Event Coverage

Comex 2013 - Telco, Tablets, GPS & Mobile Accessories Buying Guide

By Team HardwareZone - 5 Sep 2013

Smartphones

Smartphone Deals at the Show

Here are some highlighted smartphone deals at Comex this year.

Apple iPhone 5 

Apple's latest iPhone has a high resolution 4-inch display, LTE connectivity, a light and thin body and a familiar, but still vastly appealing, industrial design.

 

Comex 2013 Offer

  • Comex Price$220 with M1 iPhone Lite+ at $59/month (2-year contract)
  • Brochure
  • More Information: HWZ Review

HTC One

The HTC One is one of the sleekest Android smartphones out there with a full aluminum unibody, zero-gap construction, Full HD display and Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core 1.7GHz processor. It also boasts excellent audio quality for a smartphone.

Comex 2013 Offer

  • Comex Price: $299 with StarHub SmartSurf Value at $59/month (2-year contract)
  • Comex Promotion: 12-month unlimited music streaming, 1GB local music data, back cover worth $13.90, Ukulele worth $129 (for first 50 customers)
  • Brochure
  • More Information: HWZ Review

Location

M1 - Hall 5, Booth 5721

Location

StarHub - Hall 6, Booth 6701

Samsung Galaxy Mega with LTE

The 6.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Mega has one of the biggest displays ever seen on a smartphone. Running on a dual-core processor and 1.5GB RAM, the Mega with LTE is an excellent multimedia device and ideal for movie watching on the go.

Comex 2013 Offer

  • Comex Price: $768 (usual price: $798)
  • Comex Promotion: Free micro-USB charger 
  • Brochure
  • More Information: HWZ Review

Location

Samsung - Hall 5, Booth 5301

Nokia Lumia 925

Wrapped in aluminum, with a gorgeous 4.5-inch AMOLED display, Nokia's latest Windows Phone 8 smartphone, the Lumia 925, also boasts an excellent 8.7MP PureView rear camera.

Comex 2013 Offer

  • Comex Price: $129 with StarHub SmartSurf Value at $59/month (2-year contract)
  • Comex Promotion: Free wireless charging back cover and plate worth $127
  • Brochure
  • More Information: HWZ Review

Location

StarHub - Hall 6, Booth 6701

Blackberry Q10

The Q10 is no doubt the dream phone that BlackBerry loyalists have been waiting for. Equipped with a refined QWERTY keyboard, the BlackBerry Q10 provides an unrivaled typing experience. Its 2,100mAh removable battery ensures that you stay connected wherever you go.

Comex 2013 Offer

  • Comex Price: $278 with SingTel Value Plan at $59.90/month (2-year contract)
  • Comex Promotion: Free BlackBerry AMG Backpack and mug for first 200 customers. 
  • Brochure
  • More Information: HWZ Review

Location

SingTel - Hall 5, Booth 5118

Sony Xperia Z Ultra

The fully waterproof 6.44-inch Xperia Z Ultra incorporates a Full HD display, runs on the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean platform, and features an 8-megapixel camera with Exmor RS for mobile sensor and HDR for videos and photos.

Comex 2013 Offer

  • Comex Price: $398 with M1 Lite Surf+ at $59/month (2-year contract)
  • Comex Promotion: Free accessory pack worth $288 + SonicBlue Golf speaker worth $39
  • Brochure
  • More Information: HWZ Review

Location

M1 - Hall 5, Booth 5721

 

Comex 2013 Smartphones Portal

Smartphone Buying Guide

A smartphone has become an integral part of our daily lifestyle. With so many options from the different mobile platforms, it must be very confusing for consumers to decide on their next phone purchase. The attractive deals at tech shows often complicate things further, with reduced prices and more freebies.

SMARTPHONES TODAY

The mobile industry is dominated by the likes of Apple iOS and phones powered by Google Android. There are also other players such as Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry 10. So which mobile platform suits you better?

Apple iOS is well-known for its simplicity and user-friendly interface. The consistency in user experience across the board helps you adapt to it pretty quickly.

Backed by a vast and superior collection of apps, you will be spoilt for choices when it comes to choosing apps from photography, games, social networking, instant messaging, productivity and entertainment. Its great cross device synergy, anchored by iTunes and iCloud, provides a unified experience that is unrivalled.

