September Gadget Reviews Roundup

It’s the start of another month and we’re getting closer to the end of the year. September brought us new smartphones like the iPhone 5S, Sony Xperia Z1, and the recently locally-launched LG G2. We’re proud to say that we’re done reviewing those three flagships, so before we kick off Oktoberfest let’s take a look at all the gadgets we’ve reviewed last month.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom

The Galaxy S4 Zoom, is Samsung’s attempt to merge the S4 flagship with a very capable point-and-shoot camera. It has an interesting form factor, long 10x zoom, and is capable of producing better images compared to a regular smartphone with a camera. However, it is thick, heavy, and has a subpar battery life. Definitely not your average smartphone but will surely delight users who want a smartphone and a point-and-shoot in one.

Sony Xperia Z1

The 5-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 800 CPU, 2GB of RAM, IP58-certified body, LTE connectivity, healthy 3,000mAh battery, and feature-packed 20.7 megapixel camera, makes the Xperia Z1 one of the best Android smartphones to date. However, it has a reflective TFT display and weak LED flash performance.

Still, if you’re on a look out for a top-performing flagship smartphone with a “premium” build, the glass and aluminum-bodied Xperia Z1 should be on your top list to choose from.

Cherry Mobile Cosmos Z

Cherry Mobile has a solid contender in the Cosmos Z. Pretty solid set of hardware, good camera, impressive display — all in a very affordable price tag. We could not complain much except for the battery capacity.

With a suggested retail price of Php11,999USD 204INR 17,334EUR 195CNY 1,489, the Cosmos Z has the makings of a flagship smartphone at a mid-range price. It’s a proven and tested formula that will sell well.

Cherry Mobile Cosmos S

The Cosmos S packs a beautiful display, a solid build, a long-lasting battery & decent internals into one thin desirable design. Cherry Mobile’s hardware & software combinations are getting there, and while there are indeed drawbacks, they’re not much to rant about. After all, you’re paying an affordable price to go along with all of that.

BlackBerry Q5

The BlackBerry Q5 packs a good display, decent camera, very good battery life, and above average performance. If you’re a BB7 user who is planning to upgrade to a QWERTY BB10 device but find the Q10 to be very expensive, the Q5 (at the time of writing) is your next and only option.

To conclude, the Q5 is a decent smartphone that can still be considered as a very good communication tool as BlackBerry is known for. However, the non-premium build and lack of LTE connectivity won’t justify its relatively high price tag.

LG G2

There’s no question that the LG G2 is the best smartphone LG has ever had. The powerful hardware, nice display, great camera performance and really good battery life makes this handset a pretty compelling one. As for the placement of the power and volume buttons, it’s an acquired taste. LG definitely has a winner in the G2.

Cherry Mobile Cosmos X2

The Cosmos X2 is a great all-rounder that can pretty much handle most of your smartphone needs, plus it’s got a very respectable display that is certainly a treat to look at. Although we’ve pointed out some minor drawbacks on the X2, we feel that those aren’t gonna be enough to put down this decent mid-range Android smartphone.

Apple iPhone 5S

The iPhone 5S is sill a solid phone but this is mostly because of the advantages derived from the simplicity and robustness of the OS. Apple no longer has monopoly over good design or even impressive hardware.

With the updates introduced to the iPhone 5S, it seems line Apple is ignoring the big strides a lot of the Android handset makers are doing — bigger and better hardware, more computing power, better displays and longer battery life. The iPhone 5S seems to be lagging behind.

It will, no doubt, sell really well. But once you see people willing to pay twice the price for a gold color, then it’s all about status symbol and blind loyalty; not excellent craftsmanship and superiority.