News

Google Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL still great for photos, now with 90Hz panel

All leaks mostly confirmed

Published

October 15, 2019

Rodneil Quiteles

The Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4XL are now official confirming most of the leaks that came out leading up to its launch. So what’s different, what improved, and what stayed the same? We’ll go through all of that right now.

No fancy waterfall displays, just thoughtful design

Google appears to be taking plenty of cues from Apple in the design department in the sense that not much has changed. Looking at the device up front, you might mistake it for the Pixel 2XL. That’s because Google is doing away with the notch but it’s keeping the thick bezel for a reason that we’ll get to later on.

On the back, the most notable difference is the square holding its dual camera setup. Yes, just two. One main shooter and another one that’s “roughly 2x telephoto.” Google says, “While wide angle can be fun, telephoto is more important.”

The back is also moving away from the two-toned design we’ve grown to associate with the Pixel. In its place is a solid glass back with only a single color and a frosted matte coating.

The power button is still a different color from the rest of the phone depending on the variant you choose.

Still the best camera on a smartphone?

Plenty of people are eagerly waiting for the Pixel just to see well they will fair in the camera department. Based on the latest numbers by DxOMark, the Huawei Mate 30 Pro currently holds the crown but that might be quickly taken away soon.

The hardware on the Pixel 4 are as follows: 12.2MP main camera with f/1.7 aperture, plus a 16MP f/2.4 telephoto zoom lens that supports hybrid zoom. But the Pixel has always been more than just hardware.

The true crowning glory of the Pixel cameras is Google’s computational photography. And that applies even on the telephoto lens. It combines both the 2x telephoto lens along with Super-Res Zoom to produce high quality, zoomed in images.

There’s now also what Google is calling Live HDR+. It basically means the HDR application happens real-time. Basically, whatever you see right before you take a shot is the photo that you should expect to come it.

That same feature allows Double Exposure — separate slides for highlights and shadows on Pixel 4 before you take your shot.

Computational photography also lends a huge hand in white balancing along with a wider range for portrait mode, and improved night sight.

That front-camera setup

Again, just like on the iPhone, there’s now a lot going on in that thick forehead bezel.

It’s not home to a bunch of new sensors that work together towards a more secure face recognition suite. There’s the selfie camera, a pair of IR cameras, flood illuminators, and DOT projectors.

Google says it’s the first smartphone equipped with a radar. It enables Motion Sense which Google claims is the fastest and most secure face unlock feature on a smartphone. It also allows you to control the Pixel 4 without touching it — similar to the Air Gestures that Samsung first tried a few years back.

Overall equipped with better hardware

Displays with high refresh rate might be a growing trend and the Pixel doesn’t want to be left behind. The phone is equipped with a 90Hz panel, similar to the one on the most recent OnePlus smartphones.

The rest of the device also gets a spec bump. Powering the Pixel 4 is Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC along with 6GB of RAM and either 64GB or 128GB of storage. Nothing to write home about as the numbers pale in comparison to other flagships in 2019. But, again like the iPhone, the Pixel isn’t exactly about the numbers.

You might also be happy to know that both the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL have an IP68 rating.

Pricing and availability

The Google Pixel 4 starts at US$ 799 and will start shipping on October 24. It will come in three colors: Just Black, Clearly White, and Oh So Orange. It will be available through all major US carriers.

News

The OPPO Find X9 Ultra is Galaxy S26 Ultra’s biggest enemy

The most extreme camera system in a smartphone so far

Published

April 21, 2026

Vincenz

Three weeks after the launch of the vivo X300 Ultra, there’s another “Ultra” flagship gleaming on the horizon.

The much-awaited (and much teased) OPPO Find X9 Ultra has finally reached the shores.

X-treme Cameras

On paper, the OPPO Find X9 Ultra packs the most extreme camera system in a smartphone so far.

First, it has a 200MP f/1.5 main camera based on the newer (and ginormous) Sony LYT-901 1/1.18-inch sensor. This also happens to be the same camera sensor used by the vivo X300 Ultra — just with a tighter 35mm focal length and slightly narrower f/1.85 lens opening.

Second, its 50MP f/2.0 ultra-wide lens with Sony’s 1/1.95-inch LYT-600 sensor.

But, what makes this camera system more extreme? It’s the inclusion of dual periscope telephoto lenses with larger sensors compared to its closest rival, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Find X9 Ultra’s biggest accomplishment can be seen with its 200MP 3x periscope telephoto. This is based from OmniVision’s OV52A sensor at 1/1.28 inches.

