SM Mall of Asia CyberZone Gadgets and Accessories Below Php 5,000 That Give Great Value for Money : The TechPinas List!

Last Monday, December 21, 2015, I visited the freshly opened SM Mall of Asia CyberZone area located at second floor of the North Wing.


I walked around and entered some stores looking for great value for money gadgets and accessories that I can personally recommend and give to loved ones this Yuletide season.


The facade has a very "open" feel and all the Christmas decorations made it even more welcoming. Just from looking at it, you just know that there many geeky treats insides.


This is one of the - if not the - biggest SM CyberZone areas out there. There are many stores and kiosks but it doesn't feel crowded at all, which is great for those who are planning to bring their barkada or family with them when purchasing gadgets.


My visit coincided with the screening of Star Wars : The Force Awakens screen at SM Cinemas and there was this cool Star Wars set-up inside CyberZone.


I love Star Wars -- so I goofed around the display and had this fun shot taken. "Do not fail me!!!"


Strolling through SM's huge gadget hub, I noticed that Smart Communications and Sun Cellular - my networks - are already set to open business stores and experience outlets in this branch. Great news for all subscribers, eh?


Alright! On to my sub-Php 5,000 recommended gadgets and accessories!

Let's start with I saw at the O+ USA store located just beside CyberZone SM MOA facade.


O+ USA is one of the first electronics brands to make wearables available to Pinoy consumers. And the very sleek O+ Time remains to be one of the best-looking smartwatches that you can get currently. This one doesn't only tell time but - paired with your smartphone - it also delivers notifications from your social networking sites and works as a pedometer, among others.

You can get O+ Time for only Php 1,999.


O+ also has a number of Android smartphone that cost less than Php 5,000. This is 3G HSPA+ enabled O+ 8.97 running Android 5.0 Lollipop and it has an official SRP of just Php 3,995. It has a 5-inch IPS display, 5 MegaPixel rear cam, 2MP front camera, 2,000 mAh battery pack, and a Quad Core processor complemented by 1GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage.


I also visited the Huawei Concept Store adjacent O+ USA.


I noticed that they have lots of devices available for individual and home networking solution.


4G Pocket WiFi Huawei E5573 sells for just Php 3,990 and it allows you to share your LTE connection with your entire barkada and family.


The very eye-catching OtterBox kiosk is located just a few steps inside CyberZone's entrance.


OtterBox is a legendary brand known for crafting cases for flagship level devices that offer high level of protection against knocks and bumps.


The American company recently launched the Resurgence series of cases, which charges iPhones on the go apart from protecting the devices. There's also the Symmetry line, which is a lot thinner than other OtterBox cases and even flaunts attractive designs. Cases in these series sell for less than Php 3,000.


Known laptop and desktop maker, Acer Inc., is now more active in releases mobile devices including Android smartphones and tablets.


When I looked at their kiosk, this slate model immediately captured my attention. Acer Iconia One 7 B1770 sells for only Php 3,990 and yet it already comes with more than decent features including 7-inch IPS 1024 x 600 pixels display, 2 MegaPixel main cam, VGA front camera, Quad Core MediaTek MTK8127 chipset, 1 GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal storage! Not bad at all for a device by an international brand, right?


Cherry Mobile is currently the leading smartphone maker in the Philippines -- so I thought, "Sure, they have their tablet and accessories lines. Why not look at their handset catalogue and just pick all of my recommendations from that line-up?"


Php 3,499 Cherry Mobile One is the first Android One model of the Pinoy company. As Google-sanctioned release, this phone is set to receive software updates directly from the maker of Android, way ahead of every other handset model out there. This one is a must-have for hardcore Android fans.


The very popular Flare Series is most successful line of smartphones from Cherry Mobile. And for Q4 2015, the company launched the Flare 4, Flare S4, and Flare S4 Play, all selling for just Php 4,999. The first two have identical technical specifications - headlined by their 64-Bit Octa Core chipset, 5-inch HD IPS display, 5 MegaPixel selfie cam, and 13 MegaPixel camera - as well as  metal-clad enclosure. The S4 Play is ever-slightly less powerful  less powerful innards but it comes with DTV support, letting you watch high-quality TV channels on the go.


For those who love getting separate bags, pouches, and sleeves for the gadgets they love, there's Halo!


Entering their rather spacious store, you will be greeted by a burst of colors. From black to neon green, grey to bright red; All of the hues are represented.

Their foam-protected laptop backpacks cost less than Php 1,500 each! Believe it!

And I'm in love with these reversible 2-in-1 neoprene laptop sleeves that sell for less than Php 500. Talk about giving great value for money.


