Mabuhay, Manila.
Here’s our 4-Way Mid-range Phone-off pitting fan favorite smartphones this time with the Huawei P9 Lite, the Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime, the OPPO F1s, and the Asus Zenfone 3.
The OPPO F1s and the Galaxy J7 Prime share similar qualities here as the build is composed of a mix of mostly metal with plastic caps found in the top and bottom portions to make way for signal reception.
The Zenfone 3 5.2 employs a glass finish all around sandwiching the metal frame.
The Huawei P9 Lite is mostly plastic held together by a metal frame.
The lightest of the 4 and the most palm friendly belongs to the P9 Lite followed closely by the OPPO F1s. The J7 Prime had the most metal in construction that ranked second in the design department.
The most premium feeling device belongs to the Zenfone 3, as the all glass build gave the coolest and heaviest feel out of our contenders making it the winner for this round.
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3 of the 4 will be employing a 1080p display sans the F1s set at 720p.
3 out of 4 again will be coming into the fight with an IPS LCD display with varying iterations in versions. Only the J7 Prime will be clad in PLS TFT display.
The clearest images will belong to the Huawei P9 Lite and the Asus Zenfone 3. The J7 Prime will have a touch of saturation in tow thanks to a more vivid display.
The OPPO F1s will have the least sharp images of the four though still very bright.
The J7 Prime will not be supporting an ambient light sensor which means blindly fumbling through the quick settings menu will almost always be required when stepping out into broad daylight.
We’re giving this on a tie between the Huawei P9 Lite and the Zenfone 3.
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Shots in broad daylight gave points to both the cameras of the P9 Lite and the Zenfone 3 seen in the pictures. The same images for the OPPO F1s resulted in a touch of overexposure. The J7 Prime was underexposed.
Indoor shots with proper lighting gave the sharpest results to the P9 Lite with a warmer tone. The same warmness can be found on the F1s.
The Zenfone 3 was just as sharp but leans on the colder side. The J7 Prime had the coldest of all four samples with some underexposure in tow.
Nighttime shooting with the most details belonged to the Huawei P9 Lite that was also the warmest of the four.
Following closely is the Zenfone 3 with some noise creeping in.
The coolest version of the same image belonged to the F1s.
The J7 Prime struggled the most with focusing problems with an underexposed shot.
Selfies will be the game for the F1s as it pulls ahead in the race of selfie expert. The details are crisper, colors are livelier and the overall result is just satisfying to the eye.
All four of our contenders can record a maximum of 1080p @ 30fps.
The most accurate color rendition belongs to the Zenfone 3 and the P9 lite while the F1s and the J7 prime was met with pale colors.
Zenfone 3 will pull ahead on the video recording thanks to Optical Image Stabilization.
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The Zenfone 3 and the P9 Lite have the most capable processors with the Snapdragon 652 and the HiSilicon Kirin 650.
Don’t be perturbed as the proprietary processor in the P9 Lite is more than capable at covering your average daily apps.
The Mediatek 6750 inside the OPPO F1s is decent and works well but failed to go toe to toe with the first two contenders.
It’s another slow story for the Galaxy J7 Prime as the proprietary Exynos 7870 could not make a smooth experience of more demanding apps and games.
Don’t get us wrong, all these phones are mighty capable in providing you your daily needs. Each will have their own strengths.
The longest battery life belongs to the J7 Prime that packs 3300mAh juice. It was able to withstand 32 hours of stand by time with 5 hours of screen on time.
The quickest to charge to the fullest is the Zenfone 3 that took 2 hours and 7 mins but holds the least capacity at 2600mAh.
The P9 lite, Zenfone 3, and F1s can last with 4hours of screen on time with the P9 lite achieving the longest charge time.
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The most affordable here is the Huawei P9 Lite that retails at Php11,990 or $250, followed by the OPPO F1s with 1000 peso difference at Php12,990 or $289.
Behind the F1s is the Zenfone 3 that starts at Php12,995 or $262. And last but not the least is the J7 Prime which is priced at Php13,990 or $281.
