HTC One X+ and HTC Windows Phone 8X to be released on the Philippines on November 3, 2012

Yugatech, who is very reliable on this kind of information, reports that we should expect the HTC One X+ and HTC Windows Phone 8X to be available for sale in the Philippine's by November 3, 2012.

HTC releases their new Android phones on the second quarter of each year, and an updated flagship phone is released at the last quarter of each year. The HTC One X+ follows HTC's tradition of the HTC Desire HD and HTC Sensation XE, the upgraded models released at the end of 2010 and 2011.

The HTC One X+ is an upgraded One X. It has the same size and shape but comes in a new black (red themed) color scheme as opposed to the grey and white color schemes for the HTC One X. The HTC One X+ weighs 5 grams more mainly due to a larger 2100 mAh battery, which is larger than the 1800 mAh battery on the One X. More room was made for the battery by using thinner Gorilla Glass 2, instead of Gorilla Glass. Other than that, the HTC One X+ comes with a faster 1.7 GHz quad core  processor. This should help it catch up to the Samsung Galaxy S III both in terms of benchmarks and battery life.

I expect the price to be somewhere between Php27,900 to Php32,900.

The HTC Windows Phone 8X is one of the new Windows Phone 8 devices which brings HD displays and multicore processing to Windows Phones. It is also likely to be the first dual core Qualcomm Krait powered device to be officially released in the Philippines. It should be priced at the same price range as the HTC One X+.

New Smart LTE Plans

Smart's LTE plan was originally Php3,500 a month for 10 GB of data with a speed of 42 Mbps. 

Globe Telecom launched it LTE services a month later with the following packages:

• Tattoo Black Plan 1799 - Plan 1799 comes with free USB dongle and runs at speeds of up to 28 Mbps with a 12 GB cap.
• Tattoo Black Elite 2499 - Plan 2499 comes with free USB dongle and runs at speeds of up to 42 Mbps with a 15 GB cap.

In response Smart has revised its LTE offerings as follows:

• Smart LTE Plan 1749 - Plan 1749 gives you 42 Mbps with a 10 GB cap. 
• Smart LTE Plan 3500 - Plan 3500 comes with free USB dongle and runs at speeds of up to 42 Mbps with a 21 GB cap.

Smart Galaxy Note II now available on pre-order from Smart Communications

Samsung's new phablet, the Android powered Samsung Galaxy Note is now available for pre-order from Smart Communications at this page.

The Samsung Galaxy Note II has a 5.5-inch HD (720 x 1280) display. The Galaxy Note is designed which is designed to be used with a stylus and comes with software optimized for that purpose. With a 1.6 GHz quad core processor and  2 GB of RAM it is also Samsung's most powerful hand held device. A 3100 mAh battery is used to power the large screen and powerful processor and does a good job of that. GSMArena's battery life tests gives it almost 17 hours of talk time, almost 9 hours of web browsing and over 11 hours of video playback.

October 2012 - High End Smartphone Buyers Guide

This first part of this article, covering smartphones priced up to Php15,000, can be found here, while the second part of this article can be found here. Not much has changed since last month. The new iPhone 5 is still not available here and we don't have the new Samsung Galaxy Note II yet either.

8. Sony LT26i Xperia S - Unofficial Nexus (Php22,800 to Php24,990)

The Sony Xperia S is still a good starting point. It is a nice enough Android smartphone. The 4.3-inch HD (720 x 1280) display has the highest pixel resolution of any smartphone in the market. It comes with a good 12 MP camera. Internal storage is a 32 GB, which should be enough for most, even if not user expandable. The battery is a decent size 1750 mAh unit.

But inside, it is more of a great 2011 smartphone, than a 2012 flagship. The HSDPA 14.4 Mbps is radio is a step down from the HSDPA+ found in all of this years top smartphones. The 1.5 GHz dual core processor is a Qualcomm S3, the same one found in last years HTC Sensation XE, and does not compare well with the new Qualcomm S4 and quad core smartphones.

Google's top Android guy, Jean Baptiste Queru, announced that this phone would be getting updates directly from Google, giving it de facto Nexus status. So instead of comparing it against the HTC One X and Samsun Galaxy S III, we are now comparing it against the Google Galaxy Nexus. Compared to the Google Galaxy Nexus, the Sony Xperia S is a very nice alternative indeed for those who want a better camera and more storage.    

