News

Samsung announces Galaxy Ring, Watch7, Watch Ultra

Samsung’s latest AI-powered wearables

Published

July 10, 2024

Manila Connoisseur

Samsung has officially announced its latest batch of wearables, all powered by Galaxy AI to provide intelligent health experiences for all. They are the Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Watch7, and Galaxy Watch Ultra.

The newest additions align with Samsung’s vision for Galaxy AI to enhance digital health. All devices boast of sensor innovations, enabling them to deliver personalized insights and tailored health experiences by obtaining more accurate, detailed, and advanced user information.

Particularly, both the Galaxy Watch7 and Watch Ultra feature a 3nm Exynos W1000 processor. This allows them to deliver faster performance on the Wear OS 5 platform.

All devices also introduce novel health monitoring capabilities and support for various workouts not seen in previous versions of Samsung’s Galaxy wearable lineups. For added convenience, both watches support advanced features like Gestures and wallet payments. The Ring can also take photos using a Samsung Galaxy smartphone via double pinching.

Price, availability, preorder offers

The Galaxy Ring is available in Titanium Black, Silver, and Gold. There are sizing kits to help interested customers find the right fit from nine sizes. It is priced starting at US$ 399.99.

The Galaxy Watch7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra come in the following sizes and colors:

Galaxy Watch7 44mm: Green and Silver
Galaxy Watch7 40mm: Green and Cream
Galaxy Watch Ultra 47mm: Titanium Silver, Gray, and White

The Galaxy Watch7 starts at US$ 299.99 while the Watch Ultra will retail for US$ 649.99.

All three new offerings will be available on Samsung.com, Samsung Experience Stores, and other major retailers. Preorders in the United States will be open by July 10, 2024, with general sales beginning on July 24.

Galaxy Ring

Samsung first teased about the Galaxy Ring six months ago, and then unveiled it at MWC Barcelona earlier in the year. It is designed for 24/7 health monitoring, coming in the lightweight form of a stylish accessory. The ring has 10ATM water resistance and a Titanium Grade 5 finish.

More than its appearance, the Samsung Galaxy Ring integrates data and insights into Samsung Health for seamless access. It offers users an advanced sleep AI algorithm to help them understand their sleeping patterns through advanced sleep metrics.

Furthermore, the Galaxy Ring can provide personalized recommendations based on four significant factors: Sleep, Activity, Sleeping Heart Rate, and Sleeping Heart Rate Variability.

For everyday wellness monitoring, the wearable supports Heart Rate Alert and Live Heart Rate Check. It also helps users maintain an active lifestyle with Auto Workout Detection and Inactive Alert.

Galaxy Watch7

Meanwhile, the Galaxy Watch7 is designed to give users a better understanding of themselves. It supports over 100 workouts, and lets users develop active habits with Workout Routine. Body Composition, on the other hand, gives them a comprehensive understanding of their physical bodies.

Likewise new to the Galaxy Watch7 is an advanced AI algorithm, and the De Novo FDA-authorized Sleep Apnea feature. This simple tool checks potential signs for moderate to severe sleep apnea.

Among the smartwatch’s advanced monitoring capabilities are Heart Rate, Irregular Heart Rhythm Notification (IHRN), and Electrocardiogram (ECG). The Watch7’s BioActive Sensor makes tracking these indicators in a more accurate manner possible. Moreover, the device can track advanced glycation end products (AGEs) right from a user’s wrist. AGEs reflect an indication of metabolic health.

The Watch 7 is equipped with a 3nm processor, delivering an even faster performance compared to its predecessor. It is also the first Galaxy product to feature dual-frequency GPS system.

Galaxy Watch Ultra

For a personal active performance companion, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is your best bet. Aside from having the Galaxy Watch7’s advanced health monitoring features and powerful hardware, the Watch Ultra variant also supports enhanced fitness experiences.

The watch is built for extreme durability with its 10ATM water resistance and Titanium Grade 4 frame. It can operate at up to 500 meters below sea level, or 9,000 meters above. It can also last up to 100 hours on Power Saving and 48 in Exercise Power Saving.

For high-level athletes, the Watch Ultra features a new Functional Threshold Power (FTP) for cycling power. This is an AI-powered metric that helps athletes unlock their full potential based on their own indicators. The device also has a Personalized HR Zone and Multi-sports tile for multi-course workouts.

