Best Of GIZGUIDE 2015 Awards! List Of The Top Portable Gadgets We Were Able To Hold This Year!

Our tradition continues as we end the year. We list down all the best of the best gadgets that we were able to hold this year of 2015 that's readily available in the Philippine market. They were the ones who made a lot of impact on us and the lives of anyone who was able to grab them. Without any further delay, let's start!

Best Of GIZGUIDE 2015 Awards!

Best Smartphones of 2015!

Best under 3K Smartphone - Cherry Mobile Omega HD3

Choosing a decent phone with good specs under 3,000 Pesos is not an easy task. So far among all the super budget phones that I was able to hold this year, the Cherry Mobile Omega HD3 packs the best value for money. It touts better specs than most phones in its bracket without compromising on build quality and style. What I like the most here is it runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop already to give you a smooth overall experience for only 2,999 Pesos.

Honorable Mention: MyPhone My27

To read our impressions: Click Here!

Best under 5K Smartphone - Cherry Mobile Flare 4

For the first half of the year, SKK Lynx dominated this segment, but Cherry Mobile came with a HUGE BOMB when they launched the Flare 4/S4 that sent shock-waves across the local smartphone industry. Why? those devices boast unprecedented specs and design for the price.

If I were to choose between the two Flares, I'll go with the Flare 4 as I liked its more comfortable to hold rounded curved design and best among all the local phones I tested audio output via headphones. If you want a great phone on a tight budget, you cannot go wrong with the Flare 4 that's priced at just 4,999 Pesos.

Honorable Mention - SKK Lynx

To read our review: Click Here!

Best under 10K Smartphone - Lenovo A7000 Plus

This price point is undoubtedly the hotbed of the best bang per buck phones this year. Started with the Meizu M1 Note, M2 Note, Alcatel Flash Plus, Alcatel Flash 2, Lenovo A7000, Cherry Mobile Flare X, Cherry Mobile Flare S4 Plus, Acer Liquid Jade Z, MyPhone My35, MyPhone MY36, Firefly Mobile Intense 64 LTE and Firefly Mobile Allure 64 LTE. While all of them are capable of winning the award depending on your preference, the one who stood out this year that has the best balance among them all is the Lenovo A7000 Plus.

My personal choice could be a surprise for most as some will surely argue that there maybe other handsets with bigger ram, better cameras, nicer build and etc., but the A7000 Plus is the most stable device I tested all year long in this category. The A7000 Plus also has one of the best displays among them, utilizes the rare and powerful MT6752 / Mali T760 SoC combo and a mature non-buggy UI that most will surely find relatively easy to use.

The Lenovo A7000 Plus retails at 7,999 Pesos only.

Honorable mention - Cherry Mobile Flare X V1

To read our review: Click Here!

Best under 15K - Asus ZenFone Selfie

There are other slightly better phones like and Zuk Z1 together and Lenovo Vibe P1 worth mentioning, but the phone that packs the most value under 15K is undoubtedly the Asus ZenFone Selfie. Personally I even dubbed this phone as "the best ZenFone yet" as this device cooked a sweet blend of great performance, nice camera, long battery life and close to unbeatable price at just 11,995 Pesos.

Honorable mention - Lenovo Vibe P1

To read our review: Click Here!

Best under 20K - Huawei Honor 6 Plus

Call me biased, crazy, weird or whatever, but there's a reason why the Honor 6 Plus remains to be my main phone / camera even up to this date. The Honor 6 Plus is an ultra underrated handset which packs smooth sailing performance, great connectivity and best under 20K rear camera at just 17,995 Pesos.

Honorable Mention: Sony Xperia C5 Ultra

Bang per buck local phone of the year - MyPhone My36

Could be a controversial call here as MyPhone's My36 isn't the most powerful local phone in the land, but for me it goes with supreme value for money. This phone goes with 1.3 GHz 64 Bit MT6753 octa core processor, has 3 GB of RAM, 5.2 Inch 1080p 2.5D curved arc display with Gorilla glass 3 protection, well crafted aluminum metal frame, faux leather back cover, selfie camera with flash and 13 MP Samsung S5K3M2 sensor with PDAF and manual controls. You get all of those features plus a free watch for just 6,999 Pesos.

Honorable Mention - Cherry Mobile Flare S4 Plus

To read our review: Click Here!

Best local flagship - Starmobile Knight Spectra

You need to hold it to appreciate it. The Starmobile Knight Spectra rocks the best display, camera and build I saw from a local brand yet. It also goes with impressive camera software tricks that let's you re-focus your shots even after taking them ala Honor 6 Plus. If you have the budget of 14,999 Pesos, this is the best local phone you can get.