GIF by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

The next periscope module is a 50MP Samsung ISOCELL JNL 1/2.75-inch sensor. This second zoom shooter can capture 10x optically-zoomed shots, 20x “optical quality” snaps, all the way to 120x.

A dedicated camera button stays — now in the signature Hasselblad orange shade.

All in all, these are ultimate upgrades to the quad 50MP camera setup of last year’s OPPO Find X8 Ultra.

For video shooting, the OPPO Find X9 Ultra is capable of shooting up to 4K/120fps or 8K in 30fps. LOG Mode is also supported via OPPO’s O-Log2 with support for Custom 3D LUTs.

X-citing Partnership

The Find X9 Ultra’s massive camera module are all co-produced with Hasselblad — further solidifying the partnership between the Swedish camera brand and the Chinese phone maker.

To make things even more X-citing, the OPPO Find X9 Ultra has a special edition Hasselblad Earth Explorer Kit.

This optional camera kit consists of a massive 300mm LUMO telephoto kit lens, camera lens ring module, set of filters, adapters, and hood, pouch to house them all in, an embroidered Hasselblad lanyard.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Heck! Even a custom camera grip case reminiscent of Hasselblad’s very own X2D 100C Earth Explorer camera.

Speaking of, the OPPO Find X9 Ultra comes in the Tundra Umber colorway of the same earth-like hues and signature Hasselblad orange detailing.

GIF by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

If that isn’t your cup of tea, there are two more color options: Polar Glacier (white) and Canyon Orange. Albeit, the special grip case is only available in one color.

X-quisite Flagship

Just like any 2026 flagship, the Find X9 Ultra runs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC based on the 3nm process.

GIF by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

LPDDR5X memory choices are either between 12- or 16GB while its UFS 4.1 internal storage now has a bigger 1TB option (the X8 Ultra has a 512GB limitation).

Its 6.82-inch LTPO AMOLED display has been improved too. Now, it has an even smoother 144Hz refresh rate with brightness as low as 1 nit.

Compared to the 6100mAh battery of its predecessor, the Find X9 Ultra has a boosted 7050mAh Si/C battery. It’s currently the largest capacity in any Ultra flagship slab so far.

However, wired and wireless charging speeds remain at 100W and 50W respectively.

X-plit Strategy

The Find X9 Ultra isn’t the only phone being launched.

Find X9s (Left), Find X9s Pro (Right)

OPPO aims for a split strategy this time by separately unveiling the Find X9s Pro and Find X9s for the Chinese and global markets respectively. JSYK, these are two different phone models.

OPPO adds an iPhone-like “Camera Plateau” cutout to Find X9 Pro’s camera system — highlighting various earth-like textures. That system includes dual 200MP Hasselblad cameras (main and telephoto). On the other hand, the ultra-wide camera is capped at 50MP.

Meanwhile, the Find X9s borrows the same square cutout of last year’s Find X9 series with a consistent triple 50MP camera system.

Also, the Find X9s Pro has its own Special Camera Kit that the Find X9s lacks.

Moreover, the Find X9s Pro rocks MediaTek’s flagship-level Dimensity 9500. While the Find X9s has the slightly-underpowered Dimensity 9500s chipset.

While both phones support LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 ROM protocols, configurations are different. The Find X9s Pro has choices between 12 or 16GB of memory and up to 1TB of storage. However, the Find X9s only has a lone 12GB memory with limited storage options between 256 or 512GB of storage.

Surprisingly, the Find X9s Pro has the smaller 6.32-inch AMOLED display whereas the X9s boasts a bigger screen at 6.59 inches. These are both a departure from the 6.78-inch Find X9 Pro and 6.59-inch Find X9.

The only thing these models both share are the ultra-thin 1.15mm display bezels as well as that 7025mAh Si/C battery with 80W wired and 50W wireless charging speeds.

Ultimately, the Find X9 Ultra and X9s series all possess triple IP66, IP68, and IP69 ratings for utmost durability.

