10 things you probably don’t know about the HTC Butterfly
10. It comes in many aliases
The HTC Butterfly might be a stranger in other countries but that’s because it goes in different names. In the US, it is known as the HTC Droid DNA and their model doesn’t come with a microSD slot. Hehehe. It comes in black for them though. It is known as HTC J in Hong Kong and HTC J Butterfly in Japan.
9. It has a MicroSD slot
Yes, what we took for granted in entry-level and midrange phones are usually non-existent on some premium devices. Starting with the HTC Butterfly though, the microSD slot will make its comeback in HTC’s future phones.
8. First Full HD Smartphone in the market
HTC was the first to bring out a quad-core phone last year (HTC One X), and now they’re the first to market a Full HD phone which we’ll see more this year. The HTC Butterfly has a 5-inch Super LCD 3 screen with a 1920 x 1080 resolution for a best in class 440 ppi pixel density.
7. 2020mAh battery with Power Saver Mode
One of the gripes people might have on this phone is its non-removable 2020mAh battery. HTC peeps who are using the Butterfly as their primary phone are reporting a whole day usage out of it. It also comes with a Power Saver mode that turns off push notifications while the phone is locked, and resumes it once unlocked.
6. No LTE on this one
Nope this phone doesn’t come with LTE if that’s your thing. The HTC One SV will arrive late this month though which will be their first LTE handset in the country.
5. Uses the fastest quad-core processor in the market
If brute performance is paramount to you, the HTC Butterfly is equipped with a 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro that is still the best quad-core chip available today besting NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 and Samsung’s Exynos 4412 in benchmark tests for both processor and GPU.
4. 8-megapixel camera with 5fps burst mode
The HTC Butterfly sports the same fast 8-megapixel camera found on their HTC One phones that packs an ImageSense chip for an impressive performance. The one on this phone is slightly faster when it comes to burst shooting with 5 fps instead of 4.
3. Got Beats but no Beats earphone
While HTC continues to use Beats technology on their handsets for this year, they somehow stopped shipping Beats earphones with them. Same goes with the HTC Butterfly which ships with regular on-ear HTC earphones.
2. Internal amplifier
Aside from a built-in headset amplifier, this phone comes with a dedicated rear speaker amp that gives minimal distortion even at maximum volume. And yes, it can get annoyingly loud so you might want to keep that in mind.
1. Water-resistant IPX-5 rating
Now we know why the HTC Butterfly has covered flaps on its port. This phone is rated IPX-5 which makes it water resistant that you can use it while showering (although I have no idea why would you) or when you get caught in the rain. Just don’t submerge it in water please.
There you have it. This phone is already available in HTC Concept Stores with an SRP of Php32,190. If you want our quick take on the HTC Butterfly, feel free to check our quick review of the phone.
| HTC Butterfly Specs: |
|---|
| Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064) 1.5GHz quad-core processor |
| Adreno 320 GPU |
| Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean |
| 5.0-inch Super LCD 3 Full HD 1080p @ 1920×1080 pixels, 440ppi |
| Corning Gorilla Glass 2 |
| 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, microSD up to 32GB |
| HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps; No LTE |
| Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP. EDR, NFC, MHL |
| Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot |
| 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash, ImageSense |
| Video recording at 1080p @ 30fps |
| 2.1 megapixel f2.0 ultra-wide angle front camera |
| 143 x 70.5 x 9.1 mm |
| 140 g |
| Li-Po 2020 mAh battery |
| SRP: Php32,190 |
LG Nexus 4
The LG Nexus 4 or Google Nexus 4 is the 4th reincarnation of the Nexus smartphone and this time, it’s LG’s turn to show the world what they cooked up with Google, and it’s beautiful I tell you.
What makes this an interesting piece of device is that it’s the first Android phone that supports wireless charging and is also the first Nexus phone that’s priced really low for its specs ($349 for the 16GB)… for Google Play countries only that is.
Here in our country, this handset retails for about $150 more so it becomes less attractive… or does it? Read on for our review to find out.
Design
The first time I took out this phone from its box and peel off its plastic covering, I immediately fell in love with its design. The Gorilla Glass panel covering its entire front has that curved edge on both sides which looked really classy.
Following the Nexus design, there are no physical buttons at the front and the capacitive touch panels for Back, Home, and Task Switcher are part of the 4.7-inch screen display utilizing a dedicated space at the bottom. Dead center at the bottom of the screen (not visible) is a notification LED indicator.
