I had been using an ASUS ZenFone 3 5.5 as my main mobile device for almost three (03) years now. Even if it was a flagship device (when launched, and when I acquired it), age is finally caught up with it. Being laggy at times, I can still live with it as the device has a superb camera for a smartphone — something that the ZenFone 4 nor ZenFone 5 can match. I am actually waiting for ZenFone 6 to be launched locally, but it seems that ASUS Philippines is not keen on bringing the device anytime soon.
I was seriously considering getting a secondary midrange device weeks ago to augment my mobile needs during event coverages and just being a mobile warrior. I was locked into this selection: Xiaomi Redmi Note, Huawei P20 or P30 Lite, and Nokia 7.2.
Price and specs-wise, the Nokia 7.2 is a sure winner — especially the Zeiss optics 48MP camera and price point. However, the salespeople they have in their store — sorry, but they’re too pushy to a point of being assholes (sorry for the term). The device comes in three (03) colors: Cyan Green, Charcoal, Ice. It seems that they have a lot of the Cyan Green in stocks, and keeps on pushing me to get it instead of the Charcoal — which I like, but according to them is currently out-of-stock. Sorry, but you will not get a Peso from me.
As for the Huawei P20 or P30 Lite, the price points are simply not within my budget for a secondary device. If I will be acquiring one of these Huawei devices, I will make use of it as my primary weapon of choice.
So, I’m down with my last brand of choice: Xiaomi. I was torn between the Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 8. The Redmi Note 7 retails at PHP7,999 for the 4GB/64GB variant (according to their Facebook page), while the Redmi Note 8 has a price tag of PHP9,999 (according to their Facebook page). What will I get with the PHP2,000 difference?
A quick look at GSMArena.com revealed the following differences between the Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 8:
| Maximum Speed (Mbps) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price (Monthly) | ||||
| Price Per Mbps |
For a secondary device, are the differences well worth the PHP2,000 (I asked myself)? The answer: NO! I can even make the price difference way higher if I will be acquiring the Redmi Note 7 from another supplier — which I did.
Using the Redmi Note 7 for a week now, and I could say that I am truly happy with it. Let me share with you some of the shots taken using the device:
Plus, installing Google Cam on my Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 allows me to shoot in the dark using the Night Sight mode:
NOTE: This is NOT a paid review nor I was asked by the brand to review the device. I bought my Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 from a reseller — without any discount from Xiaomi or their Ad/PR agency. I just love this new device and thought of sharing this with the interwebs.