Toyota PH shows off new Yaris for 2021

After a series of exciting model launches, leading mobility company Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) wraps up 2020 with the introduction of the 2021 update to its popular hatchback – the Toyota Yaris.

“It’s been a jam-packed year for Toyota this 2020,” described Ms. Elijah Marcial, Vice President of Marketing Services at TMP. “But we’ve got one last exciting model this year that we’re sure many Filipinos will enjoy.”

“The Yaris appeals to many married professionals in their mid to late 30s looking for a modern fun-to-drive vehicle that offers the great cargo space a hatchback offers,” Marcial said, describing the Yaris customer.

“The Yaris nameplate has amassed quite a loyal fan base for being synonymous with fun driving and flashy looks, and this year we’ve elevated it with a new premium eye-catching design to suit our customers’ evolving style. All without, of course, compromising on the power, convenience, and safety we’ve all come to expect from every Toyota,” she added.

The new Toyota Yaris sports an aggressive redesigned front grille that gives it a commanding and wide stance, flanked by new LED fog lamps across all variants. On the 1.5 S CVT variant, the headlamps have been upgraded to LED and are now paired with new Daytime Running Lights (DRL).

It also sports new kicks with its newly-designed 15-inch two-tone machine-finish alloy wheels across all variants. The updates extend up to the interiors with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto now a standard feature across all variants and synthetic leather seats for the 1.5 S CVT variant.

The new Yaris also comes in a vibrant new color across all variants to match its customers’ colorful personalities. Appropriately called “Cyan Metallic”, this bright blue shade is sure to appeal to young and young-at-heart customers alike. Starting at a price of PhP 973,000, the new Yaris combines fun design, premium comfort, and uncompromised convenience in a compelling package for today’s stylish generation.

Premium and fun design

Appealing to both loyal fans of the hatchback form factor and the casual customer looking for a versatile and fun vehicle, the new Yaris is sure to excite with its fun design matched with premium sensibility. With its sporty, mesh-type front grille and wide-winged headlamps, the new Yaris makes a lasting first impression.

Expressive character lines stretch across the side of this quirky hatchback before meeting at the rear. Glossy piano black accents contrast with the body paint color and chrome finishes on the door handle, adding to the visual interest and sporty feel.

Cars behind the new Yaris 1.5 S CVT variant are in for a visual treat with LED line guides outlining its rear combination lamps. Finally, the sporty rear spoiler completes its edgy look.

The new Yaris comes in an electrifying new “Cyan Metallic” color as well as other vibrant colors such as “Citrus Mica Metallic” and “Red Mica Metallic”. For something more classic, customers can also rock the new Yaris in “Super White II”.

Beauty with just as much brawn

Underneath that stylish facade is a capable and efficient 1.5L Dual VVT-i engine for the S CVT variant, and a 1.3L Dual VVT-i engine for the E CVT variant. Drivers can enjoy seamless and uncomplicated driving with its Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).

Feel in control with paddle shifters conveniently placed behind the steering wheel of the 1.5 S CVT variant, which are especially helpful when overtaking. This variant also offers Eco and Sport Drive Modes so drivers can further customize their drives.

Convenience at your fingertips

The new Yaris greets passengers with its spacious 5-seater cabin and large cargo space. With Apple CarPlay and Android Auto now standard across all variants, connecting and controlling your smartphone media has never been easier.

Adjust it all without ever taking your hands off the steering wheel with the Yaris’s cleverly thought-out media control buttons. Customers who opt for the 1.5 S CVT variant won’t have to scramble for their keys with its convenient Smart Entry and Push Start System.

This variant also comes in new synthetic leather seats and boasts an immersive 6-speaker system so everyone can enjoy their favorite music and podcasts!

Safety at every turn

Toyota’s got your back, front, and all sides covered with its class-leading 7 SRS airbags equipped as standard on all Yaris variants. Even in sticky situations, the new Yaris minimizes risks with its Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) which helps prevent side skids and assists in stabilizing the car when abruptly turning on a tight curve.

Ain’t no mountain high enough for the Yaris with its Hill-Start Assist so you can safely advance uphill from a full stop with ease. The 1.5 S CVT variant also comes with automated safety features like Speed-Sensing Door Locks, so everyone inside is safe once the vehicle speed up.

Pricing

Customers may begin reserving the new Yaris by contacting their local Toyota dealerships starting December 19, 2020. Retail sales in all of TMP’s 70 dealerships across the country will start on January 13, 2021.

Customers may also check out the Yaris’ full specs and product highlights, plus calculate payments, and submit inquiries direct to any preferred dealer via https://toyota.com.ph/yaris.

VARIANTSRPCOLORS AVAILABLE
1.5 S CVTPhP 1,114,000Cyan Metallic

Citrus Mica Metallic

Red Mica Metallic

Super White II

1.3 E CVTPhP 973,000

For more information on the New Yaris, visit TMP’s official website at www.toyota.com.ph.

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Huawei FreeBuds 3i review: Focus better with active noise canceling

11/03/2020

The Huawei FreeBuds 3i is the more affordable sibling of the Huawei FreeBuds 3 but that doesn’t mean a lot has been sacrificed. Boasting a different design and feature set, the FreeBuds 3i aims to be your go-to device for your workouts, video or voice calls, solo Netflix sessions, or simply just to listen to music. We were able to get our hands on a pair of these TWS earbuds and tried to see how they would fare in our daily routines.

Design and comfort

Again, the Huawei FreeBuds 3i is poised to be a more affordable alternative to the Huawei FreeBuds 3 but the difference between the two is more than just that. While both have similar shapes for the buds, the FreeBuds 3i sports new silicone tips to provide a more secure fit and improved audio quality. These also aid in sealing the ear to provide better noise cancellation.