The sides have that edgy, smooth, matte hard plastic finish which is probably the boring part of this phone. On the left we got the volume rocker and the microSIM slot that requires you to push with a pin to eject. On the right is where the Power/Sleep button is situated making it natural for your thumb to do the waking.
On top is the 3.5mm audio jack and a microphone. At the bottom is the microUSB port that doubles as HDMI via SlimPort, a port standard similar to MHL. In fact, it’s the first handset to use SlimPort and the sad thing is, no SlimPort cable/adapter is included in the package.
I find the back as gorgeous as the front. There are little Matrix-like hologram squares that blinks randomly when viewed in different angles. The back is also covered with a Gorilla Glass 2 panel making this phone tough even without a case on. It’s not removable though and inside is a 2100mAh battery.
For a 4.7-inch phone, I like how the Google Nexus 4 feels in my hand. It’s thin but still adequate to grip without feeling fragile. It’s light but still has that heft that makes it feel like you’re holding a quality phone.
Display and UI
The Nexus 4 uses a 4.7″ True HD IPS Plus screen with a WXGA resolution (768 x 1280) resulting to a high 318 pixel density. That makes for a 15:9 aspect ratio but with the space dedicated to the Android buttons at the bottom, it further shrinks to a 14:9 aspect ratio. It does allow the buttons to rotate based on the orientation of the screen.
The display is quite sharp thanks to its full RGB stripe which gives you more subpixels per pixel than PenTile ones. Contrast is really good for an LCD screen and viewing angle is simply amazing on this phone. Brightness is quite high as well although due to the highly reflective glass, sunlight readability is not that good. Because of the curvature of the glass, it gives the illusion that the display is closer to the surface which is nice.
Using Google’s stock Android Jelly Bean OS, the UI on the Nexus 4 is as simple as it gets. Lockscreen icons are now gone but you can add widgets into it such as calendar and messages. Swipe to the right will launch the camera for you.
Everything else is quite basic (Home Screen, App Drawer, even the keyboard) so there’s not much to write about. I do like the effect when you put this phone to sleep which is like turning off an old TV.
Performance
The Nexus 4 is powered by Qualcomm’s APQ 8064 Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset, which uses the new generation Krait CPU cores and the new generation Adreno 320 GPU.
Syntethic benchmark using Quadrant gives the Nexus 4 a high score (4947) but still not high enough to distant itself from the NVIDIA Tegra 3.
However, because of the latest Android 4.2 Jellyb Bean, everything performs smoothly as it should. From launching apps, web browsing, browsing through a huge list of contacts, everything is “buttery” smooth.
I was impressed when I was streaming a 720p MKV movie from my NAS drive via the MX Player app. Software processing took a very short time and I was able to scan through the whole movie without any lag or stuttering at all. Not the case with previous Android phones I tried.
Audio coming from the speakers are clear even at loud volumes so that’s a good thing.
Tried Beach Buggy Blitz as my game and I was able to run through a bunch of laps without any lags or frame skips at all.
What’s missing on the Google Nexus 4 is LTE support. Network connection is listed as up to HSPA+ speeds only. It does, however, have NFC and wireless charging capability although both aren’t widely used yet.
Camera
The Nexus 4 is equipped with an 8-megapixel camera with back-side illuminated sensor. The Camera menu is quite simple, intuitive and is fully loaded. You can use touch to focus which is quick by the way.
You’ll get the usual Scenes, White Balance, flash settings, exposure compensation, and HDR. It can do panoramic shots and also a thing called Photo Sphere, which allows you to easily take a full spherical 360 panning photo. It’s not perfect but it’s easy and fun to use and show off.
Below is a sample Photo Sphere image laid as flat JPG. You can pan the photo in all angles when viewed from the phone or from Google Plus.
As you can see, colors are quite accurate but often times, a lot of noise can be found on the image. Photos look actually good by themselves especially if you can keep your hands steady.
This phone can also shoot full HD videos at 30 fps. There’s also a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats.
Battery life
The battery on the Nexus 4 is rated at 2100mAh which is the same on the Samsung Galaxy S III. On regular usage: WiFi always on but not connected, data usage every now and then, minimal calls and text, a few games, a few photos — the phone’s battery lasted for about 14 hours which should be good for a day and half of average use.
