News

Huawei resurrects ‘Mate’ with the Mate 50 series in China

Four Mates to choose from

Published

September 6, 2022

Vincenz

Image by GadgetMatch

If you can still recall, Huawei launched the last “Mate” in October 2020 — potentially the last of its kind.

But just like the latest rumor of the Mate line being re-launched this September 2022, they have officially announced the comeback of the series with not just one, but four Mate 50 models in China.

Mate 50 + Mate 50E

Let’s start with the two similarly-looking models of the series: The Mate 50 and the Mate 50E.

Image by GadgetMatch

Both phones sport a 6.7-inch Full HD+ OLED flat display with 90Hz refresh rate and 300Hz touch sampling rate. These displays also support 1.07 Billion Colors and DCI-P3 wide color gamut. However, the Mate 50 has Huawei’s in-house Kunlun glass protection and an IP68 water and dust resistance rating that the Mate 50E does not possess.

Image by GadgetMatch

Each phone also has what they call a 50MP “Super Optical Camera” with a variable aperture between f/1.4 to f/4.0 plus a 13MP f/2.2 ultra-wide lens. Their 13MP f/2.4 selfie cameras are also similar. The differentiating factor has got to be the Mate 50’s 12MP periscope telephoto lens that supports 5x optical zoom and up to 50x digital zoom.

Image by GadgetMatch

Other notable differences are the chipsets used. The Mate 50 is equipped with the latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset. Meanwhile, the Mate 50E has a toned-down Snapdragon 778G chipset just like the Honor 70, Xiaomi 12 Lite, Nothing Phone (1), and the Samsung Galaxy A73 5G. Unfortunately, despite the mentioned chipsets being 5G-capable, both are only limited to 4G connectivity.

There are other similarities too like the 4460mAh battery, 66W SuperCharge + reverse charging capabilities, and choices between 8GB RAM + 128 or 256GB UFS 3.1 configurations with NM card expansion of up to 256GB. However, the Mate 50 supports 50W Wireless SuperCharge and is available in a bigger 512GB option.

Mate 50 Pro

This 2022, Huawei decided to scrap the “Pro+” model in favor of the lone Mate 50 Pro flagship.

Unlike the two models aforementioned, the Mate 50 Pro features a 6.74-inch OLED curved display with a 120Hz refresh rate that’s totally reminiscent of the Mate 30 Pro from three years ago. Aside from the same 13MP f/2.4 selfie camera, there’s also a 3D depth sensor for more secure biometrics.

Other display specs are similar from the other Mate 50 phones: 300Hz touch sampling rate plus DCI-P3 wide color gamut and 1.07 Billion Color support.

Image by GadgetMatch

Other than that, the cameras are quite similar from the first two Mates: a 50MP Super Optical main camera with an adjustable f/1.4 to f/4.0 aperture plus OIS, paired with a 13MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle camera. What makes it “Pro” is its 64MP 3.5x periscope telephoto lens with OIS — similar to that of the Huawei P50 Pro that can zoom up to 100x minus the LEICA optics.

Lastly, it’s also powered by the latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 4G chipset and 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM with either 256GB or 512GB storage options + NM card storage expansion. Battery is quite bigger at 4700mAh with 66W SuperCharge, 50W Wireless SuperCharge, and 5W reverse charging. It’s also IP68-rated and has the Huawei Kunlun glass protection.

Porsche Design Mate 50 RS

Lastly, there’s still a variant highlighting the solid partnership between Huawei and Porsche Design — a collaboration that started four years ago. While it has the most aggressive design in the Mate 50 series, the design is very much like the Porsche Design Mate 40 RS as well as the Honor Magic4 Ultimate. Its back is also made out of ceramic glass.

Its hardware specifications are very similar to the Mate 50 Pro: display, cameras, IP rating, battery capacity, charging speeds, and even the non-5G Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset used. But, the Mate 50 RS has a plentiful 12GB of LPDDR5 memory, plus a different periscope telephoto lens with a smaller megapixel count but a wider aperture — 48MP f/3.0 vs Mate 50 Pro’s 64MP f/3.5. Albeit, it still has the same 3.5x to 100x zoom capabilities.

Image by GadgetMatch

The Mate 50 RS is also limited to a 512GB storage option, still with NM card support. As obvious as it looks, the Huawei Porsche Design Mate 50 RS also has a different set of leather cases and accessories that complement well the aesthetic of the sports car’s fashion-focused subsidiary.

Pricing and Availability

The Huawei Mate 50 series is currently available for pre-orders in China. There’s no word on global availability just yet.