Pricing and Availability

The OPPO Find X9 Ultra is currently open for pre-orders in Mainland China:

12+256GB = CNY 7499 (US$ 1100 / EUR 900 / GBP 780 / SG$ 1345 / MYR 4355 / PhP 59,590 / INR 90,980)
12+512GB = CNY 7999 (US$ 1115 / EUR 960 / GBP 820 / SG$ 1430 / MYR 4645 / PhP 63,685 / INR 95,930)

If you opt for the Tundra Umber colorway, it’s only limited to these higher configurations:

16+512GB = CNY 8499 (US$ 1185 / EUR 1020 / GBP 870 / SG$ 1520 / MYR 4925 / PhP 67,670 / INR 101,930)
16+1TB = CNY 9299 (US$ 1365 / EUR 1155 / GBP 1010 / SG$ 1735 / MYR 5390 / PhP 81,880 / INR 126,520)
16+1TB Satellite Communication Version = CNY 9499 (US$ 1325 / EUR 1140 / GBP 975 / SG$ 1695 / MYR 5505 / PhP 75,625 / INR 113,920)
16+1TB Hasselblad Explorer Master Kit = CNY 11,999 (US$ 1260 / EUR 1070 / GBP 920 / SG$ 2235 / MYR 6965 / PhP 105,110 / INR 164,550)
Hasselblad Earth Explorer Set = CNY 2499 (US$ 360 / EUR 315 / GBP 270 / SG$ 465 / MYR 1450 / PhP 21,900 / INR 34,270)

Meanwhile, the OPPO Find X9s Pro shares the same price as last year’s Find X9 Pro:

12+256GB = CNY 5299 (US$ 745 / EUR 645 / GBP 560 / SG$ 965 / MYR 3145 / PhP 43,360 / INR 65,995)
12+512GB = CNY 5499 (US$ 770 / EUR 660 / GBP 570 / SG$ 985 / MYR 3190 / PhP 43,700 / INR 66,720)
16+512GB = CNY 5999 (US$ 845 / EUR 730 / GBP 635 / SG$ 1095 / MYR 3560 / PhP 49,085 / INR 74,715)
16+1TB = CNY 6999 (US$ 980 / EUR 835 / GBP 730 / SG$ 1260 / MYR 4130 / PhP 56,440 / INR 87,110)

* These are all estimated pricing conversions

Separately purchasing the As promised, the OPPO Find X9 Ultra is launching outside China. Specific pricing for the global Find X9 Ultra and Find X9s models are yet to follow.

News

POCO M8s 5G launches in the Philippines, starts at PhP 11,999

Affordable smartphone with essential features, AI

Published

April 21, 2026

GadgetMatch

POCO has announced the availability of another affordable smartphone in the Philippines in the POCO M8s 5G.

The handset is powered by a Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 mobile platform, and comes with up to 16GB of RAM (8GB base plus 8GB expansion).

It runs on Xiaomi HyperOS and supports intelligent features, including Google Gemini and Circle to Search.

The POCO M8s 5G comes with a 50MP main camera, along with creative AI tools like AI Erase and AI Sky.

In front is a 6.9-inch 1.5K display with Wet Touch Technology 2.0. The phone also houses a 7,000mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging and 18W reverse charging.

Other practical features include 200% volume boost, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and IP64 water and dust resistance.

Price, availability

In the Philippines, the POCO M8s 5G is available on Shopee exclusively from April 21 to 30.

During this early bird window, the phone is available for:

6GB+128GB: PhP 11,999
8GB+256GB: PhP 13,999

Afterwards, the phone will become available on Lazada and other platforms.

Gaming

Ubisoft will showcase Assassin’s Creed Black Flag remake on April 23

The remake is real!

Published

April 21, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Gaming’s worst kept secret is finally out. After months of rumors and speculations, Ubisoft will officially reveal its upcoming Assassin’s Creed Black Flag remake on April 23.

In March, the company first confirmed the game’s existence through the first concept art for the title. The upcoming remake will be officially called Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, which definitely states that it’s going to be a remake, rather than just a remaster.

Today, Ubisoft has announced that the worldwide reveal will happen on April 23. The showcase should clear the air as to how the remake will handle the franchise’s most successful outing to date.

When it first came out, Black Flag rightfully claimed itself as the quintessential pirate life simulator in the modern era. Rather than a straightforward stealth and assassination game, the title featured Edward Kenway, a vagabond pirate turned reluctant assassin. It was a worthy next step coming from the Desmond Miles trilogy, which concluded with Assassin’s Creed III.

Now, the studio isn’t done with the title. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag will ideally see the pirate game built again from the ground up. However, it’s still a bit unclear how much of the game will actually be rebuilt. Thankfully, the wait isn’t long at all.

For now, the franchise is still thriving with its latest new outing, Assassin’s Creed Shadows. It is also gearing up for the next mainline entry, currently called Codename Hexe.