There’s a saying, “If something looks too good to be true, it probably is—but in the case of Khalil Ramos, it was just Lightroom.
The actor and photography enthusiast found himself in a bit of controversy after being accused of bringing a professional camera to the recent concert of Harry Styles.
Ramos posted “Free Wallpapers” of Styles on Twitter and one commenter took note of the quality of the pictures and called out the actor’s attention, saying professional cameras were not allowed at concerts.
Several others netizens joined in, before Ramos girlfriend, actress Gabbi Garcia, came to his defense saying the photos were taken using just his phone, and were just enhanced using the Lightroom app.
Another concert-goer further corroborated this by posting a photo with the celebrity couple with Ramos noticeably holding a smartphone with a camera lens attachment.
So, the next question obviously was: “What phone did Ramos use?”
A quick look at the actor’s Instagram account showed him holding the Honor X8a and posting a video of a recent photowalk using the smartphone’s high-res mode a few days before the concert.
Though I’m quite certain that it wasn’t the phone he used during Styles’s concert, the other images he posted were really quite good, and Honor once again found itself a hot topic just in time for the launch of its latest smartphone.
I’ve also been using the Honor X8a for the past couple of weeks as well and while the 100MP feature is a bit exaggerated, it certainly can take great photos—“with a bit of basic editing, composition and understanding of exposure,” as Ramos suggested.
Following up its battery powerhouse X7a, Honor further expands its budget mid-range lineup with the release of the Honor X8a.
With a price tag of P10,990, it’s the numerical successor to last year’s X8 model, and comes with a few upgrades to its design, battery and that hard to ignore 100-megapixel main camera.
The Honor X8a features a flat-edge design with smooth rounded corners. Yes, it looks like another derivative of the iPhone design, but this isn’t a bad thing. The sharp, clean lines not only add a touch of attitude to the design, but also give the device a comfortable and secure grip, demonstrating a subtle balance between form and function.
It comes in three colorways: Cyan Lake, Titanium Silver, and Midnight Black.
Equally eye-catching as its color finish and ginormous camera module on the back, is the phone’s 6.7-inch Honor FullView Display. With ultra-slim bezels as thin as 1.1mm, the Honor X8a has an impressive screen-to-body ratio of 93.6 percent, guaranteeing an immersive viewing experience for both work and play. It may only have an IPS panel but the colors are generally good thanks to its Display Color Calibration technology developed by the brand itself. By calibrating the color temperature of the screen frame by frame, the Honor X8a achieves a Just Noticeable Color Difference (JNCD) value of less than one, meaning users can barely notice the color difference between the screen and real life. It also supports a 90hz refresh rate and that punch-hole selfie camera makes it look more premium than its price rivals.
For audio, it only has a single bottom-firing speaker and the absence of the headphone jack means that you’ll have to use USB-C or wireless earphones to enjoy better audio quality.
Now, for that 100MP triple camera system which Honor says is the highest megapixel count ever achieved on the X Series.
As I mentioned earlier, it can deliver an exceptional photography experience provided you have ideal lighting as well as the patience to compose your shot. The 100MP main camera has a f/1.9 aperture, and is further assisted by a host of AI imaging algorithms. It supports noise reduction to deliver better night photos, while producing captivating portraits with natural beautifying effects. It also offers a high dynamic range (HDR) photo-shooting mode that fuses multiple frames to generate an image with the optimal exposure level and through the power of Super Resolution technology, it can take clearer photos with greater ease.
You know I’m a fan of wide-angle lens so I’m happy that Honor has included a 5MP Wide and Depth Camera, which does a decent job of capturing colorful landscapes, skyline and for fitting in lots of people in a single shot. Completing the triple camera setup is a Macro lens.
For selfies, the 16MP Front Camera with a f/2.45 aperture is one of the better ones in its price segment.
What I did like is the new Story mode which makes creating Reels and short videos a lot easier as it supports both landscape and Portrait mode. There are five built-in Micro-Movie templates for video recording and hopefully they could add more downloadable templates soon.
Performance is handled by a Mediatek Helio G88 processor coupled with a Mali-G52 MC2 GPU, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Testing it out for a few days of moderate usage, it handled everything quite well including calls and messages, email, browsing, social media uploading, blog posting and light editing.
Just be wary of having too many apps open as it can cause noticeable slowdown. For games, it can handle casual titles well but for those graphically intensive ones like Genshin Impact game, you might want to consider a higher model.
Finally, it has a 4500mAh battery and supports 22.5W supercharge that translates to a better battery life than its predecessor, and it easily lasted us a day of moderate use.
The Honor X8a is worth considering if you are looking for a nice-looking phone with a good set of cameras, a big screen and good battery life.
ONEPLUS BUDS PRO 2
NOW here’s something that sounds too good but it’s actually true.
After more than a year and a half, OnePlus has finally released the OnePlus Buds Pro 2, which shares the same stemmed design and clamshell charging case of its predecessor, and it is also IP55-rated to resist dust and water, while the case retains the same IPX4 rating. But while it may look the same, a lot has actually changed inside those earbuds.
Imagine being able to completely immerse yourself in the sound of your favorite movie or song. The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 make this possible with spatial audio technology, which duplicates the surround-sound experience of a movie theater.
The Buds Pro 2 is the company’s first earbuds to support Spatial Audio on Android 13 but to separate it from other earbuds that offer similar technology, OnePlus teamed up with Hans Zimmer— yes, the legendary multi-awarded film music composer man behind the unforgettable soundtrack of Dune, The Lion King, Top Gun: Maverick, and The Dark Knight trilogy.
Zimmer is known for pushing the boundaries of sound so that music helps move the film narrative forward in extraordinary, sometimes unconventional, ways. Together, they created an exclusive EQ profile meant to elevate the Spatial Audio experience. The customized equalizer, called Soundscape, enables audiophiles to enjoy the full symphonic sound of a classical symphony or the multilayered reverberations of an action picture. Additionally, the earbuds feature one Dynaudio default EQ and three customized EQs, including Bold, Serenade, and Bass, ensuring that users can hear each music in its original, unaltered form.
The earbuds also have MelodyBoost Dual Drivers, which were co-developed with Danish loudspeaker maker Dynaudio. The 11mm+6mm twin driver technology delivers low frequencies for a deeper, richer and more powerful bass, as well as crystal clear vocals.
For the two weeks that I’ve been using the OnePlus Buds Pro 2, I’d say it’s one of the best earbuds available for Android users. For its price tag of P9,990 it delivers fantastic audio quality, intelligent features, and a sleek and comfortable design. It is a great choice for anyone who wants to experience immersive and high-quality audio. Furthermore, the earbuds are lightweight, water-resistant, and have a long battery life, making them ideal for everyday use, workouts, or outdoor activities.