371). Experience best-in-class class and true-to-life color as well as professional-grade visuals with these ultra-portable laptops. All are powered by the latest Intel 11th generation CPUs to ensure maximum performance.

Your new OLED ZenBooks will be paired with a bundle package of ROG Strix Arion Lite with Team Group 512GB M.2 SSD worth PhP 6,998.00 and an ASUS Exclusive Jacket worth PhP 2,995.00. The same package will also apply to the ASUS ZenBook 14 (UX435) and the ASUS ZenBook S (UX393).

Republic of Gamers and TUF gaming series

This summer, your favorite ROG and TUF Gaming laptops will come with exclusive packages you, gamers, will not be able to refuse. Leading the list are the top dogs from the Zephyrus line – the renowned Zephyrus Duo 15 with the innovative ScreenPad Plus as well as the Zephyrus S17/15s. Both are powered with the epic Intel Core 10th generation processors. They will be partnered with the Google Nest Hub and the Philips Hue White and Color Ambience Starter Kit, amounting to PhP 18,490.00.

The ever so stylish Zephyrus M15 will be in on the celebrations too, with combinations of the ROG Strix Arion Lite with 256GB SSD, the Google Nest Hub or the Google Nest Mini, and the Philips Hue White and Color Ambience Starter Kit. They can be worth a value of PhP 13,000.00 or PhP 12,320.00.

Last year’s crowd-favorite, the Zephyrus G14 –packed with a powerful AMD Ryzen processor in compact 14-inch form factor – and the Zephyrus G15, designed with an AMD Ryzen CPU and up to an RTX 2060 GPU, will also be available for summer exclusives like the ROG Strix Scope PBT Keyboard, the Google Nest Mini, the Chrome Cast 4k, and the Philips Hue White and Color Ambience Smart Bulb. These may all together sum to a package worth PhP 15,015.00!

For the hardcore, at PhP 12,145.00worth of summer package, the esports-ready Strix SCAR series is coming with the Xbox Wireless Controller and the TUF Gaming AX3000 Router, ready for your ultimate gaming setup. The gamers’ favorite, the Strix G line, will also be up for grabs with premium items: Google Nest Mini and the Philips Hue White and Color Ambience Smart Bulb. These total to a set worth PhP 4,920.00.

The participating TUF Gaming variants will be backed with the ROG Strix Impact Mouse and the TUF Gaming H3 Headset, summing a value of more than PhP 3,500.00!

There will also be something for the desktop fans out there. The ROG Strix G35DX/CZ and G15DH are going to be available complete with a TUF Gaming VG249Q1A monitor, a summer package worth more than PhP 12,000.00.

The ASUS/ROG Summer Kick-off promo will run officially on April 29, 2021, and end on May 30, 2021. You can find the full list of products here and the promo mechanics and list of participating stores at the official event website here.

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Mosonth 2K QHD webcam review: Bang for your buck performance

05/21/2021

By now, a lot of us have better adapted to our new living situations — aka doing most things from home. We’ve shown you gadgets to help stay fit, devices to help live alone easier, and even a new monitor that should boost productivity.

When it comes to working from home, video conferences are now the next best thing to seeing and discussing with your colleagues. This is why a good webcam is now an essential peripheral for your computer as it helps make you look more professional and presentable during online meetings rather than using your laptop’s built-in, low-res webcam.

What we have here is a 2K QHD webcam from Mosonth with a built-in microphone and comes with its own tripod. The company specializes in various consumer electronic devices with an array of products available online. Is the device good for everyday use? Let’s find out.

Design

It comes with a pretty standard design and that’s not totally a bad thing. Although what I personally like about it is its horizontal orientation that’s not as obvious and visually obtrusive as webcams with rounded form factors.

Material is mostly made of plastic with a silver color giving accents to its otherwise all-black body. Its face comes with a glossy finish which could be prone to scratches in the long run. Looking closely, there are pinholes for its microphone system flanking the 2K sensor.

One helpful thing about its design is this focus ring as it’s not only for show and it actually lets you focus the sensor manually so you have better control.

The camera comes with two points of hinges — one to tilt its lens up and down and adjust your framing, while the other makes it possible to clamp on top of your computer’s monitor or display.

If you don’t want a high angle, you may also opt to just attach the included small tripod to the base of the webcam to find a good spot to position it on your table. I had no problems with either — the tripod rotates 360° and clamping it to a monitor is sturdy enough and doesn’t fall off.

Features

Desktop monitor as source of light on face

As established earlier, it features a 2K camera with 2560 x 1440 (QHD) resolution at 30fps. To produce a decent field of view, it captures a wide viewing angle of 67° and promises to eliminate the fish-eye effect. Although in my personal experience, there’s still a noticeable warp but it’s something easily forgivable.

With its plug-and-play approach, it’s very easy to use and there are no dedicated software to tweak its settings on. For that, you’d have to use other webcam software like YouCam or Zoom to be able to apply skin enhancements or add effects.

Mosnth 2K Webcam - The Modern Creatures

It’s got Auto White Balance that should be able to perceive what light temperature to use, but there are times that it misreads color information so colors could come a bit off. Again, manual control over its settings would come in handy in this situation. Additionally, it’s got a manual focus that’s able to get a bit of natural blur for your background.

It might also be helpful to know that this webcam is compatible with different platforms and apps like Facebook, YouTube, and Zoom so it can be easily used for game streaming, online classes, and more.

Performance

Low light sample 1

With its QHD resolution, details are impressive and picture quality is more than enough for a Zoom call with your peers and bosses. Its contrast also gives more depth to the face and avoids a flat look so that’s another plus. Even in low light scenarios (which is usually my setup), the webcam is still able to produce acceptable quality.

I’ve also been able to use this webcam in some live streams in partnership with brands and while it’s obviously not in the same league as mirrorless cameras used as webcams, it’s definitely passable for online usage.

My biggest complaint would have to be its Auto White Balance that sometimes is a hit-and-miss on its own, but since it could be fixed by downloading a separate software, I could look past it. Plus, with its asking price, you really couldn’t ask for much.

Low light sample 2

There’s also that slight issue of warping especially for the edges that might not be a big deal for some, but I believe is worth pointing out.

Mosonth 2K Webcam - The Modern Creatures

Audio performance is clear but nothing out of the ordinary. It gives you a generous distance to pick up voice so you don’t necessarily have to be close to the device. Noise reduction is also present and helps isolate your voice.

Creature Feature

As always, in our reviews, The Modern Creatures aims to find special features in devices that make them worth having — a Creature Feature if you will. For the Mosonth 2K webcam, it would have to be its QHD resolution that captures sharp images with good color.

It easily steps up the quality of your video during calls and at its price, it’s a great feature to have.

Pricing and final thoughts

Available online for US$ 29.99 (approx. PhP 1.5K), the Mosonth 2K QHD webcam is a great buy for its price. You get detailed picture quality that does well even in low light, a flexible mounting system, and a decent microphone.

It’s a webcam that offers exactly what you’re looking for if you’re on the market for an affordable but reliable device to improve your video quality during today’s online meetings.

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