Year: 2020

OnePlus 8 Pro Camera Takes Amazing Night Shots

I must have been living under a rock for the last 3 or so years, enjoying so much my Samsung Galaxy Note 8, that it’s only now that I realized how night-time photography has improved recently. I know for a fact that this improvement in the camera system is not unique to my OnePlus 8 Pro, I’ve watched YouTube reviews taking the sides of the iPhone 12 series or the Samsung Galaxy S20 or Note 20 series cameras over OnePlus 8 Pro’s when it comes to night-time photography.

Nevertheless, I’m impressed with my OnePlus 8 Pro camera’s Nightscape mode. To my bare eyes, the streets and the skies are almost pitch black, but the phone’s camera, under the Nightscape mode, sees another way. Here are samples of night shots I took (note: except for the black line to hide the car’s plate number, I didn’t apply any further processing or modifications to the pictures. They are how they came out straight from the camera phone): Continue reading

I ditched Samsung for OnePlus because of Exynos

Don’t get me wrong, I had the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, running on octa-core Samsung Exynos 8895, for the last 3 years, and loved it. The One UI still runs smooth, the camera is still superb. The battery could use a good replacement, but really, if it were just me, that phone could see at least 2 more years of good use.

Truth be told, I was a Samsung fan. But it’s now 2020, and yet Samsung only offers the Exynos chip in this part of the world where I’m at, especially for its top-of-the-line smartphone lineup. It has been fairly documented how Exynos is a lot inferior against its comparable Snapdragon chip, from processing speed to temperature to battery life.

Apparently, if you have the Exynos version of the same Samsung model phone, you’re getting the shorter end of the stick. You’ve been shortchanged by Samsung. Continue reading

PSEi Levels vs. 2020 Forecast P/E Ratio

The chart below gives context at each Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) level in terms of 2020 Forecast Price-to-Earnings ratio:

Key take-aways from this chart:

  • At 7,009 current level, we’re actually above the 10-Year P/E Average.
  • How I wish I had enough cash to invest in the market at its super-low of 4,039 points in the middle of March 2020.

Do you need an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) for your system?

This is a timely video, I’ve been thinking about getting an Intel NUC, but the idea that I might need to set it up along a UPS defeats the purpose of a mini PC. The additional cost of the UPS left me even more confused, thus the reluctance.

Thanks to this video, I’m more convinced I don’t need a UPS. Now, deciding, should I go with the NUC 10i3 + 16GB RAM or the 10i7 + 32GB RAM?

Where to buy SnapDragon Samsung phones in the Philippines?

Saw this price list on Facebook, which includes the following Samsung phones running in SnapDragon chips towards the end of the list:

Updated list as of March 1, 2021:

* ALL SNAPDRAGON HK VARIANTS *
.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (SM-9980)
16gb/512gb = P63,500
12gb/256gb = P59,000
Color: Black / Silver
.
Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G (SM-9960)
8gb/256gb = P49,500
Color: Black / Silver / Violet
.
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (SM-9810)
8gb/256gb = P41,000
Color: Grey / Blue / Green
.
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G
8gb / 128gb = P29,000
.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2
12gb / 256gb = P85,000
12gb / 512gb = P100,000
.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G (SM-N9860)
12gb / 256gb = P49,000
12gb / 512gb = P58,000
.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 5G (SM-N9810)
8gb / 256gb = P42,000
.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 (SM-T870)
128gb = P33,000
256gb = P37,000
256gb LTE = P42,000 (SM-T875)

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Who’s excited for 5G?

Yugatech reports Globe expands 5G coverage in NCR, Visayas, Mindanao:

The telco accelerates 5G technology in key cities of Visayas and Mindanao. This includes Bacolod, Boracay, Iloilo, Talisay, Lapu-Lapu, Cordova, Minglanilla, and Cebu City in the Visayas. For Mindanao, it has Davao City and Cagayan De Oro.

Seriously, though, is there anybody out there who’s excited about 5G?

For mobile data, 4G is fast enough for me. Otherwise, there’s the fixed-line internet network wi-fi I can always fall back to in times of need. What we need as Filipinos is better coverage and reliable and steady mobile internet connection.

If my next phone offers 5G connectivity, well and good, at least I’d be kinda future-proof. But I’m not rushing to the nearest Smart or Globe store to grab the latest 5G phone.

Garden Clay Pots on Hyperinflation

I’m quite baffled. What used to cost PH₱45.00 back in June 2020 for each of these 9″-size garden clay pots now cost PH₱120.00 each. Five months in and we’re looking at 167% increase in price.

Is it only our imagination, or are we seriously experiencing upsurge in the number of plantitos and plantitas in this pandemic season?

The Hapless Samsung Galaxy Note 20

The persistent Samsung ads about its Galaxy Note 20 on Facebook are getting annoying, they now even make Samsung look pathetic.

If Samsung didn’t make Exynos their choice of mobile processor in their Galaxy devices, including the Note 20 series, in the Philippines, it would have won me over.

But no.

No Samsung Snapdragon chip, no Samsung for me from now on.