Braun Series 3 3040 Review

The Good:

Reasonable price (for Braun shavers)

Easy to clean

Wet and Dry use

Built-in trimmer

The Bad:

Difficult to get locally

Cheaper alternatives are available

Price:

Php P4,200 on Shopee or Lazada

US$ 60 on Amazon

Verdict:

Have you ever wondered why some people use electric shavers? If you’ve been using disposable shaver blades for years, check out this review as it just might make you change your mind. Full disclosure, this is the first electric shaver I’ve used. Except for a cheap one I kept in the car for emergency use 20 years ago. I did a lot of research before deciding on this Braun 3040. I considered some cheaper alternatives like the Philips AT610/620 and the Xiaom Mijia Flex Razor. Since I needed a portable shaver for travel, I also bought a Xiaomi USB shaver. I’m still waiting for delivery, so it will be interesting how this compares to the Braun.

While doing some research, I found out that there are two kinds of shaver designs, Foil and Rotary. Most review sites say that one is better for thick hair, while the other is for light to medium growth hair. Most of it is confusing and some contradictory. But most sites agree that the Braun Series 3 is the best budget shaver you can get for less than USD$100. There’s also a consensus for wet and dry shavers.

Braun has a huge line of shavers, and it can be very confusing. They have a Series 1 all the way to the Series 9. One way to look at it is like buying a BMW. A Series 7 will be better than a 1 series. What you get will also depend on your budget. That is where the Series 3 comes in. It’s right in the middle of the line. So now let’s shave and see the difference. Check out the photos below.

Before

Half wet and half dry

After

After using it for about a week, I have to say I’m happy with it. While it does not shave as close as a blade, it’s close enough. One advantage of using an electric shaver is that you don’t need to worry about getting a nick or a cut. I preferred a wet shave rather than a dry. Also, you’ll need to do a double or even a triple pass to get a clean shave. The built-in trimmer also helps with hard to reach places. Charging takes about an hour and should be good for a week of daily use. One tip I can give is to use an aftershave lotion or balm to prevent irritation.

Call me a convert on electric shavers. It will be interesting to see how it will compare to the rotary shaver I ordered. Check back in a few weeks to see my review on that.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Review

The Good

Value for money
All day battery life
Good performance
MIUI (surprisingly good)
Free case in the box
Built-in Spam blocker works 

The Bad

Micro USB charging, not USB C
Uses hybrid dual SIM 
Camera low light performance

Specs

5.99 inch IPS FHD display
Snapdragon 636
4GB RAM, 64GB Storage
Dual Hybrid SIM with Micro SD
WIFI AC, Bluetooth 5, LTE
Camera 12MP+5MP and 13MP Front
Micro USB
4000mAh Battery
Price Php 11,990 (US$220)


Verdict

I've been a Samsung user since the Galaxy S2 (except for a year using LG). I decided to experiment. Can I live with a mid-range phone? What exactly are you giving up when you don’t buy a 40k ($800) device? 

I had a difficult time choosing between a few mid-range devices like the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1, Huawei Nova 3i, and a few Xiaomi phones. I finally picked the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 and gave up my Galaxy S8. Was it the right decision? Read on and see.

First, let's look at the design. The Redmi Note 5 looks nice, a typical mix of metal and plastic. Build quality is solid. Looks aren't a priority for me (since I'll end up putting a case on it). Side bezels are thin, but the top and bottom ones could be smaller. The screen is bright, and colors are accurate, outdoor usage wasn't a problem either. 

No headphones in the box. But you do get a free case.

Still uses Micro USB

Three things surprised me. The performance of the phone was fast. Everything was snappy, even quicker than my S8. The second surprise was the fingerprint scanner (again, faster than my S8). Lastly, MIUI, Xiaomi’s skin on top Android 8.1 was a pleasure to use. 
To be honest, I was prepared to hate it and had already decided to change it with Nova launcher. But after using it, I liked it. Ok, so it's basically an homage to iOS. But in reality, it’s very user-friendly and still has enough of Android to customize it to your liking. 
Probably the best selling point is this phone's battery life. Finally, a phone that lasts all day. To give you an example, I took the Note 5 off the charger at 7 am, used about 7 hours on LTE, 2 hours of Waze, the rest on WIFI, a few calls, Chrome, YouTube, Spotify and by 10 pm, I still had 49% left. Why can't Samsung or Apple put bigger batteries on their phones?

What do you give up when you don’t buy an expensive flagship phone? No wireless charging, no water residence rating, no Gorilla glass protection. The camera, while excellent, is not outstanding. Especially in low light. Check out the same photos.

Portrait mode

Low Light

Very Low light

So, to answer the question. Yes, you can live with this phone, with one caveat. One thing remains to be seen. The real test is if it’s built to last. I’ll probably be able to tell after 6 months to 1 year of usage. On the other hand, even if it doesn’t, you can buy 3 to 4 of these for one flagship device. If it breaks, buy another one. You'll still save money.

Broadlink RM Mini 3 Review

The Good
1. Price
2. Easy setup
3. Compatibility with  a lot of devices

The Bad
1. Works better with Amazon Echo
2. Requires additional setup for some devices
3. Doesn't always work

Verdict 

Do you have an Amazon Echo or Google home? Perhaps you want to control your TV or some other home appliance? Then this Broadlink Mini might be the device for you. I came across this device while doing a YouTube search on how to use my Google Home to do some home automation. The best way to describe this device is that its like a universal remote control that you program with either Alexa or Google Assistant. First of all, this device works better with an Amazon Echo. If you’re using a Google Home, it will work but it does need some additional steps. I suggest watching some tutorials on YouTube before taking the plunge.

The initial setup is very easy. Some devices like my LG air conditioner worked right away as it was in the list of supported devices. However, other devices like my Dyson fan had to be reprogrammed in the Broadlink app to think that it was a lightbulb and then teach it to learn the Dyson's remote control. Finally, you will need to create “scenes“ in the app to automate some commands. Then link those scenes in your Google Assistant App. It may sound complicated but after watching a few tutorials it’s pretty straightforward. With all that said, the RM 3 Mini is only Php 1000 (US$20) on Lazada. It’s really not much considering what you get. If you’re into home automation, I highly recommend starting with this RM Mini 3. It’s cheap enough that you won’t feel bad if it doesn’t work as expected.

Huawei Honor Band 3 Review

It's been quite a while since I did any review. My schedule has been so busy lately that I decided to change the format of this blog in order to get through the backlog. I will be making most of the reviews more concise and to the point. So here it goes.

The Good

1. Price 
2. Accurate heart rate tracking 
3. Battery life 
4. Health App

The Bad

1. Not enough swim tracking information 
2. No music control

Verdict 

My previous fitness tracker was the Xiaomi Mi Band 2. I really liked it but it didn't have continuous heart rate tracking plus the screen was too small making it difficult to read sometimes. Honor Band 3 does have it. In fact, I did a recent treadmill stress test and compared its heart rate data with the Honor Band 3 and it was almost the same. I also got this for the swim tracking feature. However, I was disappointed that it only showed time and calories burned. No distance or number of strokes. Overall, I'm still pretty happy with my purchase. For only Php2000 (US$40), you get a decent fitness band with a good companion app and excellent battery life lasting up to 15 to 20 days on a single charge.