News

Samsung Galaxy Watch4 series bridges health, wellness, and technology

Raising the bar on smartwatch experience

Published

August 11, 2021

MJ Jucutan

Behold, Samsung decks out the new Galaxy Watch4 series!

The new lineup introduces the Galaxy Watch4 and Watch4 Classic featuring the new WearOS by Samsung and Google. It’s also powered by OneUI and equipped with better hardware to redesign the smartwatch experience.

More importantly, the Galaxy Watch4 series delivers a suite of wellness features to achieve that fit and healthy lifestyle you’ve always dreamed of.

Bridging health and technology

Samsung’s smartwatch lineup has just raised the bar for wearables. The Galaxy Watch4 series is equipped with a groundbreaking BioActive Sensor that helps users monitor their blood pressure, heart rate, and measure their blood oxygen level.

For a more holistic peek at your health, Samsung introduces a Body Composition analysis tool for the first time. You can check your skeletal muscle, fat mass, body fat, BMI, body water, etc.

It also comes with advanced sleep management to help you understand your sleeping patterns through Sleep Score, therefore, getting the rightful rest that you need. The sound of your snores is also detected through your smartphone, while the smartwatch tracks your blood oxygen level even if you’re asleep.

For those who are trying to add more exercise to their daily routines, the Galaxy Watch4 series serves guided workouts and plenty of features to aid you in your fitness journey.

Keeping it simple and easy

Samsung aims to make the smartwatch experience convenient and efficient for all kinds of users. With the new OneUI Watch, the Galaxy Watch4 series recognizes the most important settings on your phone and syncs it instantly. For instance, having Do Not Disturb on your phone will reflect the same setting on your watch. It also automatically downloads any apps on your phone that are compatible with the smartwatch.

There are new gestures too that work seamlessly when using Galaxy devices. You can toggle audio between your phone and watch, receive and reject calls, and dismiss notifications and alarms using just your wrist.

Good news to Bixby fans, if there are any. Bixby can be used to control your mobile experience. And if you’re watching the Galaxy Watch4 Classic, you can use the rotating bezel as well.

Supported by Google

Having the new WearOS, the fruit of collaboration between Samsung and Google, the Galaxy Watch4 series brings an expansive ecosystem to your wrist — from popular Google apps and Samsung’s very own Samsung Pay, SmartThings, and Bixby, to leading third-party apps such as Spotify, Strava, adidas Running, and Calm.

Better hardware performance

Samsung seriously upgraded the Galaxy Watch4 series with its first-ever 5nm processor, higher-resolution display, and expanded 16GB of memory for your favorite apps, music, and photos — secured by Samsung’s Knox security platform.

It’s also equipped with an eSim technology so you can leave your phone behind. And even when you’re away, the smartwatches now come with longer battery life, lasting up to 40 hours. It also charges quickly, providing up to 10 hours of battery life even if you charge for only 30 minutes.

Pricing and availability in the US

The Galaxy Watch4 series will be available for pre-order starting August 11 and will be available in retail stores on August 27.

For those who prefer the modern and minimalist watch, the Galaxy Watch4 will come in two sizes (40mm and 44mm), and four colors: Black, Silver, Pink Gold (4omm only), and Green (44mm only). It will retail for US$ 250 for Bluetooth versions and US$ 300 for LTE models.

The Galaxy Watch4 Classic, on the other hand, starts at US$ 350 for Bluetooth versions and US$ 400 for LTE models. It will be available in 42mm and 46mm variants in Black and Silver.

Pricing and availability in the Philippines

In the Philippines, the Galaxy Watch4 series will be available for pre-order starting August 19 until September 21. The Galaxy Watch4 will be available in two sizes (40mm and 44mm) with Black and Silver leading the color options. The Pink Gold (40mm) and Green (44mm) will be exclusive to Samsung’s Online Store.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy Watch4 Classic will be available in 42mm and 46mm variants in Black and Silver. Pricing are as follows:

Galaxy Watch4 Classic 46mm (Black, Silver)

Bluetooth — PhP 19,990

Galaxy Watch4 Classic 42mm (Black, Silver)

Bluetooth — PhP 17,990

Galaxy Watch4 44mm (Black, Silver, Sophisticated Green)

Bluetooth — PhP 14,990

Galaxy Watch4 40mm (Black, Silver, Pink Gold)

Bluetooth — PhP 12,990

Pricing and availability in Singapore

In Singapore, will be available for pre-order starting August 11, 2021. Those who pre-order will be able to claim the device on September 2, 2021. Pricing are as follows:

Galaxy Watch4 Classic 46mm (Black, Silver)

Bluetooth — SG$ 598
LTE — SG$ 748

Galaxy Watch4 Classic 42mm (Black, Silver)

Bluetooth — SG$ 548
LTE — SG$ 698

Galaxy Watch4 44mm (Black, Silver, Green)

Bluetooth — SG$ 448
LTE — SG$ 548

Galaxy Watch4 40mm (Black, Silver, Gold)

Bluetooth — SG$ 398
LTE — SG$ 498

News

Xiaomi 18 Pro series is launching globally, Xiaomi confirms

Xiaomi’s phone with two screens is finally going global.