Image by GadgetMatch

There are several color options and pricing configurations* (in Chinese Yuan or Renminbi SRP) for the Mate 50 series:

Mate 50E (Obsidian Black, Frost Silver, Streamer Purple)

128GB = CNY 3999 (US$ 559 / EUR 579 / GBP 518 / SG$ 801 / PhP 32,946)
256GB = CNY 4499 (US$ 628 / EUR 651 / GBP 582 / SG$ 902 / PhP 37,065)

Mate50 (Obsidian Black, Frost Silver, Streamer Purple, Daybreak Kunlun, Kunlun Xiaguang)

128GB = CNY 4999 (US$ 721 / EUR 727 / GBP 628 / SG$ 1013 / PhP 41,055)
256GB = CNY 5499 (US$ 793 / EUR 800 / GBP 691 / SG$ 1114 / PhP 45,162)
512GB = CNY 6499 (US$ 938 / EUR 1317 / GBP 816 / SG$ 1317 / PhP 53,374)

Mate 50 Pro (Obsidian Black, Frost Silver, Streamer Purple, Daybreak Kunlun, Kunlun Xiaguang)

256GB = CNY 6799 (US$ 981 / EUR 989 / GBP 854 / SG$ 1377 / PhP 55,838)
512GB = CNY 7799 (US$ 1125 / EUR 1134 / GBP 979 / SG$ 1580 / PhP 64,051)

Porsche Design Mate 50 RS (Dark Blue Porcelain, Carmine Porcelain)

512GB = CNY 12999 (US$ 1875 / EUR 1890 / GBP 1632 / SG$ 2634 / PhP 106,757)

News

The iPhone 18 might sell out for an unexpected reason

The ongoing shortage might play a part in the phone selling out earlier than expected.

Published

August 7, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

An iPhone selling out is not news. Because of how popular the phones are, it’s within the realm of probability that Apple runs out of stock at some point. According to a new report, this year won’t be any different… but it’s for an entirely different reason.

First reported by analyst Tim Culpan, Apple is reportedly struggling to meet its demand for semiconductors for the iPhone 18 and the foldable iPhone. The ongoing memory shortage is cutting off Apple’s ability to deliver the required supply of smartphones in a timely fashion. The report even claims that TSMC, which helps produce the iPhone, is sitting on a shipment of processors, worth US$ 1 billion, that don’t have memory chips.

Now, Apple is still confident that it can weather the launch. However, if the shortage persists, the iPhone 18 generation will likely sell out much more quickly than expected.

It’s an interesting time for Apple to experience such a shortage. It’s been heavily rumored that the company will launch its very first foldable phone next month, creating a new market for the brand. Apple definitely wants this attempt to succeed after the tepid response to its last new product, the Vision Pro.

News

These “smart” glasses just sold out in under a week

DuckDuckGo touts that these glasses have zero AI, zero cameras, and an infinite battery life.

Published

August 7, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Smart glasses are in a weird place right now. While a chunk of the population views them as cool and innovative, another significant chunk sees them as a privacy nightmare. If you’re in the latter group but want to see what life is like on the former, DuckDuckGo has a new product: a pair of anti-surveillance glasses with no camera or AI, otherwise known as just normal sunglasses.

If it’s not obvious, yes, it’s a troll product. DuckDuckGo is a search engine famously known for pushing privacy as a priority, opposing Google’s penchant for advertising and AI. Now, the search engine is taking on the smart glasses market.

Partnering with Knockaround, DuckDuckGo released the Paso Robles, a pair of sunglasses touted as having zero cameras, an always-offline mode, and a battery life of infinity.

It’s a statement piece. The rims have a logo mark, similar to the Meta’s glasses. The packaging also states that the glasses are “designed to block the sun, not send data to the cloud.”

Now, if you want a pair, they cost only US$ 35, as opposed to Meta’s US$ 299 price tag, but they are already sold out.

Which says quite a bit about today’s sentiment against AI and for privacy. Of course, to be fair, DuckDuckGo’s supply is certainly less than Meta’s stock for their smart glasses. It does, however, prove that the sentiment is there.

As of now, the world is slowly realizing that unimpeded smart glasses aren’t such a good idea, leading to people concerned about their privacy. In fact, some states have already started banning the technology in certain public spaces.

News

Google will force Android users to use Gemini next month

Google Assistant will be retired as well.

Published

August 6, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

What is Google’s voice assistant called? Technically, there are two possible answers: Google Assistant and Gemini. Despite Google’s push for Gemini, the ubiquitous Google Assistant is still a common option for most users. However, the company will soon take that choice away as the voice assistant will retire in favor of Gemini.

First reported by 9to5Google, Google has sent emails to users, declaring that Google Assistant will no longer be an option for Android users starting September 4. On that date, the company will slowly roll out an update to get rid of the assistant’s availability on device.

Google also makes it clear that Gemini will be “the assistant experience on Android” moving forward. If you’re used to Google Assistant to help you with handsfree use, you’ll have only one option soon. This also affects other peripherals including smartwatches and audio accessories.

Of course, there are a few exceptions. Devices that can’t support an AI-powered assistant like Gemini are mercifully spared of the forced transition. Likewise, devices in countries that don’t support the AI assistant are also saved.

Despite the tepid reception of AI today, Google remains adamant about pushing Gemini to more users, regardless of whether they want it or not. In fact, a forced move like this will likely inflate the numbers that more devices are using Google’s AI software than ever before, while conveniently hiding the fact that most users never really had much of a choice.