9. HTC One X - Second best (Php25,500 to Php27,900)

The higher end Sony offerings are hard to recommend for as they are powered by Qualcomm S3 systems. The LG Optimus 4X HD wins the hardware battle, matching the  HTC One X specifications wise, and offering in addition a MicroSD card slot and a larger user replaceable battery. But the battery life tests of the LG Optimus 4X HD are disappointing (Source: GSM Arena) and LG's record on software updates is deplorable. Right now, in terms of software support, I rate LG at the bottom.

Who supports their devices best?  

1. Google with Nexus devices

2. Sony

3. HTC

4. Samsung (good on flagship phones, deplorable at all other categories)

5. LG 

Overall, the HTC One X gets my recommendation by a hair. It is a very good phone for the asking price with a 4.7-inch HD (720 x 1280) display, a quad core Tegra 3 based processor, 32 GB of internal storage, fast HSDPA+ 21.1 Mbps connectivity and a good 8 MP camera.

10. Samsung Galaxy S III - The best smartphone ever built (Php29,900 to Php32,990)

This phone has no weak spots. It has a beautiful 4.8-inch HD (720 x 1280) SuperAMOLED display.  The 8 MP camera excellent in terms of quality as well as features. Connectivity is via a fast HSDPA+ 21.1 Mbps radio. The Samsung built Exynos Quad is substantially faster than the Tegra 3 found in the HTC One X. It comes with a large user replaceable 2000 mAh battery, which combined with the power efficient Exynos Quad gives it better battery than life the HTC's, LG's and Sony's offerings. It is the best smartphone in the market. The most you can complain about is that it comes with only 16 GB of internal storage, but it is expandable via a Micro SD card slot. 

Drawbacks... well will cost you a lot more than anything else.

Samsung Galaxy Note? I think the Samsung Galaxy Note should still be on this list, and I have seen it for as low as Php25,000 with an official warranty, but with the Galaxy Note II being available in a few days, I guess I would wait and check out the price of the new one.

Sony Xperia miro - Sony is leaving no stone unturned

I just finished writing the entry level smartphone buyers guide a few days ago, when the Sony Xperia miro became available in the Philippine market. It really looks like Sony is launching a very serious challenge to Samsung for the in the top smartphone manufacturers crown. While that is a pretty tall mountain to scale, hardware wise I think Sony is winning.

The Sony Xperia tipo is already my favorite entry level smartphone with a suggested retail price of Php7,690, and available as low as Php7,150 with an official warranty. At risk of offending some readers, anything less is not worth the money. Anything cheaper will be running an old version of Android or Symbian.

The Sony Xperia tipo comes out of the box with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. If the Xperia tipo is never updated during its like, Android 4.0 will keep it a viable platform for the next two years or so, in terms of software compatibility. Being a newer phone, and given Sony's track record in updates, it is also a decent chance of getting update an OS update.

The Xperia miro costs more than the Xperia tipo with a suggested retail price of Php10,490, which is much higher than the Xperia tipo. On the shelves, we have seen the new Xperia Miro at just Php9,100 with an official warranty. This makes the price gap less than 2K.

Sony Xperia miro quick specs:

• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• 3.5-inch display with a 320 x 480 resolution
• 800 MHz Qualcomm processor on MSM7225A
• Adreno 200 graphics 
• 4GB internal storage (2.5 GB user available)
• microSD slot up to 32GB
• 512 MB RAM
• 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and Auto focus
• VGA front camera
• HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
• WiFi and WiFi Hotspot functionality
• aGPS
• USB 2.0, Micro USB, Bluetooth
• FM Radio
• 1500 mAh battery

For 2K more the Xperia miro gives you a larger display (3.5 versus 3.2 inches), a better camera (5 MP versus 3.2 MP), and a front camera.  One big difference I think, is instead of the chunk 13 mm thickness of the Xperia tipo, the Xperia miro is a trim 9.9 mm.

I still like the Xperia tipo, but if budget allows, the Xperia miro is work the extra 2K or so.

October 2012 - 15K to 22.5K, Smartphone Buyers Guide

Part one of this article, covering phones priced as Php15,000 or less is found at this link.

