The HONOR X9d 5G is now in the Philippines. Touted as the “World’s Toughest Phone”, HONOR’s latest midrange smartphone is available starting at PhP 17,999.

Customers can avail of this discounted price during the preorder period from January 9 to 23. They can also get a JisuLife Fan 5 and gift box as part of the preorder freebie package.

Do note that the handheld fan will only be part of the package when the phone is claimed on January 24.

In addition, those who preorder can join the raffle giveaway for a chance to win a Tesla Cybertruck.

Meanwhile, from January 24 onwards, customers can get the device for PhP 18,999. Available colors are Reddish Brown, Sunrise Gold, and Midnight Black.

Moreover, the phone is offered through Globe and Smart postpaid plans for flexible payments, as well as through Home Credit.

Tough, durable

Building on the X series’ previous entries which are known for their durability, the latest entry to the popular line features a 2.5-meter drop resistance rating, and an improved IP66, IP68, and IP69K dust and water resistance.

It also has a significantly larger battery capacity at 8,300mAh, with support for 66W charging. Powered by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 platform, users can also expect a leap when it comes to performance.

The lone configuration in the Philippines comes with 12GB RAM (plus 12GB expansion) and 256GB of internal storage.

For its camera, the HONOR X9d still has a 108MP main camera and a 16MP front camera. Users can leverage HONOR’s full suite of AI-powered editing features, including AI Eraser.

In front, there is a 6.79-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with up to 120Hz refresh rate and up to 6,000 nits brightness. This panel is reinforced by Aluminosilicate glass.

The HONOR X9d comes with MagicOS 9 out of the box, along with Google Gemini, and more handy features.

A popular story among Chinese smartphone brands is whenever a sub-brand spinning off into its own independent entity. A less common one is when an independent entity suddenly merges back into the main entity. And yet, that’s the story we have today. realme is reportedly going back to being a sub-brand of OPPO.

If you don’t remember realme’s time as a sub-brand, then it’s hardly your fault. It’s been a long while since realme was considered a sub-brand. In 2018, the brand spun off on its own to form one of the most popular names in the Chinese smartphone space.

Today, via Leiphone, realme will return to OPPO as a sub-brand. Current realme CEO Sky Li will still retain his responsibilities heading the brand. Plus, all products on the current release schedule will still come out as planned.

However, starting this year, realme will start reintegrating back into OPPO, particularly through the latter’s after-sales programs. OnePlus will also follow the same structure going forward.

Currently, realme has not officially announced the move. That said, we also don’t know how the brand will address the reported change. It’s possible that the shift is just internal and has no effect on how the brand faces the public. For now, only time will tell.

SEE ALSO: realme C85 with 7000mAh battery, 5G connectivity officially launches

When the Nintendo Switch 2 and its almost-all-black Joy-Cons launched, you might have wondered about how the dual controllers will rock other colors. After all, the original Switch’s ecosystem constantly tempted users with quirky color options. Because the Switch 2 uses a black shell, will future Joy-Cons look just as tempting? Now, we have our answer.

Today, Nintendo has announced its first color variant for the Switch 2 Joy-Con. We should have seen this coming, but the new variant will not have a completely redesigned shell. Instead, the controller will change the colors of the inner rails and the rings around the joysticks. This pair will rock light purple for the left Joy-Con and light green for the right one.

It’s a tad bit disappointing, especially when you’re comparing it to the previous model. It’s practically impossible to rep the new colors out in public because the inner rails are hidden by the Switch 2. It also doesn’t help that the console itself will still have its red and blue colors, clashing with the new variant.

That said, the Joy-Cons still look pretty cool when separated from the console. But it all depends on when the console gets more games that use only a single Joy-Con.

Thankfully, that’s coming soon. The color variant will launch alongside the upcoming Mario Tennis Fever, the perfect game for single Joy-Cons. Both will come out on February 12.

The new colors will sell for an eye-watering US$ 99.99.

SEE ALSO: Yes, someone made a fries holder for your Nintendo Switch 2