Philippines

vivo joins NBA in welcoming All-Star Weekend 2025

Published

February 13, 2025

GadgetMatch

vivo, an official NBA partner in the Philippines, is joining the league in welcoming the upcoming NBA All-Star Weekend 2025.

This season’s All-Star festivities will take place in the San Francisco Bay Area from February 15 to February 17 (Manila time).

The centerpiece of the annual extravaganza, of course, is the NBA All-Star Game. This year’s format is quite different, with the NBA adopting a mini-tournament style format.

The 24 NBA All-Star selections were divided into three teams of eight. The rosters were selected by TNT’s Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith.

Meanwhile, the fourth team will be the winning team from the Castrol Rising Stars. WNBA legend Candace Parker will coach the squad.

Among the voted “starters” for this year’s All-Star festivities are Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as well as legends Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

vivo NBA partnership continues to evolve

With its partnership with the NBA, vivo continues to deliver Filipino basketball fans with curated experiences and content. This brings them closer to the NBA, its players, and its teams.

Last year, the official smartphone of the NBA in the Philippines also offered fans with opportunities to interact with NBA legends like Derek Fisher and Rip Hamilton. They visited vivo stores in Metro Manila for meet-and-greet sessions.

For the second year in a row, vivo also hosted the vivo 3×3 Basketball Challenge from July to August 2024.

Most recently, vivo returned as the official presenting partner of the NBA All-Star Voting in the Philippines.

Related Topics:NBA Philippines Vivo vivo V30 vivo V40

Philippines

Smart launches new prepaid bundles tailored for Gen Z lifestyles

The Smart Power All 109 data bundles

Published

July 1, 2026

GadgetMatch

Graphice by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Smart Prepaid has launched its latest Power All 109 data bundles tailored for Gen Z lifestyles. The new data packages come in four categories: Binge, Share, Game, and Grind.

The new packages, valid for seven days, all come with the following inclusions:

Unlimited TikTok or Facebook
10GB open access data
4GB of 5G data
unlimited calls and texts
5GB worth of access to the app bundle that suits the subscriber’s preference

Binge is for entertainment, giving users enough data allocation for YouTube, Viu, iWant, and Cignal Play.

Meanwhile, the Share bundle covers TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Viber — popular social and messaging apps.

The Game bundle includes some of today’s most popular mobile titles, like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Honor of Kings, and Call of Duty Mobile.

Lastly, the Grind bundle is built for productivity, with Google Suite apps covered.

For more open access data allocation, subscribers can also opt for Power All 149. which comes with 16GB of open access data.

Those who prefer subscribing to long-term prepaid packages, meanwhile, can purchase Power All 449. Valid for 28 days (four weeks), this bundle comes with:

Unlimited TikTok or Facebook
30GB of open access data
15GB of 5G data
unlimited calls and texts

All aforementioned bundles can now be availed via the Smart App, mobile wallets, or by dialing *123#.

News

PLDT Home, GCash partner to make Fiber Prepaid reloads more rewarding

Score exclusive perks and discounts when loading via GCash GLoad

Published

June 25, 2026

GadgetMatch

PLDT Home has joined forces with GCash to integrate Fiber Prepaid reloads directly into the GCash GLoad platform.

The partnership aims to make high-speed home connectivity significantly more accessible and budget-friendly for Filipino households. In the process, transactions come with exclusive rewards, app-based discounts, and more offers.

PLDT Home originally introduced its Fiber Prepaid lineup to cater to students, remote workers, and small business owners who require robust internet speeds but prefer to avoid rigid monthly lock-in contracts.

Integrating reloads via the GCash app gives users even more flexibility when it comes to payments, given a secure and cashless ecosystem.

The platform lets users tailor their internet usage to their actual budget. For instance, the entry-level PLDT Home Fiber Prepaid package starts at PhP 999.

This comes bundled with 30 days of unlimited internet at speeds of up to 50 Mbps. Beyond the base tier, customers can freely opt for flexible top-ups ranging from a single day up to a full 365-day package, with speeds topping out at a blazing 300 Mbps.

To start loading and claiming exclusive perks, users can simply head over to the GLoad section within their active GCash app.