Apart from that, we get earbuds that sport a build and look that’s similar to the Airpods. The stems are a bit thick and do stick out but they don’t really get in the way. As for comfort, we personally prefer having silicone tips and find that they do provide a more secure fit. It should be noted that this may also be a matter of personal preference as having the tips in-ear for a long time may be uncomfortable for some. As for weight, the buds are just 5.5 grams each so you’ll barely feel them when you have them on. Huawei also includes additional tips in different sizes so you can find your perfect fit.

The charging case adopts a pill-shaped design that’s easy to hold in the hands. It has a glossy finish with a simple Huawei logo sitting up top. The charging port can be found on the back and an LED light indicator sits at the front. Flipping it open reveals the earbuds that are magnetically attached to the case. The magnets are strong so you won’t have to worry about the earbuds falling if the case accidentally opens.

Connectivity and controls

Pairing the FreeBuds 3i is a different experience depending on the device you have. Huawei users have it the easiest, of course. Simply opening the case while near a compatible Huawei phone will immediately prompt a pairing request. With Android devices, simply connect the device using the Huawei AI Life app or through Bluetooth. Apple users, unfortunately, don’t have access to the app so they’ll only be able to pair through their phone’s Bluetooth settings. You can also connect them to laptops or computers using Bluetooth connectivity.

Once paired, you can control the earbuds with the built-in capacitive sensors or whatever device you’re using. Both earbuds respond to double taps and long taps but, oddly, not single taps. Tap functions can be customized using the Huawei AI Life app. Users have the option to have double taps play or pause a song, play the next or previous song, wake the voice assistant, or nothing at all. As for long taps, they only cycle through noise cancellation and Awareness mode. Taps respond quickly as long as they’re done right.

We wished Huawei added additional controls like single tap or triple taps to provide more control. In listening to music, for example, I can assign one bud’s double-tap gesture to stop or start the music while another bud can be used to change to the next song. With that, there’s no longer any way to play the previous song or wake the voice assistant since we’ve already assigned both double taps for both buds.

One last thing I noticed was that the sensors can be a little too sensitive at times. Using the earbuds for a workout, my sweat-drenched hair reached the Freebuds and activated the sensor. This played the next song against my will. It may not be a real problem but it’s something to take note of if you’ll be using the device for workouts.

Sound performance and battery life

At its price, we expected sound quality on the FreeBuds 3i to be just a bit more than average. True enough, the device offered good quality audio but does fall short in its bass performance. In general, the lows tend to be a bit muffled and doesn’t deliver that kick you normally get out of the bass.

Despite that, sound quality is still pretty impressive, especially at its price. It’s quite clear and crisp on the highs and mids and can produce pretty loud audio. We didn’t find a need to max out the volume of the earbuds during our use and was kept at around 50% for most of the time.

The Huawei FreeBuds 3i prides itself on its Active Noise Cancellation. This feature is quite in-demand in the TWS market and the FreeBuds 3i makes it accessible through this device. You can immediately hear the filtering or minimizing of background noise once you turn this feature on. It doesn’t completely cancel out noise though especially high-pitched or high-frequency sounds like voices or moving cars (dog barks and chicken noises are easily canceled, though).

The feature performs well beyond expectations. There’s even an Awareness mode that doesn’t completely switch off noise cancellation and allows a bit of outside noise for, well, awareness. This can be especially helpful for runners or bikers when they’re outside and need to be conscious of their surroundings. Personally, this feature helped us zero in and focus on our work when outside noises were just too distracting.

It also offers automatic pause and play when removed from the ears but this feature is limited to compatible Huawei devices.

The FreeBuds 3i is built with two outward-facing and one inward-facing mic. Huawei says these work together to cancel out noise and provide better vocal clarity. In using the device for our many video calls, we didn’t receive any complaints regarding our voice quality and no one ever had to say our audio was choppy.

For battery, Huawei says that the FreeBuds 3i can last up to 3.5 hours on its own and up to 14.5 hours with the charging case. Testing these claims out, we were able to get about 2.5 hours of continuous use before the earbuds ran out of battery and were able to charge about 4 times more using the case. As for charging, the buds took about 30 minutes to reach 100% while the case took one hour and 30 minutes when charged via a computer using the included cable.

Creature Feature

In our reviews, The Modern Creatures aims to find special features in devices that make them worth having — something that gives the product a slight edge from its peers. For the Huawei FreeBuds 3i, it would have to be its Active Noise Canceling.

As mentioned earlier, this is a feature often reserved for higher-priced TWS earbuds but Huawei is able to offer it at a more affordable price point. And not only that, it actually works pretty well and does a good job of minimizing background noise. It’s not as complex or refined as those offered in higher-end models but, again, you’re getting the feature at a pretty good price.

Final thoughts

Overall, the Huawei FreeBuds 3i is a great choice if you’re looking for affordable, good quality TWS earbuds. You get premium features like active noise canceling and gesture controls (even though a bit limited) plus Huawei users even get quick-pairing and automatic play and pause. Audio quality does fall a tad bit short in delivering lows and battery life isn’t as impressive as others but at its price range, we believe you’re getting your money’s worth.

Priced at just PhP 5,990, the Huawei FreeBuds 3i is a great choice for a more affordable pair of TWS earbuds with a good amount of useful features. We were able to use it for our online meetings and workouts and the active noise cancellation helped us eliminate background noise and focus on the tasks we had on hand. And with our current work/study from home setup, it’s a definite plus.

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