As some of you know, Digital Walker (along with Beyond The Box) is my favorite gadget accessories hub currently. I just love the very hip and youthful vide of their stores!

Digital Walker has tons of cool gizmos and accessories that cost no more than Php 5,000 but I'll show you the ones that I find particularly intriguing or interesting. Some of these are already in my personal collection.

If you love listening to music, then you should have at least one Marshall headphone in your collection! Anyone who truly knows music will tell you that Marshall makes great audio products. You can start with this: Marshall Major, which goes for only Php 3,850. This is the denim version, which I think looks nice, but there are many other designs that you can choose from -- including Classic Black with Gold Metal Accents.

Coloud earphones are crafted for hip millennials who love colorful gadgets! I love Coloud! In fact, my current earphone when jogging and working out in the gym is the Php 1,450 Coloud The Hoop, which is the Swedish Audio company's latest headset model.

For those who'd rather share their music with their friends instead of using earphones, there's Php 1,250 Coloud The Bang, which is a lot more powerful than it looks. I have this model and it rocks!

For those who live active lifestyles and love doing activities to be fit, Digital Walker has Fitbit wearables that can serve as a workout companion -- measuring your steps and calories burned. Heck, they even track your sleep patterns!

Fitbit Flex, which goes for Php 4,599, is the most affordable of the bunch. It's not as flashy as the more expensive models but it gets the job done.

This is one of the coolest products you can find at Digital Walker today.

FoneBud is 6 devices wrapped in one package! I works as a Bluetooth headset (and you can pair it with up to two smartphones), a fast-charging 2.1A output 5,000 mAh powerbank, a selfie snapper, a torchlight or flashlight, a range detector, and a loud speaker volume control device! Sweet, eh? You can get this smartphone companion for only Php 3,650!


When it comes to screen protectors and "full body invisible shield protection" for smartphones and tablets, ZAGG is king! Their innovations have been copied time and again by various companies but the technology behind their products remains unique and top-notch.


The ZAGG kiosk in SM Mall of Asia CyberZone will give your smartphone industry-leading screen-protection for just Php 900 while you'll have to shell out around Php 1,900 for tablets.


What list about value for money gadgets and accessories in the Philippines is complete without mentioning everyone's favorite, CDR-King?! If you want to visit one of their newer branches, you'll find it in SM Mall of Asia CyberZone!


From initially being the go-to place for USB flash drives and blank CDs, CDR-King has blossomed into a full-fledged geek hub offering a very wide range of devices even slightly off-tagent ones that you won't expect to find in malls like the Php 4,999 4-Watts Light Bulb powered by a Solar Panel! "Charge it the entire day under the sun and it will stay on the entire night," the sales guy told me.

Of course, CDR-King has more 'standard' items like this Wireless Combo Keyboard plus Mouse that has a Php 699 price tag. You can get something like this elsewhere but expect to pay twice as much. See, that's what everyone loves about CDR-King; Everything's just more affordable here.

I love high-capacity powerbanks that double as flashlight or torchlight. They're so useful -- especially when traveling or doing extreme outdoor activities. CDR-King has this 12,000 mAh pack with "Super Bright LED" lights that sell for just Php 880.

Guess what I bought at CDR-King? Their items are so budget-friendly; I couldn't help myself!


To wrap this up, allow me to share one great gadget that didn't quite meet our sub-Php 5,000 criterion, which still warrants my recommendation.


Asus ZenPad C is the Taiwanese electronics company's most affordable 64-Bit Android tablet. This one has an official suggested retail price of only Php 5,995 at Asus' kiosk in SM Mall of Asia CyberZone and it already features a 7-inch IPS 1024 x 600 WSVGA display, a 2 MegaPixel rear camera, 0.3 MP front cam, and a fairly large 3,450 mAh battery pack. Under the hood, it runs its ZenUI-skinned Android 5.0 Lollipop OS with an Intel Atom X3 SoFia chipset, has 1 GB of RAM, and 16GB of expandable storage.

Its specs are cool for a slate in this price bracket but what I really like about the ZenPad C is that it looks very attractive. Check out that svelte back panel!

I had so much fun walking around SM Mall of Asia CyberZone, talking to the sales staff inside gadget stores and kiosks, and making purchases. I grew up shopping at SM and up to this day, I still feel like a kid in a candy store whenever I visit SM malls -- especially their CyberZone gadget hubs!

I hope you can make time to visit this newly-opened CyberZone branch. Who knows? The gizmo you've long been wanting to have could be there, just waiting for you.