News

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3: Price, availability in the Philippines

Samsung really wants it to be mainstream

Published

August 11, 2021

Rodneil Quiteles

For years now, Samsung’s flagship Galaxy smartphones have had no particular specialty. They simply throw everything and see what sticks resulting in well-rounded smartphones that seem less flashy. They’ve taken the same approach with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G, saying it can literally do anything AND it folds.

Lighter, more screen

The differences are subtle but still notable. For instance, the Galaxy Z Fold3 is lighter at 271g vs the Galaxy Z Fold2’s 281g.

Then there’s the Under Display Camera. From the eyesore that it was on the first Galaxy Fold, to the more subtle but still noticeable punch hole, Samsung is now finally introducing their first crack at an Under Display Camera on the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G.

It’s a 4MP camera that you shouldn’t expect much from in terms of quality. The priority here was to still deliver some form of front-facing camera while ensuring that you get as much screen real estate as possible on the Galaxy Z Fold3.

The screen now also has a protective film to prevent accidental scratches. We still don’t know exactly how tough it is but Samsung was confident enough to point it out.

Speaking of the screens, both the main display and the cover display can now go up to 120Hz refresh rate. Previously, this was only available on the main display.

Improved UX, app integration

The biggest challenge of the foldable form factor has been software. Naturally, there won’t be that many apps that could maximize, let alone scale properly to the Galaxy Fold. Three years in, and it’s significantly changing.

Samsung has expanded their partnerships with multiple companies that handle apps to ensure that they are maximized on the Fold form factor. Some of them are the most used ones today like video call apps Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

Apps like Spotify and YouTube should also now work better and feel more organic on the Galaxy Z Fold3. But it doesn’t stop there. On the settings menu, you can turn on the Labs feature which lets you customize the size of your app window so you can use it alongside other apps.

Fold Note?

Samsung already said we’re not getting a Galaxy Note this year, breaking the popular device line’s yearly cycle since it first came out in 2011. Fret not though, as Samsung is bringing S Pen support to the Galaxy Z Fold3.

There are two S Pens compatible with the Galaxy Z Fold3: The S Pen Fold Edition and the S Pen Pro.

As its name suggests, the S Pen Fold Edition is one that’s made especially for the Galaxy Z Fold3. It measures 132mm and has pretty much all the useful S Pen features we know and love like Air Command, instant screen captures and jotting down notes . There’s also a special cover case for the Galaxy Z Fold3 to be able to carry the S Pen Fold Edition.

Meanwhile, the S Pen Pro is larger at 173.7mm and can be used with other supported Galaxy devices like the S21 Ultra, Note 20 Series, Note 10 Series, Tab S7 and S7+, and the Galaxy Book Pro 360. It also has an onboard memory feature that lets you copy from one device and paste it to another.

Spec Rundown

Everything else on the Galaxy Z Fold3 is either a rehash or an expected upgrade from its predecessor. Here’s a spec rundown:

Main Display — 7.6” Dynamic AMOLED 2X, Infinity Flex Display
Cover Display — 6.2” Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Rear Cameras:
- 12MP f/1.8 Wide
- 12MP f/2.2 Ultra-wide
- 12MP f/2.4 Telephoto
Cover Camera — 10MP f/2.2
Under Display Camera — 4MP f/1.8
Processor — Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
SIM — Two (2) NanoSIMs, One (1) eSIM
Battery — 4,400mAh
RAM — 12GB
Storage — 128GB and 256GB (Both UFS 3.1)
Authentication — Pattern, PIN, password, Side fingerprint sensor, Face recognition

Price and availability

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G comes in three colors: Phantom Green, Phantom Black, Phantom Silver. The 256GB version is priced at PhP 87,990 while the 512GB version will set you back PhP 95,990.

Pre-order period is from August 19 to September 21, 2021 in Samsung Experience stores and authorized retailers. Pre-orders also get freebies worth PhP 27,440. These include: PhP 5,000 e-voucher Galaxy Buds Pro worth PhP 9,990, 25W Travel Adapter worth PhP 949, 50 percent off on select cases, and one (1) year free Samsung Care+ coverage worth PhP 9,499.

The device will be available on samsung.com/ph starting September 22, 2021.

Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G — BUY here
Galaxy Fold 3 5G — BUY here
Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic — BUY here
Tab S7 FE — BUY here
Galaxy Buds 2– BUY here

News

OPPO Find X9 series are now live in China

Global launch to follow on October 28

Published

October 16, 2025

Vincenz

Just days after vivo’s widely-anticipated X300 series, its sister brand OPPO releases the Find X9 series. It’s their latest line of flagships for 2025.

Flagship Find

The OPPO Find X9 and Find X9 Pro are the next line of smartphones equipped with MediaTek’s latest Dimensity 9500 SoC based on a powerful and power-efficient 3nm process.