5. Google Galaxy Nexus - The Nexus phone is always a good choice (Php16,600 in the Grey Market, Php30,000 from Smart Communications).

The guides I write are usually based on prices from phone with official warranties. The Galaxy Nexus is the exception. At Php30,000 from Smart Communications, there are better phones in the market. At Php16,600 in the gray market, you get a 720p (720 x 1280) Super AMOLED display which measures in at 4.65-inches.

Inside you get 1.2 GHz dual core ARM Cortex A9 processor on a TI OMAP chipset backed by 1 GB of RAM.  It is also the cheapest HSDPA+ 21.1 Mbps phone on our list. It is not the fastest smartphone in the market, but it will outrun anything else at this price range in every respect.

Storage is 16 GB with is not user expandable. The battery is a good sized 1750 mAh. All this comes in a frame just 8.9 mm thin. Basically, this is not only the Nexus phone, it is also the least expensive Super phone in the market. It is what I would probably buy, if I were replacing my phone now.

6. Sony LT22i Xperia P - An almost perfect balance (P16,990 to Php19,990)

If you want a warranty, the Sony LT22i Xperia P is a good alternative. It has a 4-inch qHD (540 x 960) display, a dual core processor, 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB or storage (non expandable/13 GB user available) and a very decent 8 MP shooter upgradeable to Ice Cream Sandwich. Last year this phone would qualify as a companies flagship phone.

The form factor makes it terrible compelling, combining a 4-inch display with a frame just 59.5 mm wide and 10.5 mm thick it is a very handy package while offering excellent functionality. 

The only chink in this phones armor is the small 1305 mAh battery which result in below average battery life. Still I have been living with an HTC Desire HD, with a smaller 1230 mAh battery for 19 months, so it is not a deal breaker.

7. HTC One S - Two versions (Php18,800- Php24,900)

The HTC One S was one of the most anticipated smartphones last summer. But when it finally arrived, instead of getting the version with a 1.5 GHz dual core Krait processor, the Philippines got the version with a 1.7 GHz dual core Scorpion processor. The slower clocked dual core Krait version is the more powerful and being manufactured with the new 28 nm process, it is the more power efficient version.

The version with the 1.7 GHz dual core Scorpion processor is not bad, but with prices starting at 25K, it was a bit expensive. Now, the prices have dropped to Php20,500 with an official manufacturers warranty and at that price it makes a nice alternative to the Google Galaxy Nexus. It comes with a 4.3-inch dHD (540 x 960) Super AMOLED display, 16 GB or storage, 1 GB of RAM, an 8 MP camera and 21.1 Mbps connectivity all in a super slim 7.8 mm package. Overall the Google Galaxy Nexus is a better deal, so this is a good choice only if you want a phone with an official warranty. This is not a good choice for those who plan to root their phone having limited ROM support.

For those who want to root their phones, the more coveted version 1.5 GHz dual core Krait processor is available on the grey market (meaning no manufacturers warranty) for as low as Php18,800. As compared to the Galaxy Nexus, the Nexus has a better display while the HTC One S 'Krait' is almost twice as fast and has longer battery life.

HTC One X+

The HTC One X was launched and acclaimed as the best smartphone ever built last May 2012. Unfortunately, it held that title for one short month, until the Samsung Galaxy S III came out and clobbered in sales. 

So what do you do when you get Samsung'ed? Go back to the drawing boards and send something new up the production line. That is the HTC One X+.

The HTC One X+ looks like the HTC One X with a revised color scheme. Since the 1.5 GHz quad core processor on a Tegra 3 chipset fell a bit short of the 1.4 GHz quad core on the Samsung Galaxy S III, HTC upped the ante by putting instead a 1.7 GHz quad core unit on the One X+. 

Another area where the HTC One X fell just a tad bit short of the Samsung Galaxy S III was battery life. HTC decided to replace the 1800 mAh unit on the One X with a larger 2100 mAh unit on the One X+. The One X+ is the same size as the One X, but tips the scales by just 5 grams more. The larger battery was crammed in by using a thinner Gorilla Glass 2 protected display.

You will also see minor tweaks the camera's and a 64 GB variant available. Not forgetting the software front, you have Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box.