Among its other features are Quick Button and Emergency Siren, which are both helpful during workouts.

News

Budget smartphone realme C100 Series launches

Long battery life, ruggedness, more

Published

June 18, 2026

GadgetMatch

The realme C100 Series, the brand’s latest rugged essential smartphone in the budget segment, has officially launched in the Philippines.

The series introduces up to an 8,000mAh Titan Battery on the realme C100 model, as well as IP69 Pro certification.

This means the handset has IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K dust and water resistance ratings to handle high-pressure water exposure and submersion for up to six meters and 30 minutes.

The C100 also supports 45W SUPERVOOC charging for quick battery top-ups. It even has a 10W reverse charging support to power other small devices.

On the other hand, the realme C100i comes with a 7,000mAh Titan Battery to likewise power all-day use. This model supports a steady 15W charging and 6W reverse charging. It is also rated IP64 for dust and water resistance.

In addition, both models support Rain Touch Mode, making the 6.8-inch 120Hz display optimized for touches even when it is wet. This panel also comes with ArmorShell Glass protection.

Powering the C100 is the MediaTek Helio G92 Max processor while the C100i has as Unisoc T7250 processor. The devices run on realme UI 7.0 (Android 16).

Price, availability

In the Philippines, the realme C100 Series comes in various storage configurations:

C100i (4GB+64GB): PhP 6,313 (SRP: PhP 8,999)
C100i (4GB+128GB): PhP 7,379 (SRP: PhP 11,999)
C100i (4GB+256GB): PhP 8,199 (SRP: PhP 13,999)
C100 (4GB+256GB): PhP 11,195 (SRP: PhP 16,999)
C100 (8GB+256GB): PhP 14,000 (SRP: PhP 19,999)

Limited-time launch offers are available through Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok from June 18 to June 30.

The phones are also available at realme concept stores, kiosks, and partner retailers nationwide. Potential freebies include a TechLife Smart band, extended warranty and screen damage protection, privilege card, or additional cash discount.

News

Did Tim Cook just confirm that iPhone prices are going up?

Once again, it might be because of the RAM crisis.

Published

June 18, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

If there’s one thing you can count on in the smartphone world, it’s the high price of an iPhone. Unfortunately, with the ongoing RAM shortages, things might get worse. Apple’s Tim Cook has essentially confirmed that the brand is about to raise its prices.

Via an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Cook said, “Unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable.” As with other companies, the outgoing CEO is talking about the RAM crisis. With a lot of chips going to AI, consumer-ready silicon is getting scarcer and scarcer. Thankfully, some brands are shielding its users from the increases, but it’s reaching levels that aren’t sustainable for business.

“We’re doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we’ve been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable,” he said.

Cook did not explain how much prices will go up or when. However, with the iPhone 18 series (and a potential iPhone Fold) just on the horizon, it seems nigh.

Apple isn’t the first brand to react to the shortages (nor will it be the last). Now, regardless of whether or not Apple has the capabilities to tank the crisis, the biggest culprit is still AI. Companies today are more than willing to use AI as a scapegoat, real or otherwise, for shady cost-cutting or profit-enhancing practices.

News

Apple might launch an iPhone Air 2 next year

This is despite the iPhone Air’s reportedly low demand.

Published

June 18, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Is this the most varied that an iPhone lineup has ever been? With an iPhone Fold supposedly coming out later this year, the current lineup includes a base model, two Pro models, an ultra-thin Air model, and the affordable 17e. There’s now an iPhone for everyone. According to a new report, next year won’t be any different. Apple is reportedly launching the iPhone Air 2 early next year.

Among all the current models in the lineup, the iPhone Air does seem like the oddest of the bunch. Whereas the other models already have established niches, the Air is positioned simply as a thinner iPhone, riding on the short-lived ultra-thin phone trend. In fact, recent reports suggest that the Air isn’t as popular as its contemporaries.

Apparently, Apple doesn’t see it that way. According to Bloomberg, the brand is still surging forward with an iPhone Air 2. The upcoming version might even add a second camera and an improved processor.

Despite reports that it isn’t that popular, Apple might still believe in the model’s future. At this point, they should; Apple has always had a problem with the base model’s partner. Years of flip-flopping around what it should be, Apple wants to stay a little bit longer on the Air.