News

Apple upgrades iPad Air with new M1 chip

Still the king of tablets

Published

March 9, 2022

Rodneil Quiteles

Apple flexes its dominance in the tablets space by introducing the new and improved iPad Air. It’s now powered by the M1 chip for a massive leap in performance.

Also coming to this upgraded iPad Air are the new Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage, a USB-C port with up to 2x faster transfer speeds, and blazing-fast 5G on cellular models. Makes you wonder why Apple still refuses to go from lightning to USB-C on iPhones. Moving on though…

M(1)assive performance leap

Apple is bringing their tried and tested M1 chip to the iPad air. What does this mean for those eyeing this tablet? Up to 60 percent faster performance and up to 2x faster graphics performance compared to the previous iPad Air.

We’re sure that still feels a little too abstract. So, some of the things it’ll now let you do are edit multiple streams of 4K video, play graphics-intensive games (we can hear PC gamers LOL-ing), redesign a room in 3D, and deliver more realistic augmented reality (AR). Nice, right? It doesn’t stop there.

Centerstage

Video calling has been extra essential over the past two years of the pandemic. To address this, Apple introduced Centerstage. It automatically pans to keep users in view as they move around. When others join in, the camera detects them too, and smoothly zooms out to include them in the conversation. This feature is present on the iPad Air and its 12MP front-facing camera.

The 12MP Wide camera on the back of iPad Air lets users capture sharp photos and 4K video, scan documents, and enjoy amazing AR experiences. It’s an end-to-end solution for photo and video capture, editing, and sharing.

5G and advanced connectivity

The iPad Air will come in 5G models. With 5G, iPad Air can reach peak speeds of up to 3.5Gbps in ideal conditions. With eSIM and Wi-Fi 6 support, you get flexible ways of getting connected.

The USB-C port is now up to 2x faster than the previous generation, with data transfers up to 10Gbps, so importing large photos and videos is even quicker. The port connects iPad Air to a vast ecosystem of USB-C accessories, including cameras, external storage, and displays with up to 6K resolution.

Retina display and accessories

Any tablet won’t be enjoyable without a good display. That’s why Apple put a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display on the iPad Air. Expect an immersive visual experience, with 3.8 million pixels and advanced technologies, including 500 nits of brightness, full lamination, a P3 wide color gamut, True Tone, and an anti-reflective screen coating.

The tablet is mightier with a pen. Or in this case, an Apple Pencil (2nd generation). It turns iPad Air into a digital journal and sketchbook users can take anywhere. It’s also compatible with the Magic Keyboard.

Price and availability

The new iPad Air is available to order beginning Friday, March 11, from apple.com/store, apple.com/sg/store and in the Apple Store app in 29 countries and regions, including the US, with availability beginning Friday, March 18.

In Singapore, the Wi-Fi models of iPad Air are available with a starting price of SG$ 879 and Wi-Fi + Cellular models start at SG$ 1,099. In the Philippines, a non-cellular model with a 64GB storage starts at ₱35,990 and ₱44,990 for the 256GB variant. The maxed out 5G + Wi-Fi model sells for ₱53,990.

Meanwhile in the US, the Wi-Fi models start at US$ 599 and the Cellular models start at US$ 749.

The new iPad Air, in 64GB and 256GB configurations, comes in space grey, starlight, pink, purple, and blue finishes.

News

This rumored iPhone 18 color will make you switch phones

The rumored Dark Cherry color looks so premium.

Published

April 27, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Image source: Macworld

(Cosmic) orange is the new black. With the iPhone 17 series, Apple introduced the color as the next fashion statement for the ubiquitous phone. If you see an orange phone today, chances are that it’s an all-new iPhone 17 Pro Max. This year, the series might get another new statement color: Dark Cherry.

Though the usual suspects of colors will always be there, Apple often leaves a bit of room for more experimental options for those who want to stand out with their new phone. As you can probably tell from the ongoing deluge of orange, the strategy is working well for Apple.

According to Macworld, Apple is working on a Dark Cherry option for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.

Red isn’t a color foreign to the iPhone. In the past, several generations included a limited red colorway option. If the reports are true, red might be a standard option, rather than a limited edition.

But, of course, Dark Cherry is different from the red that we’re used to. Instead of the bright red, the new option will be more similar to the color of wine.

Besides Dark Cherry, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will also have Light Blue, Dark Gray, and Silver as options. Though Light Blue also looks great, the wine-like color looks like a personal highlight for me. I didn’t know I wanted a wine-colored iPhone until I saw the renders for this.

Apps

Google might be moving away from flat design

Bye bye, Material Design.

Published

April 27, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

It’s time to kindly shove off, flat design. After over a decade of Google’s Material Design, Android is finally showing signs of ditching flat, monotonous colors. In a series of logo redesigns, Google is reportedly trying out gradients as its latest reinvention.

As spotted by 9to5Google, Google is moving forward with incorporating gradients into its designs. Previously, the company started changing the icons of a few first-party apps including Photos and Maps. Now, it seems that the new design philosophy will reach the rest of Google’s suite.

In the obtained designs, the rest of Google’s plethora of apps will no longer look static. The splash of gradient adds the feeling of layering without losing the company’s roots in flat design. Docs and Sheets, for example, look like a light shining on pieces of paper.

Image source: 9to5Google

It’s unknown when Google plans to incorporate the new philosophy. However, with Google I/O coming fast, it’s fair to bet that an update might come out around that time, especially since that event’s logo already has gradients.

Google’s evolution is not without its precedent. Besides the company’s small trial previously, Apple’s iOS has also made inroads into more three-dimensional designs with the new Liquid Glass. However, unlike Apple, Google’s newest design is a far cry from the former’s return to Windows Vista aesthetics.

Personally, I don’t mind the transition to 3D, as long as it’s done well. Though still visually pleasing, flat design has started overstaying its welcome. It’s time to try something new.

News

OPPO Find X9s now official in PH: Price, availability, pre-order info

Everyday premium arrives

Published

April 24, 2026

GadgetMatch

OPPO has also introduced the OPPO Find X9s in the Philippines, offering a more accessible premium experience for everyday users.

The device is priced at PHP 69,999.

Pre-order and availability

Pre-orders begin April 24 at select OPPO Brand Stores. Early buyers will receive a Portable Power Gift Box.

The Find X9s officially goes on sale on May 15, available through:

OPPO Online Store
Select OPPO Brand Stores

Online store purchases include the Portable Power Gift Box and Enco X3s earbuds, while Shopee offers the gift box bundle.

Key highlights

The OPPO Find X9s features a 50MP Hasselblad co-developed triple camera system with 4K recording across all lenses. It also packs a 7025mAh battery, slim 7.99mm design, and durability ratings up to IP69, making it a balanced daily driver.