Verdict
The Google Nexus 4’s selling factor is its affordable price in the US. Locally, it’s priced at Php24,490which puts it near the other quad-core phones such as the HTC One X/X+ and the Samsung Galaxy S III. However, those phones debuted at a 30k+ price tag so the SRP of the Nexus 4 is considerably low for a quad-core phone, and it might even drop some more in a couple of months.
Another good thing the Nexus 4 has going is that you don’t have to wait ages once an OS update is released. Being a Google phone, you’re guaranteed that you’ll always get the latest version. Aside from that, it’s a really nice-looking piece of device with a very capable overall performance for those not needing too much storage on their handset.
| LG Nexus 4 E960 Specs: |
|---|
| 4.7” True HD IPS+ display 1280 x 768 @318ppi |
| Gorilla Glass 2 (front and back) |
| Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait, Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon |
| Adreno 320 GPU |
| Android 4.2 Jelly Bean |
| 16 GB storage, 2GB RAM, no microSD |
| 8 MP (3,264×2,448) back-side illuminated sensor with LED flash |
| HDR, Panoramic shot, Photo Sphere |
| 1080p @ 30fps video recording |
| 1.3 MP front-facing camera |
| microUSB v2.0 / SlimPort for HDMI |
| DC-HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps |
| Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot |
| Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP |
| Li-Po 2100mAh battery |
| microSIM |
| 133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1 mm |
| 139 g |
| SRP: Php24,490 |
Nokia Lumia 900
Design
As with all Lumias, it also comes in more than 2 colors such as the usual black and white, with the addition of magenta and cyan. The form factor is reminiscent of the Lumia 800 and still has that premium feel to it. The weight is a bit on the heavier side at 160g although I find it good since it contributes to the solid feel of the phone.
What’s new with the Lumia 900 is the addition of a 1 MP VGA front-facing cam sitting on top of a 4.3” AMOLED screen. The screen is made from Corning Gorilla Glass material so your screen is guaranteed to be scratch-resistant although I would still opt to put a screen protector for added protection, but that’s just me.
The left side of the phone is completely bare so you’ll only be fiddling with the right side where the buttons are. From left to right, we have the camera button, the power/lock button and lastly, the volume rocker.
At the top you’ll find the microSIM slot, the micro-USB port, the secondary mic for noise cancelling and the 3.5mm audio jack.
Under the phone you’ll only find the loudspeaker and nothing else.
At the back of the phone is where the 8MP Carl Zeiss lens with dual LED flash is located. The back of the phone is slightly curved to which the camera is somehow exposed at the center so if you put the phone on a surface, there is a risk of scratching the lens and the silver portion around it. We don’t want that do we? Better outfit this phone with a case then.
Features
The Lumia 900 packs the same hardware specs as the Lumia 800, only on a bigger body. It’s not much faster although, the WP7 doesn’t require much processing power so you can still be assured that the OS will run smoothly without lags.
One bit of a drawback though, is that the Lumia 900 inherited the screen resolution of the Lumia 800 which is at 480 x 800 pixels. The Lumia 800 has a 3.7” screen so having the same resolution on a bigger 4.3” screen will mean that the UI objects will look a bit magnified and the graphics seem to be less sharper. A downer but not something that could break a deal. I only noticed it right away since I had an experience with the Lumia 800.
When Nokia announced that the Lumia 900 will no longer be receiving the Windows Phone 8 update, a lot of Lumia 900 users were saddened and much more frustrated for those who’ve just bought the phone a few weeks before the announcement. However, for those who bought the Lumia 900 won’t be stuck for long on stock Mango (7.5) firmware but will get to feel the WP8 love with the release of the WP7.8.
Here’s a quick preview on the Lumia 900 running the WP7.8 firmware:
Not bad right? So you do get to have the WP8 experience as the visuals and animations are there. The catch here is that you don’t get some of WP8’s offerings such IE10 with better support for JS and HTML5, synchronization of all data into cloud (currently WP7.8 is only able to sync photos and office docs), OTA automatic updates and some apps that are integrated in WP8 but can be downloaded separately like Skype, DataSmart and RCS-E. These are the highlighted features of the WP8 but we may see some more features for the WP7.8 when it gets released early next year.
Camera and Image Quality
One of the features that I like with Windows phones is the camera shutter button wherein you can half-press to focus just like a digital camera. You can also tap to focus and the phone automatically takes the picture for you. The tap-to-focus feature is rather convenient but not for somebody like me who wants to focus first rather than taking the picture right away.