To read or review: Starmobile Knight Spectra Review, Still The Local Flagship To Beat This Early 2016!

Honorable Mention - Cherry Mobile Flare S4 Plus

For more info: Click Here!

Best overall - LG V10

My personal choice for the most impressive handset that I was able to hold this year is the "dream like" greatness of LG V10! It totally revamped the LG G4 for the better at it packs several innovations that LG is known to do all the time.

The re-imagined LG V10 comes with several firsts in the industry like the Manual Video camera feature, a secondary screen in front for notifications / shortcuts, dual selfie camera for wide angle shots and the use of ESS Sabre 9018C2M DAC for audiophiles normally reserved for ridiculously priced dedicated portable music players. This phone is simply that good!

Honorable Mentions: Huawei Nexus 6p, Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Sony Xperia Z5 Premium

For more info: Click Here!

Best under 5K Tablets of 2015!

Best Budget Tablet - Cherry Mobile Superion Radar LTE

In terms of value for money, few will argue that there's a better spec'ed Android tablet today other than the Cherry mobile Superion Radar LTE. It's also the most affordable Snapdragon 410 enabled tab and rare LTE connectivity especially for the price of just 3,999 Pesos.

For more info: Click Here!

Best Budget Multimedia Android Tablet - CloudPad 702q

If you're looking for a budget tablet that can provide you some nice multimedia experience package, then CloudPad 702q is the best you can find here. This also has a large round speaker at the back. The entire package alone gives you Spotify goodies like a free headphone and earphones for the low asking price of just 4,999 Pesos.

For more info: Click Here!

Best Budget 2 in 1 Tablet - Cherry Mobile MAIA Smart Tab

Cherry Mobile made a living by providing the best spec'ed devices you can get for the price. That's the same thing they did with the Cherry Mobile MAIA Smart Pad which is the most affordable dual boot tablet / pc in one in the land today at just 4,999 Pesos. I'm sure they helped a lot of students with this device that's update-able to Windows 10 great for school and light work.

For more info: Click Here!

The rest of the best gadgets of 2015!

Best entry level audiophile grade earphones - Xiaomi Mi Hybrid IEM

Hands down! This is the best sounding in ear monitors with mic I tested under 2,000 Pesos. For the price of just 1,250 Pesos, this beast can compete even with the likes of my other more expensive bang per buck in ear monitors like the VSD5 and Havi B3 Pro 1.

To read our impressions: Click Here!

Best entry level audiophile grade portable headphones - Superlux HD 562

Superlux really knows their craft very well. That is to produce the best sounding headphones on a budget. While the Superlux 681 Evo has bigger soundstage and slightly more detailed, it isn't as portable as the HD562. This headphone sounds way beyond its asking price of just 1,990 Pesos.

Where to buy this: Click Here!

Best portable Bluetooth speakers - Kingone K99

Without a doubt the loudest, meanest and best sounding portable speaker I tried this year is the Kingone K99 Bluetooth speaker. It goes with a built in sub-woofer and well-balanced drivers to give you that unbelievable sound for the super low asking price of just 1,899 Pesos. 

For our review: Click Here!

Best wearable - Huawei Watch

If you have unlimited budget, this is the best smartwatch that I was able to hold and test for a little this year. This Android wear enabled device that works for both iOS and Android has that excellent combination of advanced technology and style. Price starts at 19,990 Pesos.

To read our impressions: Click Here!

Best local bdget Action Cam - Cherry Action Cam

Cherry Mobile has another winner here. The Cherry Action Cam which packs a lot of value for money as it boast the most number of accessories for the asking price of 3,999 Pesos aside from the 12 MP HD 170 degrees capable sensor.

For more info: Click Here!

Best daily powerbank - Ekopack Slim 6000 mAh

A good daily powerbank should posses the following traits: portability, durability and enough juice to help you get through the day. The Ekopack Slim 6000 mAh has all of those traits with a bonus of slimness and great looks. It also comes with a dual charging USB port that lets you charge 2 devices at the same time. Plus that 6,000 mAh of battery capacity won't be that hard to charge compared with 10,000+ mAh battery packs. Priced at 1,099 Pesos.

To read our review: Click Here!

Best budget high capacity powerbank - Asus ZenPower 10050 mAh

This credit card sized powerbank is a darling all year long. It also possess the most security certification I saw from a powerbank. Rated at 2.4 A of power output, that's probably the highest you can get for the super low asking price of 795 Pesos only.

To read our review: Click Here!

Note: Our list is subjective which is based on our personal preference only.

That's the end of our awards for this 2015! I'm super sure that we can expect a lot of better things to come this coming 2016! Congratulations to all those who made our list!

Is your favorite portable gadget included here? Let us know.