Published

September 25, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

As you can probably read from our reviews, we were impressed with the Xiaomi 17 series. Like previous years, the Chinese brand knows how to make impressive flagships. Unfortunately, despite our raving, the world didn’t get the complete flagship experience because the Xiaomi 17 Pro and Pro Max were exclusive for Chinese users. This year, however, the Xiaomi 18 Pro and Pro Max will finally grace the entire world with their presence.

Recently, Xiaomi unveiled the Xiaomi 18 Pro duo. Normally, the launch of the Pro series doesn’t make waves outside of China because of the exclusive release. However, soon after the series’ debut, Xiaomi CMO Xu Fei officially confirmed that the duo will make a global debut sometime this year.

Now, the launch of the two smartphones should catch your eye. While the regular Xiaomi 18 series belongs to the more traditional form factors for smartphones, the two Pro models feature a smaller 2.7-inch (or a 2.9-inch) LTPO AMOLED rear screen, adding that extra bit of spice even if the phone is facing downwards. Other than that, the series comes with up to a Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chipset, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage. It also features a trio of rear cameras including a 200-megapixel main sensor, a 200-megapixel periscope lens, and a 50-megapixel ultrawide sensor. In front, it has a 50-megapixel selfie shooter. Finally, the series goes up to an 8500mAh battery.

To be clear, there is a chance that the global version won’t match these specs. Regardless, it’s surely an impressive phone when it does launch elsewhere.

Apps

Google Photos can now censor your kid’s face better

The new Redact feature can censor sensitive information.

Published

September 25, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Censoring photos is heavy work. Either you stick on random emojis or draw an indiscriminate splotch of doodles to cover sensitive information. It’s an imperfect art but an essential one to protect privacy. Today, Google Photos is getting a Redact feature which can censor sensitive bits with pixelated blocks.

An addition to the Markup tool, Redact acts like a nifty pen that can hide information that you don’t want seen. Unlike a ghastly emoji or a splotch, the censored bar mixes better with the surrounding elements. In the example that Google used, a censored license plate blends well with the car it’s attached to, making the photo look more cohesive. Besides license plates, it’s the perfect tool for covering other information like phone numbers, addresses, and the faces of your loved ones.

Google Photos is also rolling out Moods, a set of filters that give photos a nostalgic look, including a 2000s night digicam vibe that’s popular today. There are also 15 new Remix templates to add more creation options.

Both the Redact and the Moods features will roll out to Android users starting today. The new Remix templates, however, will be limited to some countries on both Android and iOS.

News

Power Mac Center SM Aura is now an Apple Premium Partner store

With a new protection plan dubbed as “1Protect” for your precious new iPhones

Published

September 23, 2026

Vincenz

Photos and graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Power Mac Center has upgraded its SM Aura branch into an Apple Premium Partner (APP) store. The “APP” designation is the highest tier for reseller stores worldwide.

Originally opened in 2014, the redesigned store now houses its retail space, training center, and a service center in one.

The new space also puts more emphasis on learning. Free group demos will be held every Friday to Sunday. These will cover topics such as iPad creativity, or camera features, personalization, and Continuity for the latest iPhone series.

To celebrate the opening, customers can also score discounts on select Apple devices and accessories until September 27, 2026.

Deals include up to:

₱PhP 36,000 off MacBook Pros
PhP 19,500 off iPads
PhP 3000 off Apple Watches; and
PhP 11,000 off iPhone models

There are also service discounts until September 25. Plus, new iPhones purchases here are also covered with 1Protect device protection.

ICYMI, it’s a partnership between PMC and Bolttech. It’s basically a new way to protect your precious new iPhones.

Your regular one-year warranty does not cover accidental drops and water damage. Purchasing this new device protection plan (good for one year) gives you an unlimited dose of that.

Parts are guaranteed original and is an official part of AppleCare Services.

This protection program also covers one-time unwarranted exchanges (or change of mind returns) from micro scratches to color options. It will even replace your iPhone (of the same model and configuration) if it was stolen once.