I was fortunate to have been invited to attend the Yahoo TechnoStorm media event on the first day of the expo so it was easy for me to jump to the MyPhone booth afterward and grab some hands on pics of the much-awaited Iceberg Mini. It sports some of the best internals that can be found on a locally branded phone, but what does it handle like in person? Read on for my hands on impressions.

Design and Construction

Back

The MyPhone Iceberg Mini features an aluminum body that feels very light in the hand. The lightness is comparable to the Samsung Galaxy S4 and you just don’t expect a phone of this size to feel so light. Thankfully, there weren’t any noticeable gaps or flexing when I pressed on the unit, so I’ll say the construction is pretty good despite the lightness.

The Screen

App Drawer

The 5 inch Full HD IPS OGS display is easily the best hardware feature of the MyPhone Iceberg Mini. And it’s not just because the image quality is so good. The OGS construction eliminates the air gap between the actual display and the protective glass, bringing the image much closer to the surface. It’s barely noticeable until you view it from a really extreme angle, but it really does add to that premium feel.

Left Side

Performance

The Iceberg Mini is powered by a 1.5GHz quad core MediaTek MT6589T CPU coupled with a PowerVR SGX 544 GPU that’s been overclocked to 357MHz. The performance of the two combines to provide a buttery smooth user experience when navigating through the UI and launching different apps. I wasn’t able to test it on any games or benchmark apps though, but those of you who are familiar enough with the MT6589T platform should be confident enough in its overall performance.

First Impressions

The MediaTek MT6589T SoC is a proven platform that powers many of the best locally branded smartphones with Full HD displays. When you encase it with a lightweight aluminum body and slick yet understated paint job, you’ve got a pretty good phone right there. At Php12,888, the price point is a little worrisome, not because it’s expensive, but because people start looking at more established international brands like Samsung and LG once you start going above Php10k.

MyPhone Iceberg Mini Specs

  • 5″ Full HD IPS display (1080 x 1920 resolution, 441ppi)
  • 1.5GHz quad core MediaTek MT6589T
  • 357MHz PowerVR SGX 544 GPU
  • Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
  • 2GB RAM
  • 16GB internal storage
  • 13mp rear-facing autofocus BSI camera
  • 5mp front fixed focus BSI camera
  • 3.5G/HSPA+
  • WiFi b/g/n
  • Bluetooth 4.0
  • GPS with A-GPS
  • Battery: 2,000mAh
  • Price: Php12,888

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65 Comments

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  1. ewan? kaya siguro masama loob ng iba sa mga local brand kasi kayang tapatan nung local brand ung fone nilang super mahal.. but for me.. bibili ka ng mahal then papalit ka din after few months or years. so pwede na to kahit papalit palit ka pa.

  2. i have an iphone5 and it’s a major disappointment, so i say that brand isn’t everything. there’s nothing wrong owning a cheap phone. ang babaw na dahilan naman na mahiya ka “humugot ng phone” sa social gathering kung local brand lang phone mo, as if people care.

    anyway, i find this phone attractive, specifically yung specs and the idea na “scratch resistant”. i’m scouting for other brands, yung matibay and hindi ako luluha ng dugo pag ihulog man ng baby ko sa hagdan yung phone… at in case na may defect or need ko ng assistance, may after-sales support and maganda customer service.

    1. MyPhone dude, Im using a888 duo for almost two years and ilang beses na sya tumatalon sa taas ng cabinet na mataas pa sakin pero di pa rin nya ko binibigyan ng problema. Minsan bumabagal dahil sa dami ng apps pero kasi dual core lang sya kaya katanggap tanggap naman. Haha. And fyi, ung 8mp ng MyPhone mas maganda pa ang resolution kesa sa 13mp ng CM and LG. :)

  3. branded pang mayamn lang nmn yan !branded din nmn yung my phone!abot kaya kaya lang nmn mahal kasi yung mga branded import kasi!…….yung myphone kasi abot kaya dito lang kasi gawa!

