News
Huawei is now more popular than Apple in Central and Eastern Europe
The popularity of Chinese smartphones is not only evident in Asia as the latest report from Canalys proves. With a total of 15.6 million shipments, the Central and Eastern Europe smartphone market is dominated by three Chinese brands.
The smartphone market in Central and Eastern Europe in the second quarter of the year was led by no other than Samsung with its 4.9 million shipments and a year-on-year increase of 14 percent. Most of the shipments are for the strong demand of Samsung’s midrange Galaxy A and J series. Of course, the Galaxy S8 is also a strong seller, but the company is reported to have overestimated the demand.

Huawei is back in the number two spot with 1.8 million smartphone shipments or 12 percent market share. Like Samsung, their strength was driven by low and midrange products with the P10 Lite as its best-seller for Central and Eastern Europe.
Slipping back in third place is Apple with 50,000 units less than Huawei. This comes after the slight advantage of the Cupertino company during the first quarter due to increased sales of the iPhone 7 Plus. With a new iPhone coming out soon, Apple’s sale could rise again depending on how Huawei will respond to the competition.
In just over a year, Xiaomi rocketed to fourth place. The company shipped 1.1 million devices to the region, owning seven percent of the market share. Xiaomi has been bringing its bang-for-buck smartphones from Asian markets to Europe, with the Redmi 4A being the best-seller. That model alone accounts for 350,000 shipments in the second quarter.
And lastly, we have Lenovo in the fifth spot. The Chinese company owns five percent of the Central and Eastern Europe market.
SEE ALSO: Huawei is ‘giving up’ on cheap phones
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Automotive
Mercedes-Benz holds a Welcome Home campaign to celebrate 140 years
Get freebies and discounts from now until the end of July.
Mercedes-Benz has been an important part of Filipino car culture. Stylized as the “Chedeng,” the brand’s cars are still worthy choices today. Now, to celebrate their 140th anniversary, Mercedes-Benz is launching the Welcome Home Campaign, offering treats and discounts for Filipino drivers.
From now until the end of June, new Mercedes-Benz owners can get an exclusive 1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen Replica. The limited-edition replica represents the history of brand’s innovations in the motoring space.
Similarly, until the end of the month, interested customers can start their Benz journey for downpayments as low as PhP 140,000. Discounted prices, however, will go on until the end of July:
| MODEL |
Original Price |
Discounted Price |
CLA 200 Progressive |
PhP 3,990,000 |
PhP 3,490,000 |
C 180 Avantgarde |
PhP 3,990,000 |
PhP 2,990,000 |
GLB 200 AMG Line |
PhP 4,590,000 |
PhP 4,090,000 |
GLC 200 4MATIC |
PhP 5,190,000 |
PhP 4,690,000 |
EQB 250+ Electric Art |
PhP 4,290,000 |
PhP 4,090,000 |
EQE 300 Electric Art Sedan |
PhP 5,590,000 |
PhP 3,990,000 |
EQE 350+ AMG Line Sedan |
PhP 6,290,000 |
PhP 4,690,000 |
EQS 450 4MATIC AMG Line Sedan |
PhP 9,990,000 |
PhP 7,490,000 |
Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 4MATIC |
PhP 5,719,000 |
PhP 5,519,000 |
Mercedes-AMG GLB 35 4MATIC |
PhP 5,719,000 |
PhP 5,219,000 |
If you already own a Chedeng, Mercedes-Benz will show some love by offering special aftersales initiatives throughout the campaign period. Additionally, there will be more roadshow activations happening the entire year to showcase the latest in the Benz lineup.
Finally, if you have a Chedeng story of your own, Mercedes-Benz is inviting long-time fans to share their stories on social media by tagging the official Mercedes-Benz Philippines account and using the hashtags #Chedeng and #140YearsofInnovation. Featured users can win exclusive Benz merchandise.
Gaming
Ubisoft co-founder dies in plane crash
Claude Guillemot was one of five brothers that founded Ubisoft.
Claude Guillemot, one of the four co-founders of Ubisoft, has died last week in a plane crash. He was 69 years old.
As reported via Bloomberg, Guillemot died alongside the plane’s other passenger. They both died in La Baule in France.
Regardless of how you feel about the company today, Ubisoft is still an undeniable reason why RPGs are so popular. In 1984, Guillemot started the company with his four brothers. Since then, it’s become a household name for gaming. Its portfolio includes Assassin’s Creed, Prince of Persia, Splinter Cell, Anno, and Far Cry. Despite the prolific resume, the company is currently struggling to recreate the magic that made it so popular over a decade ago. Its current efforts include remaking Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, which launches next month.
Though Claude might not be your first thought when thinking of Ubisoft, the company is still owned by the family, headed by his brother Yves. Claude, however, was the chairman of Guillemot Corp.
“Ubisoft was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Claude Guillemot, co-founder of the group and chairman of Guillemot Corp., in an accident. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time. No further statements will be made at this time,” Ubisoft said about his passing.
News
No new CMF phones this year, Nothing confirms
But Nothing still has a phone scheduled later this year.
For the past few years, Nothing kept launching smartphone after smartphone. Further, every new iteration felt like a reinvention, rather than just a modest upgrade. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, including Nothing’s streak. This year, after announcing that we won’t get a Phone (4), Nothing has announced that CMF is also skipping 2026 for a hopefully better 2027.
Now, whenever there’s bad news about delayed phone launches, there’s only one culprit. The ongoing RAM crisis is wreaking havoc across the entire industry. Because of the AI industry’s desperate need to stockpile chips, consumer-friendly devices find themselves with a scarcity of components, leading to delays or price increases.
Recently, in a moment of transparency, Nothing’s Akis Evangelidis confirms that CMF will not launch a new phone this year. Citing more of the same, he says that “with memory prices where they are right now, we can’t build a phone that feels like a genuine step forward at a price that makes sense for CMF.”
As a tease, Evangelidis did say that the brand is currently working on a sequel to the CMF Phone 2 Pro. Unfortunately, it’s going to take longer for the phone to come out.
All that said, there is a silver lining. Evangelidis concludes the announcement by also confirming that Nothing still has something up its sleeve. “The smartphone launch season at Nothing isn’t over yet,” he said.
This is a huge deal. Previously, Nothing’s Carl Pei said that the Phone (4) isn’t coming out this year. Even with the Phone (4a)’s launch already done and dusted, the brand still has something left in the tank.
SEE ALSO: Nothing Phone (4a) + (4a) Pro review
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