Home » Gadget Reviews Roundup: September 2021

Gadget Reviews Roundup: September 2021

Written By Louie Diangson
Published • October 1st, 2021
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Now that we’re in October, it’s time to take a look back at the reviews we’ve done last month. This includes the Huawei nova 8, Sony WF-1000XM4 TWS Earbuds, ROG Zephyrus G15, Moto G50 5G, realme Book, and the Xiaomi Pad 5. Check out the rest in our Gadget Reviews Roundup for the month of September.

Motorola Moto G50 5G

The Motorola Moto G50 5G isn’t a bad phone. At PHP 10,495USD 179INR 15,161EUR 170CNY 1,302, there are a lot of better phones at this price range from its competitors, but if you are looking for a smartphone that can perform well to your basic day-to-day needs, has a 5G connectivity, good battery life, 90Hz screen, and a lean Android build, you’ll be fairly happy with this phone.

Huawei nova 8

The Huawei nova 8 is a decent mid-range phone with amazing looks, good cameras, and good performance for a mid-range device. Also, It carries a competitive price tag of PHP 19,999USD 341INR 28,891EUR 325CNY 2,482. However, that advantage is hard to notice when it lacks 5G. Its competitors under the price range have that feature. Now it’s harder to ignore the inconvenience of not having GMS. Many users would still want this phone, but I don’t think they’d be willing to pay that much given the cons.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 (GA503Q)

We’re liking almost everything about the Zephyrus G15. It’s got a beautiful design, has a premium build, great display and performance, large RAM and storage, and good battery life. The lack of a built-in webcam can be a minor issue, especially to those who are into video calls a lot, but the external webcam kinda makes it up for it. The lack of RGB might be a minor downer for some, but not a deal-breaker.

Sony WF-1000XM4 TWS Earbuds w/ ANC

The Sony WF-1000XM4 is hands-down, the best TWS ANC earbuds I’ve tried so far. It has tons of features, great audio quality, good noise-canceling, and impressive battery life. We didn’t like the voice quality though but we still think that it’s worth the PHP 13,999USD 239INR 20,223EUR 227CNY 1,737 asking price. It’s not bad considering that the WF-1000XM3 released in 2019 was priced at PHP 12,999USD 222INR 18,778EUR 211CNY 1,613. It’s definitely worth the upgrade.

Doogee S97 Pro

Doogee has done a pretty good job with this rugged smartphone. If your work demands measuring a lot of stuff, requires the best available ingress protection and has impressive battery life, then this phone will suit your needs. However, its low screen resolution and its bulk prevents this from becoming a device you can use in and out of the field.

Doogee N40 Pro

For less than PHP 8,000USD 136INR 11,557EUR 130CNY 993, the N40 Pro packs good capabilities at a low price. It has big storage to start off, a massive 6,380mAh battery with support for 24W fast charging, and a USB-C port. However, if you’re thinking of getting a new budget smartphone in this budget, we recommend that you get the POCO M3 one instead.

realme Book (Intel Core i5-1135G7)

With an SRP of PHP37,990USD 647INR 54,880EUR 617CNY 4,715 for the i3 version and PHP47,990USD 818INR 69,326EUR 779CNY 5,956 for the i5 version, the realme Book is definitely now one of the most attainable premium laptops in the Philippine market. I was initially expecting the prices to be slightly lower, though you still generally get what you’re paying for with the actual prices.

realme GT Master Edition

There’s quite a competition in its range today but the realme GT Master has an advantage as it certainly offers good value for money, given that you get a new Snapdragon 778G processor, 5G connectivity, a vibrant Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, and 65W fast charging support. Its camera performance is pretty decent too for your social media uploads. So yeah, we don’t have much complaints about it, and its highly recommendable if it’s within your budget.

Xiaomi Pad 5

The Xiaomi Pad 5 is available locally for PHP 17,990USD 307INR 25,988EUR 292CNY 2,233 for 128GB variant and PHP 19,990USD 341INR 28,878EUR 324CNY 2,481 for the 256GB option. It sure is an attractive price tag for what it offers, and honestly, you’re even getting more with a vibrant 120Hz display, superb performance, long battery life, quad Dolby Atmos speakers, and very good cameras.