For the image quality, I have to say I’m quite disappointed with the colors being all too saturated and dark so for those pictures of sunny days, I tend to get a bit of gloomy shots even on auto settings. There’s some good dynamic range with sharpness being very acceptable although I’m still irked by the saturation and the overall brightness. Also, taking pictures of lights tend to get really annoying with the lights getting “starry”. See sample shots below.
Battery Life
From my experience with Windows Phones, they all seem to have poor battery life and the Lumia 900 is one of them. You could only last a day with occasional calls, text messaging and browsing the internet. Better have your charger with you always.
Conclusion
From my experience with the Lumia 900, I have to say I’m leaning towards the Lumia 800 than this one. This is mainly because the hardware specs are the same with the Lumia 800’s resolution looking better on a 3.7” screen. Although, if the front facing cam and the bigger display suits you best then the Lumia 900 is for you. The Lumia 900 now retails for Php20,000 although it is priced much lower atWidget City.
If you are willing to hold your Christmas bonus for a while longer, you may want to wait for the Lumia 920 which will be released sometime early next year. It will be packing some impressive specs like the WP8 OS, dual core processor and a bigger 4.5” screen.
| Nokia Lumia 900 Specs: |
|---|
| 4.3-inch AMOLED display @ 480×800 pixels, 217ppi |
| Nokia ClearBlack display |
| Corning Gorilla Glass |
| Qualcomm APQ8055 Snapdragon S2 Scorpion 1.4GHz CPU |
| Adreno 205 Graphics |
| 512MB ROM, 512MB RAM, 16GB internal storage |
| HSPA+ 14.4Mbps, HSUPA 5.76Mbps |
| microSIM |
| WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA |
| Bluetooth 2.1, A2DP, EDR |
| 8MP autofocus camera, Carl Zeiss optics and dual-LED flash |
| 720p video recording |
| 1MP front-facing camera, VGA recording |
| GPS w/ aGPS support, GLONASS |
| FM radio tuner |
| Li-Ion battery 1830mAh |
| Windows Phone 7.5 Mango (upgradeable to 7.8) |
| 127.8 x 68.5 x 11.5mm |
| 160 grams |
| SRP: Php20,000 |
LG Optimus Vu
The phone/tablet or “phablet” market is a fairly small one, but one that LG didn’t want to leave untapped. We can safely say that the LG Optimus Vu is their answer to the popular Samsung Galaxy Note / Note 2.
However, the Optimus Vu is unlike your typical “phablet” having a 4:3 aspect ratio display making it more like your typical e-Book reader or a smaller iPad mini. It’s a very unique and bold proposition coming from LG that they’re hoping will attract certain people. Read on to see if this device is something that will suit your style.
Design
It’s easy to recognize that the designed LG used on their Optimus Vu is taken from their previous Optimus phones that dates back from the LG Prada 3.0. It has a slim profile with round corners and symmetric elements. Very clean and minimalist.
The glassed front encompasses the 5-inch screen with the camera and sensors just above it. The Android ICS buttons are situated below the display: Back , Home, Multitask, and Menu.
The top houses most of the buttons. There’s the tiny Power button, the microUSB/MHL port with a sliding cover, another small button to activate Quick Memo (more on that later) and finally the 3.5mm audio jack.
On the left side you’ll find the tiny profile of the volume control buttons. You can also use these buttons to take photos. On the right side near the back you’ll find the microSIM (take note!) port which you need to poke with a pin to open.
The back has that same “Saffiano” texture found on the LG Prada 3.0. Here you’ll find the 8-megapixel camera with the LED flash beside it and at the bottom is a couple of speaker holes. The back is not removable by the way making the battery non-user replaceable.
Display and UI
Key feature of the LG Optimus Vu is its 5-inch screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio. It sports a 1024 x 768 resolution which isn’t exactly Retina quality in sharpness but shouldn’t make you complain either. It uses an HD-IPS panel where colors appear vibrant and viewing angles are quite great for a handheld device.
Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich runs the show with the LG’s Optimus UI layer. Because of its width, the lockscreen can accommodate 5 shortcut icons you can use to unlock the device.
Icon layout on the homescreen is limited at 4 per row but the static icon slots at the bottom gets an additional slot. App drawer can accommodate more icons per page as well. Swipe down from the top to enter the Notification window where you can also quickly toggle commonly accessed settings such as Data, WiFi, Hotspot, etc.