  4. yung iba kasi pag maganda specz wow na sila agad sa mga myphone, cm, torque etc. pero pagdating sa hardware wala na. mas ok pa rin branded talaga. mahal nga sulit naman pera mo kaysa sa mga ganyan rebranded magsisisi ka sa huli

    1. how stupid…ano ba hardware na meron ang branded mong Phone? specs din naman tawag dun.. MyPhone is what you call brand…. stupid mo..inggit kalang kasi ang mahal-mahal ng phone mo pero nag titiis ka sa supot na spec… tahahaha samantalang yung iba mas mura yung phone pero may nagagawa na hindi nagagawa ng phone mong mas mamahalin… tahaha tawa much

    2. i think oyo confused “hardware” with “marketing”. wag maniniwala kagad porke mas magaling mambola ung mga international brands. basa2 din ng reviews pag me time..

    1. not in this case…
      Samsung users also have their own pagsisisi… mas mabigat yun..
      kasi ang mahal ng unit nila, tapos pupunta din sa tech support kasi may problem unit…

      walang perfect gadget.. still it all boils down to after-sales support…
      who gots the best service.. gots the mob.. gots me?!

      este.. get me?

    2. Bakit yung Xperia Z1 ng friend ko nasa service center till now 2mos palang nya nabibili? Eh ang MyPhone A888 duo ko bumagsak nat lahat dko pa din kailangan dalhin sa service center? Easy sa words dude parang dka noypi kung makapangbash ka ng local brands. Shame on you

  5. LOOOOL pansinin ninyo yung 3rd pic from the top, critical na yung battery level hahaha, senyales na hindi talaga tatagal ng kalahating araw ‘to.

    1. and to think na nasa isang event sya, minimal sleep time yan. awake yan buong araw. besides even branded phones suffer from battery problems. yes even apple

  6. Sony Xperia SP, LG Optimus G, Samsung Galaxy S3, Sony Xperia L, Lenovo P780, or Nokia Lumia 720, Yan ung mga device na pwede mong ipamalit kesa dito para sa akin. Isip Isip muna bago bumili, kc ung talk time ng Micromax Canvas Turbo aka My|Phone Iceberg Mini ay 7 hours ( 2g ) eh ung mga nasa taas doble o triple pa ung buhay kaya isip muna mga dudes.

    1. Somehow hindi ko rin makuha yung logic ng mga local rebranders (O+, Starmobile, MyPhone) with the exception of Cherry Mobile of course, ang point kasi ay to offer a considerably decent alternative at a much cheaper price.

      Many may not agree with me but there are only 2 local smartphone model (both from CM) that offer the best bang for your buck right now

      The CM OHD 2.0 Php8k
      The CM Apollo Php6.5k-7k

      And yeah, I’d choose the Xperia SP or the Optimus G kung ganyan din lang ang budget ko

    2. stupid mo kuya kulang ka sa research… iisa lang ang manufacturer nila kaya same halos ang phone… at hindi xa rebrand… research2 din pag may time ano po…?

      1. actually,tama xa..it is the canvas turbo..and rebrand xa..but then,so what b kung rebrand?? matino padin naman kahit rebrand. :)

  7. Yuck, for a Chinese rebrand, hangmahal.
    1080p nga but it comes with a weak hardware and battery, Mga hibangero kayo MyPhone!!!

    LG Optimus G sells at php14k+ sa mga online shops, you’ll get a much more powerful Adreno 320 gpu + 1.4 ghz Krait + 32gb native storage, at……….BRANDED pa!!!!!!

    ayus-ayusing naman ang pricing strategy pag may time

    1. weak hardware? LOL. I dont own an iceberg mini but for your info, Aluminum body yan and gorilla glass. OGS pa. marunong ka ba talaga mag isip?

    2. yuck! hindi ka muna nag-isip bago nagbitaw ng salita? Info… It’s not a rebrand. It came straight from the ODM. Out of the factory, MyPhone na agad tatak nya. do a little research on what’s rebranding. I know you can do it. don’t worry, its easy

    3. ahm,luma na kasi bro ung optimus g,”brand” lng naman tlga lamang nito,and besides,wag natin compare ung single sim sa dual sim,THERE IS A REASON kng bakit me bmbili ng mga ganito..tska di hamak naman na mas maganda aftersales nito..
      ung aftersales ng myphone is the same as that of sony. i know kasi i’ve been there.

