Features
GadgetSnaps: vivo X80 Pro in The Fort
The side of Manila that never sleeps
Living in one of the busiest financial and lifestyle districts in Metro Manila is glitzy. The Fort, also known as Bonifacio Global City (BGC), has that dazzling haze spanning its territories; an inviting warmth to its residents and visitors alike.
Mere smartphone cameras don’t easily capture the beauty of this upscale hub. Photographers — hobbyists, amateurs, and even professionals — wander the streets from dusk to dawn to capture the city’s buzz. People frolicking, cars bustling, lights gleaming.
What’s a better way to showcase the vivo X80 Pro’s magnificent cameras than shining light on the Philippines’ very own city that never sleeps?
In a nutshell, here are the vivo X80 Pro’s camera specifications
- 50MP f/1.57 Wide | Samsung GNV Sensor
- 48MP f/2.2 Ultra-Wide | Sony IMX598
- 12MP f/1.85 Gimbal Portrait | Sony IMX663
- 8MP f/3.4 5x Periscope
- ZEISS T* Lens coating
- 32MP f/2.5 Selfie
It’s a run-derful life!
A friend once said you can determine a real estate’s market rate if there are people running in the neighborhood. True enough, The Fort is a ritzy district designed for people and cars.
With large sidewalks and dedicated parks for running, staying active is attainable. For quick activities, Track 30th is an ideal spot to walk, jog, and run. It’s located on 30th street, with two more gates accessible through 7th avenue and 31st street.
The park has enough shade that lets you run without the harsh sunlight up until ten in the morning.
Through the Portrait Mode, you can activate the Gimbal Portrait lens.
The Camera Panning feature allows you to capture high-speed movements and get a linear motion blur effect after taking the photo.
Let there be brunch!
When you’re in town, Bonifacio High Street is an open mall housing high-end restaurants, retail stores, and other upscale establishments.
There are plenty of cafés to visit for brunch, but St. Louis Café tops our list.
The café serves something for everyone — health buffs or sweet-toothed, you have a place to call home.
I, in particular, enjoyed the Chicken Grain Bowl. The mix of chicken thigh, smashed avocado, pickled onion, arugula, poached egg, and red rice energized me after a quick run.
St. Louis Café’s signature hot chocolate can provide warmth and love — even on the hottest days.
Satiate your sweet tooth cravings with this Breakfast Waffle composed of banana and strawberry toppings, drizzled with maple syrup, and a blueberry ice cream on top.
The city can be extra hot during noontime. Beat the heat with Louis’ Ice Cream croissant while staying full and energized.
Art in the City
Living in this premier district means your work is also around the neighborhood. With accessible offices across several blocks, it’s easy to hop from one meeting to another.
Whether you take alleys for shortcuts or even the long way home, you’ll surely bump across murals and artistic creations spread throughout the city. These idyllic pieces are best captured using ZEISS color on, even in different modes.
For the love of architecture
Photographers have found a home in the city, thanks to its tidy streets, open parks, towering offices, and residential skyscrapers, as well as public art displays. In fact, most of the city’s spots and establishments are photo-friendly with the exception of the Forbestown area, south of Burgos Park.
Other than some really strict neighborhoods, The Fort is an ideal spot to sharpen your skills or to explore your smartphone’s capabilities. We really had fun using the 2x and 5x zoom, as well as the ultra-wide angle mode to capture the beauty of architecture in the city.
Work is just around the corner
In the midst of the bustling city, The Ascott stands tall as it houses modern accommodations as well as business meetings and conferences. I attended a press conference in the hotel, and the vivo X80 Pro gave a diligent capture of every sight on the fifth floor.
The night is forever young
The beauty of vivo and ZEISS partnership bloom at night. With the ZEISS T* lens coating, it’s easy to capture the nightlife and its sparkling lights sans the glare that usually blows out the highlights of a photo captured at night.
Whether you use the auto mode, the SuperNight feature, or long exposure shots — you’re guaranteed to see a spectacle of the city coming alive when the sun goes down.
The smartphone camera to get?
The vivo X80 Pro is one of the best Android smartphones to buy right now — if you’re in the market for a multimedia-oriented device. In our review, we’ve given the flagship device a GadgetMatch Seal of Approval.
It can certainly compete with other flagship contenders such as the iPhone 13 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, and the Huawei P50 Pro. There’s really nothing like the vivo X80 Pro, and it’s a fantastic tool to have if you’re serious about mobile photography.
GadgetSnaps is a series of photo dumps capturing mundane, everyday life.
The vivo X80 Pro retails for PhP 59,999. Buy on vivo | Shopee | Lazada.
Meanwhile, the vivo X80 retails for PhP 45,999. Buy on vivo | Shopee | Lazada.
Pre-order period is from June 9 to 18. The offline pre-order freebie is a BT speaker for both models. Online pre-order freebies for the vivo X80 Pro are: 50W Wireless Charger, TWS Voguard, and Neck Massager. Meanwhile, online pre-order freebies for the vivo X80 are: TWS Voguard and a 2-in-1 clock speaker.
This feature is a collaboration between GadgetMatch and vivo Philippines.
Apple Pay is officially in the Philippines!
Pushing the country forward into a cashless and cardless future, Apple has now brought its contactless payment system to the Philippines. As with other countries, Apply Pay will work seamlessly and easily even for those who have problems with technology.
Now, despite how easy it is, sometimes we need to be pointed in the right direction. Here’s how you can set up Apple Pay on your iPhone:
Everything starts with the Wallet app. First, open your Wallet app. Tap the “+” button on the top and select “Debit or Credit Card.”