What do you think of our Mid-range Phone-Off? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
see also:
| SPECS, PH Price | OPPO F1S |
| Display | 5.5-inch 720p HD display IPS LCD, 267ppi |
| Size | 7.44mm thick, 160g weight |
| Design | Metal + Plastic, Gorilla Glass 4 |
| Colors | Gold, Rose Gold, Gray |
| Chipset | Mediatek 6750 octa-core chipset |
| Processor | 8 x 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 |
| Graphics | Mali-T860MP2 |
| Memory | 3GB RAM, 32GB internal, dedicated microSD card up to 256GB |
| Main Camera | 13MP f2.2, dual tone LED flash |
| Multimedia | 1080p |
| Front camera | 16MP f2.0 |
| Connectivity | GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz | WCDMA: 850/900/2100MHz | 4G LTE, WiFi n, Bt 4.1, GPS, dual-nano sim |
| OS | Android 5.1 Lollipop |
| Software | Color OS 3.0 |
| Battery | 3000mah |
| Ports | microUSB, 3.55mm headphone jack |
| Official Price | P12,990 SRP for 32GB model (US$280) in online stores |
| Availability date | August 2016 availability in the Philippines |
| Where to buy | OPPO Stores |
| SPECS, PH Price | Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime |
| Display | 5.5-inch Full HD 1080p PLS TFT, 401 ppi |
| Size | 8mm thick, 167g weight |
| Design | Metal casing |
| Colors | Black, Gold |
| Chipset | Samsung Exynos 7870 octa-core chipset |
| Processor | 8 x 1.6 GHz Cortex-A53 |
| Graphics | Mali-T830MP2 |
| Memory | 3GB RAM, 16/32GB internal, dedicated microSD card up to 256GB |
| Main Camera | 13 MP, f/1.9, 28mm, autofocus, LED flash |
| Multimedia | 1080p |
| Front camera | 8MP f1.9 |
| Connectivity | GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz | WCDMA: 850/900/2100MHz | 4G LTE, WiFi n, Bt 4.1, GPS, dual-nano sim |
| OS | Android 6.0 Marshmallow |
| Software | TouchWiz UI 3.5 |
| Battery | 3300mah |
| Ports | microUSB, 3.55mm headphone jack |
| Official Price | P13,990 ($281) pesos |
| Availability date | October 2016 availability in the Philippines |
| Where to buy | Samsung Stores |
| SPECS, PH Price | Huawei P9 Lite |
| Display | 5.2-inch Full HD 1080p IPS LCD, 424ppi |
| Size | 7.5mm thick, 147g weight |
| Design | Unibody metal, scratch-resistant |
| Colors | Black, Gold, White |
| Chipset | HiSilicon Kirin 650 octa-core chipset |
| Processor | 8 x 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 |
| Graphics | Mali-T830MP2 |
| Memory | 3GB RAM, 16GB internal, hybrid microSD card up to 256GB |
| Main Camera | 13MP f2.0, dual tone LED flash, |
| Multimedia | 1080p |
| Front camera | 8MP f2.0 |
| Connectivity | GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz | WCDMA: 850/900/2100MHz | 4G LTE, WiFi n, Bt 4.1, GPS, dual-nano sim |
| OS | Android 6.0 Marshmallow |
| Software | Emotion UI 4.1 |
| Battery | 3000mah |
| Ports | microUSB, 3.55mm headphone jack |
| Official Price | P11,990 ($250US) pesos |
| Availability date | June 2016 availability in the Philippines |
| Where to buy | Huawei Stores |
| SPECS, PH Price | ASUS ZenFone 3 5.2 |
| Display | 5.2-inch Full HD 1080p IPS LCD, 424ppi |
| Size | 7.7mm thick, 144g weight |
| Design | Metal frame, curved Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Colors | Shimmer Gold, Aqua Blue, Moonlight White, Sapphire Black, Special: Nebula, Crystal Frost |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 625 octa-core chipset |
| Processor | 8 x 2.0 GHz |
| Graphics | Adreno 506 |
| Memory | 3/4GB RAM, 32/64GB internal, hybrid microSD card up to 256GB |
| Main Camera | 16MP PixelMaster, f2.0 aperture, dual-LED flash, laser focus, phase detection, OIS, HDR |
| Multimedia | 1080p |
| Front camera | 8MP f2.0, wide-angle, 1080p video |
| Connectivity | GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz | WCDMA: 850/900/2100MHz | 4G LTE, WiFi ac, Bt 4.2, GPS, dual-nano sim, NFC |
| OS | Android 6.0 Marshmallow |
| Software | ZenUI 3.0 |
| Battery | 2600mAh |
| Ports | USB Type-C, 3.55mm headphone jack |
| Official Price | Php12,995 or $262 |
| Availability date | August 2016 availability in the Philippines |
| Where to buy | ASUS Stores |
ManilaShaker is a tech media producing insightful and helpful content for our local and growing international audience. Our goal is to create a premier Philippine digital consumer electronics resource that provides the most objective reviews and comparisons globally.
David John Balce says:
Also , I noticed in almost all comparisons and reviews is that you say “652” rather than “625” which makes it a lot more confusing..
David John Balce says:
I thought that the Zenfone 3 could record at up to 4K UHD video at 30fps and it’s processor is a Qualcomm S625 processor?
Nikko says:
It can record in 4K 30FPS, and 1080p 60FPS. You thought right, di lang sinama ni Manila Shaker.