If you want a simple, easy-to-use and stable phone to use, you can't go wrong with an iOS device.

More Information: WWDC 2013: iOS 7 Highlights, 11 Details You Might Have Missed about iOS 7, iOS 6 hands-on

BlackBerry recently unveiled its next generation operating system, BlackBerry 10 (BB 10), which will serve as a single platform for phones and tablets.

BB 10 provides a whole new user experience where you use swipe gestures to navigate the interface instead of relying on a home, menu or back navigation button.

One of its key features is the BlackBerry Hub, a notification center where your social and email accounts integrate. It is deliberately designed to be accessed from any app or lock screen, hence making it very convenient for you to check new notifications without quitting the app or task that you are doing.

BlackBerry has one of the best, if not the best virtual keyboards in the market. The BB 10 keyboard is able to adapt to your typing style, learns from your message history and tries to predict the next word you are typing. Used over a substantial period of time, the BB 10 keyboard is able to deliver a faster and more accurate typing experience.

If you are a loyal fan of BlackBerry's QWERTY keyboard, you will be glad to know that the company refined the design on the Q10. Whether you like a virtual or physical keyboard, BlackBerry has just the right device to meet your needs.

More Information: BlackBerry Z10 Review, BlackBerry Q10 Review, BlackBerry Live 2013

As an open-source OS, it is no wonder that Google Android has grown to become the world's most popular mobile platform. 

As Google Android offers the freedom of choice and customization, vendors are able to manufacture a range of mobile devices with different screen sizes, form factors, price points, and user interfaces to suit the needs of different consumers. Its tight integration with Google's services such as Gmail, Maps and Drive is an asset that other mobile platforms lack.

If you like the flexibility of customizing your home screens and taking more control over how your phone works, Google Android is clearly for you. 

More Information: Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, Google I/O 2012: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, For Butter or For Worse.

Windows Phone 8 (WP8) does not offer a drastically different user experience from its predecessor, Windows Phone 7.

Its core still revolves around Live Tiles, which act as tiny windows that are constantly updated with the latest information. As such, you do not need to switch or jump between different apps to get the information you want. Windows Phone gives you all the necessary information with a single glance on the Start Screen.

What's different in WP8 is the new Smart Screen, where you can resize the tiles according to your preferences. This allows you to enlarge certain functions of higher importance such as Calendar to be more visible on the home screen.

Other updates include the option to enable app notifications on the lock screen, backup and restore data via Microsoft's SkyDrive, private group conversations in Rooms, NFC payment service in Wallet, and a selection of photo apps known as Lenses.

If you want a break from the typical app and widget-filled home screens, WP8 can offer you a different and refreshing experience.

More information: HWZ Tech Guide to Windows Phone 8

 

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR

Getting a Phone with Contract or Without Contract? If you are renewing your contract to purchase a phone, a gentle reminder that all three telcos have rolled out new tiered smartphones in September 2012. In a nutshell, you will no longer enjoy data bundles of at least 12GB or unlimited data usage once you switch over to the new smartphone plans. Check out our illustrated overview of tiered smartphone plans for a clearer picture.

3G or 4G? So far, M1 and SingTel are the two telcos in Singapore to launch a nationwide 4G LTE network. As for StarHub, its 4G network covers 60% of the island with a focus on outdoor coverage. Island-wide street-level coverage is expected by end of the year and pervasive in-building coverage is slated thereafter in the future. We did a mid-year review of the telcos' 4G LTE network in April. You may want to check the two articles (1) (2) out to have an idea of where the different telcos stand with regrards to 4G LTE coverage across the island. 

More and more 4G-enabled mobile devices are entering the market and the telcos are actively promoting the adoption of 4G. If you want to enjoy faster mobile data connectivity, it is advisable to get a 4G phone but you have to take note that 4G phones generally have lower battery life. In addition, you are likely to switch to the new tiered plans and be limited by the lower data bundles. If you want to find out more about 4G LTE, do check out our 4G LTE Tech Guide. Do not know which devices are 4G-enabled? Fret not as we have compiled a list of devices with 4G LTE support.

Check out the latest mobile phones at our HardwareZone Mobile Phones Product Guide.

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