A cool customization feature here is LG’s built-in themes which changes the look and feel of your device down to the icons of commonly installed apps. You can even use images or photos from your gallery as icons. Nice feature actually if you’re into customization.
Rubberdium stylus
Something you would get out of the box is a stylus LG calls Rubberdium which is a stainless steel pen with a rubber tip. It’s not for pinpoint accuracy jotting but it does make it easier to use Quick Memo or Notebook.
Just like the LG Optimus 4X HD, the Optimus Vu has this nifty note-taking app called Quick Memo. You can launch it from any app by clicking its button at the top or calling it from the Notification window.
You can write on a blank note or use the existing screen as a canvas. Really handy if you want to jot down on a screenshot of a map then share it on your social network or e-mail it.
You can also use the notebook if you want things more organized or want a specific set of themes on your note paper.
Performance
Powering the LG Optimus Vu is the same quad-core 1.5GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 CPU as that of the LG Optimus 4X HD, HTC One X, and Google Nexus 7. It also comes with 1GB of RAM and using Quadrant synthetic benchmark, this device was able to score a very good 4429.
There’s nothing to complain about the speed while operating this phone. Performance is respectable from simply navigating the phone, to opening apps, playing games or web browsing. Same with call quality, WiFi and cellular network although it can be a bit stressing to the hand if you hold it like you would a phone when talking for a long period of time.
Typing on the keyboard requires two hands with its girth although you can swipe the keyboard to the left or right to squeeze it for one-handed typing. It also supports handwriting recognition using the stylus or swipe typing.
Browsing the web or simply reading anything from the screen is also one of the Optimus Vu’s strong points. The wide display allows for more characters per line making you scroll less. Visiting websites also results to fewer pinch-to-zooming as compared to usual phones with narrow displays.
Multimedia
You might be wondering how odd it is to watch videos on a 4:3 display. Honestly, I’m happy with the big screen and watching 16:9 videos is just like watching them on a regular TV. It’s not a problem at all. What’s even better is that the screen is perfect for looking at photos.
Games are automatically displayed in 4:3 aspect ratio but you can force it to a 16:9 by simply pressing and holding the Menu button. This device handles games really well by the way especially those made for Tegra 3 for richer game environments.
Camera
The LG Optimus Vu is equipped with an 8-megapixel camera with a single LED flash. Taking photos is a bit awkward due to its shape but you’ll get used to it. You can use the onscreen shutter button or the tiny volume buttons to take your shot.
retty much the same as that of the Optimus 4X HD. You need really good lighting conditions to take good shots. Too bright and colors get washed out and there’s just too much noise for the software to process in low-light conditions.
Battery
The battery on the Optimus Vi is rated at 2100 mAh and this translates to above average life for a huge phone in real-life testing. For normal calls and SMS, with a few games and WiFi browsing, I can go for a day and half before charging. Using it solely as a personal hotspot lasted me for more than 5 hours.
Verdict
The LG Optimus Vu is a fresh, unique-looking phone/tablet amidst the sea of the smartphones having the same shapes. It’s indeed a bold proposition that might turn others away, but will also attract some loyal followers. My wife likes it a lot but I’m having a hard time bringing it with me because it won’t fit in my jeans pocket.
What I like on this phone is its speedy performance, customizable and friendly UI, and really good viewing angles on its display. What’s not hot would probably be its camera and the lack of a slot for the stylus. Now you know that the first thing you need to do when you get this device is find a case with a stylus holder.
Those who love the wide iPad mini but wants a device that comes with cellular function should take a serious look at the LG Optimus Vu. It has an SRP of Php28,000 but it’s gone down a few thousands since its launch last month.
| LG Optimus Vu P895 Specs: |
|---|
| 5” HD IPS Display (768 x 1024) @ 256 ppi |
| 1.5GHz NVidia Tegra 3 Quad Core |
| ULP GeForce GPU |
| Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich with Optimus UI v3.0 |
| 32 GB storage, 1 GB RAM, no microSD |
| HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps |
| 8 Megapixels auto-focus camera with LED flash |
| 1080p Full HD video recording @ 30fps |
| 1.3 Megapixel front-facing |
| Bluetooth 4.0 HS+ |
| microUSB (MHL – Mobile High Definition Link) |
| GPS w/ A-GPS |
| NFC |
| 2,100 mAh SiO+ Battery |
| 139.6 x 90.4 x 8.5 mm |
| 168 g |
| SRP: Php28,000 |
good to know!
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