This will be released in South East Asia in November 2012.

So what do you do when you get Samsung'ed? Come back with vengeance.

October 2012 - 15K or Lower, Smartphone Buyers Guide

When looking for a budget smartphone these days running a current operating system, which should serve you well for two years, your only real choice are Android phones. The good thing, is that is not a bad choice and there are good offerings available.

All the phones listed here run Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or have updates available now

1. Sony ST21i Xperia tipo - Good enough for smartphone/PDA use (Php7,150 to Php7,690)

There are cheaper smartphones, but really none are worth your money. Sony Sony ST21i Xperia tipo is where you should start your search. 

The Sony ST21i Xperia tipo runs Android 4.03, Ice Cream Sandwich ("ICS"), so you should have no problem with Android app compatibility. It comes with a small but sharp 3.2-inch HVGA (320 x 480). The battery is a good sized 1500 mAh unit which when combined with the frugal power requirements of the small screen will result in excellent battery life. The 2.5 GB user available internal storage is expandable with MicroSD cards up to 32 GB being officially supported.

It is not a terrible fast device with a single core 800 MHz ARM Corter-A5 processor. The 3.2 MP camera is just best used in emergencies. 

If your purpose in getting a smartphone is for the traditional smartphone uses: communication and organization, there really is no reason to spend more. This phone is great for calls, SMS, email, instant messaging and making calls over VoIP, with the only drawback being the absence of a front camera for video calls. It will also keep your calendar and tasks organized and even keep them in sync with other devices or other people.

2. Lenovo P700 - There are more reasons to buy this than it dual SIM capability (Php10,900 to Php10,999)

If we were to spend more than the Php7K price for the Sony ST21i Xperia tipo, we would really like a larger display. The Lenovo P700 gives you that at a bit over Php3K more. 

This Android ICS powered smartphone has the same performance level as the tipo. Your additional 3K will get you a much larger 4-inch WVGA (480 x 800) display, a larger 2500 mAh battery and it also comes with a front camera. In other respects, it is similar to the Xperia tipo with the same 2.5 GB of user expandable storage and a mediocre camera.

The bigger screen is a good enough reason to get this one. By the way, it is a dual SIM phone too.

3. Sony Xperia go - Dual core power (Php12,990 to Php14,990) 

Sony has several excellent mid price dual core offerings, like the Sony Xperia U and Sola. The U is the cheapest, but the absence of a MicroSD card slot to expand the 4 GB internal storage is probably a deal breaker. Enter the Xperia go.

The Sony Xperia go has a decent sized 3.5-inch display, with a HVGA (320 x 480) resolution.  This makes the screen smaller and the resolution lower than the Lenovo P700. HVGA looks fine on a 3.5-inch display, so the real issue is the screen size.

In exchange for the smaller display, you have 1 GHz dual core ARM Cortex-A9 processor which is the main reason to get this phone over the Lenovo P700. It also comes with a decent 5 MP autofocus camera with a flash, as well as a secondary camera. The Sony Xperia go also provides more internal user available storage, at 4 GB (expandable via a MicroSD card) and has USB-on-the-Go support allowing you to connect it with USB Flash drives.

The only part I am not to crazy about is the smaller than average 1305 mAh battery, which is the same issue I have with the Sony Xperia U and Sola. An this is where the Sony Xperia go is a better choice than the Sony Xperia U and Sola. These two phone comes with higher resolution WVGA (480 x 800/854) displays combined with small 1320 mAh batteries. Given the small battery I would prefer the Sony Xperia go with its lower resolution display. The lower resolution display will use less power and result in better battery life.

As a bonus, the Xperia go, is IP67 certified to be dust and water resistant, making this a though phone. Despite its though status, this phone is just 9.8 mm thick. 

4. Sony Xperia Sola - Want a higher resolution dual core device? (Php12,990 to Php15,990)

If the HVGA display of the Sony Xperia go puts you off, there is a good alternative with the Xperia sola.

The Xperia sola has a larger 3.7 inch 480 x 854 display, provides the same dual core punch and almost the same specifications as the Xperia go. You do loose a front camera, and the dust and water resistant nature of the Xperia go.

I would recommend a go, but if the display puts you off. Get the sola.

To be continued.