News

OPPO R9s, R9s Plus with 16MP rear and front cameras break cover in China

Published

October 20, 2016

Monch Lopez

Two new OPPO smartphones broke cover recently at a press event in China. The OPPO R9s and R9s Plus look particularly iPhone-ish, except the antenna lines on the metal-clad back of these devices are barely visible and their home button evokes Samsung’s aesthetics.

Oh, and they each have 16-megapixel rear- and front-facing cameras, which not only makes it infinitely easier for us to remember their camera specs, but also makes the phones an alluring pick for the selfie-loving generation. We were impressed with the 16-megapixel selfie cam on the F1 Plus, the R9s’ predecessor, and it would make sense to think OPPO has something similar, if not better, on offer here.

[irp posts=”2006″ name=”OPPO F1 Plus Hands-On Review”]

The rear-facing camera system, objectively speaking, is an even more impressive specimen, featuring a Sony sensor that no other device has yet and an f/1.7 aperture for superior performance in low light and to achieve a better depth of field, which some photographers refer to as “bokeh.” It can also shoot super-crisp 4K video at the standard 30 frames per second, though only the R9s Plus has an optically stabilized camera to compensate for shaky hands and movement.

The R9s will come in shades of gold, rose gold, and black

The R9s comes with a 5.5-inch, 1080p screen with curved-but-not-too-curved Gorilla Glass 5; a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 system-on-a-chip, alongside 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage; a fingerprint scanner on the home button; and a 3,010mAh battery that charges to 75 percent in 30 minutes.

The R9s Plus has a larger footprint, opting for a 6-inch display at full resolution and minimal bezels on the sides to keep the size of the phablet in check. Rounding off the specs, the Plus model makes use of a Snapdragon 653 chip, an incremental upgrade over the Snapdragon 652 inside many of today’s top midrange phones; 6GB of RAM; 64GB of storage; and a 4,000mAh battery.

[irp posts=”3906″ name=”The OPPO F1s is an affordable ‘selfie expert'”]

Both devices ship with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, making them the company’s first Marshmallow devices, although that isn’t meant to be a compliment. OPPO has been notoriously slow to adopt the latest Android software, with their existing phones still running Android Lollipop and below.

The OPPO R9s and R9s Plus will retail for 2,799 yuan ($415) and 3,499 yuan ($520) in their native China. They will go on sale starting October 28. The three available color options include gold, rose gold, and black. No word yet on pricing or an intended release outside China, but dollars to donuts, international markets will see the R9s under a different name before the year ends.

At least we hope so. These phones sound promising, and we’d hate to see them get a limited release.

Source: GSMArena

News

More iPhone switchers this year than Android switchers, report says

Only the Google Pixel might be exempt from a global Android dip.

Published

March 24, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

With the prices of chips skyrocketing this year, the commonly held rule of thumb is to hold on to your devices for as long as possible. Of course, the dip in demand will also translate to a dip in supply. According to new reports, users this year might favor switching to an iPhone over an Android phone.

As early as late last year, smartphone makers have already warned consumers that the prices of new devices might go up to anticipate the rising prices of RAM. For now, the prices are still manageable, but forecasts don’t look too kindly on the future.

According to a Morgan Stanley report via Investing.com, the shipments of Android phones might drop by as much as 15 percent this year, compared to the last. This encompasses all brands using the platform.

However, there is one notable holdout: the Google Pixel. According to the same report, the lineup will still enjoy some modicum of growth heading into their release schedule this year.

More notably, though, Apple might be the biggest winner this year. Though iPhone shipments might still drop by 2 percent, it’s nothing compared to the former’s 15 percent drop. When comparing the two, that should translate to a growth in Apple’s share of the pie this year. In other words, more people might switch to Apple, compared to people switching to any phone running on Android.

Now, to be fair, these are all just predictions. Anything can still happen, but it looks like Apple might be heading to a stellar performance later this year.

Entertainment

Marvel’s Wonder Man greenlit for a rare second season

The first season holds a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Published

March 24, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Is the Marvel Cinematic Universe back? After years of floundering through Phases Four and Five, Marvel Studios is poised to get its mojo back from a flurry of much-awaited Phase Six projects this year, including the second season of Daredevil: Born Again, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and Avengers: Doomsday. And it all started this year with the critically acclaimed Wonder Man. Now, after the success of that series, a second season is officially in the works.

When its first trailer came out, Wonder Man did not look like anything that Marvel Studios has worked on before. For one, it was incredibly grounded, perhaps overshadowed only by Daredevil: Born Again. Second, it was about the reboot of a fictional superhero movie, itself called Wonder Man.

Actor Simon Williams (played by Yahya Abdul Mateen II) wants to energize his career by performing in the upcoming Wonder Man revival from acclaimed director Von Kovak (Zlatko Burić). Helping the former is the returning Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), who you might remember as the fake Mandarin from Iron Man 3.

Despite how different it looks compared to previous Marvel Studios projects, the series is one of the most acclaimed, currently holding a 91 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Because of this, Wonder Man has received the green light for a second season, via Variety.

A second season is relatively rare for Marvel Studios with its history of one-and-done series. There are some exceptions, though. Loki, for example, ended its run with a second season. Daredevil: Born Again will air its second season very soon (with a third one potentially in the works already).

News

Apple’s WWDC 2026 will be from June 8 to 12

The focus might be on AI.

Published

March 24, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Apple changed the script by launching the iPhone 17e earlier this month. Now, after leaving history for a bit, the company is ready to go back to its originally scheduled programming. WWDC 2026 is now officially confirmed from June 8 through 12.

The Worldwide Developers Conference is an annual event to give the stage to Apple’s software developments. If you’re more familiar with Google’s scheduling, this is the equivalent of the annual Google I/O.

Today, Apple announced that the annual WWDC 2026 will take place from June 8 to 12. As always, it’s expected that Apple’s upcoming slate of major software updates will debut at the event. This includes iOS 27, macOS 27, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27.

However, besides the expected platforms, Apple has also confirmed that the event will present the company’s latest in “AI advancements”.

For Apple fans, those announcement should come with some excitement. Compared to its competitors, the company has notoriously been left trailing in the AI department. Upgrades to Apple Intelligence and a Siri revamp has been in the pipeline for quite a while now.

If you’re interested in the new developments, WWDC 2026 will, like every year, broadcast its major keynote presentation and a plethora of other showcases for free on Apple’s website and on YouTube.

SEE ALSO: Apple unveils the iPhone 17e