Gaming

ASUS brings 2026 ROG Zephyrus Duo, G16, and G14 to the Philippines

New Zephyrus laptops arrive

Published

June 24, 2026

GadgetMatch

ASUS Republic of Gamers has announced the Philippine availability and pricing of its 2026 ROG Zephyrus lineup.

Headlining the range is the new ROG Zephyrus Duo, joined by refreshed versions of the Zephyrus G16 and Zephyrus G14. The latest models feature Intel Core Ultra processors, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series Laptop GPUs, upgraded cooling systems, and ROG Nebula HDR OLED displays.

The lineup is available through authorized retailers starting June 24, 2026.

ROG Zephyrus Duo introduces dual-screen gaming

The 2026 ROG Zephyrus Duo (GX651AX) is billed as the world’s first 16-inch dual-screen gaming laptop.

It features two 16-inch 16:10 touch displays with 120Hz refresh rates. Together, they provide up to 32 inches of combined screen space for multitasking, content creation, streaming, and gaming.

The primary display is a 3K ROG Nebula HDR OLED panel with up to 1,100 nits peak brightness, Dolby Vision HDR support, and 100 percent DCI-P3 color coverage.

A new 320-degree kickstand hinge enables multiple usage modes, including Laptop Mode, Dual-Screen Mode, Book Mode, Tent Mode, and Sharing Mode. ASUS ScreenXpert software manages display layouts and transitions between modes.

Powering the device are an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU, 64GB LPDDR5X memory, and 2TB SSD storage.

ROG Zephyrus Duo price in the Philippines

ROG Zephyrus Duo GX651AX-SR071WSM (RTX 5090, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD) — PhP 559,995

The laptop comes bundled with an ASUS Pen 3.0, ROG Universal Backpack, ROG Gladius III Gaming Mouse, and ASUS warranty package.

ROG Zephyrus G16 gets RTX 5090 option

The refreshed ROG Zephyrus G16 (GU606) retains its slim aluminum chassis, measuring 1.49cm thick and weighing 1.85kg.

Configurations include up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU with up to 160W TGP. ASUS says the laptop supports NVIDIA DLSS 4 and Multi-Frame Generation technologies.

The 16-inch display uses a 2.5K ROG Nebula HDR OLED panel with a 240Hz refresh rate, VESA DisplayHDR True Black certification, and NVIDIA G-SYNC support.

Battery life is rated at up to 22 hours of video playback, while ROG Intelligent Cooling combines Tri-Fan Technology, liquid metal, and expanded ventilation for sustained performance.

ROG Zephyrus G16 prices in the Philippines

ROG Zephyrus G16 GU606AR-TB061WSM (RTX 5070 Ti, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — PhP 289,995
ROG Zephyrus G16 GU606AX-TB084WSM (RTX 5090, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD) — PhP 429,995

Both variants include an ROG Exclusive Sleeve and ROG Strix Impact Gaming Mouse.

ROG Zephyrus G14 focuses on portability

The ROG Zephyrus G14 (GU405) continues to target gamers who want a more compact machine.

It measures 1.59cm thin and weighs 1.5kg. Despite its size, ASUS equips the laptop with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU with up to 130W TGP.

The device sports a 14-inch 3K ROG Nebula HDR OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, NVIDIA G-SYNC support, and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 1000 certification.

ASUS also redesigned the thermal system with thicker heat pipes, additional copper fins, and improved ventilation to boost cooling performance.

ROG Zephyrus G14 prices in the Philippines

ROG Zephyrus G14 GU405AP-SY057WSM (RTX 5070, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — PhP 224,995
ROG Zephyrus G14 GU405AW-SY069WSM (RTX 5080, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — PhP 324,995

Each model ships with an ROG Exclusive Sleeve and ROG Strix Impact Gaming Mouse.

Warranty and launch promos

All 2026 ROG Zephyrus laptops sold locally come with ASUS’ No. 1 Quality & Service Program. This includes a three-year international and local warranty, one-year accidental damage protection, and Premium Care support.

Buyers also receive a gaming mouse, three months of PC Game Pass, an Office 2024 lifetime license, one year of Microsoft 365 Basic with 100GB cloud storage, and up to 700GB of ASUS Cloud Storage.

Meanwhile, the new ROG Slash Collection 4.0 accessories, including the Slash Backpack 4.0 and Slash Sling Bag 4.0, will arrive in select ROG stores starting July 2026.