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Gadget Reviews Roundup: May 2021

We’re almost halfway through the year, yet we’ve already seen tons of new devices, some of which we have already reviewed. Last month, we got to check out the ASUS Zenfone 8 Flip, Black Shark 4, realme 8 Series, OnePlus 9 5G, and the Huawei MateBook D 15 2021, to name a few. If you want to see everything we’ve reviewed, check out our Gadget Reviews Roundup for May 2021.

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Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 4G

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite has an official price of PHP 14,990USD 255INR 21,655EUR 243CNY 1,860, which sure is more affordable than the other smartphones in the Mi 11 series. As a mid-range device on its own, it’s pretty straightforward and ready for your day-to-day casual use. Of course, you don’t get much of the flagship features, but it still stands out with its utterly slim design, a good set of cameras, and vibrant AMOLED display. It’s a very good phone to consider in its price range, although there are other Xiaomi mid-rangers that have tad bit better specs compared to it.

OnePlus 9 5G

At PHP 38,990USD 664INR 56,325EUR 633CNY 4,839, the OnePlus 9 5G is slowly approaching a price level many of us would consider as flagship, so the omission of OIS and the lack of an IP rating might be a bit of a downer. However, despite these misses, the OnePlus 9 5G is still undoubtedly a solid flagship for all the features we’ve known OnePlus to excel on, from its dedication to packing the fastest hardware around to the minor tweaks that make Oxygen OS 11 tick.

realme 8 Pro

If you’re looking for a decent mid-range phone with a camera sporting a high megapixel count, then you’re already in the right direction. The Snapdragon 720G chipset and the lack of 5G could hold you back since we don’t consider this one to be much of an upgrade if you’re coming from the Realme 7 series. But if those things aren’t too important to you, it’s still quite a respectable daily driver.

realme 8

The realme 8, despite lacking the pro title, is still quite a great mid-range phone. If you’re coming from the realme 7, this does make quite a big difference, especially because of the updated Super AMOLED Panel. And if gaming is also a priority for you, this might even be a better choice than the Pro.

Huawei MateBook D 15 2021

If you’re looking at Huawei’s 2021 laptop lineup powered by the 11th-Gen Intel processor, the MateBook D 15 2021 is the most affordable you can get right now at PHP 52,999USD 903INR 76,562EUR 860CNY 6,577. However, if you want a sharper screen and a bigger battery, you’ll have to shell out more for the MateBook 14 2021 for PHP 64,999USD 1,108INR 93,898EUR 1,055CNY 8,066.

TCL 20 SE

The TCL 20 SE is priced at PHP 8,990USD 153INR 12,987EUR 146CNY 1,116. Even though its camera isn’t its strongest suite as well as its performance, you will still have a huge battery that can last 1-2 days with fast charging support, a huge display, and a stereo speaker setup which could definitely improve your media consumption experience.

ASUS Zenfone 8 Flip

At PHP 39,995USD 682INR 57,777EUR 649CNY 4,963, the ASUS Zenfone 8 Flip offers an interesting balance of features, from the ability to use the main camera for selfies to the gaming chops of its ROG siblings and a relatively slimmed down Android skin with a lot of hardware and software customization.

Infinix Hot 10 Play (Upgraded Version)

The upgraded Infinix Hot 10 Play is officially available for PHP 4,990USD 85INR 7,209EUR 81CNY 619, which is PHP 700USD 12INR 1,011EUR 11CNY 87 higher compared to the first Hot 10 Play that the brand released. The upgrade in performance does make it more worth the price, but overall, the Infinix Hot 10 Play is a great affordable smartphone for less than PHP 5,000USD 85INR 7,223EUR 81CNY 621—especially with its massive 6000mAh battery capacity.

Apple AirTag

For users heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem, it definitely is. For starters, you’ll be able to locate your stuff with an AirTag across your devices. It’s also packed with features that no other smart tracker has, such as Precision Finding, a loud chime speaker, and, surprisingly, its price. At PHP 1,690USD 29INR 2,441EUR 27CNY 210 apiece, or PHP 5,790USD 99INR 8,364EUR 94CNY 719 for a pack of 4, it provides way more value than what other brands are offering.

Black Shark 4

It’s no longer surprising to see how mobile gaming is slowly but surely getting better recognition. And if you just so happen to be looking for a bang-for-buck gaming phone, then the Black Shark 4 might just be your answer to that. You’re getting flagship-grade specs, those physical pop-up triggers right by the shoulders, a very acceptable camera, and incredibly fast charging, all encapsulated together at a comparatively more affordable price.

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TCL 10 5G

Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite

realme 8 Pro

realme 8

OnePlus 9 5G

Infinix Hot 10 Play (Upgraded Version)

ASUS Zenfone 8 Flip

Comparison

Huawei FreeBuds 4i vs Samsung Galaxy Buds Live vs Apple AirPods Pro

However, savvily speaking, we’d go for the Huawei FreeBuds 4i since that’s a large price gap. Yet, you still get an impressive sound reproduction, high-quality features, and reliable long battery life. The FreeBuds 4i is definitely an outstanding bang-for-your-buck TWS that you can get today.