  8. XPERIA SP and the Nexus 4 are more attractive buys, konting akyat pa we have the LG Optimus G….much much better

    OR you can opt for the Blackberry Z10 w/c retails @ around Php12k

    .Branded = Hindi ka mahihiyang humugot sa social gatherings

    These overpriced Mediatek Chinese handsets are for the gullible fanboys who think that specs are everything, hindi ko talaga ma-gets…

      1. “unlike the local brands”
        Hello, napakadami pong community developer ang mga locally branded na smart phones.

        1. I used to own a myphone a919. The phone was great except for the batt life. Pero the dev community for myphone was so supportive so medyo naging acceptable na. Now i own an LG G2, mas mahal pero i think the experince is the same… doble nga lang batt life. So i guess to each his own.

        2. another butthurt fandboy meh seriously?? oh can they compete with AOKP?CyanogenMod and PAC? LOL!! dev what dev? kahoy sa XDA damn that’s so lame and oh excuse me I’ve joined some local android phone groups here anung ginagawa nila puro porting is that a progress?? asan ang development jan? duh ni wala nga sources eh

          1. Big deal sayo kung fanboy sila? Too bad, you’re not born from some international country that you always wish to be… ? Kawawa ka naman, bilib na bilib ka sa “international” pero hindi mo naman sila kalahi. Wag kang mag-alala, international naman din ang tingin nila sayo since di ka naman nila kalahi. Baka nga exotic pa eh. Patingin nga, oh, exotic nga! Wow! Now I understand.

      2. tayog nang tingin ah.. hehehe
        yuko yuko din paminsan minsan.. baka madapa ka.
        magagaling pa din ang pinoy devs. mind you!

        1. meh just my 2 cents. I’m not saying na walang kwenta ang pinoy devs but look ang layo ng progress ng international devs sa kanila duh..

          1. well yes you have a point. Cyanogen.. of course.
            but with MyPhone devs, they can make things better.
            and i have experienced that all throughout.

            and yes, pinoy devs havent made a big contribution in Android. but they know how to propagate some good works.

            and it works with the device. for me i think its good enough. thats why I came to a conclusion that pinoy devs arent that bad.

      3. Just shows you’re ignorant. There’s actually a vibrant community of developers for local brands. You would have known that if you’ve ever owned a local brand.

        1. bla bla bla just accept it hindi talaga kayang makipag sabayan ng pinoy devs sa international devs like Cyanogen duh. gising gising din pag may time ano po?

          1. hehe. tlgang ignorante tong si iAndroid08. nakabisita knb sa XDA? kilala mo ba mga pinoy devs dun? cguradong hindi. hahahahaha. well una sa lahat, turuan kita ng konte. ang ANDROID DEVELOPMENT ay HINDI EXCLUSIVE sa mga branded phone lang. para to sa LAHAT ng android devices na capable mag-adopt, lalo na sa mga MID to HIGH. and FYI, kahit ang mga devs ng mga BRANDED na phones ay nagpoport lang din ng ROM gaya ng CYANOGEN na binabanggit mo, at hindi lahat sa kanila ay nagiging fully supported nito. same goes sa mga local brand na binabanggit nyo (well i should say they are ALSO IMPORTED). again FYI, merong mga FOREIGN DEVS ang mga device na gaya nito. ang prob lang namen eh ang open ources ng mga drivers at kernel ng bawat device; yan ang nagiging bottleneck ng LAHAT NG ROM DEVELOPMENTS. kitang kita na hindi mo alam ang mga pinagsasabi mo. yuko yuko din pag may time. tanggapin mong hindi mo alam lahat ng bagay.

