MyPhone my28S Review

MyPhone’s bang-for-the-buck smartphone is only priced at Php888, and it got the whole country swooning over it. Is it a device worth all the hype and clamor? Here’s a review of the country’s most affordable Android Lollipop smartphone yet.

Born out of the partnership between Smart and MyPhone, the phone’s popularity is undeniable as it renders the usual ‘out of stock’ notice at the online Smart store a lot of times, and purchasing one offline is like finding a needle in the haystack. We bought one last February, and used it as a daily driver for more than a month.

Parts of our Hands-on and First Impressions were integrated into this review.

Design and Construction

The My28S presents itself with a lot of branding from its partner — Smart. Most of the hardware from the original my28 are still intact: at the front we see the Smart logo replacing myPhone’s just beside the 2MP front camera with its dedicated flash, akin to how telecoms in other parts of the globe do it.

There’s the 4-inch display with a built-in screen protector — which is already properly placed on the device as you open the box. Just below the non-lit capacitive buttons is a concentric ring design similar to ASUS smartphones, and a small hole for the microphone sits right at the edge.

At the left side, we can see the volume rockers and the power/lock button. At the top of the device are the microUSB and audio ports. The sides are framed in a glossy polycarbonate that sometimes trigger fingerprint smudges.

At the back of the device are the slightly protruding 5MP rear shooter with its LED flash, and myPhone’s trademark Philippine map design marked across the matte back plate that repels fingerprint smudges. There’s also that long speaker grille, but the sound blasts only from a small part of it.

Here’s the tricky part: Open the cover, and you’ll be surprised to see that the second sim slot is covered with a sticker. As part of the price markdown, it has been said that the phone’s warranty will be void once the seal is damaged. There’s also that part where you’re only limited to using Smart, Talk and Text, or Sun Cellular SIMs on the other slot, so don’t get your hopes up on using two different networks on this phone.

Overall, the small screen display contributed well to the comfort and grip we had when holding the device. We just find it awkward to reach the other side for the rocker buttons, but overall it is manageable and you can get used to at some point in time. Left-handed people would benefit well from these key positions.

The map is also a testament to MyPhone’s roots, but I find it rather underwhelming since it doesn’t add any value. We could’ve seen a better-looking map design that could be the company’s trademark, but instead chose the plain, old one that is conspicuously placed at the back.

Display and Multimedia

For the my28S, MyPhone chose a TFT LCD screen which square panels are quite obvious when you look at it closely, and changes colors as you inspect on a few angles. Nevertheless, the colors are okay and the brightness is mostly good for indoor usage, as you’ll definitely need to turn in the brightest light settings as we found it quite hard to use outdoors. The device captures much glare on a sunny day too, and this could be a hindrance when you want to use it under broad daylight.

Multimedia playback isn’t a problem. The sounds on the phone’s speaker produces decent audio at a moderate volume, but the included headset is something that would boggle you. The audio peripheral isn’t something that you would actually use, as it produces generic sound. Where were the old good MyPhone headets gone? With that being said, you’re better off using your preferred sound cans.

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