Normally, this is where you can input your card details (which you can still do, by the way), but the default method now is to just tap your card on the back of your iPhone. Your phone does the rest. You might need to confirm with your bank, but it’s as easy as a single tap.
Pick which cards to use. Once you have your cards online, you might need to change which one is the default card. Again, it’s easy. Just drag your preferred card to the front.
Afterwards, you can tap to pay in supported stores by priming the Wallet app for use. Tapping to pay is also available for Apple Watch. Meanwhile, online transactions can also work on MacBook.
Secure, all the time. If you’re worried about your security especially with online transactions, Apple keeps your information only between you and the seller. They don’t store your data.
Also, it’s not easy to make a transaction without your consent. You need Face ID, Touch ID, or your password. If you lose your phone, you can easily shut your phone down with the Find My app to prevent malicious parties from making transactions.
DJI’s smartphone gimbals have always chased one goal: delivering cinema-smooth footage without forcing you to carry a heavy rig.
The Osmo Mobile 8P (OM 8P) makes its priorities clear right out of the box. This is not a simple refresh. DJI rebuilt how you control the gimbal, and that decision shapes the entire shooting experience.
Freedom behind the lens
The biggest change is the FrameTap remote, and it’s the kind of upgrade that fixes a problem you didn’t realize was slowing you down until it’s gone.
On the standard OM 8, adjusting your framing meant reaching for your phone every time, which broke the flow of shooting and pulled you out of the moment.
FrameTap puts that control back in your hand. You can reframe shots and manage the gimbal without touching your phone at all, and for anyone shooting solo, that alone changes how usable the whole setup feels. Tracking has taken a real step forward too.
ActiveTrack 8.0, paired with Module 2, held onto its subject even after they stepped out of frame for a moment, then picked them back up without much fuss.
It also lets you sit off-center in the shot instead of forcing you into the middle every time, which gives you more room to compose something that doesn’t look like every other gimbal video.
None of that would matter much if the gimbal itself wasn’t solid, and it still is. The OM 8P holds onto the same foldable design, magnetic phone clamp, and built-in tripod that made the OM 8 easy to live with.
And it remains one of the better compact options for stabilization, tracking, and portability in one package.
The tripod legs are a touch wider this time, and that extra width does make a noticeable difference on uneven ground.
The trade-offs in touch
The trade-off for all that new remote functionality is a control scheme that takes more getting used to. More of the gimbal’s functions now live on the FrameTap touchscreen, the joystick is smaller, and switching between shooting modes takes a few extra taps compared to the OM 8. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s a learning curve you’ll need to budget time for.
DJI also removed the zoom and focus wheel, so if you leaned on that dial for quick adjustments, you’ll feel its absence here. Module 2 no longer lets you plug a DJI wireless mic in directly either.
You’ll need to connect it to your phone instead, which adds a step to a setup that used to be simpler. Phone compatibility is still a limiting factor as well. DJI lists support for phones up to around 300g and 11mm thick, so bigger phones or ones in chunky cases may not clamp in properly.
Finding your ideal workflow
The OM 8P makes the most sense for solo creators who want dependable tracking and the freedom of remote framing without stepping up to a dedicated camera like the DJI Osmo Pocket.
If you’re already shooting on a phone with a solid camera, this fills the gap nicely. It’s a tougher sell if you prefer physical buttons over touchscreen menus, or if your phone runs on the larger and heavier side, since fitting it onto the clamp might be a problem before you even get to shooting.
Price, availability
DJI is offering the OM 8P in three combos, so how much you pay depends on how much of the ecosystem you actually need.
- Standard Combo (PhP 7,499): the gimbal itself, with 8th-gen stabilization and the detachable FrameTap remote included.
- Advanced Tracking Combo (PhP 9,199): adds the Multifunctional Module 2 for the improved subject tracking we tested.
- Creator Combo (PhP 11,099): the full kit, built for creators who want everything DJI bundles in from the start.
Is the DJI Osmo Mobile 8P your GadgetMatch?
The DJI Osmo Mobile 8P asks you to relearn a few habits in exchange for a gimbal that finally lets go of your phone. If hands-free framing and steadier tracking matter more to you than a dedicated zoom dial, this is worth the adjustment.
If you’d rather keep things exactly as they were on the OM 8, that learning curve might be the deciding factor.
Swipe right if you shoot alone often and have been waiting for a gimbal remote that actually works. The FrameTap remote alone justifies the upgrade if reaching for your phone mid-shot has been slowing you down.
Consider this if reliable tracking matters to you, especially if you’ve had a subject wander out of frame and stay lost on older gimbals.
And of course, get this if you already own a capable phone under the weight and thickness limits, and you’d rather invest in a smartphone rig than jump to a dedicated camera like the Osmo Pocket.
Swipe left if you lean on physical dials for zoom and focus, and moving those functions to a touchscreen sounds like a downgrade rather than an upgrade.
This is not for you if you use a DJI wireless mic and want it plugged directly into the module without routing through your phone first. Or, your phone runs heavier or bulkier than DJI’s limits allow, since no amount of enthusiasm fixes a clamp that won’t close.
Features
GadgetSnaps: Westminster Abbey
A thousand years of history, unfolded with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra
Westminster Abbey isn’t just another stop on the London tourist trail.
It’s the stage for coronations, royal weddings, and burials that span nearly a thousand years, all still playing out under the same vaulted ceilings that have been standing since before most countries had names.
Once you get past the crowds and the audio guides, a quieter version of the abbey starts to show itself: worn stone steps, poets resting a few feet from kings, light that shifts across the nave like it’s in on the performance too.
While losing track of time in Poets’ Corner (yes, me, playing amateur historian for an afternoon), I unfolded the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra and decided the abbey deserved more than a quick tourist snap.
All photos captured using the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra.
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