          2. Oh well? first of all turuan din kita ano po? FYI din Cyanogen is NOT CAPABLE nor COMPATIBLE with MTK devices ahahaha for sure hindi mo rin alam yun seriously? devs nyo nagpoport ng CM? LMAO port impossible KAHOY oo. as if naman na hindi ko nakikita ang mga pinagaagawa nila sa fb groups ultimo “CREDITS” hindi nagbibigay, well malaking issue yang “CREDITS” ngayon sa fb groups, and oh yeah I am not perfect I’m just telling the truth to butthurt fanboys like you, gumising din kayo. ano?

          3. Seriously, Cyanogen is only compats with Snapdragon. But that doesn’t mean that Filipino devs are weak. Yes, mas magagaling ang mga foreign programmers. That’s because may KAGAMITAN sila na wala tayo. Ang mga Pinoy utak lang ang kagamitan nila ayos na.

            I admit mas maganda ang Branded. Marami silang support compared to local brands. Di naman kasi tayo 1st world na mayroon lahat.

            At isa pa, dev ka ba? Hindi ako dev kaya hindi ako nanghuhusga.

            Kaya nauubos ang mga dollar reserves natin dahil sa inyong mga bugok.

          4. haha.. ang ignorante tlaga! seriously iAN, CM for MTK device is already available and it’s not all “foreign devs” who help to bring that to fruition. And yes, CM is wildly popular but far from being THE best. Anyway, i proven enough of your ignorance and there’s no point in arguing a someone with the reasoning of a preschool. Yes, ignorance is bliss so… enjoy. ^_^

          5. Ay? Kung makapangaral siya oh. Kala mo can-afford ng mga high end gadgets? Meron ka nga sigurong high end smartphone, nga-nga ka naman! Wala ka nga yatang sariling lupain – lupa sa paso baka meron. Nakita ko ang mga pinagsesearch mo dito oh, Cherry Mobile, SKK, Kata, MyPhone, Starmobile, Xiaomi, ang dami! Halos lahat puro cheap! Aaayyy… SOCIAL CLIMBER ALERT! SOCIAL CLIMBER ALERT! You’re such a big fan of international gadgets, and yet you waste so much of your time browsing for the cheapest smartphone in town?! Calling all troops, get rid of this SOCIAL CLIMBER! PLEASE! Nangibabaing ka! Tsk-tsk.

    1. All you people think brand names are everything. Lahat ng mga brand na sikat ngayon, also were once like those what you judge now. Porket sikat at madaming gumagamit ay yun na lagi because you think it’s better. Pero once na sumikat ung mga ibang brands na nilalait nyo ngaun, baka kayo pa magsisi. And imbis na isupport nyo ung mga gawang pinoy, even if some are rebranded, you shouldn’t insult those products. Bakit? Na try nyo na bang gumawa ng sobrang gandang smartphone? Ung hirap na dinanas and ung time and effort para gawin ung mga yun? Kapal nyo ah. All you people do is judge but you don’t even recognize the efforts our fellow filipinos do. Mas tinatangkilik nyo pa ung mga gamit ng ibang bansa. If you don’t like the product, don’t insult it. It’s okay to criticize, but not to the point na may kasamang insulto.

    2. so brand…. is everything?!
      have you used a Z10 lately?! have you held onto a Blackberry 10 OS lately?
      where did that brought them?!

      how come a 30K priced cellphone on release date dropped like a hot potato?
      do the math.. or else.. do the dew

      China handsets are making waves. and making those big players a run for their money.

      Apple in the meantime are now shifting production to China… why?!
      read the news bro.

    3. marunong kmi tumingin ng spec, the best part, paglaruan mo yung ROM ng di ka masyado iiyak.if ma brick. pag branded di kamahihiyang humugot sa social gathering? Good point pero napaka babaw ata pag ganun lng ang basihan, di kanaman lagi nasa high class na party eh

    4. well without these “ovepriced Mediatek Chinese handset” you loath, you wouldn’t be seeing the likes nexus 4 or xperia sp and lg optimus g at this price range. Every “branded” phone maker would have stuck their prices at 20k+ Competition is good. Choice is good. whining about people’s choice of tech and not understand why isn’t

    5. we don’t need your “branded is better” comments here,social climber. if the people at your “social gatherings” judge you by your fone,then maybe they’re not so refined after all..