Much like its closest cousins, the base and Pro models of the Find X9 differ in certain aspects.

First and foremost, the Pro has the bigger 6.78-inch display. Meanwhile, the vanilla variant has a “more compact” 6.59-inch.

OPPO says though that both units boast an ultra-thin 1.15mm symmetrical bezels on all sides.

Moreover, battery capacities are also different.

The Find X9 has 7025mAh while the Find X9 Pro possess a larger 7500mAh battery.

These phones are expected to run the all-new ColorOS 16 with primary focus on silky-smooth animation, as well as smarter AI feats, seamless connectivity between PCs, Macs, and other accessories, as well as band overall user experience.

Hasselblad Legacy

Different from what OnePlus is doing, OPPO continues to strengthen its partnership with the renowned Swedish camera-maker Hasselblad.

With this continuous collaboration, both the Find X9 and X9 Pro feature the Hasselblad Camera System alongside OPPO’s all-new LUMO Image Engine.

Furthermore, the Find X9 Pro offers a 200MP telephoto camera co-developed with Hasselblad — both in sensor calibration and optical design.

Additionally, these Find models also deliver exceptional video capabilities with up to 4K / 120fps Dolby Vision support as well as LOG recording with ACES support for that seamless and professional workflow.

The Find X9 series are also concert-ready with cutting-edge telephoto optimizations such as Stage Mode and AI Sound Focus.

Pricing and Availability

The OPPO Find X9 are available in three colorways: Titanium Grey, Space Black, and Velvet Red.

Meanwhile, the Find X9 Pro is being offered in two shades: Silk White and Titanium Charcoal.

In line with the China-exclusive launch, the announcement of the Find X9 series slated for global markets will be held in Barcelona, Spain on October 28th.

Mark your calendars!

Accessories

Samsung launched a charger that’s incompatible with all its phones

None of their phones have built-in Qi2 magnets.

Published

October 16, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

In the world of wireless charging, Qi2 is where it’s at. The newer magnetic system automatically aligns the phone with the best positions to charge wirelessly. That said, it’s taking a while for most smartphones to get the charging standard. In an odder twist, Samsung, who does not currently have any native Qi2 devices, has launched its own Qi2 chargers.

In the United States, Samsung rolled out the Qi2-compatible Single Wireless Charger and Car Wireless Charger. As both their names indicate, the chargers will allow for wireless charging in a variety of situations.

Retailing for US$ 34.99, the single puck can charge by up to 25W when paired with a charging adapter (sold separately). The car charger, on the other hand, comes with its own 12V car adapter and a rotating mount. It’s very pricy, coming in at US$ 84.99.

Now, the kicker is that the chargers are compatible with Samsung’s current flagships including the Galaxy S25, the Flip7, and the Fold7. Technically, yes, these smartphones can charge using this duo. However, none of them have the built-in magnets to natively connect to the pucks. They need a separate case with a Qi2-certified magnet included.

It seems pretty scummy to offer a Qi2 charger for smartphones without the magnets built inside. On the bright side, it’s a good sign that Samsung’s upcoming smartphones, starting with the Galaxy S26 early next year, will likely offer Qi2 charging natively. (At least, we hope. Otherwise, this might be the priciest charger in recent memory.)

Apps

ChatGPT will soon allow NSFW conversations

The platform will start age-gating users in December.

Published

October 16, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

Every day, we inch closer and closer to the strange reality of Joaquin Phoenix’s Her. Today’s AI-powered chatbots have inevitably adapted to address our more carnal desires. Some, such as those offered by xAI, are even explicitly designed to only flirt with the user. Soon, ChatGPT will offer the same thing: a way for adult users to… well, be adults.

Through a post on X, OpenAI’s Sam Altman reiterated ChatGPT’s impending drive to introduce age-gating in December. Keeping younger users from the platform will open ChatGPT to more “mature” conversations. Altman specifically names “erotica” as one of the potential uses of a looser platform.

We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues. We realize this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right.

Now that we have…

— Sam Altman (@sama) October 14, 2025

Additionally, ChatGPT is rolling out an update which will make the platform more personable and comparable to actual conversations. This includes using more emojis or talking like a friend.

The platform is also adding more safeguards when it comes to mental health issues, given that more people are using it as a makeshift therapist. Recently, Altman made sure that ChatGPT treated mental health with more delicateness. To some, especially those without such issues, the platform became more unusable. To bring back how it used to be, the platform will add better tools to detect whether the user is in “mental distress.”

Finally, OpenAI is implementing a backend solution to mental health by creating a new council of researchers and experts to accurately determine the impact of AI on mental health. Currently, it’s still unknown how much this new technology is helping (or harming) our wellbeing.